Succubus on Top CHAPTER 10

Jerome didnt seem very happy to hear from me the future(a) morning.Do you have any idea what time it is, Georgie? he growled into the ph sensation.Why are you whining? You dont even remove to sleep.Make this fast.I told him ab kayoed my experience at the concert and my inability to ID the secret immortal. He wasnt one of us. Er, I mean, you k right off non part of ourpantheon, I finished lamely.Pantheon? Ive never hear it put rather exchangeable that revealside of an introductory mythology class, of course.So?So what?So isnt that weird? Ive met hund violents of different immortals and never mat one like this. He didnt feelnormal. I mean, he did feel like an immortal, unless it was well(p) weird.Well, hard as it is to believe, there are still a visual modality of things out there you havent go through despite your vast age. Yeah, yeah, I know Im an infant, every(prenominal) right? plainly doesnt this worry you at all?He yawned. Not in the least. Something angelic ordem onic would, still some random demigod or satyr? Hardly. Theyre not part of the game. Well, theyre all part of the Game. What I mean is, theyre not part of our game. They dont have to specify permission to be here. As great as they dont interfere with our business, I dont real circumspection. They do their declare thing. Well notwithstanding catalog them and move on.Catalog? Youve got a record tallyly?Well, I dont, of course. Thats one of state of grace and Meis things.No surprise there. Jerome wasnt really big onwell, work. Grace and Mei were subordinate demonesses who did a lot of the dirty jobs he didnt requisite to. I hardly ever saying them.Ill have to page them, I murmured, mind spinning.You know, I suppose it goes without saying that there are a hundred other more useful projects you could be channeling your energy into. Like, say, helping your incubus friend. From what I hear, hes stuck high and dry out in the suburbs. Emphasis on the high.Hey, I give tongue to , defensive of Bastiens honor, hes bonnie taking his time. You enkindlet rush quality work. Besides, he intentional everything he knows from me. Somehow that doesnt reassure me. Jerome disconnected.I hunted carry out Grace and Meis number. I waited for the tone, punched in my unsay number, and hung up. A minute later, a Fourth of July decorous shower of sparks appeared in my living room and the deuce demonesses sas welld before me.For having chosen two very different bodies, the pair sideed unmistakably alike. Grace was slim in an all-business, non-nubile sort of way, enhanced by the designer black skirt and jacket she wore. She had pale blond pig cut bluntly at chin length, brown-black midsections, and skin that never saw the sun. The single true simulation on her was the fire engine red lipstick she wore.Mei dressed exactly the same, down to the red lipstick. Her hair, also chin-length, was a deep blue-black. Despite the softer lines, higher cheekbones, and delicate al mond shape of her dark eye, she radiated no more w ramificationth or friendliness than her counterpart.The two always stuck together, and I assumed they must be friends. Sort of. I had no doubt theyd claw each others eyes out or Jeromes, for that topic if an opportunity for power or promotion was on the line.Georgina, tell Mei.Long time no see, said Grace.Both watched me expectantly. Aubrey watched them from the backwards of my couch, her hair on end and tail poofed out.Hey guys, I replied uneasily. Thanks for coming oer so fast. Slow day?They both stared at me.Um, so, okay. Jerome said you keep records of immortals who pass in and out of the city. Immortals who are outside of ourGame? suggested Grace.Pantheon? suggested Mei.Yeah. Sure. Sodo you?Who are you looking for? asked Mei.What kind of immortal? asked Grace.Thats the problem.I told them everything I knew about him, which aboutly included appearance and other encounters when Id felt that weird sensation. Describing his s ignature was harder. I couldnt exactly say he felt like an incubus or an angel or a nymph or an oni. I hadnt run across his type before.The demonesses processed this information, glanced at each other, and whence shook their heads.He doesnt sound familiar, said Grace.But we can double-check the records, said Mei.Thanks, I told them. Id really appreciate it.They nodded curtly and turned as if to leave. Mei suddenly glanced back at me.You should hang out with us sometime, she said unexpectedly. Cleos in Capitol Hill has great specials on Ladies Night.There are so some of us girls around here, added Grace. We need to stick together.They grimaced and disappeared. I shivered. Going to a bar with those two sounded altogether marginally more appealing than stamping with Danas CPFV friends.Speaking of which, I decided to visit Bastien later that afternoon. I hadnt heard from him in a few days.Do you have any idea how much I dont care about your mortal friends? he snapped when I told hi m about the tout ensemble bizarre situation surrounding Doug, Alec, and the mystery man. I have real problems here. Im dying. Im getting nowhere with Dana. I keep seeing her, shes benignant, and thats it Its like she only wants To be friends?He stopped pacing around his kitchen and cut me an arch look. Women are never just friends with me. He leaned against the counter and closed his eyes. I just cant animadvert what else to do. If I dont act fast, one of our superiors is qualifying to find out how bad things are.I decided not to mention Jeromes high and dry remark just thusly.Well, jeez, take a break and do something playfulness. Peters having another poker game. Come over and blowout with us. Im going to bring Seth.I thought you said this was going to be fun.Hey Who was that a dig at? Peter or Seth?Pick one, Fleur .Although, admittedly, Peter does fixate a pretty decentsouffle. What can the write do?I wish youd stop picking on Seth. You dont even know him.Bastien shrugg ed. Sorry. You just make it so easy.Youre jealous.Hardly, he snorted. Ive had my share of mortal infatuations, thank you. So have you, if memory serves. And youve also had a number of immortal boyfriends you seemed to have liked reasonably well. None of them ever gave you as much ruefulness as this guy.Seths different. I cant explain it. Being with him just feels soright. I feel like Ive cognise him forever. Fleur , Ive known you forever. Youve only known this guy for a couple months.We had gotten involved pretty quickly, and it did bug me sometimes, but I truly believed in the strength and depth of my looking ats for Seth. They were neither superficial nor transient I hoped.He had once told me there was no one else in the world for him but me. When Id pointed out that was a vapourous statement in light of how long wed known each other, hed simply said, Sometimes you just know.It was remarkably similar to what my husband, Kyriakos, had told me when wed first met, back in my lo ng-ago, dust-covered days as a mortal. Id been fifteen at the time, and my get down had sent me down to the docks of our town with a message for Kyriakos, mystify. Sending me alone was a fighting unorthodox, but my father hadnt thought much about it since he was only a short blank space onward at the market. Nonetheless, I found it a frightening walk.Sweaty, dirty men worked ceaselessly, un freight rate and loading in the hot sun while the turquoise Mediterranean shimmered beyond them. I got directions from a short, bodacious man who leered up at me when he finished.Youre a tall girl, he observed. Bet that might rebuke some men, but not me. Youre just the right height as far as Im concerned.He laughed, and some of his companions laughed too. The mans face came up right to the height of my chest. I hurried past them with lowered eyes, honing in on the indicated ship. Relief flooded me when I found Kyriakos checking lines and babble outing to some of the workers. Id never ver balizen to him, but I knew who his father was and knew he was trustworthy. He looked up at my approach and smiled.Youre Marthanes, daughter, right? Letha?I nodded. Im suppositional to tell your father that the shipment can be ready this evening if he wants it early.Ill let him know. Hes not here.All right. We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I could sense him studying me out of the corner of his eye while pretending to study the workers. He looked like he wanted to say something, but when postcode came, I made motions to go. Well, thanks. I should get back.Wait, Letha. He reached out a hand to stop me from turning, then shyly pulled back before actually touching me. Youdidnt walk here by yourself, did you?My father said it wasnt that far. And that I wasnt in much danger of attracting interest. Kyriakos made a harsh sound in his throat. Your fathers a fool. Let me walk you back. He hesitated. But dont tell your father I called him a fool.He change a few curt words with one of his men and then set out back to town with me. He was older than me, his face tanned from sun and sea. His hair was black and messy, about chin-length, and he stood almost but not quite as tall as I did.I saw you at that wedding a few days ago, he said after a long stretch of silence. You were dancing with some other girls. You knowyoure really good.The compliment surprised me. I think the wine helped.No. The wine helped the other girls or hindered, maybe. Im not sure. He glanced over at me, and I nearly stumbled at the intensity in his dark eyes. But youdancing lives inside of you. The music spoke to you, and you understood it.You were playing a flute, I recalled, trying not to blush at the regard in his voice.Yes. He sounded happy that I remembered. Silence fell again. We were almost to the market the sounds of people and commerce drifted down to us. Kyriakos clearly wanted us to keep disgorgeing. SoI heard your sister got married shoemakers last spring.Yes.What about you?I e yed him. I didnt get married last spring.A smile turned up the edges of his lips. What about next spring?Are you offering?Just checking. I heard my father sayI stopped walking near the edge of the market, so I could look him in the eye again. People and animals moved around us, and across a walkway I could see my father talking to a fruit vendor.Look, I said brusquely, I heard my father say it too how theyre thinking about making a marriage between our families. Itd create good trade deals. But if youre trolling for that, you should talk to your father about one of my sisters, not me.What? Dont you want to get married? His smile faltered. Or is someone else lined up for you?I stared incredulously. No, of course not. You just dont want to marry me, thats all.I dont?No. You want one of my sisters.I do?Yes. Theyre shorter, prettier, nicer and softer spoken.Can they dance?I considered. No. Theyre terrible.His shy smile returned. Then I want you.Youre crazy. You dont know what youre t alking about. You dont know anything about me. Of course, in those days, most people knew little about their betrothed. What I found remarkable was his conviction that we were compatible.It doesnt matter. I can just tell that youre the one. Cant you feel it?I met his eyes and felt a shiver go through me, like Id stumbled into something bigger and more powerful than both of us. For just a moment, I allowed myself to consider that this man from a highly respected family might legitimately be interested in me. It was a heady feeling, and not just from the honor involved. It was from the way he looked at me and spoke to me, like I was both worthy and an equal. Something built between us, drawing me to him, and it confused me.You dont know anything about me, I repeated quietly, my mouth feeling dry.His tentative smile grew bolder. I know plenty. I know that you dance and that youre smart too smart, according to my father. And I know that your family is banned from Lais, bakery because you called her daughter a That wasnt my fault, I interjected quickly. Across the way, my father caught survey of us. I held up a hand of greeting, and he impatiently gestured me over. My father wants me.Kyriakos cast an uncertain look over there and hastily turned back. If I was known for a sharp tongue, my father was reputed to be worse, and however love struck and brazen, Kyriakos apparently wasnt quite up to facing him yet. Ill have my father talk to yours.The earlier joking was gone Kyriakos was all seriousness now. But there was more than just that. His eyes were looking at me in a way Id never been looked at before. I felt hot, then cold, and then hot again. A tingle played along my flesh. I couldnt take my eyes away from his.This isnt about trade deals, I whispered.No. This is about you and me. Youre the one.I stared, uncharacteristically short on words. My appall now came more from that crazy feeling swirling inside of me, not from the preposterous nature of his proposal one he shouldnt have even brought up without the involvement of our families. Later Id analyse what a leap this whole conversation had been for him. He was not given to long speeches or bold behavior. He said little, as a general rule, more content to express himself through his eyes and his music, and laterafter we were married, his lovemaking.Look, he said, suddenly growing nervous as he misinterpreted my silence and expression, Ive saved. We can get a nice house. You wont have to live with so many people anymore. Ill be gone a lot, but you can probably run things and make deals better than me anyway. Not being able to buy bread forget be problematic, but we might be able to afford a servant, or you can learn to Shut up, I said.He stared. What?Just shut up. Youre wasting time. Go tell your father to talk to mine. And, I added wryly, I know how to make bread.He caught his breath. Youre sure?About the bread? Yes, Im sure.A mute smile bloomed across his face, spreading up into h is eyes, making them smolder. I felt my pulse quicken and smiled back. cipher else needed to be said. My father yelled again, and I ran off to join him.Pondering this memory and what was now happening with Seth, I stared dazedly out the front window and caught sight of Jody checking the mail.Hey, I told Bastien. I want to go say hi to her.I ran outside and waved, making her break out into one of her big, scenic smiles. To my surprise, she even hugged me.Ooh Im so glad to see you. How have you been?We exchanged a few pleasantries, and then she grabbed my arm excitedly. Are you busy today? You want to go to the mall?To my surprise, that actually sounded like fun. More fun than listening to Bastien bitch and moan. Sure.Great. Ill go tell Dana.