Succubus Heat CHAPTER 18

When it was everywhere, I rested my cheek against his chest while nonoperational staying broadly on my side. His heart b wash up heavy beneath my manpower, and the smell of his skin and sweat nearly everyplace spoted me. I lay at that place, perfectly unruffled, scarcely daring to breathe. I was afraid that if I becomed also some(prenominal), Id violate this spell, this dream that Id approximatelyhow stumbled into.Slowly, care unspoiledy, Seth ran his fingers finished my hair, idly twining the strands into loops. He let his hand drop and shifted slightly, equitable enough to press a kiss to my forehead. I exhaled and snuggled closer, realizing that I in reality wasnt spill to instigate from this dream.At least, thats what I impression until his cell phone rang.The ring was Where the Streets Have No Name by U2, not a particularly hard or jarring song simply one that do me flinch any stylus. For a moment, we each held our breath, both of us frozen. I necessityed th e phone to disappear come to the face of the earth, to get smote the way I unploughed fearing some demon would smite me. I undeniable it to go away because if it kept ringing, it meant none of this was real. That we were going to bring on to face reality. only it was already too late. The spell was broken. The phone was reality.You should make that, I give tongue to.He hesitated for the space of two heartbeats, sighed, and then slowly free himself from me, still careful of my back. Sitting on the side of the bed, he reached down and pulled the cell phone from his jeans pocket. I shifted over, staying propped up on one elbow, admiring the shape of his body, even as a strange, bittersweet lookinging began spilling through my heart. I k clean, with break knowing how I knew, that it was Maddie.Hey. YeahI got caught up withum Seth paused, and I sensed something massive somewhat to call back place. I got an idea for this latest chapter.I closed my eyes. In all the sentence Id known him, Id never heard Seth proscribed(a) properly lie.Right. Yeah. Okay. Um, if I leave now, I can correspondingly make it inoh, twenty minutes. Mmm-hmm. You fate me to pick you up, or? Okay. See you there.He disconnected and proceed sitting with his back to me, clasping the phone in his hands. Although he sat up straight, he had the air of person hunched over, weary with defeat.You beat to go? I asked.He styleed back at me, anguish on his face. GeorginaI managed a weak smile. Its okay. I wasnt tricked here. I understand the situation.I know, merely I want you to realize that it wasntthat I didntHe didnt need to finish. One of the things Id always loved most Seth was his open, truthful nature. Occasionally hed been able to hide his feelings from me, barely much often than not, they shone through on his features. This was one of those times. With a single look, I saw what was in his heart, that he hadnt had sex with me because I was easy or available. Hed through w ith(p) it because of how he felt about me, because he loved-still loved-me. It do all of this that much worse.I know, I utter softly.After one more kiss to my forehead, he put on his c attracterhes. I watched each move hungrily, uncertain if Id ever see anything like it again. When he was dressed and ready to go, he sat beside me on the bed, playing with my hair again. Again, those golden brown eyes spilled over with emotion. He was overcome and confused. I was too, provided for his sake, I tried to appear strong and articulate.Its okay, I said. It was great. Amazingbut I understand that we shouldnt have and that we cant ever So much for articulation.Yeah, he agreed.It was just this once. And it was perfect.Just this once, he repeated.I couldnt read his voice, but something told me he wasnt entirely happy about that. Neither was I, but honestly, what could we do? Wed succumbed to passion, and now he had to go back to his girlfriend. End of story.He tipped my head back, and our li ps met in a soft, warm kiss. It was brief, only a few moments, but I felt that same, soul-deep connection that had consumed me during sex. He stood up and studied me for a few moments more, as though he aptitude not ever see me again. I felt a little silly lying there naked, but his expression told me he cerebration I was beautiful.He left afterwards that, and I stayed in bed, drunk on my own feelings. Aubrey joined me, curling up against my leg.Was that how it was supposed to be, Aubrey? I couldnt decide. Certainly the sex had been everything Id ever imagined with Seth. But this afterglow? It was a bit lacking. Nothing about the situation was normal. I had no prior experience to fall back on.After al virtually a half hour of staring at nothing and reaching no conclusions, I got out of bed. I was still reeling from what had happened, and my body burned with what Seth and I had done. I usually liked to shower after sex, but not today. I could smell Seth on me, his sweat and even a shadowed trace of the leather-and-apple cologne he used sometimes. I couldnt stand to wash him off yet, so I put the old cotton robe back on. Ratty or not, its fabric was soft against my bruised skin.As I was about to leave my room, I noticed the photo of the laurel on the floor. I picked it up, intending to flock it on my nightstand, and froze. on that point was writing on it.Inked with a black Sharpie, neat handwriting read blackened quartz indicates earth or a oneness with the earth . The symbols on the medallion were circled, with lines drawn out from each one, leading to brief notes this indicates an affinity for wet, a harmonious, blending state this is similar to the water one, and its for the earth this is a masking symbol, meant to shield the object it protects and keep the tender strong this ones strange, indicates blankness or face clothness-maybe white sand or stones? this is the symbol for tears-combined with the water sign, credibly indicates salt water .I re read the notes leash times. Where had they come from? When had this happened? I retraced my steps, trying to figure out when Id abandoned the picture. Thered been no writing when I showed it to Dante. The most likely time would have been while I was out for food. Someone could have also theoretically broken into my home and done it while I was with Carter in the living room, but sneaking away the angel seemed pretty out there.Unlesswas it possible Carter had helped me after all? He kept saying he couldnt hed even directly denied involvement with my assorted rescues. But the timing here was awfully coincidental. I kept staring at the symbols, at the notes, and the pictures of the seal. Whoever had written this was irrelevant for now. If their notes were correct, then I needed to use them to interpret Jerome.Carter had said the seal served two purposes. One was to infuse the watercraft with power. The other was to serve as a lock that could open the vessel and release Jerome. The p arts of the seal itself were with the demon and the summoner, but the symbols should give some clues to the vessels billet. Supposedly, these symbols would have been used in hiding Jerome, infusing the vessel with a type of energy specific to the location that would help blend and mask Jeromes presence.An affinity with the earth, as well as markings for water-salt water, specifically. A lot of places that were infused with power tended to be wild, natural places, though some had become centers of civilization and activity. Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, for example, was one such ancient place of power that had been completely built upon by humanity.But thesewhat did they indicate? Some place near salt water, apparently. The vessel was probably close enough to the water that the symbols would resonate and camouflage its location. And the earth location? Buried in the dirt maybe? Was Jerome buried on some beach near the ocean? Jeromes kidnappers wouldnt want to keep him too f ar away from them, but nonetheless, the pacific flanked the entire western half of Washington. That was a lot of beach, and I knew there were a lot of places of power along there. I didnt know of any white sand beaches anywhere in the heavens only further investigation could say for sure.Groaning, I lay back on my bed, still retentivity the picture. The notes had only narrowed down the locations, but that was still a lot of area to cover. Yet what could I do? I had to induce the vessel, sooner alternatively than later, or else Seattle was going to have a new archdemon. Studying the photo further, I willed it to give me some more info. Nothing. Just the medallion, the mystery notes, and Marys cataloging info at the top which told me little-I frowned, rereading her header. It was brief, just the materials, name, and go through the medallion had been created and then picked up. But the date it had been finishedthe date stuck in my head. Why? It was from a week ago. Something abou t that date was important, but I couldnt figure out why. It felt likes years had passed in this last week, but I nonetheless counted backward, reassessing my recent activities.There. The seal had been make the day after Id first gone to Vancouverthe day the vampire turf war had gone down. Would the seals instauration have triggered anyones imperishable radar? I didnt know, but if it had, Jerome, Grace, and Mei would have all been busy select out the ensuing vampire mess. Misdirection.From there, other things began to arrange themselves in my head. I thought back to the array of Darkness, wondering what events their activities might line up against. The event in Queen Elizabeth Park matched the date the seal had been picked up. And the Armys impromptu visit to Seattle? That had preceded Jeromes summoning, though no one would have wanted to direct attention to that, would they?The answer was here. I just couldnt quite make the pieces fit yet. The Army had staged their show. Jerome , Grace, and Mei had given it their full attention. Jerome had been summoned. Where had this games other players been?I left the bed and its aching, alluring memories. Finding my cell phone, I dialed Kristins number.Hi, Georgina, she said, pleasant but busy like always.Hey, I said. Hows it going?Crazy. I could imagine the grimace on her face. Cedrics stressed to hell-no wordplay intended-with all these demons in the area. At least thatthat succubus is distracting him.Tawny?Whatever her name is. Cedrics actually out with her right now. Bitterness and the tiniest hint of jealousy came through in Kristins voice. I remembered her perpetual devotion to him-and the look on her face when hed asked Tawny out. I felt for her but had too many romantic jinks of my own to deal with.Huh. I didnt really know what else to say. Look, I have a question for you. Do you know, did Cedric come to see Jerome the day the Army was down here?Yeah. Cedric came down after you left the message. I thought you knew.NoI only heard about it after the fact, and then, the whole summoning class of took precedence.Why do you want to know?I hesitated. I liked Kristin, but she was clearly truehearted to Cedric. I didnt consider itd be wise to share my theories with her, like that the Army being in Seattle had provided a cheerful reason for Jerome and Cedric to be together when Jerome got summoned. It occurred to me that I might very well owe Hugh an apology for my adamant denial of Cedrics involvement. Something else also occurred to me.Um, its a long story, I said hastily. Do you know if hes been abatement out with Nanette a lot?Why? Her tone was quickly turning suspicious. She didnt like me interrogating her about her boss. rise upI told him the other day that I thought Nanette might be involved with Jeromes disappearance. He didnt deal so, but he told herand she got really pissed off. She, um. well, lets just say she got physical, and I have the scars to prove it.My immortal friends had pointed out that Nanettes attack made her look guilty. If Cedric had done enough goading to make her angry when he told her, it could have very well sent her to me in a rage-and successfully shifted attention from him. Fuck. I didnt want another suspect in all of this. I didnt want it to be Cedric. Nanette had hitherto been a convenient explanation.Kristin was silent for several seconds. I didnt know that, she said quietly. Are you okay?Mostly. Mei healed the pommel of it, but Im still a little sore.I cant imagineCedric would never have told her if he thought that was going to happen. He likes you. He wouldnt condone that. He couldnt have known. Im sorry.She was sincerely contrite, hurt at the thought that her boss-even if he was a demon and a servant of evil-could have been involved with something that had turned out so terrible.Its okay, I said. Ive gotta run, but thanks for the info. Things are kind of crazy here too, as you can imagine.We said our good-byes and disconnected. I flipped the cell phone about in my hand, feeling overwhelmed. Nanette wasnt off the table yet, but Cedric was right alongside her now as a culprit-maybe more so. If I had enough evidence, I could possibly take it to Grace and Meibut I didnt have that yet. Besides, knowing who the culprit was wouldnt solve the immediate subject field finding Jerome.I glanced back at the photo, resting on my nightstand. Sore back or no, it looked like I had to do a little beachcombing.I nearly knocked Dante over when he came home that night.Succubus, he said, allow me wrap my arms around him. He was careful only to rest his hands on my hips. talented to see you too.My eagerness was twofold. I was turned on(p) to see him because I wanted to pick his brain about the medallion and places of power. But alsowell, while hanging around today, Id had a lot of time to count about Seth and what had happened between us. The memory of his body still made mine burn, and I grew pulseless recalling that amaz ing connection and sense of rightness between us.And yetwhatever rightness had been between us, it had still been wrong. He was with Maddie-my friend. Id been upset when she and Seth had first slept together. I was no different. In fact, Id knowingly done it, which made it worse. Now there was Dante to consider. Dante, who despite that blackened, scowling nature really did love me and wanted to win my hear as more than just someone I had sex with. This was where my future lay, not with Seth.I kissed Dante on the lips, lingering several seconds. I missed you.His smile turned wry. Dont look at me like that, or Im going to have a hard time remembering that youre injured and that I should keep my hands off you.Those words triggered a pang of guilt. My injuries certainly hadnt been enough to keep Seth off me. I could have told Dante that I was better, that it didnt matter, yet for whatever reasonI didnt.We broke apart, and I found the medallion picture for him. He stared incredulously as I showed him the phantom notes and explained my story.What, you have no idea how they got there or who did it?Nope, but at this point, Im not going to question it.He shook his head, face still shocked. Well. I wish Id known this before I left. Would have been a lot easier to just await and have invisible helpers come leave clues.I recalled how hed gone out to see what he could find about the medallion. Whatd you turn up?He gestured at the picture. Same thing.I rested my hand over his. Sorry. I really appreciate your help. And if your research found the same thing, it means I can probably trust this.Maybe, he said, still not sounding happy about the wasted time. What are you going to do? Something crazy?Look for saltwater beaches, I guess.Dante let out a low whistle. There are a lot of those around here. Not to mention you have no way of identifying this vessel anyway.I know. But Ive got to start somewhere. Can you help me make a list?We got an atlas of the Pacific Northwest area from my car and laid it flat on the kitchen table. Scrutinizing every detail, we each marked as many places as we knew. Dante knew a lot more than me, which didnt particularly surprise me. Id once noted to Erik Lancaster that those who account religion tend to know more about it than those who practice it. Sometimes, I felt the same way about immortal affairs.We found twelve in all that were easy day trips-and many more beyond that. Looks like youve got your work cut out for you, Dante mused. When are you going to look? Too dark now.I stared at the map with dismay. Tomorrow, I guess. Can you go with me? A psychic like him might able to sense something, as Carter had pointed out.He grimaced. Not tomorrow. Ive actually got a few appointments people have scheduled. Crazy, huh? I probably can go the next day or the day after, if you can wait. Id feel better if you didnt go alone.I was glad for his business but sad at the delay. I dont think I can wait. Dont worry, though. Ill find som ebody.On the bright side, he said, trying to cheer me. Ill have funds tomorrow. We can go out somewhere nice.I mustered a smile. Yeah, thatll be-oh, shit. I cant.Whats going on?Fuck. I promised the people at the store Id teach salsa after work.Cancel, he said dismissively. My dance lessons didnt hold much importance, as far as he was concerned. Tell them youre sick.That wouldnt entirely be a lieand yet, I hated to go back on my word. Furthermore, I could still see Maddies radiant face, so excited and happy when Id agreed. How could I deny her that after what Id done to her today?NoIve got to do it. Lets go eat out now. My treat.He drove us over to Belltown for some of Seattles best seafood. Wine and conversation flowed, and I discovered I was healing by leaps and bounds. When we got back to my place later and went to bed, Dante snuggled up to me and kissed my neck.Looks like youre on the mend, he noted, moving his lips up to my earlobe. We could do itI could be carefulAll around us were the sheets and blankets where Seth and I had made love earlier. The thought nearly smothered me. God. I really should have washed the bedding. I swallowed and shifted position so that I didnt meet Dantes eyes. Maybebut Id rather wait, so we can not be careful. I hoped there was enough of a seductive emit in my voice to make it believable.Dante sighed, fortunately unwilling to push me. Fair enough.He rolled over and left me to sleep, but it was a long time in coming.