“What hope is there?" I asked. "If even angels fall, what hope is there for the rest of us?”
“What kind of sick bastard burns down a Christmas tree?”
Hugh and I exchanged glances. “That’s an excellent question,” I said dryly.
Peter looked startled. “Was it you?” he asked Hugh.
“No,” said the imp. “It was Carter.”
“Your Christmas tree was burned down by an angel?” asked Cody.
“Yup. The irony isn’t lost on me”
“This is a, uh, friendship ring right?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. If I propose, you’ll know it. For one thing, I’ll be hyperventilating.” A sly smile—surprisingly sexy—turned up his lips. “And it’ll be a ruby.”
“Rubies? No diamonds? Too expensive for the old writer’s salary, huh?”
He made a disparaging grunt at that. “No, I just think diamonds are common, that’s all. If I get married, it’ll be because something uncommon is occurring. Besides, you wear a lot of red, right? I know how important it is for your accessories to match.”
“This is insane," I said blankly. "I'm the instrument of an all-powerful primordial deity's wave of chaos and destruction."
"That's kind of extreme" said Dante jovially. "It's not like you work for Google or anything.”
“Hey, big spender,” I said.
He looked appreciative but more amused than anything else. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a one dollar bill.
“Hugh,” I said. “Don’t insult me.”
With a sigh, he produced a five and tucked it underneath my bra strap.
“Hey, Seth,” Cody suddenly said.
I looked up and saw Seth standing in the doorway. A look of comic bemusement was on his face.
“Hey,” he said, studying me. “So…you’re paying for dinner?”
“Feminist,” he said, clearly amused. “Next you’ll be telling us you hate men.”
She gave him a blank look. “I only hate stupid men who don’t actually understand what ‘feminist’ means.”
He laughed. “You run into a lot of men like that?”
“All the time.”
“Really?”
“Even as we speak, Nick.”
“Oh no she didn’t,” said Peter. I groaned.”
“He laced his fingers through mine and lifted my hand to his lips. I had gloves on, but he kissed exactly where I wore his ring.
“Why are you so sweet?” I asked, my voice small. My heart beat rapidly, and every star peeping through the clouds seemed to be shining just for me.
“I don’t think I’m that sweet. I mean, I just told you to be quiet. That’s one step away from asking you to wash my laundry and make me a sandwich.”
“You know what I mean.”
Seth pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I’m sweet because you make it easy to be sweet.”
“The love in his eyes was so powerful, I needed to look away. Seth had an amazing grasp of the English language, but there were days when that skill was nothing compared to what he told me in his looks.”
“John Cusack is standing over there.”
I followed his incredulous gaze to where a man very like Mr. Cusack did indeed stand, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against a building. I sighed.
“That’s not John Cusack. That’s Jerome.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup. I told you he looked like John Cusack.”
“Keyword: looked. That guy doesn’t look like him. That guy is him.”
“I’m a succubus.”
He shook his head. “No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am.”
“You aren’t.”
I was a bit surprised to be having this conversation. “I am too.”
“No. Succubi are flame-eyed and bat-winged. Everyone knows that. They don’t wear jeans and sweaters.”
“If I propose, you'll know it. For one thing, I'll be hyperventilating.”
“I just told you to be quiet. That's one step away from asking you to wash my laundry and make me a sandwich.”
“What hope is there?” I asked. “If even angels fall, what hope is there for the rest of us?”
“There isn’t,” he said. “We’re on our own. And we have to make the choices we think are best for our own survival.”
“Me, I always wanted frost power.”
“Frost power?”
“Yeah.” Seth gestured dramatically toward my coffee table. “If we’re talking superhero abilities. If I had frost power, I could wave my hand, and suddenly that whole thing would be covered in ice.”
“Not frost?”
“Same difference.”
“How would frost and/or ice power help you fight crime?”
“Well, I don’t know that it would. But it’d be cool.”
“Ooh. Top secret angel business, huh? What’re you going to do? Dance on a pinhead? Lobby for National Cute Puppy Day?”
“Seth was a wonderful kisser. He gave the kind of kisses that melted into your mouth and filled you with sweetness. They were like cotton candy.”
“I disconnected as a sleepy Seth stepped out of the bedroom. “Who’s Dante? Was that a collect call to the Inferno?”
“They won’t accept the charges,” I murmured.”
“And you work for that demon, right? The one who looks like Matthew Broderick?”
“John Cusack,” I corrected. “He looks like John Cusack.”
“Whatever.”
“Mentor’s Official and Complete Procedural Handbook on Initial Succubus Intake and Probationary Period (Abridged).
“Abridged?” I spun toward Jerome. “Tell me you’re getting back at me for the time I accused you of wearing Old Spice.”
“That one’s still coming,” said the demon. “This one’s for real.”
“Wanting and needing are two different things.”
“Only what?” I asked. I could barely hear my own voice.
He turned his gaze back to me, firm and unflinching. “Only… more human.”
And that was it. All the anger and sorrow vanished. There was nothing in me.
Nothing at all. I was empty.
“Get out,” I said.”
“You should make her call you ‘Miss Georgina,’” added Hugh with a mocking southern drawl. “Or at least ‘ma’am.’”
Niphon’s presence and Jerome’s lecture had put me in a grouchy mood. “I’m not doing any mentoring. She’s so gungho to take on the world’s male population, she doesn’t even need me.”
The three men exchanged more smirks. Cody made some hissing and meowing sounds, scratching at the air.
"This isn’t funny,” I said.
"Sure it is,” said Cody.”
“This is it?” I asked. “This is going to keep away an uber-powerful dream entity? It looks like a prop from The Blair Witch Project.”
“It can’t force her away,” he said. “Nothing can. But it might make her think twice. It’s more of...a repellent.”
“Like citronella?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, like citronella.”
“Niphon, standing with a glass of wine, regarded me with curious amusement as I headed straight for him.Considering I usually avoided him if it all possible, my approach undoubtedly astonished him.
But not as much as when I punched him.
I didn’t even need to shape-shift much bulk into my fist. I’d caught him by surprise. The wineglass fell out of his hand, hitting the carpet and spilling its contents like blood. The imp flew backward, hitting Peter’s china cabinet with a crash. Niphon slumped to the floor, eyes wide with shock. I kept coming. Kneeling, I grabbed his designer shirt and jerked him toward me.
“Stay the fuck out of my life, or I will destroy you,” I hissed.
Terror filled his features. “Are you out of your fucking mind? What do you—” Suddenly, the fear disappeared. He started laughing. “He did it, didn’t he? He broke up with you. I didn’t know if he could do it, even after giving him the spiel about how it’d be better for both of you. Oh my. This is lovely. All your so-called charms weren’t enough to—ahh!”
I’d pulled him closer to me, digging my nails into him, and finally, I felt an emotion. Fury. Niphon’s role had been greater than I believed. My face was mere inches from his.
“Remember when you said I was nothing but a backwoods girl from some gritty fishing village? You were right. And I had to survive in gritty circumstances—in situations you’d never be able to handle. And you know what else? I spent most of my childhood gutting fish and other animals.” I ran a finger down his neck. “I can do it for you too. I could slit you from throat to stomach. I could rip you open, and you’d scream for death. You’d wish you weren’t immortal. And I could do it over and over again.”
That wiped the smirk off Niphon’s face.”
“How did you find out?” he asked.
I dropped the coat I’d been holding. “How do you think? She told me. She couldn’t wait to tell me.”
He sighed and sat on the arm of my couch and stared into space.
“That’s it? You have nothing else to say?” I asked.
“I’m sorry. God, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
“Yeah...of course.”
His voice was so sweet and so gentle that it momentarily defused the anger that wanted to explode out of me. I stared at him, looking hard into those amber brown eyes. “She said...she said you didn’t drink, but you did, right? That’s what happened?” I sounded like I was Kendall’s age and suspected I wore the pleading expression Yasmine had given Jerome.
Seth’s face stayed expressionless. “No, Thetis. I wasn’t drunk. I didn’t drink at all.”
I sank down into the arm chair opposite him. “Then…then…what happened?”
It took a while for him to get the story out. I could see the two warring halves within him: the one that wanted to be open and the one that hated to tell me things I wouldn’t like. “I was so upset after what happened with us. I was actually on the verge of calling that guy…what’s his name? Niphon. I couldn’t stand it—I wanted to fix things between us. But just before I did, I ran into Maddie. I was so…I don’t know. Just confused. Distraught. She asked me to get food, and before I knew it, I’d accepted.” He raked a hand through his hair, neutral expression turning confused and frustrated. “And being with her…she was just so nice. Sweet. Easy to talk to. And after leaving things off physically with you, I’d been kind of…um…”
“Aroused? Horny? Lust-filled?”
He grimaced. “Something like that. But, I don’t know. There was more to it than just that.”
The tape in my mind rewound. “Did you say you were going to call Niphon?”
“Yeah. We’d talked at poker…and then he called me once. Said if I ever wanted…he could make me a deal. I thought it was crazy at the time, but after I left you that night…I don’t know. It just made me wonder if maybe it was worth it to live the life I wanted and make it so you wouldn’t have to worry so much.”
“Maddie coming along was a blessing then,” I muttered. Christ. Seth had seriously considered selling his soul. I really needed to deal with Niphon. He hadn’t listened to me when I’d told him to leave Seth alone. I wanted to rip the imp’s throat out, but my revenge would have to wait. I took a deep breath.
“Well,” I told Seth. “That’s that. I can’t say I like it…but, well…it’s over.”
He tilted his head curiously. “What do you mean?”
“This. This Maddie thing. You finally had a fling. We’ve always agreed you could, right? I mean, it’s not fair for me to be the only one who gets some. Now we can move on.”
A long silence fell. Aubrey jumped up beside me and rubbed her head against my arm. I ran a hand over her soft fur while I waited for Seth’s response.
“Georgina,” he said at last. “You know…I’ve told you…well. I don’t really have flings.”
My hand froze on Aubrey’s back. “What are you saying?”
“I…don’t have flings.”
“Are you saying you want to start something with her?”
He looked miserable. “I don’t know.”
“I took a deep breath. "Are you free tonight?"
There was a long, pregnant pause. "What about the man in the dream?" he finally asked. "There is no man in the dream.”
“I pulled out box after box, setting them haphazardly around the room. My organization lacked something -- like, say, organization ...”
“Tawny," I barked. My voice held the authority of a drill sergeant. She jumped. "I am NOT making out with you until the end of time. You want to do this, then you've got to work for it. Now, TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES."
"Oh," said Hugh. "I've waited ten years to hear you say that to another woman.”
“It's a Christmas miracle. I had no tree. Now I have a forest.”
“You learned a good lesson about fighting as a team. Remember that no warrior needs to be a hero. The most heroic actions take more than one cat.”
“I close my eyes and try and shut him out. My fingers don’t want to stay in time. They want to race ahead in fury, plunging into the dense fog of black notes, pulling the music out by its roots, hurling it up out of the piano and into the air.”
“I wondered if we were put on this earth only to destroy every beautiful thing, to make chaos. Or were we meant to overcome this? Did bad things happen so that goodness could show through in people?”
“I know that when he has sex he laughs like the world is a perfect place. And when he did that, my hands curled into fists because I thought about touching his face like maybe I could catch joy in my hands and hold it.”
“Do you think . . . ?"
'I do sometimes, my boy,'admitted the old man. 'When I can't avoid it.”
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