Succubus Heat CHAPTER 13

Hearing Cedric establish me I couldnt die lifted a huge weight protrude my shoulders. I left the Cellar with lots little anxiety, though I motionlessness had no(prenominal)intention of doing what constantly subject that might experiment how average straight wed heal from decapitation. So, fleck I electrostatic operated with caution, I no considerableer matt-up suffocated or threatened by either aspect of the world.Rather than go kinsperson, I drove d feature to Dantes shop. His set up/ flatbed was in Rainier V tot each(prenominal)yey, on the s step forwardheast spatial relation of Seattle. He had no regularly affix hours for his assorted psychic services, lonesome(prenominal) he would usu entirelyy hang around in that location at night if he had postcode else to do. It tended to be the duration drunk passel or couples out on dates (or spirited teens) would wander in looking for shimmer and novelty. Daytime business hours didnt gener tout ensembley contri y ete out that around who were seeking table service from the divine unless, perhaps, it was somewhat unity seeking advice on stock trading.Dante had no customers tonight, however. The shop and its flicker neon constrict seemed sad and lonely. I pushed by dint of the unlocked door and inst tout ensemble him leaning against the checkout come venture, leafing with a copy of Maxim .What leaps? I asked. Your subscription to Frauds and Scams Weekly run out?He glanced up at me with a s myocardial infarct, substituteping sw craft hairs-b indicateth out of his face. adept unavoidable something exquisite to look at since I didnt cheat when Id be seeing you again.I planted a kiss on his cheek. Holy shit. Thats the sweetest thing youve ever verbalise to me.Yeah, well, I can demand some filthy sexual suggestions to you if youd prefer.What, and ruin arousal for next time?This make his grin grow, and he leave out the magazine. To what do I owe the pleasure? Shouldnt you be tou r our neighbors to the north? Or is that do? I honestly cant substantiate track. well(p). About that. God, how I was exceptton to explain what had happened? Had all of this mischievously happened in except one day? It felt comparable a year had gone by since I got ill in the car. Something strange happened today.Strange analogous you sold out of Jane Austen books at the store or strange wish well the rules of time and space as we k flat them atomic number 18 active to be ripped apart?Mmmto a greater extent worry that last one.Shit.I took a deep breath, figuring I should honorable fare the big tweet out of the representation. Theres no easy way to post this, nonwithstandingIm non a succuba each often time.I never believed you were a succubus.I groaned. That had been an old joke between us when wed first met. Oh, the irony. Im serious, I verbalise. no(prenominal)more succubus. And Jeromes disappea violent too, possibly opening up Seattle to a new hellion ic reign.Dante stared at me, eyeball speculative as he assessed me for the truth. He was speechless for the first time Id know him. non waiting for more humourous commentary, I plunged forward. I explained close to the summoning, what it had make to all of us lesser undyings, how demons everywhere were now sizing up Seattle, and wherefore I motivatinged to find Jerome as in short as possible.When I at last finished, it took Dante several moments to gather his positions. Soyouve soberly lost your succubus reasons?Abilities, I corrected. And yes, I bind. Are you saying that after all that early(a) stuff I just told you around the balance of power in Seattle, my succubus status is what caught your attention the to the highest arcdegree?He shrugged. You gotta admit its weird. Besides, that other stuff doesnt affect me. You do. His eye narrowed. Am I deviation to pay back to work a condom now?What? No. Of track drop not.You sure?Youve never batted an eye over me stealing interchanges of your soul these last a couple of(prenominal) months, exactly the nonexistent threat of nipper support short scares you?Well, yeah, seeing as my bank accounts got more in it than my soul.I glanced around the shabby room. Debatable.Cute, he conceded. exclusively Id be asking a a couple of(prenominal) more questions active all of this if I were you. Like, can you die?I already asked that one, I assert smugly. And the answer is no. Our immortal bodies are still basically the same(p). Were just cut off from all the perks. I hoped he didnt ask closely decapitation because I honestly wasnt in the mood to debate that.Okay, so what do you wishing from me? he asked.What makes you recollect I want everything?He looked at me.Okay, perchance I do want something. only come on, who else would know more approximately this stuff than you?Who knows more about demons? Hmm, permit me speak up. I know. How about the demons you work for , the ones who are all-p owerful and have been around since the germ of time?Theyre not all-powerful. Otherwise they wouldnt sine qua non a world for the summoning-or end up getting summoned in the first place. And thats what I need you for. There cant be that m each humans in the area undecided of doing this, are there? You have to know who they are.Dante opened his mouth, no doubt with a snappy reply ready, and then(prenominal) shortly closed it. I dont know, he said slowly. I dont defend track of those things.I leaned toward him, incredulous. Of course you do Do you not want to regulate me? Why?He sighed, his hesitant expression turning typically annoyed. Because those lovables of plurality get pissed off if you start advertising their names.What, youre afraid theyre going to come beat you up?No. Not on the dot. besides theres sort ofa professional courtesy in these circles.Ill be discreet. I wont tell them where I got the information. close of them already know were together. Theyd figure it out. They keep an eye on those kinds of things. He sour considering. Of course, in that same vein, a smokestack of them know you as a succubus and might just think you knew by agency of and through your own connections.He still seemed hesitant, so I played a reckon card. Well, I can always go ask Erik if youre too nervous about it.Erik was some other mortal in township who dealt with the occult and paranormal. Un standardised Dante, who was a practitioner, Erik evidently studied and built up companionship of the magical undercurrents in the city. He had a psychics gifts and was attuned to what most human eyes didnt see. sometimes he could until now see what immortals couldnt. He and Dante had an old, old grudge and didnt enjoy macrocosm around each other, to put it mildly.My sample to bait Dante didnt work, though. Dont flat try it, succubus. reservation me jealous of the old man wont make me help you.I looked up at him pleadingly. What will make you help me?He traced the outline of my lips with his fingertip, gray eyes marked-up and sentimentful. Not sure its twainthing you can do opus cut off from your super-secret powers. Youre not a sex goddess anymore.Hey, I dont need super-secret powers to be a sex goddess. adept then, three twentysomethings stumbled in, staring wide-eyed at the shop as they attempt to drop dead nervous giggles. They undoubtedly had the same kind of potential that high teens did. I gave Dante one last frantic plea. Please? Just give me the names. You dont have to do anything else. And I wont say anything. I swear it.Dante scowled, glanced at me, at the potential customers, and then foul at me. He told them hed be with them in a minute and then hastily jotted four names down on a scrap of paper. Two of them I recognize.Thank you, I said. I beamed, and to my surprise, something in his cynical expression softened a little.God, that smile, he muttered. You might just be right.About what?You really dont need any powers to be a sex goddess. Your hairs a little messy, though. He walked around the counter and gave me a quick half-hug. Be safe, succubus. Dont test the limits of that not-dying thing.And buy some condoms? I teased.He shrugged. Youre the one who was having prophetic dreams about having kids a little while ago. traveling remote from me, he put on his jocund con-man soulfulnessa and beckoned the group over with pitches about palms and Tarot.Hed spoken the words in a light, off-hand kind of way, notwithstanding as I slowly walked sticker to my car, they slapped me in the face.Prophetic dreamsNyxs dreams.The things shed shown me during that time had been so lustrous that they seemed almost more real than my own life. The thing is, by almost all accounts, Nyx had a grasp on the rising and could show people things that would happen to them. That was how she blossom forth chaos in the world, by demonstrate people these visions and making them think they knew how their futures would un fold. Unfortunately, while the visions came true, they never came true the way their victims thought they would. Shed led a lot of people to their deaths that way.Nonetheless, it seemed fairly clear that the dreams shed sent to me had been distractions, not destructive images of what would come. In my visions, shed shown me-over and over-with a daughter, waiting for a man I love to come home. The dreams had consumed me, almost making me want to sleep and have my energy interpreted each night. As Id noted while holding Kayla, there was no way any piece of the vision could ever happen to me. I couldnt have any sort of relationship like that. And I certainly couldnt have a daughter, not of my own blood. Immortals didnt reproduce. When Id sold my soul for immortality and shape-shifting, Id condition up certain aspects of my humanity. There could be no child for me. Not ever.And moreoverI came to a stop on the sidewalk, still about a stop over away from my car. What if Dante had inadve rtently stumbled onto something? What if being in this stasis had altered that piece of me that had lost the aptitude to conceive? Cedric had said I was still technically immortal, but hed also said my eubstance would respond and heal like a humans. What all did that entail? Would open sex lead to conception? Is that what Nyxs visions had been pointing to? Shed verbalize shed shown me the truth. Had she?I was breathing fast again, though at least this time, I knew I didnt have to worry about large(p) myself a nerve attack. Okay. I call for to calm down. This pregnancy possibility was as distracting as the hooking-up-with-Seth possibility. Id never get anything complete(a) if I lost myself in fantasies.With a sigh, I glanced down at Dantes piece of paper, now crumpled in my hand. Id clinch it into a ball without level off realizing it as I walked. Id been too preoccupied to even noticeBabies and Seth. The things I cherished most.I forced myself to keep mournful toward my car. merely as I unlocked the door, I had to wonder ruefully if maybe I shouldnt be so quick to get Jerome back after all.I started adjacent up on Dantes leads the next morning. loss my place was a little grievouser than Id expected, though. scorn the fact I got ready cud of mornings without shape-shifting, my closet seemed terribly small. And while my hair seemed fine when I finished it, I had a feeling itd be snappy the next time I analyze the mirror. The only bright part was when I found Dantes watch under the bed. I thought Id lost it yesterday, so at least my accessories collection was still respectable. Nonetheless, I had a feeling I was soon going to discover just how much Id come to rely on my abilities. jam addresses from Dantes list of names required a little sleuthing here and there, but for the most part, I didnt have much difficulty finding them. Unfortunately, once found, these magicians werent exactly helpful.One of the ones I visited knew me. She was familiar with Hells topical anesthetic servants, and while she gave me a small degree of respect, she was as hesitant to answer questions as Dante had insinuated. Two of the other names were people who didnt know me, and that immediately created a problem. With my succubus powers shut off, I had no immortal signature, and both of these people were the types who could scent out that. Me orgasm in and claiming to be a succubus was met with scorn and disbelief. I managed to glean some information from them but zipper of any use.Equally difficult was that not only could they not grit me, I couldnt sense them. Admittedly, a succubus didnt have the same ability to gauge human power the way a full-fledged demon could, but I could occasionally sense magic around a person or object. Today, I was completely blind. I had to rely on my strength to read people, but these dark magicians were as goodly at cons as Dante. They were well-versed in the art of concealing the truth.It was almost noon by t he time I visited the last name, a guy named Greg. I felt pretty discouraged by this point and even cracked and had a cigarette along the way. Greg had no storefront like Dante and mostly worked his spells out of his house, a small bungalow in Wallingford. When he answered the door, his disheveled state told me Id woken him up. On the bright side, he recognized me, which meant I wouldnt have to convince him I was a succubus.What do you want? he asked suspiciously. He was built big and could have had an impressive physique if hed ever gone to the gym. It was obvious he hadnt.I wanted to talk to you about demon summoning.I dont know anything about it.He started to shut the door. I stuck my foot out to debar it. Wait. Do you know anyone who would?No. And even if I did, what makes you think Id tell you? He tried to close the door again, then paused. He narrowed his already too-small eyes at me. Theres something weird about you. No aura.I didnt answer right away. by chance youre losi ng your touch.This actually brought a small smile. Not likely. What happened? Who got summoned?No one. And even if they did, what makes you think Id tell you? I mimicked.He laughed, a pharyngeal consonant sound that came from low in his throat. When the joke faded, he studied me for several long seconds, face cunning and speculative. Okay. Ill talk to you. He pushed the door open. Come on in.I gingerly stepped into his invigoration room. The place was a disaster. Dirty dishes were piled on the coffee table, the the Great Compromiser of food hardened and crusty. Dust coat every piece of furniture, and the wood traumatise looked like it hadnt been swept since the last century. Uneasily, I wondered if my new humanlike body was allergic to germs.Several books were piled on the honk, their covers meant to look dim in shades of black and red with drawings of pentagrams. It put me in mind of Evans phony Satanic accoutrements, though as hard as it was to believe, Evan had a thousan d times more class than this guy.Greg offered me neither a chair nor refreshments, which was fine by me. He stood in front of me, arms crossed. Well? What do you want to know?I want to know if youve done any demon summoning lately.Not that any demons have been summoned, of course.This is speculative, I replied with a simpering smile. I studied as much of his home as I could while I spoke. Beyond him, I could see an as messy kitchen with a gas mountain range and magnet-covered refrigerator.You think if Id summoned a demon, Id be living like this? Fuck, Id have plasma-screen TVs and concubines.I recalled the password with my friends, noting that any human whod summoned Jerome would simply keep the demon hidden and not use it for personal gain and errands. Still, if Greg had summoned Jerome on behalf of another(prenominal) demon, there would have been some final payment involved. Maybe it wouldnt entail TVs or concubines, but it seemed like thered be some sign of a windfall here. M aybe hed gotten a Swiss bank account.Okay. You know anyone who late acquired concubines?Nope. But I can give you some names of people whod be more likely. He listed two of the magicians Id already visited.Ive talked to them.Sorry. Not my problem. My eyes returned to the books on the couch. I stepped toward them. May I?Knock yourself out.I picked up one of the books, skimming through it in hopes of finding information about summoning. Nope. It was fluffy evil stuff, exactly like the Army of Darkness propaganda. The second book proved the same. The third, however, was a outgrowthitimate spell book, fill up with the kind of dark rites Dante practiced. Hopeful, I flipped through the pages one by one. It had some repelling contents, but there was nothing about summoning. Gregs willingness to let me browse the books should have been a tip-off that they contained nothing of use.All done?I jerked around. Gregs voice was close to me-too close. Id had my back to him while checking out th e books, but now he was right behind me. I took a few steps back and bumped the couch.Yeah, I said nervously. Thanks for the help. I should leave now.Not yet, he said, moving closer. You just got here.I tried to bend off to the side, but his detainment suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of my arms, immobilise me into place.What are you doing? I demanded. There went my heart rate again.I dont know whats going on with all this summoning stuff, but I do know theres a succubus here who doesnt feel like a succubus anymore, which probably means you cant fight like one.I tried to break from his grasp, but his hands were like steel. Youre crazy. Of course Im a succubus. You know I am.Yeah? Then shape-shift away from me. Turn into a bird. Turn into a bodybuilder.I clenched my teeth and tried to throw his hold again. Let me go, you son of a bitch. You hurt me, and a whole troops of demons are going to show up and rip you limb from limb.Not so sure about that, he chuckled. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You think any succubus would bum someone like me?He shoved me down onto the couch, one strong arm immobilize me in place while the other hand fumbled awkwardly under my garb and grabbed a hold of my breast. Moving his question close, he tried to press his lips against mine, but I turned my head just in time.Let me go I screamed. I managed to wriggle a leg free and knee him in the gut. It wasnt lavish to free me, but it made him scowl.Id brainsick about getting hit by cars, meteors, and structurally unsound overpasses. Never, never had I thought about being raped. It hadnt been a fear of mine for centuries, not since I realized I could shape-shift into someone big and stronger, someone capable of throwing off any assailant.Maybe it shouldnt have twited me so much. Id had sex with plenty of people I didnt like over the years. Id always grimaced and waited it out. But there was something about this that was different. It wasnt my choice, and compoundi ng it all was the feeling of helplessness I had. I detest not having options. I hated not being able to think my way out of something. There was nothing to be done, though. Not this time.The most I could do was keep struggling and flailing. I did have some self-defense training, after all. Id learned to use weapons and punch over the years. Id nailed Niphon pretty good at Christmas. Unfortunately, what I could do now was limited with Greg on me like this. He simply outweighed me. Still, my efforts mustiness have proven annoying because Greg growled and grabbed both my arms in an attempt to flip me over. I yelled profanities at him and got another knee-jab in, close to his groin but not close enough.And thats when it happened.The smell hit me first. An raise and suffocating odor of natural gas. I stopped struggling for half a second. I didnt need to be human to know that meant trouble.Before I could mould that further, the kitchen exploded into flames.Fire expanded out into the l iving room. It didnt quite reach us, but I think Greg must have still gotten burned because he screamed in pain and released his hold on me. His body had shielded the worst from me, and mostly all I felt was a coil wave of heat and air.I didnt bother to think or question anything. Greg had released me in his confusion, and I bolted. I scrambled from the couch and ran out the front door, away from the fire. out-of-door from Greg.I drove off as fast as I could, my Passats tires squeaking on the pavement. Sweat poured off me, and my hands could barely grip the steering roll through their shaking. About a mile away, I heard the singing of sirens, but I couldnt spare a thought for what had happened. I couldnt think about whether Greg had made it out or not. I couldnt think about how a gas outpouring had miraculously saved me.The only thing I could think about now was getting away and getting to safety.