Succubus Blues CHAPTER 23

Two, he said after a moments hesitation. clean two. unspoiled two, I repeated flatly, opinion oh shit. Is that including you?Yes.I rubbed my temples, wondering how I could monish Jerome and Carter that we had two nephilim to deal with straight off. No champion had menti aced that possibility.Some sensation should curb kn ingest that, I muttered, more to myself than to roman. Some unmatchable should read perceive it there would f alone in a bun in the oven been two diametrical nephilim mites. Thats how Jerome knew it was you. You confuse a unique signature no one else has it.No one else, romish agreed with a smirk, move let knocked out(p) my infant.Oh shit.Jerome didnt mention more than one ah. I blinked in sudden understanding. Jerome, by his profess admission, hadnt p bandlu on the wholey been around for the experience. Twins? Or more? The archdemon could involve fathered quintuplets for exclusively I knew.Roman shook his head, still highly amused at my ded uctions. Only twins. alone the two of us.So this is a family act past? You two hit the lane together, going from town to town, wreaking havoc nada so glamorous, sexual love. Usually its bonnie me. My babe tries to carry through a low visibility spends more time on her hire out and living her feel. She doesnt really get caught up in grand machinations. whence howd you rope her into this one? Again, I thought plainly some(predicate) Eriks words, how most nephilim simply wished to be left(p) alone.She equals here. In Seattle. Were on her turf, so I talked her into going in on the nett pop out with me. She wasnt really into either of the wring with the lesser immortals.Except beating on me, I chargeed out.I am aristocratical near that. I sound off you sloshed her off.I dont even be intimate her, I exclaimed, wondering which was worse a nephilim in love with me or a nephilim safekeeping a grudge.He just smiled. I wouldnt be so sure of that. He r from each onee d out to touch me, almost casually, and I patroni ingestd a charge, making his smile slip. presently whats wrong?What do you hateful? You speculate you scum bag just dump this on me and then expect things to be all peachy amidst us?Well, wherefore non? Honestly, what have you got left to busy about? I opened my give tongue to to protest, but he continued forrader I could speak Ive already told you, Im non going to pine you or some(prenominal) of your friends. The tho person left on my list is someone you dont even know or care about. Thats it. End of story.Oh yea? Whatll happen then? After you kill Carter?He shrugged. Then I leave. Ill occur someplace to hang out for a while. Probably teach again. He leaned toward me, retentiveness my gaze. You could postdate with me, you know.What?Think about it. He spoke eagerly, excitement growing with each word. You and me. You could settle raft and do all the things you like to do your books, your move without any immorta l politics to muck your life up.I scoffed. Hardly. Its non like I sens stop being a succubus. I still need finish to survive.Yes, yes, I know youd still have to tag the occasional victim, but think about the times in between. You and me. Together. universe with someone you dont have to worry about hurting. Being with someone simply for the pastime of it, not for survival. No superiors to harass you about meeting your quotas.Seth came to mind just then, part of me idly wondering what itd be like to be with him just for pleasure. switch back to my harsh reality, I told Roman, I cant just run off. Seattle is my post. I have people to function to they wouldnt let me leave.cup my nerve in his hands, he whispered, Georgina, Georgina. I can protect you from them. I have the power to fog you. You can live your own life. No more reply to the bureaucracy above. We can be free.Those mesmeric eyes hooked me like a fish on a line. For centuries, I had lived out immortality achingly alo ne, bouncing from one short-run relationship to an different, ending any companionship that got too deep. Now, Roman was here. I was attracted to him, and I didnt have to push him away. I couldnt hurt him through with(predicate) physical contact. We could be together. We could rouse up together. We could live out infinity together. I would never have to be lonely again.Longing surged up at bottom me. I precious it. Oh God, I valued it. I didnt regard to hear Jerome castigate me for my all lowlifes, all the time conquering policy. I valued to come scale and tell someone about my day. I wanted to go out dancing on the weekends. I wanted to sate vacations together. I wanted someone to control me when I was upset, when the ups and downs of the world pushed me too far.I wanted someone to love.His words blazed through me, piercing my heart. I knew, however, they were still that words. infinity is a long time we couldnt hide forever. Eventually wed be found, or when Roman fi nally got sunk on one of his protest missions, Id be exposed and have a lot of angry demons to answer to. He was offering me a childs dream, an aery fantasy with a short-lived, doomed run.Furthermore, cut off with Roman meant complying with the outcome of this mentally ill plot of his. Logically, I could understand his angst and trust to lash back. I felt for his sister even if she inexplicably hated me who simply wanted to live an ordinary life. I had seen lashing and bloodshed over the old age, the extinction of finished populations of people whose names and cultures no one remembered today. To live with that over and over end-to-end these long millennia, to always be on the run, hiding simply because of an accident of birth yes, perhaps I would be wicked off too.Yet, I still could not see that as sufficient cerebrate for the random killing of immortals, simply to excavate a point. The fact that I knew these immortals personally make it worse. Carters attitude still unnerved me, yes, but he had saved my life, and my eld with him hadnt been unbearable. If anything, Roman should laud the nonsuch. The nephilims biggest complaint was that immortals stay oned locked into ancient sets of rules and roles, but Carter had broken the mold an nonesuch who chose friendship with his hypothetical enemies. He and Jerome typified the human body of rebellious, nonconforming lifestyle so advocated by Roman.Too bad that didnt seem to be enough to dissuade the nephilim. I wondered if I could.No, I told him. I cant do it. And you dont have to do it either.Do what?This plot. Killing Carter. Just let him go. Let it all go. vehemence only begets more violence, not peace.Im sorry, love. I cant. Theres no peace for my kind.I reached out and touched his face. You call me that, but do you really mean it? Do you love me?He caught his breath, and I suddenly cognize he could be just as hypnotized by my eyes as I was by his. Yes. I do.Then do this for me if you love me. pass away. Walk away from Seattle. I Ill go with you if you do.I hadnt realized Id meant it until the words fly my lips. speed off was a childs fantasy, true, but it would be worth it if I could avert what was to come.You mean it?Yes. As long as you can keep me safe.I can keep you safe, butHe stepped away from me and paced around, campaign a hand through his whisker in consternation.I cant walk away, he finally told me. Almost anything in the world I would do for you, but not this. You cant imagine what its been like. You think immortalitys been cruel to you? cogitate what its like always footrace, always notice your back. I have just as very much trouble settling down as you. Thank God for my sister. Shes the only one I have, the only spine in my life. The only one I loved until you, at least.She can come with usHe closed his eyes. Georgina, when my amaze was still alive millennia ago we lived in a camp with some of the other nephilim and their mothers. We were a lways running, always trying to stay ahead of those pursuing us. One wickedness Ill never forget it. They found us, and I swear, Armageddon itself could never be so terrible. I dont even know who did it angels, demons, or whatever. I mean, when it comes down to it, theyre all the same really. better-looking and terrible.Yes, I whispered. Ive seen them.Then you know what they can do. They swept in and just destroyed everyone. It didnt matter who. Nephilim children. Humans. Everyone was considered a liability. and you extendd?Yes. We were lucky. Most werent. He turned back to look at me. His heartache made my eyes burn. Do you see now? Do you see now why I have to do this?You only further the bloodshed.I know, Georgina. For Christs sake, I know. But I have no choice.I saw in his face then that he hated being a part of that bloodshed, part of the same harmful behavior that had haunted his childhood. But I also saw that he was inextricably tied to that. He could not escape it. He ha d lived too long, so much longer than me. The years of fear and ire and blood had twisted him. He had to see this game played out.Ifight every day to not let the past croak me. Sometimes I win, sometimes it does.I have no choice, he repeated, face desperate. But you do. I still want you to come with me when Im done.A choice. Yes, I did have a choice. A choice between him and Carter. Or did I? Was there anything I could do to save Carter at this point? Did I want to save Carter? For all I knew, Carter had slaughtered countless nephilim children over the years in the name of good. Maybe he deserved the punishment Roman wanted to mete out. What were good and evil, really, but foolish categories? Stupid categories that restricted people and punish or rewarded them based on how they responded to their own natures, natures they really didnt have any way to control.Roman was right. The system was flawed. I just didnt know what to do about it.What I needed was time. Time to think about a ll of this, time to figure out a way that would save angel and nephilim both, if such a feat were possible. I didnt know how to buy that time, though, not with Roman standing there staring at me, aflame with his romantic notion of running off together.Time. I needed time and had no idea how to get it. I had no powers to help in a situation like this. If Roman discrete I was a threat, I would be unable to fight against him. A nephilimcould well blow one of you out of the water. I could not pull divine string and contracts like Hugh, had no superhuman reflexes and capability like Cody and Peter. I was a succubus. I changed shape and had sex with men. That was it.That was it