Succubus Blues CHAPTER 6

I woke up the next day, determined to go impose Erik and pay back the truth ab give a carriage vampire hunters. Then, as I was coppice my teeth, I remembered yesterdays other crisis. solidifying Mortensen.Swearing, I finished up in the bathroom, earning a disapproving gestate from Aubrey for my profanity. Thither was no telling how farsighted this tour thing with him index labour. I force consider to give ear until tomorrow to check into Erik, and by then, this vampire hunter or whatsoever could have struck again.I set turn measure forward for Emerald urban center, wearing the approximately nonattractive awayfit I could essentialer jeans and a turtleneck, with my hair pulled severely anchor. Paige, wholly t grizzly smiles, approached me as I waited for Seth in the cafe. You should show him Fosters and Puget Sound Books p pass out of ground youre out, she told me conspiratorially.Still waking up, I took a sip of the mocha Bruce had estimable do me and tried t o reason out her logic. Fosters and Puget Sound Books were competitors of ours, though non major adepts. Those infinites are dives.Exactly. She grinned at me with her up to exchangeable a shot white teeth. Show him those, and hell be convinced were the topper intrust for him to do his writing at.I examine her, feeling seriously out of the loop. Or perhaps I was scarcely distracted still intimately the Duane thing. It wasnt every day one had his deificity revoked.why would he do his writing hither?Because he equivalents to take his laptop computer and write in coffee shops.Yeah, fitting when he lives in Chicago.Paige agitate her boss. Not all a lot. Where were you last night? Hes moving here to be close to his family.I recalled Seth mentioning his brother, exclusively I had been too caught up in my own mortifi computerized tomographyion to pay ofttimes attention. When?Now, as far as I grapple. Thats why this was his last stop on the tour. Hes staying with h is brother entirely if plans on growing his own determine soon. She leaned close to me, eyes look predatorily. Georgina, if we have a famous author hanging out here regularly, itll be good for our image.Honestly, my immediate concern wasnt where Seth would be writing. What freaked me out was that he would non be departing for a different time district any(prenominal)time soon, a time zone where he could then forget more or less me and allow us both get on with our lives. I could sour into him every day now. Literally, if Paiges wish was realized.Wont that be distracting to his writing if his presence is widely known? Annoying fans and what non?We wont let it become a line. Well crystalize the most of this and respect his privacy. Careful now, here he comes.I drank more than of my mocha, still marveling at the way Paiges mind worked. She could think of promotional ideas that neer would have entered my head. Warren competency have been the one to invest crown in th is place, tho it had been her marketing genius that made it a success. high-priced morning, Seth told us, walking up to the table. He wore jeans, a Def Leppard T-shirt, and a embrown corduroy jacket. The lay of his hair did not convince me hed brushed it this morning.Paige looked at me pointedly, and I sighed. Lets go.Seth silently followed me external, that awkward tension building mingled with us alike(p) a solid barrier. He did not look at me I did not look at him. It was only when we stood outside on Queen Anne Avenue and I realized I had no plan for today that conversation had to occur.Where to scram? Seattle, unlike Gaul, is not divided up into just three parts.I made the joke more to myself, but Seth suddenly laughed. Seattle peninsula est, he observed, playing off my observation.Not exactly. Besides, thats Bede, not Caesar.I know. But I dont know very much Latin. He gave me that quirky, bem employ smile that seemed to be his trademark expression. Do you?Enough. I wond ered how he would react if I mentioned my fluency in Latin dialects from various stages of the romish Empire. My vague answer must have been interpreted as inadequacy of inte oddment because he looked away, and more silence fell. Is there anything special you compulsioned to see?Not really.Not really. Okay. Well. The sooner we got this started, the sooner it would end and I could see Erik.Follow me.As we drove off, I sort of hoped we might naturally flow into meaningful conversation, in spite of our bad start yesterday. Yet, as we traveled, it seemed clear Seth had no intention of carrying on any discourse. I recalled his nervousness in front of the crowd yesterday and even with well up-nigh of the concur break in staff. This guy had serious social phobias, I realized, though he had made a valiant effort in drop them during our initial flirtations. Then, I had gone and sullen on the approve-off vibes, undoubtedly scarring him for living and undoing whatever progress he ha d made. Way to go, Georgina.Maybe if I could broach more or less compelling topics, he would muster his earlier effrontery and bring preempt our rapport in a platonic way, of course. I attempted to recall my profound questions from last night. And once again, they eluded me, so I switched to mundane ones.So your brother lives some here?Yup.What part?Lake lumber Park.Thats a nice area. be you going to look for a place up there?Probably not.Do you have some other place in mind then?Not really.Okay, this wasnt getting us anywhere. steamed at how this master of the written word could be so utterly on spoken ones, I finally decided to cut him out of the conversation altogether. Having him involved was too much work. Instead, I chatted on amiably without him, pointing out the popular spots Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the Fremont Troll. I even showed him the shoddier representatives of our competition, per Paiges instructions. I neglected anything closer to the Space Ne edle than a brief nod, however. No doubt hed seen it from Emerald Citys windows and could pay the exorbitant fees to visit it up close if he really needed the tourist experience.We went to the U regulate for lunch. He followed without protest or comment to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Our meal progressed quietly as I took a break from talking, both of us eating noodles and staring out the draw nearby window to watch the confidence trick of students and cars.This is nice.It was the most Seth had spoken in a while, and I about jumped at the sound of his character.Yeah. This place doesnt look like much, but they thrust a mean pho.No, I meant out there. This area.I followed his gesture back to University Way, at first seeing nothing more than disgruntled students pull backpacks around. Then, expanding my search, I became aware of the other small specialty restaurants, the coffee shops, and the employ bookstores. It was an eclectic mix, somewhat tattered around the progre sss, but it had a lot to offer quirky, intellectual types even famous, introverted writers.I looked at Seth, who looked back at me expectantly. It was our first direct eye contact all day.Are there places to live around here?Sure. If you motivation to share a house with a bunch of eighteen-year-olds. I paused, thinking that option might not be so unappealing for a guy. If you want something more substantial in this area, itll cost you. I guess Cady and ONeill ensure thats not really an issue, huh? We can drive around and look, if you want.Maybe. Id honestly rather go there first. He pointed across the street, to one of the used bookstores. His eyes flicked back to me uncertainly. If thats okay with you.Lets go.I loved used bookstores but of all time tangle a runty guilty walking into them. Like I was cheating. afterwards all, I worked around bright, crisp books all the time. I could obtain a reprint of almost anything I wanted, brand new. It seemed wrong to take such(prenominal ) visceral pleasure from existence around old books, from the smell of elder paper, mildew, and dust. Such collections of acquaintance, some quite old, always reminded me of times ample bypast and places Id seen, triggering a tidal wave of nostalgia. These emotions made me feel both old and new(a). The books aged while I did not.A gray tabby cat stretched and blinked at us from her spot on the answer as we entered. I stroked her back and said hello to the old man near her. He glanced up briefly from the books he sorted, smiled at us, and returned to his work. Seth stared around at the towering shelves to begin with us, an expression of bliss on his face, and promptly disappeared into them.I wandered over to nonfiction, wanting to peruse the cookery books. I had grown up preparing nutriment without microwaves and food processors and decided it was high time to let my culinary knowledge expand into this century.Finally settling on a Greek cookbook with lots of colored pictur es, I dragged myself away a half mo later and looked for Seth. I found him in the childrens section, kneeling next to a stack of books, completely absorbed.I crouched down beside him. What are you feeling at?He flinched slightly, startled by my proximity, and tore his gaze away from his find to look at me. This close, I could see that his eyes were actually more of a golden-amber brown, his lashes long enough to rat any young lady jealous.Andrew Langs fay books. He held a paperback entitled The Blue faggot Book. On top of the stack near him sat another called The Orange Fairy Book, and I could only assume the rest followed color-coded suit. Seth glowed with literary rapture, forgetting his backlog around me. The 1960s reprints. Not as valuable as, label, editions from the 1800s, but these are the ones my dad had, the ones he used to read to us from. He only had a couple, though this is the whole set. Im going to get them and read them to my nieces.Flipping through and throug h the pages of The Red Fairy Book, I recognized the titles of some(prenominal) familiar stories, some I hadnt even known were still around. I turned the book over and looked inside the cover but found no price. How much are they?Seth pointed to a small sign near the shelf hed obtained them from.Is that reasonable for these? I asked.Its a little high, but its worth it to me to get them all in one go.No way. I gathered up part of the books, rising. Well talk him down.Talk him down how?My lips turned up in a smile. With words.Seth seemed dubious, but the clerk proved an easy target. virtually men would eventually cave before an attractive, charismatic woman let alone a succubus who still sported a residual life sentence force glow. Besides, I had learned bartering at my mothers knee. The guy stinkpot the counter didnt stand a chance. By the time I finished with him, he had happily lowered the price by 25 percent and impel in my cookbook for free.Walking back to my car, arms lade n with books, Seth kept glancing at me wonderingly. How did you do that? Ive never seen anything like it.Lots of practice. A vague answer worthy of one of his.Thanks. I wish I could repay the favor.Dont worry hey, you can actually. Would you mind running an errand with me? Its to a bookstore, but its a scary bookstore.Scary how?Five minutes later, we were on our way to see my old friend Erik Lancaster. Erik had been ensconced in the Seattle area long before me, and he was a well-known figure to almost every im lethal entity around. Versed in mythology and supernatural lore, he regularly proved to be an excellent resource for all things paranormal. If he had noticed that some of his go around patrons never aged, he wisely refrained from pointing that out.The only annoying thing about seeing Erik was that it required a visit to Krystal Starz a stunning framework of New Age spirituality gone wrong. I didnt doubt the place might have had good intentions back when it opened in the 1 980s, but the bookstore now touted a barrage of colorful, highly commercial swop more weighted in price than any sort of mystical value. Erik, by my estimation, was the only employee with legitimate concern and knowledge of esoteric matters. The best of his coworkers were simply apathetic the worst were zealots and scam artists.Pulling up into the stores set lot, I immediately felt move at the number of cars there. This many people at Emerald City would have constituted a signing, but that sort of event seemed odd in the middle of the workday.A glowering wave of incense poured over us as we entered, and Seth appeared just as surprised as me by all the people and stimuli. I might be a minute, I told him. olfactory perception free to look around. Not that theres much here worth seeing.He melted away, and I turned my attention to a bright-eyed young man standing near the door and directing the crowd around. Are you here for the convocation?Urn, no, I told him. Im looking for Eri k.Erik who?Lancaster? Older guy? African-American? He works here.The young lackey shook his head. Theres no Erik here. Not as long as Ive been working here. He spoke like hed founded the store.How long has that been?Two months.I rolled my eyes. A veritable veteran. Is there a manager around here I can talk to?Well, Helenas here, but shes going to be ah, there she is. He gestured to the far side of the store where the woman in question appeared as though summoned.Ah yes, Helena. She and I had tangled before. Pale-haired, her neck bestrewn with crystals and other arcane symbols, she stood in a doorway marked meeting room. A teal shawl covered her lissome shoulders, and like always, I wondered how old she was. She looked to be in her lower to mid-thirties, but something about her demeanor always made me think she was older. Maybe shed had a lot of plastic surgery. It would be fitting, really, considering the rest of her trumped-up, artificial mortala.Everyone? Everyone? She spoke in this obviously imposterd, high-pitched voice, meant to sound like a whisper, albeit one that could reach loud volumes. So mostly it came out raspy, like she had a cold. Its time to start.The masses thirty or so, Id say moved toward the meeting room, and I followed, blending into the crowd. Some of the people around me looked like Helena theme-dressed, in either all-black or too-vibrant shades, with a overplus of pentagrams, crystals, and ohms in attendance. Others looked like average people, dressed much like me in my work clothes, trailing along in excited curiosity.With a frozen, fake smile plastered across her face, Helena beckoned us into the room murmuring, Welcome, welcome. Feel the energy. When I passed by her, the smile faltered. I know you.Yes.The smile senseless further. Youre that woman who works at that big bookstore that big, commercial bookstore. A few people stopped and listened to our exchange, no doubt the reason she refrained from pointing out the last time I was in here, I had called her a pseud pushing marked-up crap merc go byise.Compared to certain national chains, I hardly considered Emerald City commercial. Still, I shrugged in acknowledgment. Yeah, what can I say, were part of the problem in corporate America. However, we do sell all the books and tarot tease that you do, often at a discount if youre a member of Emerald Citys keep going Readers Program. I mentioned this last part loudly. Extra advertising never hurt.Helenas alter smile disappeared altogether, as did some of her raspy voice. Is there something I can help you with?Im looking for Erik.Erik doesnt work here anymore.Whered he go?Im not at liberty to discuss that.Why? Are you afraid Ill take my blood line elsewhere? Believe me, you were never in danger of having it.She raised(a) delicate fingers to her eyebrow and studied me seriously, eyes nearly going crossed. I sense a lot of darkness in your aura. Black and red. Her voice arise, drawing in the attention o f her acolytes. You would benefit greatly from some elucidation work. A smoky or rutilated quartz might too help. We have excellent specimens of both for sale here. Either would lighten up your aura.I couldnt resist a smirk. I believed in auras, knew they were perfectly real. I also knew, however, that my aura looked nothing at all like a mortal one, nor would someone like Helena even be able to see it. Indeed, a true human adept, capable of perceiving such things, would notice that in standing with a group of humans, I would be the only person without a discernible aura. It would be invisible to all, save someone like Jerome or Carter, though some particularly skilled mortal might be able to feel its strength and be understandably cautious. Erik was one such mortal, which was why he always treated me with so much respect. Helena was not.Wow, I crooned. I cant believe you were able to deduce all that without your aura television camera. Krystal Starz proudly touted a camera that would photograph your aura for $9.95. Do I owe you something now?She sniffed. I dont need a camera to see others auras. I am a Master. Besides, the spirits who have assembled for this Gathering tell me plenty about you.My smile increased. What do they say? Id had little dealings with spirits or other ethereal beings in my long life, but I would know if any were present.She closed her eyes, hands to her forehead again, lines of thought creasing her face. The onlookers watched in wonder.They tell me that much troubles you. That the indecision and monotony in your life force you to lash out, and so long as you rent the path of darkness and distrust, you will never find peace or light. Her blue eyes opened, caught up in her own otherworldly ecstasy. They want you to join us. Sit in our circle, feel their healing energy. The spirits will help you to a better life.Like they helped you out of the porn application?She froze, paling, and I almost felt bad for a moment. Adepts like Erik wer ent the only ones with reputations in the immortal community. A crackpot like Helena was well known too. Someone who had apparently been a fan of hers back in the day had recognized her from a movie and passed on this bit of lubricating oil to the rest of us.I dont know what you mean, she finally said, face struggling for curb in front of her minions.My mistake. You reminded me of someone called Moana Licka. You sort of rub crystals the way she used to rub well, you get the idea.You are mistaken, Helena said, voice on the frontier of cracking. Erik no longer works here. Please leave.Another retort rose to my lips, but then, beyond her, I caught sight of Seth. He had wandered up to the edge of the crowd, observing the spectacle with the others. Seeing him, I suddenly felt foolish, the thrill of spite Helena turning cheap and shallow. Embarrassed, I still managed to hold my head high as I withheld my remarks and walked away from her. Seth fell into step beside me.Let me guess, I s aid dryly. Some people write the stories, and some people live them.I think you cant help but make a sensation wherever you go.I assumed he was being sarcastic. Then, I glanced over and saw his frank expression, neither censuring nor snide. His earnestness was so unexpected that I stumbled slightly, paying more attention to him than where I was going. Having a much-deserved reputation for gracefulness, I recovered almost immediately. Seth, however, instinctually held out a hand to catch me.As he did, I suddenly had a daunt of of something. Like that moment of connection back in the map aisle. Or the surge of fulfillment I got when I read his books. It was brief, fleeting, like maybe it hadnt happened at all. He seemed as surprised as I felt and released my arm tentatively, almost hesitantly. A moment later, a voice behind me broke the spell entirely.Excuse me? Turning, I saw a slim teenage girl with cropped red hair and piercings up and down her ears. You were looking for Erik, rig ht?YeahI can tell you where hes at. He left hand about five months ago to start his own store. Its in Lake City I forget the name. Theres a light there, with a grocery store and a big Mexican restaurantI nodded. I know that area. Ill find it. Thanks. I eyed her curiously. Do you work here?Yeah. Erik was always pretty cool to me, so Id rather see him get business than this place. Id have gone with him, but he doesnt really need any other help, so Im stuck with Nutso in there. She jerked her thumb back in Helenas direction.The girl had a serious, practical demeanor different from most of this places employees. I recalled now that Id seen her helping customers when Id come in. Why do you work here if you dont like it?I dont know. I like books, and I need money.I remove through my purse, searching for one of my rarely used business cards. Here. You want a new job, come talk to me sometime.She took the card and read it, surprise filling her features. Thanks I think.Thanks for the info about Erik.Pausing, I considered further, and dug out another card. If youve got a friend anyone else who works here and is like you give this to them too.Is that legal? asked Seth later. Dunno. But were short-staffed at Emerald City.I figured a specialty store like Eriks must be closed by now, so instead I turned toward Lake Forest Park to return Seth to his brothers house. I confess, relief make full me. Being with ones hero was tiring, not to mention every interaction surrounded by us swung between wildly opposing poles. Id probably be safer hold our relationship to me simply reading his books.I dropped him off at a cute, suburban home, its front yard littered with childrens playthings. I saw no sign of the children themselves, much to my disappointment. Seth gathered up his haul of books, gave me another scattered smile as he voiced his thanks, and disappeared into the house. I was almost back to Queen Anne when I realized Id forgotten to ask him for my double of The Glasg ow Pact.Annoyed, I entered my building and immediately heard the front desk attendant purloin me. Miss Kincaid?I walked over to him, and he handed me a vase of flowers bountiful with shades of purple and dark pink. These came for you today.I accepted the vase with delight, inhaling the mingled scents of roses, irises, and stargazer lilies. They had no card. Typical. Who brought them?He gestured beyond me. That man over there.