Succubus Blues gk-1

by Richelle Mead

  "Who are you?"

  "They call me Niphon," he said with a small bow. "And you are Letha, Marthanes ' daughter, formerly wife of Kyriakos."

  "I still am his wife."

  "But not for long."

  I turned my face away. "What do you want?"

  "I want to help you, Letha. I'd like to help you with this mess you've gotten yourself into."

  "No one can help me. Not unless you can undo the past."

  "No. No one can undo the past. I can make people forget it, though."

  I slowly turned back to him, assessing his bright eyes and dapper manner. "Stop joking. I'm not in the mood."

  "I assure you, I am most earnest."

  Staring at him, I suddenly somehow knew he was telling the truth, as impossible as it was to believe. Later I would learn that Niphon was an imp, but at the time, I had only sensed that he had a strange air about him, the whispering of power that promised he really could do what he said.

  "How?"

  His eyes gleamed, not unlike Hugh's when he was on the edge of a major deal. "To erase the memory of what you've done is no small feat. It carries a price."

  "Can you make me forget too?"

  "No. But I can make everyone else forget. Your family, your friends, the town. Him."

  "I don't know... I don't think I could go back to them then. Even if they didn't remember, I still would. I couldn't face Kyriakos like that. Unless..." I hesitated, wondering if it might not be better never to come in contact with them again. "Can you make them forget me altogether? Make it like I've never been born?"

  Niphondrew a sharp, excited breath. "Yes, oh yes. But a favor like that... a favor like that carries an even higher price..."

  He'd explained it to me then, what I'd have to give in return to completely blot me from the minds of those I'd known. My soul was a given. I'd carry it as long as I walked the earth, but it would have a lease on it, so to speak. That was the standard price for any hellish deal. But hell wanted more of me: my eternal service in the corruption of souls. I would spend the rest of my days seducing men, fulfilling their fantasies for my own gain and for those whom I served. It was an ironic fate, considering what had brought me to this point.

  To aid me, I'd gain the ability to take any form I chose, as well as the power to enhance my own charm. And of course, I'd have eternal life. Immortality and invulnerability. For some, that might have been benefit alone.

  "You'd be good. One of the best. I can sense it within you." Imps had the ability to look into a person's soul and nature. "Most people think desire is only in the body, but it's here too." He touched my forehead. "And you would never die. You would stay young and beautiful forever, until the earth perishes."

  "And after that?"

  He smiled. "That's a long way off, Letha, whereas your husband's life is at stake now."

  That had been what sold me. The knowledge that I could save Kyriakos and give him a new life, a life free of me where he would have a chance to be happy once more. A life where I could slink away from my disgrace and maybe even be rightfully punished. My soul—which I barely understood anyway—seemed a small price. I'd agreed to the bargain, first shaking on it, then putting my mark on paperwork I couldn't read. Niphon left me, and I returned to town. It was eerily simple.

  When I returned, it was exactly as he had promised. The wish had already been carried out. No one knew me. Passing people—people I'd known my entire life—gave me the glances reserved for strangers. My own sisters walked by me without recognition. I wanted to find Kyriakos, to see if it was the same for him, but I couldn't muster the courage. I didn't want him to see my face, not ever again, even if he didn't recognize it. So I spent the day wandering, trying to accept the fact that I was gone to these people. It was harder than I thought it would be. And sadder.

  When nightfall came, I retreated again to the outskirts of town. I had nowhere to stay, after all. No family or friends. Instead, I sat in the dark, watching the moon and stars, wondering what I was supposed to do now. The answer came quickly.

  She rose almost from the ground, at first appearing as nothing more than a shadow, then gradually coalescing into the shape of a woman. The air vibrated with power around her, and suddenly I felt suffocated. I backed up, terror filling every part of me, my lungs unable to take in air. Wind rose from nowhere, whipping my hair and flattening the grass around me.

  Then, she stood before me, and the night was still again. Lilith. Queen of the Succubi. Lady of the Night. The First Woman.

  Fear like I had never known swept over me—and lust. I had never been attracted to a woman before, but Lilith has that effect on everyone. It is fixed in her being. No one can resist her.

  She wore a tall, slim shape that night, willowy and lovely. Her skin was the pale white of the aristocracy of that time— a white never achieved by those of us who worked outside regularly. Her hair was a raven's wing of black, falling in gleaming waves to her ankles. And her eyes... well, let me just say there's a reason the old myths call succubi "flame-eyed." Her eyes were beautiful and deadly, promising anything you could ever want or desire if only you would let her help you. I still can't remember what color they were, but I could not look away from them that night.

  "Letha," she crooned, approaching me. The air shimmered around her, and I actually trembled now from my desire. I wanted to run but instead sank to my knees, both from respect and the inability to stand. She came to me and tipped my chin so that I had to look in those eyes again. Sharp, black nails dug painfully into my skin, and it felt wonderful. "You will be my own daughter now, spreading discord and passion for the rest of your days. You will be both punisher and tester, a creature of both dreams and nightmares. Mortals will do anything for you, just for a touch. You will be loved and desired until the earth is dust."

  I whimpered at her proximity, and then she moved closer still, lifting me up so I stood before her. Those glorious lips came to mine, and that kiss shot orgasmic pleasure through my body. My cries were lost, smothered in that kiss. I closed my eyes, unable to look at her and unable to break away. I soaked into that ecstasy pulsing over and over in my body. And yet, as I let that bliss consume me, something else happened too.

  My mortality was being stripped away.

  It felt like disintegrating, like I had become ashes in the wind. I wondered if that was how death felt. Like you were nothing. Gone. Then, just as quickly, I was put back together, myself once more. But I could feel the power burning through me now, different from the life that filled humans. My immortality shone like a star in the night, cold and pure. No longer would old age threaten. No longer would sickness haunt me. No longer would my flesh be passionately driven by the knowledge that time was short, that I had to leave my mark on the world. That I had to pass on my blood.

  I opened my eyes, and the onslaught of pleasure disappeared. So did Lilith. I stood alone in the darkness, quivering with my newfound power. And with that power, I could feel something more: an itch in my flesh. An itch that told me my skin could become anything I wanted it to be with only a thought. I was reborn. I was empowered.

  And I was hungry...

  "What's wrong?"

  Blinking back tears, I looked up at Carter. He stood in the doorway to my bedroom, pushing a lock of hair out of his eyes, face concerned.

  "Nothing," I muttered, burying my face in my pillow. "No nephilim ?"

  "No nephilim." An awkward pause followed. "Look... are you sure you're okay? Because you don't look okay."

  "I'm fine. Didn't you hear me?"

  He still wouldn't give up, though. "I know we're not that close, but if you need to talk—"

  "Like you'd understand," I scoffed, venom in my voice. "You've never had a heart. You don't know what it's like, so don't even pretend like you do."

  "Georgina."

  "Go. Away. Please."

  I turned back toward my pillow, waiting for another protest, but none came. When I dared a peek, the angel was gone.

 
CHAPTER 19

  Carter brought me daffodils the next morning. I had no idea where he could have found them this time of year. He'd probably teleported to another continent.

  "What are these?" I demanded. "You aren't coming on to me after all, are you?"

  "I'd bring roses for that." For the first time since I'd known him, the angel looked embarrassed. "I don't know. You seemed upset last night. I thought... I thought these might cheer you up."

  "Thanks... that's nice, I guess. About last night... when I snapped at you..."

  He shook it off. "Don't worry about it. We all have moments of weakness. It's how we recover from them that really counts."

  I put the daffodils in a vase, considered putting them on the counter. Roman's bouquet, now wilting, was already there, and the red carnations I'd bought the night Duane had died had long since been thrown away. It seemed unfair to give Roman's flowers competition, so I put Carter's on the windowsill in my bedroom.

  After that, the days fell into a comfortable routine. Carter and I never became best friends, but we managed a sort of pleasant equilibrium. We hung out together, watched movies together, and even on occasion cooked together. The angel turned out to be pretty dapper in the kitchen; I was still inept.

  At work, he followed me around, as invisible and unobtrusive as promised. I wasn't sure what he did during my shifts. He gave me the impression he wandered the store, people-watching. Maybe even browsing books. I also knew he spent a good deal of time waiting in my office, even if I wasn't there, hoping another nephilim note might appear. None came. The occasional nephilim flashings did, however, and Carter would disappear for a while without even telling me, either giving me a brief feathery touch on the cheek to indicate his return or speaking a few quick words inside my mind.

  I also started having coffee with Seth before my shifts. He had been waiting for me that first day back with a white chocolate mocha, and to my surprise, one for himself as well. "Bruce made it decaf for me," he had explained.

  The gesture had been too cute to refuse, so I'd sat and talked with him that day, and the next, and the next... It was hardly cutting him off as I'd intended, but I did stay pretty firm in refusing any other attempts at socializing outside of work. The coffee encounters seemed good enough for him, fortunately, and an interesting dynamic soon developed.

  Since I was still depressed over Roman, I moved and acted sluggishly, talking very little, too caught up in my own personal misery. Seth must have sensed a bit of this, and rather than let our coffee conversations die in the water, he took the lead in discussion—a notable change for him. It seemed a bit forced at first, but once he grew more comfortable, I found he truly could speak as well as he wrote. I marveled at the shift and enjoyed our time together, finding my heartache over Roman soothed a bit.

  He's really nice, Carter noted one morning after I'd left Seth to go work the information desk. I don't know why you spend so much time mooning over that other guy when you've got one like this.

  It isn't as simple as Seth being nice or not, I snapped back, still feeling a little weird about the mind-to-mind communication higher immortals employed so readily. And it's not like I'm looking for a new guy anyway. Besides, you didn't even know Roman. How can you talk?

  I know that you didn't know him for that long. How much could have really developed between you guys?

  Plenty. He was really funny. And smart. And good looking.

  I suppose relationships have been built on less. Still, I'm putting my money on Seth.

  Go away. I have to work.

  Angels. What did they know?

  While walking home from the bookstore on my fourth day at work with Carter, he asked, You want to go see Erik?

  I frowned, thinking. I had worked the early shift today and had to go back tonight to teach the staff's final dance lesson. I had two hours before that happened and had figured the angel and I would continue our newly formed habit of watching old movies together.

  "What do you have in mind?" I asked aloud, once we were safely inside my apartment.

  He materialized beside me. "I want to test the waters. We've had no nephilim activity in a while. No notes. No attacks. Yet, we know it's still around because I keep getting those little flashings. Why? What's its game?"

  I pulled a can of Mountain Dew out of my refrigerator and sat on a stool. "And you haven't ruled out Erik as a leak."

  "No, I haven't. Like I said before, I don't want it to be Erik, but he is probably the biggest mortal source of immortal information around."

  "And," I concluded drearily, "if he communicates with the nephilim, he might know some of its plans. What are you going to do, shake him down for information? Because I don't want to be around for that."

  "I don't work that way. I can tell if people are lying, but I'm not particularly good at... oh, how shall I put this, teasing information out of them. As you noted recently, I'm not exactly charming. You, however, excel at charm."

  I didn't like where this was going. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Nothing out of the ordinary, I promise. Just talk to him like you normally would. Like you were following up on your last conversation. Allude to nephilim if you can, and see what happens. He likes you."

  "What will you do?"

  "I'll be there, just invisible."

  "We're going to be cutting it close to drive back here in time for the dance lesson."

  "Not true. I'll teleport you."

  "Ugh." I had had higher immortals do that for me a handful of times over the years. It was not pleasant.

  "Come on," he urged, sensing my reluctance. "Don't you want to put this nephilim business to an end?"

  "All right, all right, let me change clothes. I'm still not convinced we won't be cramming at the end."

  He made some Jerome-like comments about my desire to adorn myself the old-fashioned way, but I ignored him. When I was ready, we both turned invisible, and he gripped my wrists. There was a feeling, only a millisecond long, like wind rushing over me, and then we stood inside a corner of Erik's store. A faint wave of nausea, similar to what I'd had while drinking heavily, rolled up in me and quickly faded.

  Seeing no one around, not even Erik, I turned visible. "Hello?"

  A few moments later, the old shopkeeper stuck his head out from the back room. "Miss Kincaid, my goodness. I didn't hear you come in. It's a pleasure to see you again."

  "Likewise." I gave him a prizewinning succubus smile.

  "You're dressed up tonight," he told me, taking in my dress. "Special occasion?"

  "I'm going dancing after this. In fact, I can't stay long."

  "Yes, of course. Do you have time for tea then?"

  I hesitated a moment, and Carter spoke in my head: Yes.

  "Yes."

  Erik went to put on water, and I cleared off our table, both of us falling into usual roles. When he returned with the tea, I learned it was yet another of his themed herbals, this time called Clarity.

  I complimented him on it, smiling the whole time, doing my best to play up the charming part. I even made a bit of small talk before finally plunging ahead with my mission objective.

  "I wanted to thank you for your help last time with the scripture reference," I explained. "It helped me understand the whole fallen angel bit, but I confess... it sort of sent me off in a weird direction."

  "Oh?" His bushy gray eyebrows rose as he brought the cup to his lips.

  I nodded. "In mentioning angels falling... it also mentioned those who married and had offspring. Who had nephilim."

  Boy, you don't waste time, Carter noted dryly.

  The old man nodded along with me, as though I had made a perfectly ordinary observation. "Yes, yes. Fascinating topic, the nephilim. Quite a controversial subject among biblical scholars."

  "How so?"

  "Well, some adherents don't like to acknowledge that angels, the holiest of the holy, would engage in such base activities, fallen or no. That their half-divine bastards might be walking
the world is more startling still. It makes a lot of faithful very angry."

  "But is it true then? That there are nephilim out there?"

  Erik gave me one of his canny smiles. "Once again, you ask me questions I'm surprised you don't know the answer to."

  See? This is what he does to me too. Evades the question.

  You and Jerome do it to us all the time, I shot back to the angel.

  To Erik I replied, "Well, like I've said before, my scope is rather limited." He only chuckled, and I pushed the issue. "So? Are they, or aren't they out there?"

  "You sound like someone chasing extraterrestrials, Miss Kincaid. Ironic, since some conspiracy theorists claim alien sightings are actually nephilim sightings and vice versa. But to reassure you—or not, perhaps—yes, they are indeed out there."

  "Aliens or nephilim ?" I joked, trying to keep the conversation light, though I knew he had meant nephilim. I already knew they existed, but I was glad to hear him reaffirm it so readily. Surely if he wanted to hide being a nephilim's ally, he would have been more evasive.

  "Both, actually, if you spent extensive time around my previous place of employment."

  I laughed out loud, recalling how Krystal Starz did indeed stock books on how to commune with beings from outer space. "I'd forgotten about that. You know, I've actually had a few run-ins with your former boss recently."

  Erik's eyes sharpened. "Have you? What happened?"

  "No big deal. Just professional differences, I guess. I poached a few of your old coworkers— Tammiand Janice?— from her. Helena wasn't very happy."

  "No. I imagine she wouldn't be. Did she do anything?"

  "Came to my work and made a lot of noise, gave me some doom and gloom predictions. No big deal."

  "She's an interesting woman," he observed.

  "That's an understatement." I realized we'd gotten sidetracked and half expected Carter to chastise me for it. He didn't. "So, do you know of any way to spot a nephilim ? Anticipate where it'll be next?"

  Erik gave me a strange look, not responding right away. I felt my stomach lurch a little. Maybe he did know more about our nephilim. I hoped not.