He swallowed, eyes still wide. "So you aren't…I mean you can…"
"Yeah," I said, my own voice husky. "That's the theory, at least. I haven't really tested it…"
My words faded off because they didn't matter. My relationship with Seth had been plagued with a hundred small problems, everything from communication to trust and the myriad details in between. And always, always underneath that had been the knowledge that we could never be physically close. Oh, we'd been able to hug and do some kissing-there was even a fair amount of tongue we could get away with before my succubus hunger started stealing his life. But ultimate intimacy? Sex? Making love? It was totally off-limits, and that denial had tortured both of us, no matter how much we talked about love being the most important part in a relationship.
And now…here we were. Those barriers were removed. I hadn't tested if my succubus stealing really was gone, but I didn't need to. I could feel it, as Hugh had said. The perpetual craving that always lurked within me was completely dormant. I could touch and kiss anyone without restraint. I could touch and kiss Seth. There was nothing standing between us now.
Well, except for one thing.
A knock sounded on my door. "Georgina? Are you in there?" Maddie called.
It was like cold water in the face. Seth and I sprang apart. He backed toward the door, and I promptly sat down at my desk. My heart was pounding again. Damn it. I was going to have to talk to Hugh and get an anti-anxiety drug. "Yeah, come in," I called.
Maddie stuck her head in, surprised to see both of us. "There you are," she said to Seth. "I just got here and couldn't find you."
Seth was still in shock. "I…yeah…I saw Georgina was here and stopped by…"
Maddie peered at me. "You okay? You look a little worn out." Her eyes flicked to my hair and then back to my face. "Did you just wake up?"
Apparently, I no longer looked like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, which was something. I hadn't liked the way she eyed my hair. "Well, not exactly. It's, uh, been a long day." I stumbled over my words. I was so flustered, I could barely string a coherent response together. Seth's presence was like the sun, blinding me and warming me all over, and Maddie was making me feel guilty and dirty for enjoying that sun.
"Is everything okay with your family?" she asked.
"My-oh, yeah, they're okay. Still just a little crazy, but it'll, um, pass." I stood and picked up the laptop, hoping I sounded casual and calm. I needed to get out before I said something stupid. As it was, I couldn't even make eye contact with Seth now. "I really just came by for this."
Maddie studied me a few seconds longer and must have decided I was more or less telling the truth. She relaxed and seemed oblivious to me trying frantically to get to the door.
"Hey," she said, "I was thinking you might not need to go to California for beaches."
"For…what?"
"Remember our conversation at Mark's?"
"Er, yeah." Miraculously, I did. The condo thing, when I told her I had a beach itch.
"I have the perfect solution: Alki."
"Alki?" asked Seth, confused.
"It's a secret." She winked at me. "I thought that might be a good place to start looking. What do you think?"
"Sure. Sounds great." Alki Beach was a region of West Seattle that stuck out into Puget Sound. While it was a far cry from a Cyprian beach, it was, well, a beach. And if agreeing that it was a good idea would get me to the door…
"Cool! And what about dancing?"
"Huh? What about it?" I probably looked like a deer in the headlights again. This agitated state of mine didn't make for good topic-jumping.
"Teaching salsa. I mentioned it to Beth and Casey, and they were pretty excited."
"Oh. Yeah. Sure. I can do that." I was seriously about to agree to anything to escape.
Her face lit up. "Oh, thank you! Is this week too soon? I bet we could get everyone together on, oh, Thursday."
"Sure, sure, that's fine." I was almost at the door.
"Oh, thank you! This'll be fun. I'll double-check the day with everyone and e-mail you. If something comes up…I mean, I know you're under a lot of stress…"
I waved it off. "It's fine, really. Have a good night, okay?"
I put on a winning smile and quickly walked past both of them. As I stepped out the door, though, I glanced back and met Seth's eyes. My smile faltered. A thousand messages passed between us, just as they used to when we were dating. Only this time, I wasn't sure what any of them were saying.
I kept walking, suddenly realizing I had a lot more than mortality to worry about.
CHAPTER 12
Searching the Internet didn't turn up much, just as I'd feared. Still, I took some satisfaction in at least doing something. It kept my mind off my possibly impending death. It kept my mind off demons descending on Seattle. Most importantly, it kept my mind off Seth.
Because if I thought about him, I was going to think about touching him and kissing him and…well, a lot of other things. My feelings for him were starting to consume me, almost to the extent that my other problems seemed trivial. So, I lost myself in Google searches, hoping for any scrap of information about demon summoning. As expected, most of my hits sent me to sites on role-playing games and Dr. Faustus. Still, I felt better than if I'd just sat around.
Driving to the meeting at the Cellar was about as agonizing as walking to the bookstore had been. I took slow back roads, unwilling to face the congestion and speed of the freeways. The Cellar was a pub a lot of Seattle immortals liked to frequent. Whoever had organized this event had apparently reserved the restaurant's back room, which was normally used for banquets and wedding receptions. I didn't have to sense demonic magic to know they'd sealed off the space from prying ears.
The dimly lit room was crowded when I entered. I recognized some of the local lesser immortals, but most were demons I didn't know. Few sat at the long table, which was covered with appetizer plates and bottles of wine. Most people stood around the edges, deep in conversation, or had pulled chairs up in tight, furtive clusters. Grace and Mei were both working the room, looking as businesslike and efficient as ever-albeit edged in an uncharacteristically frazzled air. For the first time ever, they were dressed differently, and I wondered if stress had prevented them from coordinating their wardrobes. Mei wore a red skirt and blazer with a necklace made of tiny alternating gold and silver rings. Grace wore a linen pantsuit with a chunky stone choker with a crescent moon pendant.
Peter, Cody, and Hugh stood in the corner and waved me over.
"Hey," I said, "what's going on?"
"Not much," said Hugh. "This seems to be more of a meet and greet. Not a lot of organization."
We fell silent, all of us watching the interactions. In the opposite corner, I saw Cedric gesturing dramatically as he spoke. His face was dark and intent, and Kristin stood nearby with a clipboard and rapt expression, taking notes. Not far away, Nanette stood with her lovely, unreadable face while listening to another demoness talk.
"So, you must be Jerome's staff."
The four of us turned. None of us had noticed the demon approaching, thanks to losing our ability to sense immortal signatures. This whole experience, I decided, really was like being bereft of sight or smell. This particular demon was no one I knew. He had a big toothy smile and skin that looked like it had had a tanning job go bad. His spiky white-blond hair wasn't doing him any favors either.
He extended a hand. "I'm Tom. Pleasure to meet you all."
We each shook his hand in return, introducing ourselves. He held our hands with great vigor, like a politician on the campaign trail. If we'd had a baby, I had no doubts he would have kissed it.