"I imagine this must be pretty strange for you," he commented. "But I want you to know that we're all here for you. There's nothing to worry about-things'll be back to normal before long."
"Thank you," I said politely, giving as good a succubus smile as I could in a non-succubus state. Snark around a demon was never a good idea. Snark when you didn't have your normal powers? Horrible idea. "We're just anxious to get Jerome back."
His smile faltered a little but quickly resumed. "Yes, yes. Of course. We're all doing everything we can. But, of course, you know there's a chance Jerome might not be found…"
"So we've heard," said Hugh, speaking as politely as I had.
Tom nodded. "But don't worry. In the tragic event that happens, we'll make sure you guys are taken care of. You can rest assured that Seattle's next archdemon will rule with control and competence, making sure you're able to perform your duties in an efficient and effective manner."
I had a feeling he was on the verge of telling us how, if elected, he'd cut taxes and increase jobs, but we were interrupted by a high-pitched voice.
"Georg- gee -na!"
A seven-foot woman was heading toward us. She had ebony-black skin that looked horrible with her orange hair. The combination made Tom's features look supermodel gorgeous. Gold eye shadow shot all the way to her eyebrows, its glitter rivaled only by the multicolored sequins of her dress. A black feather boa flared around her as she walked. Several demons in the room froze and watched her, which was remarkable. Demons are not easily fazed.
"Who's that?" asked Cody. Just like with Tom, Cody could sense neither the identity nor even the type of this immortal. But I needed no such clues.
"Tawny," Peter and I said in unison.
"How do you guys know?" asked Cody.
"The clothes," said Peter.
"The whine," I said.
Tom was standing there, mouth half-open. A moment later, he recovered himself. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. I hope you'll come talk to me if you have any questions or concerns. I'm very eager to get to know you all better." He scurried off just as Tawny reached us. We stared.
"What the hell happened to you?" exclaimed Hugh.
Tawny pouted. "Well, there was this really nice guy that I wanted. Really pure and-"
"Tawny," I interrupted. "I've told you a hundred times. Stop worrying about the good ones."
She shook her head. "No, no. He was into me. Well, he was into this." She gestured to her body. "I figured out that he had these weird fantasies his wife didn't know about. So, I put on this shape, and we did it . And the energy…it was amazing."
I couldn't hide my astonishment. Tawny had managed to score a decent guy. She'd used a strategy that, while basic, was also highly effective: exploiting secret desires. It could shake the unshakable soul. "Wow," I said at last. "That's great. I…well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm proud of you."
She sighed. "But I didn't get to enjoy the rush. Like, ten minutes after it happened, it went away. Everything went away. I started feeling sick and-"
"Yeah, we know the rest," said Cody, not unkindly.
"And I was wearing this body, and now…now I'm stuck with it."
Under normal conditions, this would have provided hours of hilarity. For now, I actually felt bad for her. "Well, hang in there. They say this won't last for long."
Tawny nodded unhappily. "Yeah. Here's hoping." Then, unexpectedly, she brightened a little. "Oh, but hey, you were totally right about the blow-job thing."
Hugh's head whipped around to stare at me. "What?"
Before I could say anything, Mei thankfully shouted for everyone's attention. And when I say shouted, I mean it. She used her power to amplify her voice, so it rang painfully through the whole room, making a lot of us wince and cover our ears. Several people backed away, giving us a clear view of her and Grace.
"We want to thank everyone for coming," Mei said, returning to her usual flat, emotionless voice.
"And we appreciate everyone's help as we try to keep things running around here. Mei and I have everything under control right now, but the concern everyone's shown is certainly…admirable." There was the slightest wry note in Grace's voice as she glanced around at the assembled demons. Many of them straightened up and smiled, acting as though they truly were here out of concern for us.
"We know you're as anxious to find Jerome as we are," said Mei. "And we'll be doing everything we can to locate him." Some of those smiles tightened a little, and the crowd shifted uncomfortably. As I'd told Seth, not everyone was so eager for Jerome's return.
"Yes, of course," a booming voice said. Tom had joined Grace and Mei in the spotlight. "Jerome is our top priority, of course. And if-I mean, when-he's found, I'm sure Management will be most eager to talk to him about how this happened in the first place. No doubt he will need a little…rehabilitation, and should he be unable to fulfill his duties, I for one am ready right now to step up and run infernal affairs in Seattle."
"Well, Tom." A dark-haired demoness from across the room straightened up from where she leaned against the wall. "If memory serves, your leadership in Tuscaloosa didn't end so well."
Tom glowered. "That was not my fault."
So it began. The meeting slowly degenerated into chaos and mostly became about each demon talking about why he or she was the best choice-and why all of the others were completely unfit. It was like a year of presidential campaigning condensed into an hour.
"Look at Grace and Mei," noted Hugh. "They look like they want to smite this entire room."
"Well," I said. "That's the thing. All these demons are talking about keeping hellish affairs in order here, but those two are the ones who are actually doing it right now."
"Hell should just let them take over if Jerome doesn't come back," said Cody. I gave him a sharp look. "Er, I mean, not that there's any question of that. He'll be back."
"Let's hope so," a new voice said. Cedric had strolled over and joined our circle, Kristin in tow.
"Whatever," I said, unable to hide a smile. "You can't tell me you want him back. This is your perfect chance to create your great Northwest empire."
He shook his head. "No, believe me, I want nothing to do with any of this. Compared to some of these losers, Jerome suddenly seems like an ideal neighbor." It was very much like what Isabelle had said. "I don't suppose," Cedric added, "that you're going to be coming back up to Vancouver?"
I hesitated. Was I? Who did I answer to now? Did Jerome's orders still stand? "I…I don't know," I admitted. "I don't know what I'm supposed to. If I should leave."
"Well," he said. "It wasn't like you were doing that great a job."
"I was too! I'd gotten them to back down before their so-called angel spoke to them. She told them not to trust me." I frowned, wondering if I should go on. I didn't know who to trust without Jerome around, and as Hugh had said, Cedric was still a very likely candidate for Jerome's summoning, in spite of my gut instinct. "And you know…I think I have an idea about who did this and who that angel is…"
Cedric groaned. "Will you give up on Isabelle already?"
I shook my head and lowered my voice. "I don't think it was her. I think it was Nanette."
The incredulous look on his face didn't change. "That's as ridiculous as Isabelle. You were there. You saw Nanette come to me because she was simply worried about managing her own territory."
"Funny, she had a similar meeting with Jerome not long after that."
Cedric's face kept that cool, skeptical expression that demons excelled it. But, I was pretty sure I could see a spark of interest in his blue-gray eyes. "That doesn't mean anything." Another gut feeling told me he was lying. He started to turn, but then Cody spoke, voice hesitant.