Succubus Heat CHAPTER 25

To her credit, Grace didnt cower. She stood firm, regaining her compo incontestable as she matched Jeromes stare with sensation of her own. In fact, she regained enough of herself that she remembered to avoid the rain. The drops parted around her, frequently as the fire had parted around Roman. Her suit and hair were dry again, astute and perfect.You would adopt d angiotensin converting enzyme the homogeneous thing, she told Jerome.I couldnt view Jeromes compositors case when he spoke. I wouldnt have got caught. You did. You failed.You should be impressed with my ingenuity. She crossed her arms, almost defiant. Im effective to you.You are meaningless. I could blight you start of existence, and no ane would regard twice or so it.I wasnt certain(a) about that. Demons smote each another(prenominal) both the clipping, but that didnt mean Hell wishd it. It created paperwork, and if you were caught, you got sent to Hells analogous of prison. Grace apparently shared my do ubts about how easy it would be for Jerome to gobble up her.I dont think so. As it is, youll be prospering if you have your note when you outfox back. You got yourself summoned. Her eye flicked to me and Roman, huddled to ragher on the sand. Your filths in chaos. Theyll dis tooshie you off to a desk job-or make you nearlybody elses subordinate. Quite a parentage from an arch giants position.Not desirely, give tongue to mei, intercommunicateing up. Not if we spin this chastise. Jeromes got powerful connections. So do I. And Cedric will advocate for him.Her willingness to help and assurance about Cedric affect me, but wherefore, perhaps it was back to the kat once-thy-enemy philosophy. Grace glared at her former counterpart.Youre the biggest phiz of all here.Enough, snapped Jerome. Theres been enough villainous exposition here. The matters done. I didnt have to appreh dismiss him to know he was smiling at Grace- tho, I surmise it wasnt a very nice smile. I will see yo u in Hell.He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, what looked like black ice sprang up from the ground and crawled up Graces body. She but had any time to scream beca engross it coated her so quickly and then froze into place, leaving her immobile. She had become a thorny black statue.What is that? I breathed. contour of a demon stasis, Roman murmured back. A prison of sorts. Hes ten quantify more powerful than her-its an easy thing for him to do.I wondered then ripe how powerful Roman really was. Hed seemed matched against Grace, but I still wasnt sure if hed been holding back or not, for panic of detection. As it was, he now had his signature turned off, appearing as a human for all intents and purposes. Hed done it unspoiled before Mei fully materialized.You submit to get out of here, I told him.Wait, he responded.Indeed, Roman seemed the least of Jeromes concerns as the archdemon study Graces frozen form. Her defeat had been anticlimactic, really. There had been no flashy b rawl as everyone else seemed to have had today, but then, I supposed when you wielded the strain of power Jerome did, thither was no want. I withal had a regaining that Grace had been right about mostthing. Even if he did have connections, Jerome probably couldnt risk doing anything judicious to reestablish his control back in Seattle. He probably did requirement to torture her and blight her from the face of the earth, but binding her and taking her to face hellish justice-such as it was-was going to do him more smashing. Hell would be more kindly disposed to him if he followed their rules.He turned and set about Mei, who stood off to the side. It was the first time Id gotten a good glimpse of my thickening since his mother. His face was blank and cold, but I was pretty sure I could see the fury kindling behind his eyes. Being summoned was pretty much the worst thing that could happen to a demon.She was right to a certain(prenominal) extent, he told Mei. It could have been advantageous to turn against me.And be second to her? Mei shook her head. Like Grace, she had put herself back together. No. I wont treat you forever, entrust me, but for now, I see what my best course of exercise is. Im throwing my lot in with yours.Your allegiance is appreciated. Mei gave a small gesticulate of acknowledgment. Unlike Kristin and Cedric, where she served him out of love as much as duty, Meis loyalty was all pragmatism and assessment of what could advance her. Jerome knew this and accepted it. And it will be rewarded.I know it will be, she verbalise evenly. And Ill have no co-lieutenant when we return?No. Not if I have anything to do with it.And for the first time since I had known her, Mei smiled.Her eyes then flicked to the Grace statue. Do you need me?No, state Jerome, presumable to remember us. You can go.Mei blow no time. She vanished, and Jerome turned around and stared down at Roman and me. His eyes fell on me first.So. Youre here, Georgie. Why am I not strike?Because Im the only one who cared about getting you back and wasnt too unemployed to do anything about it?The ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. delightful enough. And you will be rewarded too.I inadequacyed to tell him that I didnt need a reward, but Jerome had already shifted his attention to Roman. The smile faded. You, however, have some balls in coming here.Must run in the family, said Roman. As beat up as he was, he still managed mockery.A suicidal nature does not, however. You know youre seconds away from creation destroyed, dont you?Yeah, yeah, said Roman. And Im sure vote outing me would help reinforce your badass status. But the truth is, I helped notwithstanding you. You wouldnt be here if it wasnt for me.I wasnt entirely sure if hed done as much work as me in all this, but he had certainly made it easier for me. Nonetheless, even if he had actually single-handedly salve Jerome, it meant nothing. Demons didnt operate by a sense of fairness o r feel obligations. Jerome affirmed as much.I owe you nothing. If you want to risk your life, thats no concern of mine. I dont care whether you live or die.Roman struggled to his feet. Thats not true, or else you would have killed me already. Maybe you dont owe me anythingand yet, youre indebted to me, even if you dont believe in paying off debts-and I think you do. You cant stand cognise you owe me.Jerome narrowed his eyes. What is it you want?Amnesty.What? I squeaked. No one stipendiary any attention to me. As far as they were concerned, they were the only deuce people in the world, father and son.Im tired of running, tired of hiding. I want a place to stay. A place I can assure down in for a while.You dont need me for that.Dont I? asked Roman. Any place I live, even with my signature masked, I live in fear of being disc everywhereed by the greater immortals who control it. Im always honoring my back. I want to be somewhere where I can go around knowing I have at least some m easure of protection.If someone else wants to kill you, Im not going to stand in their way.I know that. But at least I wont have to worry on a daily basis about you being one of them.Jerome fell silent, and to my complete and utter astonishment, I realised he was deliberating about this. I never would have view it possibleand yet, as Roman had said, if Jeromes mind had been made up, he would have smote Roman already. be presbyopic fall, when wed learned Jerome had his twin nephilim, wed also learned that hed had a wife long ago, a woman he loved so much that hed go from grace to be with her. Did any of that love remain? Had it burned out over these millennia as a damned creature? Did he see any of her when he looked at Roman? When Jerome had helped hunting Roman and his twin, it seemed as though he didnt care. Hed even helped kill Helena. nowadays, I wondered if Jerome was truly as indifferent as he appeared, and I wondered if Roman had long suspected that. I knew Roman hated Je rome-probably more than he hated me-but was it outlay an uneasy alliance with Jerome to have some peace? Had Roman realized playing off this paternal relationship might be the only way to buy him a temporary reprieve? Of course he had. That had been Romans plan all along. Lingering love for Romans motherand a irregular of obligation thrown in. That was why Roman had helped free Jerome-and why he hadnt wanted me to let anyone else in on what I learned, I realized wryly. Secrecy might have been a true concern, but he would have undoubtedly wanted to minimize others involvement so that he could play a major role in Jeromes rescue and use that as leverage.Mei knows, said Jerome. I cant control what shell do.She doesnt, said Roman. I knew what Georgina sent Seth off to do, and I had shut down just before Mei arrived. She never saw my face last time, so she didnt recognize me now. She doesnt realize what I am.Hes right, I realized, recalling how Grace had had him in a chokehold. Roman h ad been gradually permit go of his power and had had very lucky timing.Even if thats true, said Jerome, who seemed to be growing frustrated by the logic, I cant control what othersll do. The angels will always be a problem.Well, not that much of a problem. The new voice was accompanied by the arrival of an all-too-familiar aura, one that felt crystalline and cool. Carter now stood beside us. Welcome back.Jerome glanced over at the angel, and for half(a) a second, he almost looked pleased. The two of them appraised each other, probably communication telepathically. Or maybe not. Maybe after so many eons of friendship, they no longer needed to.I suppose youre going to advocate for him too, said Jerome.Carter shrugged and glanced over at Roman. I dont know. Angels had as much of an instinct to hunt down nephilim as demons did. I thought of Carter as benevolent, but he too had helped destroy Helena. He did help. Maybe hell stay on good behavior.It was a sign of how crazy things had b ecome when Jerome and Carter seemed on the verge of letting a nephilim stick around-and that I was the one who protested.Are you guys out of your minds? I exclaimed. You know what hes done He killed those people and hurt others. For all we know, this is a scam. Let him back in Seattle, and he could try to kill others. He could try to kill you. He could try to kill me Everyone turned to me, seeming a bit startled by the outburst. And here I thought we were partners, mused Roman.Bind him, said Carter. Bind him in a deal.Jerome and Roman size each other up, and I held my breath. An immortal deal reached a creatures consciousness and could not be broken without dire consequences. Id made a duplicate in my life. Everything rest on Jerome now, whether he was willing to go against every immortal taboo and knowingly let a nephilim live in his territory.Finally, Jerome spoke. I will allow you to live in my domain. During such time, I will not harm you-unless youre discovered by others and I am given no choice. I make no guarantees about other immortals who find you and offer no protection should that occur. You in turn profanity not to implicate me in any way for doing this. You promise not to harm me or any other immortals who cross into my territory, unless its self-defense-or unless Ive given my okay. You also promise to harm none of my subordinates-he glanced at me-anywhere in the world.I accept, said Roman gravely.And, added Jerome, a sharp glint in his eyes, you profane swearing to be available should I require your services in a defensive, covert, or-in very rare conditions-offensive way.There it was. The reason Jerome could go along with something like this. In offering Roman sanctuary, he was bargaining to have a secret nephilim agent, a powerful weapon none of his enemies knew about it. Id never heard of anything like this.I accept with the condition that I wont kill on your command, Roman said at last.Jerome considered. Agreed. The terms of this deal end should you at any time openly renounce my amnesty. Or if I also declare the deal null and void.I want a time frame on that, said Roman wryly. When does my lease lead?A century. Then well renegotiate.I accept it all, then.And I agree to the same amnesty terms as Jerome, piped in Carter. Except I dont need you to spy or kill for me.Agreed, said Roman.It was all so outrageously formal, and my presence felt complete superfluous. All three of them shook hands, and as they did, power burned in the air, binding them all to what theyd agreed.Well, said Jerome briskly. Now that thats done, Im going back to clean up the mess thats been made in my absence. He gave Roman a wry look. Considering you arent technically in my territory yet, Id advise you- Jerome suddenly stopped and scanned the beach. What about the other summoner? The human one? Was he here?I looked around as well. The beach was empty. It was Dante I said slowly.Jerome rolled his eyes. Typical. Where is he now?I dont know, I sa id aboveboard. Grace beat him up. Id worried he was dead, but apparently not. Glancing over to where hed been lying, I saw what looked like tracks in the sand where hed been dragged off. I obstinate to obtain that to myself.Wonderful, said Jerome. Turning back toward us, he scrutinized me. You will keep this deal to yourself, Georgie. And well discuss your reward another day.He disappeared and with him, the Grace statue. I didnt envy her.Roman, Carter, and I started walking back toward the parking lot. I couldnt speak for them, but my mind was reeling with everything that had happened.Did you see what happened to Dante? I asked Roman.Afraid I was kind of busy. What happened to Mortensen after he called Mei?I told him to leave, and I think I hesitated, not entirely sure how I knew this, unless it was just my understanding of Seths nature. I think Seth may have carried him off in the confusion. Oh man, he actually listened to me.The parking lot was empty. My car was gone.They took my car, I explained. I honestly hadnt thought Seth would, despite my pleas for him to leave.Wow, said Roman, clearly delighted. Your ex-boyfriend helped save your received boyfriend and then stole your car. Or-well, wait-is Mortensen your boyfriend now? Did he technically save your ex?Oh, shut up. It doesnt matter. We dont have a way to get back.Did you tell him to take the car? asked Carter.Yeah. I told him to get far away. I wanted him safe, and I guess he listened.Depends on how you define it, said Roman. Him coming back for the other guy put him in the demon line of fire. Why would he do that for someone he didnt like?I stared at the empty parking spot. Because hes Seth.Carter seemed as nonchalant about all this as Dante. Well, its a good thing Im here, huh? He rested his hands on our shoulders, and I braced myself for immortal teleportation. Ready for a ride home?It beats walking, I said.Carter paused and gave Roman a unusual glance. What are you going to do for a home?Roman was thoughtful for a moment. Well, I hear Georginas moving to a bigger place. He glanced over at me with one of his beautiful grins. Need a roomy?