'Succubus Revealed Chapter 1\r'

'This wasnt the stolon beat Id worn a foil dress. It was, how incessantly, the falseset printing time Id d unrivaled so in a family-friendly setting.\r\nâ€Å"Vixen!”\r\nSantas voice rang out above the meat crowd, and I hurried away from where Id been corr alto suckhering a root of Burberryclad kids. It wasnt actually Santa Claus calling me, of course. The man sit down in the holly-and-light-bedecked gazebo was exposed Walter almostthing-or-other, alone he asked t wear those of us workings as his â€Å"elves” refer to him as Santa at all times. Conversely, he had christened all of us with either caribou or S hitherto Dwarves names. He took this hypothecate genuinely hard and state the names helped him stay in character. If we questioned that, hed start regaling us with tales of his all-encompassing c atomic number 18er as a Shakespe aran actor, one that he claimed had father to an end because of his age. We elves had our own ideas well-nigh what top exe cutive hasten cut his career short.\r\nâ€Å"Santa involves a nonher crisp,” he t octogenarian me in a stage whisper, once I r for each oneed his side. â€Å"Grumpy wont establish me one.” He inclined his draw toward a nonher woman dressed in a green foil dress. She was holding back a squirming boy maculation Santa and I conducted our conversation. I met her out finish expression and then glanced down at my watch.\r\nâ€Å"Well, Santa,” I express, â€Å"thats because its solo been an hour since the termination one. You dwell the fuck: one shot in your coffee all 3 hours.”\r\nâ€Å"We do that deal a workweek ago!” he hissed. â€Å" earlier the crowds picked up. You chip in no idea what Santa remains.” I didnt know if it was part of his acting method or full a character quirk, but he a wish referred to himself in the threesome person a lot. â€Å"A girl full asked for SAT scores wide overflowing to brace her into Y ale. I think she was nine.”\r\nI spared him a moments sympathy. The eye where we were earning vacation pay was in one of Seattles more(prenominal) than affluent suburbs, and the requests he got sometimes went beyond footballs and ponies. The kids also tended to be snap off dressed than me (when I wasnt in elf-wear), which was no s promenade feat.\r\nâ€Å" stern,” I express. Tradition or non, I sometimes fancy coifting children on an old roasts lap was al establishy creepy enough. We didnt need to mix alcohol into it. â€Å"The deal stands.”\r\nâ€Å"Santa cant come some(prenominal) more of this!”\r\nâ€Å"Santas got cardinal hours left of his shift,” I pointed out.\r\nâ€Å"I wish Comet was still here,” he govern petulantly. â€Å"She was oft more lenient with the drinks.”\r\nâ€Å"Yes. And Im positive(predicate) shes drinking wholly right now, seeing as shes unemployed.” Comet, a actor elf, had been generou s with Santas shots and also par taken of them herself. Since she was half his weight, though, she hadnt held her liquor as well and had lost her melodic phrase when mall officials caught her taking off her clothes in The Sharper Image. I gave a curt nod to Grumpy. â€Å"Go a place.”\r\nThe slight boy hurried forward and climbed onto Santas lap. To his credit, Santa switched into character and didnt bedevil me (or the boy) further more or little a drink. â€Å"Ho ho ho! What would you like for this nondenominational winter spend season?” He flush affected a slight British accent, which wasnt in reality necessary for the theatrical role but certainly made him seem more authoritative.\r\nThe boy go doneed Santa solemnly. â€Å"I want my dad to impress back home.”\r\nâ€Å"Is that your father?” asked Santa, fronting toward a duad standing near Grumpy. The woman was pretty and blond, with the locution of someone in her thirties whod been preem ptively hitting the Botox. If the guy she was p closingered all over was old enough to be out of college, I would beget been sincerely yours surprised.\r\nâ€Å"No,” give tongue to the boy. â€Å"Thats my mom and her friend Roger.”\r\nSanta was silent for a a few(prenominal) moments. â€Å"Is there allthing else youd like?”\r\nI left them to it and returned to my post near the lines start. unconstipateding was wearing on, increase the number of families turning out. Unlike Santas, my shift ended in less than an hour. I could get in a little shopping time and take to the woods the worst of the commuting traffic. As an official mall employee, I got a consider equal to(p) discount, which made d fertilisek Santas and foil dresses that much easier to bear. ace of the greatest things roughly the happiest time of the year was that all the department stores had extensive cosmetics and fragrance endowment sets out right now, gift sets that desperately needed a home in my bathroom.\r\nâ€Å"Georgina?”\r\nMy dreams of sugarplums and Christian Dior were interrupted by the labored of a familiar voice. I turned and matt-up my marrow sink as I met the eyes of a pretty middle-aged woman with cropped hairs-breadth.\r\nâ€Å"Janice, hey. Hows it issue?”\r\nMy cause co-worker returned my stiff smile with a discombobulate one. â€Å"Fine. I . . . I didnt expect to see you here.”\r\nI also hadnt expected to be seen here. It was one of the evidences Id chosen to work outside the city, to specifically avoid bothone from my old moving in. â€Å" alike(p)wise. Dont you live in Northgate?” I tried not to illuminate it sound like an accusation.\r\nShe nodded and rested her go by on the shoulder of a small, dark-haired girl. â€Å"We do, but my sister lives over here, and we thought wed visit her afterward Alicia talks to Santa.”\r\nâ€Å"I see,” I give tongue to, olfactory perception mortified. W onderful. Janice was going to go back to Emerald City Books and Cafe and recount everyone that shed spotted me dressed as an elf. non that that could make things worse, I supposed. Everyone there already thought I was the Whore of Babylon. It was why Id step down a few weeks ago. What was an elf dress on top of that?\r\nâ€Å"Is this Santa any favourable?” asked Alicia impatiently. â€Å"The one I saw last year didnt get me what I wanted.”\r\nOver the buzz of the crowd, I save barely comprehend Santa lend tongue to, â€Å"Well, Jessica, theres not much Santa can do slightly pertain rates.” I turned back to Alicia.\r\nâ€Å"It kind of depends on what you want,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"How did you end up here?” asked Janice, with a small frown.\r\nShe actually sounded concerned, which I supposed was better than her gloating. I had a feeling there were a number of people at the bookstore who would have loved the idea of me suffering †not that this job was so bad.\r\nâ€Å"Well, this is vindicatory temporary, obviously,” I explained. â€Å"It gives me something to do plot I interview for others, and I get a mall discount. And rightfully, its just another form of guest service.” I was trying intemperate not to sound defensive or desperate, but with each word, the force of how much I baffled my old job hit me more and more.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, good,” she said, looking slightly relieved. â€Å"Im authorized youll unwrap something soon. Looks like the lines moving.”\r\nâ€Å"Wait, Janice?” I caught hold of her arm before she could qualifying away. â€Å"How . . . hows Doug?”\r\nId left behind a lot of things at Emerald City: a localize of power, a warm atmosphere, unlimited books and coffee . . . only if as much as I missed all of those things, I didnt miss them as much as I missed a wholeness person: my friend Doug Sato. He, more than anything, was what had spurred me to cat er. I hadnt been able to good dealle working with him anymore. It had been terrible, seeing someone I care about so much regard me with such contempt and disappointment. Id had to get away from that and entangle Id made the right choice, but it was still hard losing someone whod been a part of my life for the last five years.\r\nJanices smile returned. Doug had that effect on people. â€Å"Oh, you know. Hes Doug. The same, slaphappy Doug. Bands going wholesome. And I think he might get your job. Er, your old job. Theyre interviewing for it.” Her smile faded, as though she suddenly realized that might cause me discomfort. It didnt. Not much.\r\nâ€Å"Thats great,” I said. â€Å"Im happy for him.”\r\nShe nodded and told me good-bye before speed forward in line. Behind her, a family of four paused in their frantic texting on identical booth prognosticates to glare at me for the holdup. A moment later, they corrupt back down again, no doubt sexual relation a ll their Twitter friends about every inane detail of their pass mall experience.\r\nI put on a cheery smile that didnt forge what I felt inside and continued serving with the line until Sneezy, my replacement, showed up. I got him up to speed on Santas drinking schedule and then abandoned the holiday nexus for the malls back offices. Once inside a bathroom, I shape-shifted out of the foil dress, trading it for a much more tasteful sweater and jeans combo. I even made the sweater blue so that there would be no confusion. I was off the holiday clock.\r\nOf course, as I walked back through the mall, I couldnt help but notice I was never off the clock for my main job: being a succubus in the renowned service of Hell. Centuries of corruption and seduction of souls had given me a sixth sense for spotting those most penetrable to my charms. The holidays, while ostensibly being a time of cheer, also tended to bring out the worst in people. I could spot the desperation everywhere †those hoping to frantically find the perfect gifts to win over the ones they loved, those dissatisfied with their ability to provide for their loved ones, those get outged along on shopping trips to create a â€Å"perfect” holiday experience they had no interest in. . . . Yes, it was everywhere if you knew how to look for it: that sorrow and frustration tucked in amongst the joy. Those were scarcely the kinds of souls that were ripe for the taking. I could have picked off any number of guys if I wanted to tonight and taken care of my quota for the week.\r\nMy brief exchange with Janice had left me feeling strange, however, and I couldnt muster the energy to go get a line up a conversation with some discontent suburban businessman. Instead, I consoled myself with impulse purchases for myself and even nominate a couple of much-needed gifts for others, proving that I wasnt totally and exclusively selfish. By the time I left, I felt confident traffic had died down and wou ld give me an slatternly drive back to the city. As I walked gone the center of the mall, I heard Santa ho-ho-ho-ing loudly while waving his arms energetically around, much to the misgiving of a small child on his lap. My consider was that someone had cracked and broken the drinking rule.\r\nOn the way home, I noticed I had three voice mail messages, all from my friend nib. Before I could even attempt to listen to them, the phone rang.\r\nâ€Å"Hello?”\r\nâ€Å"Where are you?” nibs frantic voice modify up the small space of my Passat.\r\nâ€Å"In my car. Where are you?”\r\nâ€Å"At my apartment. Where else? Everyones here!”\r\nâ€Å"Everyone? What are you talking about?”\r\nâ€Å"Did you immobilize? Damn it, Georgina. You were a lot more punctual when you were worried and single.”\r\nI ignored the toil and scanned through my mental calendar. bill was one of my trump out friends. He was also a neurotic, obsessive compulsive vamp ire who loved hosting dinners and parties. He usually managed to stray something together at to the lowest degree once a week, never for the same reason, so it was easy to retreat track.\r\nâ€Å"Its fondue night,” I said at last, lofty of myself for immortaliseing.\r\nâ€Å"Yes! And the cheese is getting cold. Im not made of Sterno, you know.”\r\nâ€Å" wherefore didnt you just start eating?”\r\nâ€Å"Because were civilized.”\r\nâ€Å"Debatable.” I pondered whether I wanted to go or not. Part of me really just wanted to get home and near with readiness, but I had a feeling hed be working. I likely couldnt expect snuggling for a while, whereas I could appease turncock right now. â€Å"Fine. subtract without me, and Ill be there soon. Im just getting off the bridge now.” Wistfully, I drove past exercise sets electric outlet and instead set my sights on the one that would take me to peters place.\r\nâ€Å"Did you remember to bring wine?” he asked.\r\nâ€Å" gumshoe, until a minute ago, I didnt even remember I was supposed to be at your place. Do you really need wine?” Id seen Peters wine cabinet. On any given day, he had a dozen each of reds and whites, both domestic and international.\r\nâ€Å"I dont want to run out of the good stuff,” he said.\r\nâ€Å"I seriously doubt youre going to †wait. Is Carter there?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes.”\r\nâ€Å"Okay. Ill pick up some wine.”\r\nI showed up at his apartment ten minutes later. His roommate and apprentice, Cody, opened the adit and gave me a broad, fang-filled smile. Light, music, and the scent of fondue and potpourri water- wash offed over me. Their home put Santas gazebo to mortify and had decorations filling every square inch. And not just Christmas ones.\r\nâ€Å"Since when do you guys have a menorah?” I asked Cody. â€Å"neither of you are Jewish.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, were not Christian either,” he poin ted out, tether me toward the dining room. â€Å"Peter wanted to take a multicultural slant this year. The guestroom is all done in Kwanza decorations, if you know someone looking for a truly tacky overnight experience.”\r\nâ€Å"It is not tacky!” Peter stood up from a table where our other theology friends sat around two tubs of melted cheese. â€Å"I cant believe youre so insensitive to other peoples spiritual views. Jesus Christ! Is that street cornered wine?”\r\nâ€Å"You said you wanted wine,” I reminded him.\r\nâ€Å"I wanted good wine. Please enjoin me its not blush.”\r\nâ€Å"Of course its blush. And you didnt tell me to bring good wine. You said you were worried Carter would drink all your good wine. So I brought this for him instead. Your wine is safe.”\r\nAt the mention of his name, the only heavenly prick in the room looked up. â€Å"Sweet,” he said, accepting the boxful from me. â€Å"Santas little helper delivers .” He opened up the boxs dispenser and looked at Peter expectantly. â€Å"Do you have a straw?”\r\nI sat in an untenanted seat beside my boss, Jerome, who was contentedly dipping a piece of saccharide in molten cheddar. He was the archdemon of all of Seattle and chose to walk the earth looking like a circa 1990 toilette Cusack, which made it easy to forget his true temper sometimes. Fortunately, his brimstone personality always came out the split second he opened his mouth. â€Å"Youre here less than a minute, Georgie, and already youve made this get-together fifty percent less classy.”\r\nâ€Å"You guys are eating fondue on a Tuesday night,” I retorted. â€Å"You were well on your way without me.”\r\nPeter had settled himself back down and was trying to front calm. â€Å"Fondue is very classy. Its all in the pre moveation. Hey! Whered you get that?”\r\nCarter had set the wine box on his lap, dispenser on top, and was now drinking from it with an enormous straw that I suspected had been literally conjured from thin air.\r\nâ€Å"At least hes not doing that with a bottle of Pinot Noir,” I told Peter good-naturedly. I helped myself to a fondue fork and speared a piece of apple. On the other side of Jerome, Hugh busily typed away on his phones keyboard, reminding me of the family at the mall. â€Å"Telling the human race about this lowbrow party?” I frustrate. Hugh was an imp, a type of hellish administrative assistant, so he could have actually been buying or interchange souls via his phone for all I knew.\r\nâ€Å"Of course,” said Hugh, not looking up. â€Å"Im updating Facebook. Do you know why Roman wont answer my friend request?”\r\nâ€Å"No clue,” I said. â€Å"Ive barely spoken to him in days.”\r\nâ€Å"When I talked to him earlier, he said he had to work tonight,” Peter explained, â€Å"but that we should go ahead and draw for him.”\r\nâ€Å" sire?â € I asked uneasily. â€Å"Oh Lord. Tell me its not Pictionary night too.”\r\nPeter sighed wearily. â€Å"Draw for Secret Santas. Do you even read the e-mails I send?”\r\nâ€Å"Secret Santas? Seems like we just did that,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, a year ago,” said Peter. â€Å" ripe like we do every Christmas.”\r\nI glanced over at Carter who was quietly drinking his wine. â€Å"Did you lose my hat? You look like you could use one.” The angels chin-length, blond hair was even more unkempt than usual.\r\nâ€Å"Tell us what you really think, Georgina,” he replied. He ran a hand over his hair, but it somehow only made things worse. â€Å"Im saving it for a special occasion.”\r\nâ€Å"If I get your name again, Ill buy you two hats so you dont have to ration yourself.”\r\nâ€Å"I wouldnt want you to go to the trouble.”\r\nâ€Å"No trouble at all. I get a discount at the mall.”\r\nJerome sighed and set down his fork. â€Å"argon you still doing that, Georgie? Dont I suffer enough without having to endure the humiliation of a succubus who moonlights as a Christmas elf?”\r\nâ€Å"You always said I should quit the bookstore and find something else to do,” I reminded him.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, but that was because I thought youd go on to do something respectable. Like become a stripper or the mayors mistress.”\r\nâ€Å"This is just temporary.” I handed Carter the elegant crystal wineglass that had been sitting by my plate. He filled it with wine from the box and gave it back. Peter groaned and muttered something about despoiling Tiffanys.\r\nâ€Å"Georgina doesnt need material things anymore,” teased Cody. â€Å"Shes paid in love now.”\r\nJerome fixed the unripened vampire with a cold stare. â€Å"Do not ever say anything that saccharine again.”\r\nâ€Å"Youre one to talk,” I said to Cody, unable to hide my smile. â€Å"Im surprised you could d rag yourself away from Gabrielle tonight.” His face immediately grew dreamy at the mention of his ladylove.\r\nâ€Å"That makes two of us,” observed Peter. He shake his head bitterly. â€Å"You guys and your perfect love lives.”\r\nâ€Å"Hardly perfect,” I said at the same time Cody said, â€Å"It is perfect.”\r\n all eyes fell on me. Hugh even looked up from his phone. â€Å"Trouble in paradise?”\r\nâ€Å"Why do you always assume that? And no, of course not,” I scoffed, hating myself for the slip. â€Å"Things are fantastic with hardening.”\r\nAnd they were. Just speaking his name sent a flood of joy through me. curing. Seth was what made everything worthwhile. My relationship with him was what had caused the rift between me and my former(prenominal) co-workers at the bookstore. They saw me as the reason for his detachment with Dougs sister. Which, I suppose, I was. that no yield how much Id loved that job, giving it up wa s a small price to pay to be with Seth. I could endure being an elf. I could endure the quotas he and I put on our sex life, to see my succubus powers didnt suck him dry. With him, I could handle anything. Even a future of damnation.\r\nThere were just a couple of teeny-tiny things about my relationship with Seth that gave me pause. One had been eating at me for a while, one I kept trying to ignore. But now, suddenly, with my immortal friends reflexion me, I finally drummed up the courage to carry on it.\r\nâ€Å"Its just . . . I dont suppose any of you told Seth my name, did you?” Seeing Peter open his mouth in confusion, I immediately amended, â€Å"My real name.”\r\nâ€Å"Why would that ever come up?” asked Hugh dismissively, returning to his texting.\r\nâ€Å"I dont even know your real name,” said Cody. â€Å"Are you saying its not Georgina?”\r\nI regretted the words already. It was a foolish thing for me to worry about, and their reaction s were just proving that point.\r\nâ€Å"Do you not want him to know your name?” asked Hugh.\r\nâ€Å"No . . . its fine. I just, well. Its just weird. A month or so ago, when he was half-asleep, he called me by it. Letha,” I added, for Codys benefit. I managed to say the name without tripping over it. It wasnt a name I welcomed. Id shed it centuries ago, when I became a succubus, and had been taking assumed names ever since. In banishing that name, Id banished that former life. Id wanted to erase it so disadvantageously that Id sold my soul in exchange for everyone Id cognize forgetting I existed. That was why the conversation with Seth had totally blindsided me. There was no way he couldve know that name.\r\nYou are the world, Letha . . . he had told me drowsily.\r\nHe hadnt even remembered saying it, let alone where hed heard it. Dont know, hed told me, when I questioned him about it later. Greek myths, I guess. The River Lethe, where the dead go to wash away the m emories from their souls . . . to forget the past. . . .\r\nâ€Å"Thats a pretty name,” said Cody.\r\nI shrugged noncommittally. â€Å"The point is, I never told it to Seth. But somehow, he knew it. He couldnt remember anything about it, though. Where he heard it.”\r\nâ€Å"He must have heard it from you,” said Hugh, ever practical.\r\nâ€Å"I never told him. Id remember if I had.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, with all the other immortals traipsing through here, Im sure it came up from one of them. He probably overheard it.” Peter frowned. â€Å"Dont you have an award with your name on it? mayhap he saw that.”\r\nâ€Å"I dont really leave my ‘Best Succubus award lying around,” I pointed out.\r\nâ€Å"Well, you should,” said Hugh.\r\nI eyed Carter carefully. â€Å"Youre being awfully quiet.”\r\nHe paused in drinking from the wine box. â€Å"Im busy.”\r\nâ€Å"Did you tell Seth my name? Youve called me it before.” Ca rter, despite being an angel, seemed to have a genuine affection for us damned souls. And like an elementary school boy, he often thought the best way of showing that affection was by picking on us. Calling me Letha †when he knew I hated it †and other pet names was one such tactic he used.\r\nCarter shook his head. â€Å"Sorry to disappoint you, Daughter of Lilith, but I never told him. You know me: imitate of discretion.” There was a slurping sound as he neared the wines end.\r\nâ€Å"Then how did Seth find out?” I demanded. â€Å"Howd he know the name? Someone must have told him.”\r\nJerome sighed loudly. â€Å"Georgie, this conversation is even more ridiculous than the one about your job. You already got your answer: either you or someone else slipped up and doesnt remember. Why does everything have to be so prominent for you? Are you just looking for something to be unhappy about?”\r\nHe had a point. And honestly, I didnt know why this had bugged me so much for so long. Everyone was right. There was no mystery here, nothing earth-shattering. Seth had overheard my name somewhere, end of story. There was no reason for me to overreact or assume the worst †only a tiny, nagging voice in my head that refused to forget about that night.\r\nâ€Å"Its just weird,” I said lamely.\r\nJerome rolled his eyes. â€Å"If you want something to worry about, then Ill give you something.”\r\nAll thoughts of Seth and names flew out of my head. Everyone at the table (except Carter, who was still slurping) froze and stared at Jerome. When my boss said he had something for you to worry about, there was a strong possibility it meant something fiery and terrifying. Hugh looked startled by this resolution too, which was a bad sign. He usually knew about hellish mandates before Jerome did.\r\nâ€Å"Whats going on?” I asked.\r\nâ€Å"I had a drink with Nanette the other night,” he growled. Nanette was Portlands archdemoness. â€Å"Bad enough she still wont let me forget the summoning. She was also going off on some bullshit about how her people were more adequate than mine.”\r\nI glanced briefly at my friends. We werent exactly model employees of Hell, so there was a very good chance that Nanette was right. Not that any of us would tell Jerome that.\r\nâ€Å"So,” he continued, â€Å"when I denied it, she demanded we step up and get up what superior Hellish minions we are.”\r\nâ€Å"How?” asked Hugh, looking mildly interested. â€Å"With a soul pledge drive?”\r\nâ€Å"Dont be ridiculous,” said Jerome.\r\nâ€Å"Then with what?” I asked.\r\nJerome gave us a tight-lipped smile. â€Å"With bowling.”\r\n'