Succubus Shadows Page 0,34

even think about it." I could still see faint streaks that hadn't entirely washed out from Cody's blond mane. "Just dress like you are now. I'll meet you at the club."

I started to turn, and then a thought came to me. "Carter, can I talk to you?"

His lips twitched slightly. If that was his sign of surprise, I couldn't say. "Anything for you, Daughter of Lilith."

He followed me outside the bar, where we stood amid all the Pioneer Square partygoers. Once clear of the building's non-smoking interior, he promptly lit a cigarette.

"If you're jealous of my relationship with Simone," he said, "I can assure you, we're just friends."

"Oh, be quiet. You know that's not what this is about. Look, she was lying, right? About Seth being a coincidence?"

Carter took a long drag before answering. Angels could tell when others were lying. "Yep. But she seemed pretty sincere in the last comment about going after him regardless."

I grimaced. "Why? Why would she target Seth? Is it some kind of way to assert dominance over the local succubus?"

"Not sure. The ways of succubi - and all women - are a mystery to me."

"Jerome originally thought she'd come to spy. He had Roman follow her, but nothing came of it. She never reported in or anything. He pulled Roman from her - " I paused, suddenly turning over the events and analyzing them in a way I hadn't considered before. "But it wasn't until I told him Simone was hitting on Seth. It seemed like that was the moment Jerome pulled Roman. He seemed pretty adamant about leaving her alone."

"Did he now?" Carter inhaled on the cigarette again, but I could see thoughts churning behind his eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Just a musing," he said. A half-truth, typical of angels. "Did Jerome do anything else after that?"

"Yeah, he put Roman on me."

This elicited surprise. "Why?"

Apparently, Jerome and Carter hadn't been hanging out recently. I gave Carter the rundown on my latest bizarre situation.

"That is weird," he admitted.

"Do you know what it could be?"

"Any number of things." He spoke flippantly, but I knew I'd piqued his curiosity - maybe even his concern.

I sighed. "I wish people would stop saying that. No one's really helping."

"I'll help you," he said, dropping the cigarette and stamping it out. "I'll follow Simone."

That was not at all what I had expected. "Why would you do that? Are you going to stop her from making the moves on Seth?"

This earned his amusement. "You know I can't interfere with that kind of thing. But I am curious about Simone's activities."

An uneasy feeling bubbled within me, one that had troubled me since I'd first met Seth, and Carter had begun taking an active role in my life. "Why? Why do you care so much about Seth? You've always been curious about what he does - and how we interact."

"I'm interested in the creative process of a great artist. It's fun to watch."

"Another half-truth." Like always, he answered the question without really answering it. I was astonished at the desperation in my voice when I spoke next. "I'm serious. Why, Carter? How does Seth - and me being with Seth - concern you?"

He chucked me on the chin. "You've got better things to do than worry about the goings-on of a curious angel. Besides, wouldn't you feel better if someone was reporting back to you on Simone?"

"Well, yeah," I admitted. "But - "

"Then it's settled. You're welcome."

He turned quickly away and disappeared into a crowd of partiers. I knew better than to go after him because he'd probably literally disappear once no one was paying attention. I sighed yet again.

Fucking angels.

Chapter 8

Knowing Carter was on the job with Simone made me feel mildly better, but there was something about him that always unnerved me when it came to Seth - and, well, my love life in general. He was too interested. I'd gotten used to an angel hanging out with my friends, but sometimes I wondered if I was being lulled into some kind of trick. Heaven had its own agenda, just as we did, and their motives were often harder to figure out.

I had a morning shift the next day. It passed by easily until Doug delivered some bad news to me about ten minutes before I was going to leave.

"Can't go with you tonight, Kincaid."

I looked up from my spreadsheet in disbelief. "What?"

He shrugged, hovering near the door to my office. He'd had the same shift as me today, and I had