Succubus Shadows Page 0,5

coffee liberally with vanilla creamer. "I used to kind of hope that when he wasn't around, it meant he was out looking for a job. Turns out I was just setting myself up for disappointment."

Honestly, I was glad it was Roman that Jerome had come to see. When Jerome was looking for me, no good ever came of it. It always tended to result in some traumatic, world-threatening event in the immortal underground.

I trudged back across the living room, noting that the cats had disappeared upon Jerome's arrival. Coffee still in hand, I headed to Roman's room, knocking once before opening the door. I figured as landlady, I had that right. Also, I'd found Roman had a remarkable ability to ignore knocking for large amounts of time.

He was sprawled across his bed, wearing only a pair of navy blue boxers that gave me pause. As I'd noted before, he was terribly good-looking, despite the prickly attitude he'd had since moving in. Seeing him half-dressed always gave me a weird flashback to the one time we'd slept together. Then, I'd have to remind myself that he was probably plotting how to kill me. It went a long way to stifle any residual lust.

Roman's arm covered his eyes against the sunlight streaming through his window. He shifted, moving the arm slightly, and peered at me with one eye. "It's early," he said.

"Not according to your exalted sire."

A few seconds passed, and then he grimaced as he too sensed Jerome's immortal signature. With a sigh, Roman sat up, pausing to rub his eyes. He looked about as exhausted as I felt, but if there was one force in this world that could drag him out of bed after a late night, it was my boss - no matter Roman's bold claims from last night. He staggered to his feet and moved past me in the doorway.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" I exclaimed.

Roman's only answer was a disinterested wave of his hand as he headed down the hall. I followed him back and discovered Jerome pouring himself a mug of some vodka leftover from last night. Well, it was five o'clock somewhere. He arched an eyebrow when he saw Roman's scantily clad state.

"Nice of you to dress up."

Roman made a beeline for the coffee. "Only the best for you, Pop. Besides, Georgina likes it."

A moment of heavy silence followed as Jerome's dark eyes studied Roman. I knew nothing about Roman's mother, but Jerome was the demon who had fathered him thousands of years ago. Technically, Jerome had been an angel at the time, but making the moves on a human had got him fired from Heaven and sent off to work for those down below. No severance package.

Roman occasionally made snide comments about their familial relationship, but Jerome never acknowledged it. In fact, according to both Heaven and Hell's rules, Jerome should have blasted Roman from the earth ages ago. Angels and demons considered nephilim unnatural and wrong and continually attempted to hunt them to extinction. It was kind of harsh, even with the sociopathic tendencies nephilim tended to have. Roman had been instrumental in saving Jerome recently, however, and the two had struck a deal that allowed Roman to live peacefully in Seattle - for now. If any of Jerome's colleagues found out about this illicit arrangement, there would literally be hell to pay - for all of us. A good succubus would have told on her rule-breaking boss.

"So what brings you here?" asked Roman, pulling up a chair. "Want to toss the old football around?"

Jerome's face remained impassive. "I have a job for you."

"Like one that pays the rent?" I asked hopefully.

"Like one that ensures I'll continue to allow him to live in the lifestyle he's accustomed to," replied Jerome.

Roman had an amused, devil-may-care smile on his face that was typical of him, but I wasn't fooled. He knew the threat Jerome represented and also knew that part of their deal involved Roman doing errands for his father. Still, Roman made a good show of acting like he was the one doing Jerome a favor. The nephilim gave an unconcerned shrug.

"Sure. I've got nothing else going on today. What's up?"

"We have a new immortal visitor in town," said Jerome. If Roman's attitude annoyed him, the demon was just as good at masking his feelings. "A succubus."

My removed, psychological study of father and son dynamics came to a screeching halt. "What?" I exclaimed, straightening up so quickly that I nearly spilled my