'Succubus on Top CHAPTER 19\r'

'The thinkers house sat away from the road, just resembling on the whole sinister houses should, I suppose. My biased perceptions aside, there was actually little else well-nigh the house that was all that creepy. It was big and expensive-looking, spreading out lazily on beautifully manicured lawns, visible to me even at night. In a region where yards were at a premium, that such(prenominal) land signified a great deal of money. Un wish Bastiens place, this house had no similarly genial neighbors. This house was in a class of its experience; it could not be part of a incorrupt suburban neighborhood.\r\nâ€Å"Where atomic number 18 we?” I asked, because it suck inmed ilk the anatomy of naive, starry-eyed question I should be a flake offg. Alec had met me business district and and so driven me out to this place in his consume car. We were about twenty minutes out-of- portal the city.\r\nâ€Å"This is where the guy lives,” he told me happily. His mood improv ed as we got closer to the house. â€Å"Hell hook you up.”\r\nThe car followed the long, sinuous pass and came to a s top off by the garage. In an strangely chivalrous way, he opened the car portal for me and gestured that I follow him inside. Glancing tolerate at his rally Ford Topaz, I couldnt help thinking that being an divinity drug lords lackey should pay kick downstairs.\r\nAlec take us with a side door in the house, and even I was taken aback at what I observe inside. The first script that came to mind was lush. And not the drunk kind either. I meant in the opulent sense, the kind of lush you dishonor your teeth into. The environs, floor, and ceilings consisted of gleaming dark hardwood, almost analogous we were inside a parliamentary law †say, a lodge that cost seven figures. Beams of that beautiful wood crisscross the open, cathedral ceiling. Jewel-toned oil paintings in gilt frames hung on the walls, and I had enough of a sense for the comfor t of art to recognize they had not perform from fill in Bath & Beyond.\r\nWe crossed out of the foyer and found more of the kindred in a vast living room. Its focal point was an enormous fireside whose brick façade stretched to the ceiling. A multicolored stained-glass landscape hung above the fireplaces opening, and flames from the roaring fire †along with several strategically placed candles †cast the only light in the room. cryptograph electrical.\r\nIn that dim, flickering lighting, I perceived the man before I truism him. The same unfamiliar im mortal(a) signature from the concert carried to me, coupled with something else. This close to him, I noticed how much he tangle analogous the crystals. Or rather, how much the crystals felt up like him, as if they were pale, fractured versions of the masterpiece. The whole vibe from him felt weird tho not quite as discordant as the crystals themselves had.\r\nâ€Å"Alec,” say a chromatic voice, â€Å"who is your lovely friend?”\r\nThe man unfolded from the hurtle, standing in one fluid motion. I now saw the same features as before: flawless tanned skin, long black hair, high cheekbones. He similarly wore the same hot Victorian couture, complete with another(prenominal) of those gorgeous silk shirts that billowed round his develops and showed smooth skin with the V-neck.\r\nâ€Å"This is Georgina,” verbalise Alec, voice quaking with nervousness and excitement. â€Å" that like I said.”\r\nThe man glided to us and took my impart in both of his. â€Å"Georgina. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He drew my attain to his lips †which were full and pink †and kissed my skin. He held my reach a moment, letting his dark eyes bore into mine, and then he lento straightened up and released me. â€Å"My name is colloidal suspension.”\r\nI turned off all my impulses to make sharp jokes and/or maul this guy, instead opting f or stunned innocence mingled with a little fear. â€Å"H-hello.” I swallowed nervously and looked dump at my feet.\r\nâ€Å"Youve done well,” sol told Alec. â€Å"Very well.”\r\nI didnt have to see Alec to tell he was often melting with relief. â€Å"So…does that mean…I can, you kip bolt down…?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes, yes.” Unless I was mistaken, a slight note of pettishness underscored that pleasant voice. â€Å"Afterward. Go upstairs now. Ill summon you when Im ready. â€Å"\r\nAlec started to leave, and I grabbed his sleeve, dormant playing f secureened maiden. â€Å"Wait †where are you going?”\r\nHe smiled at me. â€Å"Ill be right back. Its okay. You cute more, right? Sols going to get it for you.”\r\nI must have truly looked terrified because he squeezed my arm reassuringly. â€Å"Its okay. Really.”\r\nI bit my lip and gave him a hesitant nod. His eyes held mine for a moment, and something precis e like regret flickered across them. Then he left.\r\nâ€Å"Come sit with me,” intoned Sol, taking my hand again.\r\nHe led me to a sumptuous couch by the fire. Warmth from that orange glow spilled oer me, and the flames were reflected in his dark eyes. I sat down gingerly, scooting back because the cushions were so big. We sat there quietly.\r\nHe smiled expectantly, and I gave him a faltering smile back. â€Å"Alec said you could give me more…you know…of that stuff.”\r\nâ€Å"You enjoyed it then?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes. Oh yes. It do me detect…”\r\nâ€Å"Immortal?”\r\nâ€Å"Y-yes, thats it. Please. I need more. I can pay you… some(prenominal) you want.”\r\nHe waved a hand carelessly. â€Å"Well discuss such mundane matters later. For now, lets see if we cant satiate your hunger.” He leaned over to a baseborn table and lifted up two goblets. Goblets. How quaint. â€Å"This should heave you over until we can arrang e a bigger batch.”\r\nI took the cup from him. It felt heavy, like gold. Nothing but the best if you were going to drink the pabulum of the gods, I thought. They held a dark red liquid. If the crystals felt like a weak approximation of Sol, the nimbus radiating off of this cup felt like mega-Sol. It was intense and strong, making the vibe from the crystals seem like a total nonevent. perhaps that was what happened when tansy ragwort liquefied.\r\nI realized then hed been waiting for me while I pondered. â€Å"Drink up.”\r\nI hesitated, not having to feign neckband this time. Drink up? What should I do? If I didnt drink, my cover might be blown, and I still hadnt had â€Å"provocation” to smite this bastard or whatever one did to someone with a flash-arrow straits-thing. Carter and Jerome had said bitterweed wouldnt hurt an deity; theyd even said an immortal could resist its nasty effects to a trustworthy extent, much longer than humans. That didnt necess arily make me feel better, though. I preferred to be in my common range of skills to deal with this, but it looked like I didnt have that luxury. I couldnt delay any longer.\r\n dexterous shyly, I brought the cup to my lips and drank. He did the same. Who could tell? possibly personality amplification would help me out here. Maybe I had a secret Amazonian alter self lurking within me who was dying to jump out via the ambrosia and bludgeon this guy with a goblet.\r\nOnce Sol started drinking, he didnt throw overboard. He tipped the cup back until hed consumed it all. I followed suit. The stuff really didnt taste so bad. In fact, it tasted sweet, almost sickeningly so. Weirdest of all was its consistency. Thick. around viscous.\r\nâ€Å"There,” he said, taking my empty cup. â€Å"Youll feel better soon, and then we can talk reasonably.” He shifted into a more comfortable position, long legs stretched out and relaxed. He had a slim build and delicate features. His c oncentrate fingers wound one of his black curls around it. â€Å" see me about yourself, Georgina. What do you do?”\r\n â€Å"I, uh, work in a bookstore.”\r\nâ€Å"Ah, youre a reader then.”\r\nâ€Å"I translate to be.”\r\nHe inclined his head toward a wall covered in books. â€Å"Im a reader myself. Theres no greater pursuit than improving ones mind. â€Å"\r\nHe started public lecture to me about some of his favorite books, and I smiled and commented as appropriate. As we talked, I began to feel…well, for lack of a more descriptive term, good. Really good. Almost like I was buzzed from an excellent liqueur. My limbs tingled a little, and a doting sense of euphoria burned through me. I heard myself laughing at one of his jokes. I almost sounded genuine.\r\nâ€Å"Youre very beautiful,” he abruptly said, and I wondered when hed go so close to me. I had to nictitate to stay focused. The room spun slightly, and my give and feet kept dela ying in obeying my orders. Sol reached out and touched my cheek, trailing those slender fingers down my neck. â€Å"Your beauty is a gift.”\r\nI well- seek to move, mainly to see if I could actually do it it, not to avoid his touch. Honestly, his touch was pleasant †highly pleasant. It made my pulse pick up a little. I could, I soon discovered, still move. I was just a little sluggish.\r\nâ€Å"Shhh,” he crooned, placing a residuumraining hand on my wrist. â€Å"Dont be afraid. Everything allow be all right.”\r\nâ€Å"W-what are you doing?”\r\nHe had an arm around my waist now and was moving his mouth toward the have it off where my neck met my shoulder. His lips, when they touched flesh, were warm and full of promise. I trembled a little under that kiss and tried to figure out what was going on here.\r\nThe concise answer, obviously, was that something had gone wrong. I felt dizzy and disorientate enough to be at a brotherhood party over at U.W. On top of that, this immortal †this strange immortal I moreover knew †suddenly seemed more alluring than Id imagined possible. Hadnt I come here to kick his ass? why was I making out with him? Was this what ambrosia did to me? Were these my core traits †the office to get buzzed and take pleasure in shake up? To become even easier than I already was?\r\nHis work force moved down and unbuttoned my shirt so they could slide down and cup my breasts, which were just barely covered by the black mesh bandeau Id bought with Dana. He kissed me directly now, his mouth pressing against mine. As his tongue delicately slipped between my lips, I tasted a sweetness akin to the ambrosia.\r\nBottom line: it inevitably to be self-defense.\r\nSo Carter had said, but suddenly I didnt really need much defending †unless it was from myself. My own hands were moving without my conscious knowledge to unfasten his pants, and our bodies were becoming entwined together on the so ft cushions.\r\nSelf-defense. Self-defense. Why self-defense? What was I forgetting here?\r\nAh, of course. The dart.\r\nI pushed through the red haze muddling my senses, forcing clarity. The dart. The dart would stop Sol somehow, stop him from continuing to spread the poison of ambrosia. It would stop him from hurting people…like Doug.\r\nI battled through my disorientation and pulled my mouth away from Sols, attempting to squirm the rest of the way out of his grasp. I won a little room but not much. He was still close.\r\nâ€Å"No…” I gasped out. â€Å"Dont do this. retain.”\r\nSol, regarding me with move amusement, shushed me. â€Å"You dont know what youre saying.”\r\nâ€Å"I do. Stop.”\r\nI wriggled one arm free, one arm that then snaked to the pocket containing Carters pouch. I needed the other arm free too, but Sol was holding it. Looking down, I suddenly saw that his wrist was bleeding. How had that happened? I hadnt caused it.\r\nâ €Å"Georgina, you are about to be honored above all mortal women. Lay back. Stop struggling. No harm will come to you. You will enjoy this night, I promise.”\r\nHe moved his mouth back to mine, and again that blatant euphoria swelled within me. A treasonable moan of pleasure caught in my throat. Taking this as submission, Sols grip on my restrained arm lessened, and I shifted it away just enough that both of my hands now touched the pouch. Yet, it was a hard battle. My move control still wasnt all it should be. Kissing him, in that moment, seemed much more important than some harum-scarum pouch. My mind didnt want to focus on anything else.\r\n only I forced it to. Through sheer military group of will, I pushed the physical pleasure out of my head and instead replayed every consequence of the ambrosia Id seen: Caseys devastation, Dougs antic swings from darkly frenetic exuberance to even darker depression, and finally his limp body in the hospital.\r\nMortals are unco nvincing things.\r\nVery fragile. And Sol played with them as if they were nothing. The smolder coal of my anger began to burn again.\r\nHes a stronger immortal than you. Preying on you †especially when you belong to Jerome, so to babble †is a big no-no. You would be justified in protecting yourself.\r\nAgain, I pulled my mouth away. â€Å"Stop,” I said again more firmly. â€Å"I want you to stop. Stop doing this.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not going to stop,” Sol snapped. Anger scarred his honeyed tone. His breath was heavy, and his chest heaved with exertion. He †or I †had removed his shirt, and I had a ameliorate view of that unprotected skin. â€Å"Im not going to stop, and call up me, once I start, you wont want me to stop either.”\r\nMy fingers moved to open the pouch; the other hand slowly readied itself to reach inside. The ambrosia in my system modify my reflexes, but I kept battling through it and coat up where in his chest his hea rt would be.\r\nâ€Å"Ive asked you collar times to stop. Once should have been enough. No gist no.”\r\nâ€Å"No means nothing from someone like you.” He laughed a little, still not taking me seriously. â€Å"Whats wrong with you? I thought you wanted to be immortal.”\r\nMy hand was inside the pouch, pulling the dart out. Sol and I both felt its situation at the same time, just as he realized what I was. His eyes widened, but I didnt give him time to react. I didnt think or falter. Just as Carter had ordered, I simply took movement †well, with a cheesy punch line, of course.\r\nâ€Å"Been there, done that,” I said, slamming the dart into his heart. For half a beat, Sol froze, ineffective to believe this was happening.\r\nAnd thats when things got messy.\r\n'