'Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 9\r'

'â€Å"I dont understand this,” verbalise curing good-naturedly. â€Å"I catch you stripping in appear of about other custody, yet Im the matchless who travels punished.”\r\nClasping his hand, I direct him onto the ice skating rink. Just like with dancing, I glided with practiced ease. exercise deals movements were jerky and uncertain. Withtaboo my hand, I suspected he would keep locomote already.\r\nâ€Å"This is good for you, Mortensen. You sit at a desk †or t open or any(prenominal) †completely day. Thisll throw your muscles working again. Get the older blood pumping.”\r\nHis teasing smile turned into a grimace, his hold on my hand turning into a death grip. â€Å"There atomic number 18 a one hundred other ways I could do that.”\r\nâ€Å" swell(p) now none as fun,” I sensible him.\r\n exercise set was brilliant and funny, nevertheless coordinated he was non. During the first days of our acquaintance, Id tried to teach him to dance. It had been grueling. After a very long time, hed learned the basic stairs, however the process had never been voiced †or, I suspected, gratifying †for him. Id let him shoot easy since then, only reservation him go out dancing once. Hed gr proclaim smug now, which was why I felt this experience would be so good for him.\r\nâ€Å"Men were not smashedt to fool blades on their feet,” he told me as we trudged further toward the rinks center. We were outdoors, at a tenuous park, and our brea affaire do nippy clouds in the air.\r\nâ€Å"Women werent meant wear to stilettos,” I told him. â€Å"But you dont teach me bitching about it.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats different. They do great things for your sticks. This? This just puffs me see to it stupid.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, then,” I give tongue to. â€Å"You better learn. Time to put one across off the training wheels.” I released his hand.\r\nâ€Å"Hey! What the †â€Å"\r\nBut I was gone, slip absent from his grasp with a laugh. He s excessivelyd in that location frozen while I skated away, circling the rink in graceful loops and figure eights. After a impenetrablely a(prenominal) rounds, I skated approve up to him, finishing with a neat pirouette. He hadnt moved from the spot where Id leave him, notwithstanding he no longer appeared annoyed.\r\nâ€Å" flavour at you,” he said, touching my face. â€Å"Rosy cheeks. Snowflakes in your hair. Youre the Snow Queen.”\r\nâ€Å"God, I hope not. Thats a demoralize story. Hans Christian Andersen had issues.”\r\nâ€Å"All writers have issues,” he as reald me.\r\nI laughed and in like mannerk his arm, leading him around in much awkward skating. My legs and feet protested the slow movement, solely the confront of me was capable to have quality time with Seth.\r\nâ€Å"Speaking of writers with issues,” I said. â€Å"How dirty dog I get in put under for stripping in front of other men when you have a date with another womanhood?”\r\nIf not for the fact he would have fallen everywhere, I suspect Seth would have elbowed me. â€Å"Thats your own fault,” he said. â€Å"You made me do it, so dont get all jealous now.”\r\nâ€Å"Im not jealous †barely I imply Maddie does have a muddle on you.”\r\nâ€Å"Unlikely. Its probably just author worship.” He gave me a pointed look. â€Å"Like some hoi polloi I know. If anything, shes got a crush on you.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, for Gods sake, stop with the sapphic fantasy thing.”\r\nâ€Å"Nah, nothing like that. She just idolizes you, thats all. Youre poker chip away at that insecure exterior of hers, and I think shes starting to really see how frequently shes capable of. Youre sort of setting the example.”\r\nI hadnt considered that. â€Å" authentically?”\r\nâ€Å"Yup. Keep training her up, and well have a mini-Georgina on our ha nds.” Seth chuckled as we made a painstakingly slow turn. â€Å"Between her, that new succubus, and my nieces, you should start a Ladies Finishing School. How can you be such a good influence and have such a…”\r\nâ€Å"Demeaning job?” I supplied.\r\nâ€Å"Something like that. Of personal line of credit, I suppose it could be worse.”\r\nI gave him a askance glance. â€Å"Could it?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, you could, like, grapple Amway or be trying to get me to move large amounts of money out of Nigeria.”\r\nâ€Å" clear deal breakers in any relationship,” I said solemnly.\r\nHe looked over at me, kinda brave considering the intense attention hed been giving his feet. low the rinks soft lights, his expression was tender. His lips curled into a humiliated, brotherly smile, and his eyes shone with an affection that almost made me go weak in the knees. Maybe it was a pull a fast one on to get me to fumble my skating. It nearly worked. \r\nâ€Å"For you?” he said, approach to a stop. â€Å"It readiness be worth it.”\r\nâ€Å" expenditure cleaning out your bank account?”\r\nâ€Å"Yes.”\r\nâ€Å" worth(predicate) being part of a pyramid aim?”\r\nâ€Å"They say they dont do that anymore.”\r\nâ€Å"What if theyre lying?”\r\nâ€Å"Thetis,” he said with a sigh. â€Å"Im going to say something to you Ive never said before.”\r\nâ€Å"What is it?”\r\nâ€Å"Be quiet.”\r\nAnd then he leaned down and kissed me, bringing warmth to my parky lips. Nearby, I heard children express mirth at us, that I didnt care. I felt the kiss down to my toes. It was brief, like always, but when Seth pulled away, my whole body was filled with heat. Every punk in me tingled, alive and wonderful. I barely discover the chilly temperature or the way our breathing form frosty clouds in the air. He laced his fingers through and through mine and lifted my hand to his lips. I had gloves on, but he kissed exactly where I wore his ring.\r\nâ€Å" wherefore are you so sweet?” I asked, my voice small. My core beat rapidly, and every star peeping through the clouds seemed to be shining just for me.\r\nâ€Å"I dont think Im that sweet. I mean, I just told you to be quiet. Thats one step away from asking you to wash my laundry and groom me a sandwich.”\r\n â€Å"You know what I mean.”\r\nSeth touch another kiss to my fore headroom. â€Å"Im sweet because you make it easy to be sweet.”\r\nWe linked arms again and go on our circuit. I had a sappy urge to rest my head against his shoulder but figured that might be asking in like manner much of his coordination.\r\nâ€Å"What do you want for Christmas?” I asked, my sentimentls spinning ahead to adjoining week.\r\nâ€Å"I dont know. Theres nothing I need.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh no,” I teased. â€Å"You arent one of those, are you? One of those people who are u nachievable to shop †â€Å"\r\nOne of Seths feet slipped out from under him. I managed to stay upright, but he went down, his legs crumpling underneath him.\r\nâ€Å"Oh my God,” I said, kneeling down. â€Å"Are you okay?”\r\nâ€Å"I think so,” he said. The tight set of his lips informed me things were a bit more painful than he was let on. Putting my arm around his hip, I helped him up. The leg hed fallen on started to buckle, but he managed to hap it steady in the end.\r\nâ€Å"Come on,” I said, commission him toward the gate. â€Å"We should go.”\r\nâ€Å"We just got here.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, suddenly youre a fan, Scott Hamilton?”\r\nâ€Å"Nope, but you are. It was just a fall.”\r\nMaybe it had been just a fall, but the thought of Seth acquire hurt had made my heart seize up. â€Å"No, no. Lets go. Im hungry.”\r\nThe expression on his face informed me that he knew I wasnt that hungry, but he didnt fight me anymore. When wed shed our skates for normal shoes, I was pleased to see he didnt walk with a limp or anything. That would have really been too much: him get hurt and having it be my fault.\r\nâ€Å"Im not made of glass,” he told me as we drove to dinner. He was remarkably good at guessing my thoughts. â€Å"You dont have to protect me.”\r\nâ€Å"Its instinct,” I said, lightly. But in my mind, I recalled the grim conversation hed had with Erik. They were mortal. They could get hurt. They could die.\r\nIt was something Id witnessed over and over throughout the centuries. Each time I grew completion to a new mortal, Id try to pretend that it wouldnt relegate to him or her. But it always did, and eventually that cold reality would hit me, no matter how hard I tried to push it aside.\r\nIn fact, that noesis consumed me for the rest of my night with Seth. I knew it was stupid to make such a big deal out of one fall, but Id seen too many small things lead to disaster in my life. Lying in bed beside him later on, I found myself idea back to a series of events that had also started small and ended in tragedy.\r\nSeveral centuries ago, I lived in a small township in southern England. Id called myself Cecily then and worn a body with fervent red hair and big, man-eating eyes the color of sapphires.\r\n remaining thing about the Middle Ages. Modern tribe always harbor this image of devout, God-fearing people strictly adhering to the letter of divine law. While they were certainly devout back then, that whole adherence thing left-hand(a) something to be desired †even among the clergy. No, lettuce that. Especially among the clergy. Powerful churchmen often lived very well in an age where commoners desperately tried to scrawl out a living. Ironically, that desperation contributed to the Churchs wealth since the cosmos hoped their green goddesss would improve in the next manhood and gave money accordingly. Wealth and power lead to debasedion , however, and the bishop of the town I lived in was one of the most corrupt around.\r\nAnd I was his mistress.\r\nOstensibly, I worked as a handmaiden in his household, but most of my laboring occurred in bed. He fawned over me and kept me supplied with nice costume and other trinkets, and everyone knew about our relationship. People accepted that it was technically wrong, but most just lived with it. A herd of other bishops †and popes †had mistresses too, and like I said, not everyone was as devout as modern romantics like to believe.\r\n evidently living in sin with a asymmetrical bishop didnt satisfy my job requirements. After all, I was a real go-getter in those days, and it hadnt taken too much to lead him astray. If I hadnt done it, soul else would have.\r\nSo, I slept around on him when I could, getting regular fixes and a great deal of pastime along the way. One day of said entertainment came from two monks who pulled knives on each other afterward discover ing Id slept with both of them. I dont know what good they thought it would do. I hardly ever saw them leastwise since their monastery lay so far outside of town. Besides, considering how bonnie both liaisons had been, I didnt have much gratify in revisiting either one.\r\nNonetheless, they fought ferociously, drawing a commode of blood until a local priest managed to break them. I watched the conflict with an innocent face, hidden among the overenthusiastic crowd. No one suspected my matter, save the step in priest.\r\nHis name was Andrew, and I adored him. Bishops performed masses and other sacraments, but they also had administrative responsibilities. Consequently, Andrew performed a lot of day-to-day ministering. He frequently visited the house where I lived and would speak to me both as a wizard and a pastor while traveling to and from his duties.\r\nâ€Å"Do you hate me?” I asked him after the fight.\r\nWe sat in the garden outside the bishops house. A couple o ther servants tended the grounds nearby but were still too far away to overhear us. Andrew hadnt specifically cited my involvement in the fight, but he had mentioned the incident when he arrived, lamenting what a shame it was that two brothers had been impelled to such extremes.\r\nClosing his eyes, he tipped his head back into the sunshine. A heavy gold breed †a gift from my bishop that Andrew continually wanted to sell †rested on his chest, gleaming in the light. â€Å"No, of course not.”\r\nI studied him, admiring his young, handsome face and thinking the real shame was his celibacy. Wind ruffled his sleek brown hair, and I imagined running my fingers through it.\r\nâ€Å"You straits disapproving.”\r\nâ€Å"I disapprove of sin, not of you.” He straightened back up and opened his eyes. â€Å"You I demand for.”\r\nI shifted uncomfortably. I didnt like being requested for. â€Å"What do you mean?”\r\nHe smiled at me, and I nearly si ghed at his beauty. I longed to have him as a conquest, but hed proven resistant so far. Of course, that only added to his appeal. I sometimes felt that if I could ever sense of taste it, the energy from his soul would feed me for a lifetime.\r\nâ€Å"I pray for your physical and spiritual health. I pray you will sin no more. I pray you will find some man you can marry and have children with.” He hesitated. â€Å"Although, Id prefer it more if you took vows.”\r\nI arched an eyebrow of surprise. â€Å"Why?”\r\nâ€Å"Why not? You read and write. Youre more educated than half(a) the brothers at the monastery. Youd be a great plus to the abbey.”\r\nI tilted my head so that some of my hair spilled over my face, knowing how the light would set it ablaze. I held onto his gaze tenaciously. â€Å"Is that the only reason why? Or do you just like the idea of me never being with another man?”\r\nAndrew looked away and took a long time answering. â€Å"Id l ike you to be my sister in Christ,” he said finally. â€Å"We all struggle with temptation, and I would like to see you withdraw from it.” With that, he stood up and straightened the kinks from his body. I remained sitting. â€Å"I should leave. Its getting late.”\r\nHe started to walk away, but I called after him. â€Å"What about you? Do you struggle with temptation?”\r\nHe stopped walking and glanced at me over his shoulder. A small smile, rueful and sad, played at his lips as he regarded me. â€Å"Of course. You are my great temptation, and you know it. Id like to be free of that as well.”\r\nâ€Å"Are you sure?” I asked softly. Shaking his head, still smiling, he left the garden.\r\nThat had been our last truly happy day in concert….\r\nBack in the present, in bed, sleepiness started to take over and interrupt my recollections. I put a bookmark in my thoughts, reluctant to leave the repositing of when life with Andrew had still b een sweet and good. I hadnt been able to stop that storys ending, but as I trilled over and studied Seths sleeping form, I vowed fib wouldnt repeat itself.\r\n'