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I kept walking, suddenly realizing I had a lot more than mortality to worry about.
CHAPTER 12
Searching the Internet didn't turn up much, just as I'd feared. Still, I took some satisfaction in at least doing something. It kept my mind off my possibly impending death. It kept my mind off demons descending on Seattle. Most importantly, it kept my mind off Seth.
Because if I thought about him, I was going to think about touching him and kissing him and...well, a lot of other things. My feelings for him were starting to consume me, almost to the extent that my other problems seemed trivial. So, I lost myself in Google searches, hoping for any scrap of information about demon summoning. As expected, most of my hits sent me to sites on role-playing games and Dr. Faustus. Still, I felt better than if I'd just sat around.
Driving to the meeting at the Cellar was about as agonizing as walking to the bookstore had been. I took slow back roads, unwilling to face the congestion and speed of the freeways. The Cellar was a pub a lot of Seattle immortals liked to frequent. Whoever had organized this event had apparently reserved the restaurant's back room, which was normally used for banquets and wedding receptions. I didn't have to sense demonic magic to know they'd sealed off the space from prying ears.
The dimly lit room was crowded when I entered. I recognized some of the local lesser immortals, but most were demons I didn't know. Few sat at the long table, which was covered with appetizer plates and bottles of wine. Most people stood around the edges, deep in conversation, or had pulled chairs up in tight, furtive clusters. Grace and Mei were both working the room, looking as businesslike and efficient as ever-albeit edged in an uncharacteristically frazzled air. For the first time ever, they were dressed differently, and I wondered if stress had prevented them from coordinating their wardrobes. Mei wore a red skirt and blazer with a necklace made of tiny alternating gold and silver rings. Grace wore a linen pantsuit with a chunky stone choker with a crescent moon pendant.
Peter, Cody, and Hugh stood in the corner and waved me over.
"Hey," I said, "what's going on?"
"Not much," said Hugh. "This seems to be more of a meet and greet. Not a lot of organization."
We fell silent, all of us watching the interactions. In the opposite corner, I saw Cedric gesturing dramatically as he spoke. His face was dark and intent, and Kristin stood nearby with a clipboard and rapt expression, taking notes. Not far away, Nanette stood with her lovely, unreadable face while listening to another demoness talk.
"So, you must be Jerome's staff."
The four of us turned. None of us had noticed the demon approaching, thanks to losing our ability to sense immortal signatures. This whole experience, I decided, really was like being bereft of sight or smell. This particular demon was no one I knew. He had a big toothy smile and skin that looked like it had had a tanning job go bad. His spiky white-blond hair wasn't doing him any favors either.
He extended a hand. "I'm Tom. Pleasure to meet you all."
We each shook his hand in return, introducing ourselves. He held our hands with great vigor, like a politician on the campaign trail. If we'd had a baby, I had no doubts he would have kissed it.
"I imagine this must be pretty strange for you," he commented. "But I want you to know that we're all here for you. There's nothing to worry about-things'll be back to normal before long."
"Thank you," I said politely, giving as good a succubus smile as I could in a non-succubus state. Snark around a demon was never a good idea. Snark when you didn't have your normal powers? Horrible idea. "We're just anxious to get Jerome back."
His smile faltered a little but quickly resumed. "Yes, yes. Of course. We're all doing everything we can. But, of course, you know there's a chance Jerome might not be found..."
"So we've heard," said Hugh, speaking as politely as I had.
Tom nodded. "But don't worry. In the tragic event that happens, we'll make sure you guys are taken care of. You can rest assured that Seattle's next archdemon will rule with control and competence, making sure you're able to perform your duties in an efficient and effective manner."
I had a feeling he was on the verge of telling us how, if elected, he'd cut taxes and increase jobs, but we were interrupted by a high-pitched voice.
"Georg- gee -na!"
A seven-foot woman was heading toward us. She had ebony-black skin that looked horrible with her orange hair. The combination made Tom's features look supermodel gorgeous. Gold eye shadow shot all the way to her eyebrows, its glitter rivaled only by the multicolored sequins of her dress. A black feather boa flared around her as she walked. Several demons in the room froze and watched her, which was remarkable. Demons are not easily fazed.
"Who's that?" asked Cody. Just like with Tom, Cody could sense neither the identity nor even the type of this immortal. But I needed no such clues.
"Tawny," Peter and I said in unison.
"How do you guys know?" asked Cody.
"The clothes," said Peter.
"The whine," I said.
Tom was standing there, mouth half-open. A moment later, he recovered himself. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. I hope you'll come talk to me if you have any questions or concerns. I'm very eager to get to know you all better." He scurried off just as Tawny reached us. We stared.
"What the hell happened to you?" exclaimed Hugh.
Tawny pouted. "Well, there was this really nice guy that I wanted. Really pure and-"
"Tawny," I interrupted. "I've told you a hundred times. Stop worrying about the good ones."
She shook her head. "No, no. He was into me. Well, he was into this." She gestured to her body. "I figured out that he had these weird fantasies his wife didn't know about. So, I put on this shape, and we did it . And the energy...it was amazing."
I couldn't hide my astonishment. Tawny had managed to score a decent guy. She'd used a strategy that, while basic, was also highly effective: exploiting secret desires. It could shake the unshakable soul. "Wow," I said at last. "That's great. I...well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm proud of you."
She sighed. "But I didn't get to enjoy the rush. Like, ten minutes after it happened, it went away. Everything went away. I started feeling sick and-"
"Yeah, we know the rest," said Cody, not unkindly.
"And I was wearing this body, and now...now I'm stuck with it."
Under normal conditions, this would have provided hours of hilarity. For now, I actually felt bad for her. "Well, hang in there. They say this won't last for long."
Tawny nodded unhappily. "Yeah. Here's hoping." Then, unexpectedly, she brightened a little. "Oh, but hey, you were totally right about the blow-job thing."
Hugh's head whipped around to stare at me. "What?"
Before I could say anything, Mei thankfully shouted for everyone's attention. And when I say shouted, I mean it. She used her power to amplify her voice, so it rang painfully through the whole room, making a lot of us wince and cover our ears. Several people backed away, giving us a clear view of her and Grace.
"We want to thank everyone for coming," Mei said, returning to her usual flat, emotionless voice.
"And we appreciate everyone's help as we try to keep things running around here. Mei and I have everything under control right now, but the concern everyone's shown is certainly...admirable." There was the slightest wry note in Grace's voice as she glanced around at the assembled demons. Many of them straightened up and smiled, acting as though they truly were here out of concern for us.
"We know you're as anxious to find Jerome as we are," said Mei. "And we'll be doing everything we can to locate him." Some of those smiles tightened a little, and the crowd shifted uncomfortably. As I'd told Seth, not everyone was so eager for Jerome's return.
"Yes, of course," a booming voice said. Tom had joined Grace and Mei in the spotlight. "Jerome is our top priority, of course. And if-I mean, when-he's found, I'm sure Management will be most eager to talk to him about how this happened in the first place. No doubt he will need a little...rehabilitation, and should he be unable to fulfill his duties, I for one am ready right now to step up and run infernal affairs in Seattle."
"Well, Tom." A dark-haired demoness from across the room straightened up from where she leaned against the wall. "If memory serves, your leadership in Tuscaloosa didn't end so well."
