Succubus Revealed Chapter 14

curing shot up from the chair, face filled with hurt and fury. It was surreal. For a moment, he looked wish a stranger . . . and yet, he also looked corresponding every genius Id ever know. Every peerless Id love. Every integrity Id hurt.You, he exclaimed, striding toward me. How could you do that to me? How could you do that to me?I had neer comprehend readiness yell the handles of that. I cringed against my chair, besides stunned to react. Meanwhile, Hugh seemed to come to livelihood. He had been as shocked by bents initial re litigate as me, mathematical functionicularly since Hugh understood even slight than I did rough what was modality out on. He was still undoubtedly confused, only when whatever instinct spurred him to action when he saw circle advance. I didnt trust Seth wouldve hurt me, but he was potpourri of scary average then. Hugh grabbed a hold of Seths arm.Whoa, whoa, give tongue to Hugh. Easy there. Everyone calm d receive. popish likewise seemed to abruptly realize something was wrong here. Hed been so excited by the developments, his face aglow as entirely(prenominal) his theories condemn equal to(p) into place. Now events were moving in a direction he hadnt foreseen. He rose, mirroring Hughs fighters stance. Only, papistical was doing it defensively, coming to underpin in front of me, in case Seth broke Hughs hold. That didnt seem very likely. The imp was strong.How could you do that to me? repeated Seth, voice still roaring with fury. I trusted you I trusted you and I loved youI had witnessed each(a) of this unfolding but hadnt dared allow myself to really and truly accept it. I had seen the impossible. I had seen Seth relive the lives of men he hadnt known men he couldnt gestate known mountain pass of liveliness sanction by means of the centuries of my long existence. Some voice inside of me kept uttering, No, no, this isnt happening. This sightt be real. Its some flim-flam of pitfalls. I was raceing hard non to process what Id heard because processing it meant accepting it. and with those outlive words, Seth penetrated something inside of my numb self. He broke by, and I snapped.I didnt I didnt do boththing to you I cried. I had to peer around Roman to act Seths eyes and al some wished I hadnt. They were cold. So repulsively cold and hurt.You cheated on me, verbalise Seth, straining against Hugh. Cheated on me with my best friend. . . . Yet, even as he spoke, I could see him falter. The aromaings hed snarl as Kyriakos were real, but he was examining it now as Seth Mortensen. The mixed realities were misidentify him. It was disc overable. They confused me.Seth, I give tongue to desperately. I didnt do that to you. Think about it. I love you. I love you so much.Seth stopped struggling, though Hugh didnt relinquish his g rip current. Seths features were still filled with hurt and confusion. not to me . . . to him. unless I am him. Im all of them. Seth closed his eye s and took a deep breath. What had been well-founded and clear under hypnosis was becoming more difficult to grasp. How? How is that possible?Past lives, utter Roman. Youre proper. You were all of them. You lived all of those lives, long before you were born into this one.Reincarnation? That . . . thats impossible, said Seth.Is it? asked Roman, regaining some of his confidence now that the locating was no longer escalating. How do you know? Do you subscribe a direct line into the focusing the universe works?So, wait . . . what about you guys? asked Seth. Are Heaven and Hell not real?Oh, said Hugh wryly, theyre real. every of it is real, said Roman. And vastly more complex than any faulty human system enkindle understand. He turned to me, expression softening. I must have looked terrified. What Seth saw . . . what he lived through. You knew all of them, didnt you? All of those identities?I focused on Roman, afraid Id lose my nerve if I looked at Seth again. I nodded. Yes . . . they were all people . . . all men I knew in my life.Hugh frowned. How is that possible? I flowerpot hail on board with reincarnation. Ive seen sufficiency to believe it can happen. But him always being born-again around you? You running into him what was it, ten propagation? Thats statisti grousey impossible.The things were dealing with arent really governed by statistics and probability, said Roman. thither are some otherwise forces at work here, forces that guide his rebirth. It was part of his come, the deal you do as Kyriakos. What can you tell us about it?I dont know what youre let outing about. . . . I dont remember . . . I . . . Seth shook his head, the anger returning. I dont loss to take to task about this anymore. Let me go. I take to spare up out of here. I need to restore away from herSeth . . . I said.But youre the constitute exclaimed Roman. The key to unlocking Georginas problems. Youre the other contract, the one Erik was talking about. Youre tied to her, tied to everything thats been going on with her.I dont care, said Seth. He seemed to scarce barely be able to animation his emotions in check. I dont care about your confused and sundry plots Do you have any idea what I notwithstanding saw? What I just went through? Im still not even sure I understand any of it I dont understand who I am All I know is her and what she did to me.Seth, I tried again. Or should I traverse him as Kyriakos? I didnt know. Please . . . I love you. Ive always loved you. What happened . . . it was . . . it was an accident. . . .The look Seth gave me was coloured and wary. It sure didnt seem like an accident when I walked in on you.I never meant to . . .To rip my heart out? he cried. To destroy my world? My life?Roman, said Hugh carefully. Maybe we should give him some time to process this.We dont have time, said Roman. Hell can move fast especially if they set out out what we know. If were going to save Georgina I dont care said Seth again , this time with more vehemence. I dont care what happens to any of you, and I certainly dont care about what happens to her. Its probably less than she deserves.She didnt do anything to you, said Roman. Shes been a pretty solid girlfriend, from what Ive seen.Seth, I pleaded, knowing Roman wasnt quite knowting it yet. I . . . Im sorry. It was a long time ago. My words were terribly, terribly inadequate, but Seth was tapping into things Id forced myself to block out because they were too painful.For you, maybe, said Seth. It happened over the course of centuries. One life for you. But for me . . . whatever you guys did with the hypnosis, its all here now. All of those lives . . . those memories. Here in my head at the same time. It didnt happen a long time ago for me. Its like it just happened yesterday All those feelings, all that pain . . .Itll fade, said Hugh, not sounding as though he was certain. What you regressed through is still fresh, and you werent brought out of the tran ce properly. Give it time. Or . . . if you ask, I can establish you back under and make you forget this.And forget her? demanded Seth. So I can forget what a faithless, conniving bitch shes been to me?Seth . . . I could feel tears forming in my eyes. Im sorry. Im so sorry. If I could submit it back, I would.Which part? he asked. The part where you proved our marriage meant nothing to you? Or the countless other times you lied to me and broke my heart? Do you have any idea how I feel? What it feels like to be experiencing all of that at the same time? Maybe youve moved past it all and dont care anymore, but its real for meIt is for me too. I . . . I love you. They were the nevertheless words I managed to get out, and they still werent enough. Where was all my usual glib charm? My ability to talk my way out of anything? I was still too choked up on my emotions, still reeling from the fact that sounding into Seths eyes meant looking into the eyes of every man Id ever loved. I che rished to convince him how sorry I was and rationalize that having a long life hadnt dulled the feelings inside me. If anything, it had lone(prenominal) provided more time for those feelings to sink in and punish me. I treasured to inform to him how Id felt during that first transgression and how it had been a poor reply to feelings I didnt know how to process as a scared young woman. I wanted to explain that most of my actions since then, especially the times Id pushed away other lovers, had been weak attempts at protecting them.There was so much I wanted to learn, but I just didnt have the words or braveness to get any of it out. So, I remained silent, and the tears spilled out of my eyes.Seth took a deep breath, forcing. Let me go, Hugh. I wont hurt her. I dont want anything to do with her. I just want to go home. I need to get out of here.Dont, said Roman. We need him. We need more answers, so that we can understand the contracts.Hugh, let him go. I barely recognized t he voice as my own. Roman looked at me incredulously.We need him, he repeated.Hes make enough, I said flatly. In my head, Seths words echoed I dont want anything to do with her. Weve done enough to him. When nada reacted, I met Hughs gaze squarely. Do it. Let him go.Hugh glanced between Roman and me and then make a decision. simmer down keeping hold of Seths arm, Hugh steered him away from us and walked him to the door. Roman made more protests and took a few go toward them, but I remained frozen where I was. I didnt look behind me, not even when I heard the door slam. Hugh returned, and Roman slumped back into his chair, sighing with frustration.Well, he said. Once he calms down, well get him back and talk things out.I dont think hes going to calm down, I said, staring off at nothing. I dont want anything to do with her.Hes just in shock, said Roman.I didnt answer. Roman didnt know. Roman didnt understand the full desktop of our history together. He hadnt seen Kyriakoss face a fter my betrayal, the grief that had been so deep it had nearly driven him to suicide. That was part of wherefore Id become a succuba, using my mind to purchase peace for him in the form of forgetfulness. It was the only way to save him. But if he remembered everything now, if he really was Kyriakos reborn . . . then, no. He wasnt just in shock. I had done a terrible, terrible thing to him, and his outrage wasnt unfounded.A shiver ran through me as I thought about the instant connection Id had with Seth, the feeling like Id always known him. It was because I had always known him. Life after life. Id always felt like we were bound into something great than ourselves . . . and we were. Something great and terrible.Hugh dragged up a chair and sat across from me. He caught hold of one of my hands. Sweetie, I swear to you, I had no clue any of that would happen.I gave him a half(a)hearted squeeze back. What . . . what did you think would happen?Hugh glanced at Roman. He asked me if I could hypnotize Seth and attempt some past life regression. I had no idea what it was for. Fuck, I had no idea it would really work, let alone walk us through nine emotionally damaged lives. Ten, since we now seemed to have fucked up this one.I felt hollow inside, hollow and aching. I turned to Roman, astonished I could manage any sort of credible discussion when my world had just been destroyed. How did you know it would happen? How did you figure all of this out?I only figured some of it out, said Roman. It was actually your stupid Santa stuff that tipped me off. About how that guy was in a bad way(p) about Santa being in two places at once? He scoffed and raked a hand through his hair. I started intellection about how everyone says your contract is fine and how Erik had mentioned a second contract. Wed already deduced Hell wanted you and Seth apart, but why? And I thought, what if its like the Santa thing? Theres nothing wrong with your contract or Seths in and of themselves, but together, something goes wrong.How did you even know Seth had a contract? asked Hugh.Well, thats the thing. I didnt. And since Seth had never mentioned it before, it seemed he didnt know he had one either. And how could that be? I started thinking maybe it was because he hadnt made the contract in this life. I thought maybe Hell had a long game going on with him across lives, and hence . . . the hypnosis.Jesus Christ, said Hugh, shaking his head. You made a fuckload of deductions there.And they were right, said Roman. Georgina and Seth both have contracts with Hell. And those contracts dont work together.Why not? I asked.That zealous gleam was back in Romans eye. What were we able to deduce about Seths contract? What did he get?The only thing Id deduced was that Seth was never going to speak to me again. When I refused to answer, Hugh obligingly played student to Romans teacher. He got ten lives instead of one. The demo of reincarnation.Why? asked Roman.To find Georgina, said Hugh. He paused, and I guessed he was replaying what Seth had described. It sounds like he died in that first life, and when the time came for his intellect to move on, he was aware of missing her. Im guessing Hell wouldnt have gotten his reason then, so they made the deal to give him nine more chances to find Georgina and be reunited with her.He did find me, I said flatly. Over and over. Betrayal after betrayal.Yes, said Roman. And you were move to him without even realizing it. He certainly seemed to fit your dreamy artistic type each time. But you never made it work out.Which Hell was probably hoping for, said Hugh. The imp in him was coming out, puzzling over how a contract like this would have been designed. Hell has to be fair, but they always want an advantage. So, they probably went into the deal thinking a guy hoping to make amends with his soul mate could never do it if she was a succubus. Seth or whoever certainly didnt know that. He only knew that he was supposed to have forgotten her. He thought about it a few moments more. Theres nothing wrong with that, though. Thats hedging your bets on a contract. Theres no violation.Youre right, said Roman. And thats not the problem. He focused back on me. What was your deal? What was your contract for becoming a succubus?You already know it, I said wearily. I was tired of the scheming and fallout. I want to crawl off, curl up in my bed, and sleep for the next five centuries. I wanted to renegotiate my contract and have my memory and heart purged of all pain.Humor me, he said. Just tell me the basics again. The deal Niphon made with you.Roman, leave her alone, said Hugh.I waved him off. Fine. I sold my soul and became a succubus in exchange for everyone I knew as a mortal forgetting about me.Roman looked so supremely satisfied and triumphant that I wanted to punch him just then. He nodded to Hugh. And tell me Seths again, to the best of your guessing.At a guess? He gets to live ten lives, all of which w ill put him near her, free him the chance to find her and make amends with her. Hell gets his soul at the end of the tenth life.And why did Seth make the deal? prompted Roman, practically trembling with excitement.Because he remembered that Hugh cut himself off, eyes widening.Exactly, said Roman. He shook me in his excitement when I didnt react right away. Dont you get it? Your contracts contradict each other In fact, Seths should never have even been written He remembered you. He knew that you were gone from his life.He knew his soul mate was gone, I said bitterly. I dont think he remembered specifics. You saw how much trouble he had.Roman shook his head. Doesnt matter. Im guessing your contract specifies forgetting you entirely. He remembered. By that happening, Hell violated your contract. Then, they wrote an impossible contract for him, claiming hed have the chance to reunite with you which again, implies a degree of remembering you.We dont know that exactly, warned Hugh. We havent seen the contract and didnt get all the enlarge from him. I couldnt follow if he got anything for patching things up with her or not.We know enough, said Roman. Seth wanted to be reunited with her and make amends. For that to happen, it would contradict Georginas contract specifying he forget her.Id want to see the wording, said Hugh. Im not filter outing to dash your hopes. I just know how these things work.Fair enough, said Roman. But can you get over that when Seth called her Letha last month, that was most definitely in violation of her contract? He remembered. Not consciously. But some part of him, deep inside, remembered her.My thoughts were still moving sluggishly, but something clicked into place. The transfer . . . the transfer came through the aurora after I told Jerome about Seth calling me Letha.Yes, said Roman. Thats why things were mucked up with it. I tackle my dear father has always known about your contracts and has accepted them grudgingly, especially if Seths contract allows for you two to keep running into each other. But, when you told the gang about the name, Jerome had a serious problem. He recognized the violation and tattled to his superiors as fast as he could, making them panic and act quickly too quickly to get you out of here.But . . . it already happened. Seth remembered. The violation took place, I said, scarcely able to believe it.Its like a tree in the woods, remarked Hugh. It only happens if theyre called on it. Neither you nor Seth would have known about the contracts or any violation. You were oblivious. Jerome needed to keep it that way, get you guys apart and kill any chance of you count on out what had happened.Hence the Vegas dream job, said Roman. Its like we talked about before. Forbidding you guys to be together wouldve drawn too much attention. A run-of-the-mill transfer, however, wouldve seemed like business as usual if not for the screwup. Hell was so anxious to get it going that they sent you the memo before Jerome had a chance to meet with you. I guarantee everything you saw in Vegas was thrown together on a days notice.I force my hand back from Hughs and buried my face in my palm. Oh God.Roman patted my shoulder in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting but mostly made me grit my teeth. Gods not the one youve got to look to right now. Do you realize what youve got here, Georgina? A once in a millennium fortune to thwart Hell You can challenge them, call your contract into dispute. And Seths. All you need to do is talk to him, get the exact details of I jumped up from my chair, finally giving way to all my own grief and fury. No Didnt you see his face? Didnt you hear him? He wont talk to me Not now, not ever. And dont say hes just in shock again, I warned, seeing Roman about to speak. You dont know what I did, what it was like for him . . . back then. Theres a reason I made him forget Hes not going to forgive me for this. Never. He didnt then and isnt going t o now. Oh Lord. Why did we have to do this? Why did we have to make him remember? We shouldve just let him forget. . . . Everything was fine. . . . My frantic pacing led me over to the living room window, where I drew back the curtains. It was late in the day now, the sunset turning the clouds orange.Fine? asked Roman, coming to stand beside me. Hell was creating complicate ploys to separate you and cover their asses And they were killing his sister-in-law to do it. That is not fine. You and Seth have done nothing but play into Hells hands all these centuries. Over and over, you find each other and lose each other, you fuss and fight, throw it all away on mistrust and lack of communication. Are you going to let that pass? Especially when they didnt even give you what you were promised?I rested my cheek against the glass, taking comfort in the coolness, refusing to hear to Romans logic. But Seth didnt remember until we made him.Not true. He remembered before that, said Roman. On his own, when he called you Letha. Thats how this all started. Nothing we did here changed that.He hates me, I said, fully aware of how whiny I sounded.Roman didnt try to deny it. People forgive.I scoffed. Do they?They do, said Hugh, coming to stand on my other side. Seth must have or whomever he used to be. Your husband. Why else would he have made that bargain in the first place to find you?Because he didnt remember what Id done, I said. I met Hughs eyes. He only knew that I was missing from his life.You answered your own question, sweetie. His love for you was stronger than his hate, if he was able to remember the one and not the other.I wanted to argue with that but didnt know how. I cant . . . I cant face him. You dont know what this is like. Its . . . My lifelong fear? My greatest sin? I just cant.We need to know about the rest of his contract, said Roman. We need all the details if were going to see this through.Hugh sniffed. You keep saying we, but somehow I dont see you be ing the one filing the paperwork with Hell to challenge her contract. When Roman didnt answer, Hugh added, Which, by my estimate, we dont need any more of Seths information for. We already have enough to question her contracts integrity.Question its integrity? exclaimed Roman. We have enough evidence to blow it wide open. There was that metaphor again. Roman loved the dramatic. Hell failed to hold up their end of the bargain. They told you theyd make everyone forget. Obviously, they didnt.It may not be quite that simple. Hell will question what you call evidence, said Hugh.But it can be done, right? asked Roman. You know how to do it to file the necessary paperwork?Well, Ive never done it before, said Hugh. Jesus. I dont know anyone whos done it.I dragged my gaze from the window. Dont, I told Hugh. Its not charge it. You dont know anyone whos done it because no imp who values his job or his life would ever try to get a contract revoked. I dont want you doing that for me.Hugh, said Roman, looking over me like I wasnt even there. You could free her. You could get her soul back for her. You could end this life she has sleeping with strangers for eternity.Stop it, I snapped. Stop trying to guilt him into it. I made this choice. No one tricked me into being a succubus. They told me what it entailed and what Id get.And you didnt get it, said Hugh quietly.It doesnt matter, I said. If I didnt have Seth, one form of Hell was as bad as another.I would do it for you, said Hugh. Ill file the paperwork. Maybe you knew what you were getting into, but that doesnt mean you dont have the right to change your mind especially if you were played. If you want it, Ill help you do it.Why? I asked, recalling all the times Hugh had become uneasy whenever wed talked of challenging the status quo. Why would you risk it?Because youre my friend, Hugh said, his lips twisting into a bitter half pull a face. And that still means something to me. Besides, give your pal Hugh some credit h ere. I might be able to pull this off with minimal punishment for myself.A strange feeling welled in spite of appearance my chest, tight at first and then loosening. This day had become one impossible thing after another. Somehow, hearing Hugh say it made it more real. I was so used to Romans ideas and dreams for undermining Hell that at times, it was easy to ignore them. But to hear Hugh saying this might actually work . . .I swallowed, feeling more tears were on the way. I cant even imagine that. A world where I dont belong to Hell. I dont know what my life would look like.Like anything you want it to, said Hugh, wrapping me in a hug. Behind me, I heard Roman sigh.Well. Ill settle for one contract blowing up in Hells face. I mean, Seth was already Hell-bound anyways, wasnt he? With or without any of this?I winced. It was true. Seths soul once so bright and shining had darkened when he cheated on Maddie with me. Hed come to my bed out of love but had still felt guilty over what hed done. The mark of sin had tainted his soul enough that were he to die right now, Seth would go to Hell.Hugh cleared his throat and let go of me, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Its funny you mention that. . . .Why? I asked.I hadnt seen him in a while and nearly didnt notice . . . but today when he was here, his soul . . . Hugh shook his head. I dont know what all hes done, but its lightened. Its not the spotlight it used to be, but somethings changed. luxuriant of the taints gone now that I dont think hes marked for Hell anymore.Except, he is because of his contract, I realized. That was the price for all those lives. It doesnt matter how good he is. I felt my legs grow weak again and had to struggle to catch up. Seth had redeemed himself for his sin. How? Probably through the sacrifices hed made for his family. Hed given up the things he loved most for them writing, even me. It was a remarkable feat, something few humans were able to rebound from. Usually, those who were dam ned stayed damned.But it didnt matter. Seths soul could shine like a supernova and he would still go to Hell, because it was the same soul hed had as Kyriakos, the one that had made the bargain to come and find me.We dont know for sure, I said. He didnt make it clear if he definitely signed his soul over or if there was a wager, like hed get to keep it if he made amends with me.Which doesnt really seem like its going to happen at the moment, said Roman. So either way, hes damned.Unless we can break his contract too, I said. And we need his help for it.Hugh gave me a beneficent look. Do you want me to try to talk to him?I had detest myself for what Id done to Kyriakos all those years ago, hated myself so much that Id paid the ultimate price to be wiped from his memory. And after seeing the look in Seths eyes earlier . . . well, honestly, if given the chance, I might very well have asked to be erased again. I couldnt stand seeing that hate, that disappointment in the eyes of someone Id loved. Id hurt him. Id let him down. I wanted to hide and never see him again because if I faced him, I would have to face the failings within myself.That had always been a problem for me, I realized. I hated confrontation especially when I was the one at fault. Id continually run away from that my entire life.I forced a weak smile for Hugh, who stood there offering me a cowardly way out. No, I decided. If we were going to get Seths help, it would be give way coming from me. Would he talk to me? I didnt know, but I had to try. For nothing else would I have risked cladding that hate and sorrow again . . . but for Seths soul, I would.Ill go to him, I said.