Page 48 (1/2)

CHAPTER 1

Sleeping with my therapist was a bad idea

I knew it too, but I couldn't really help it There were only so many times I could hear "Why don't you explain that" and "Tell me how you feel" So, I finally snapped and decided to show the guy how I felt I've gotta say, for a decent guy who had never cheated on his wife, he wasn't that hard to take advantage of And by "not hard," Isuccubus energy fix, and when you consider that e did was probably thethat ever took place on his couch, it was alood deed

Still, I knewas he was the one who'd orderedin the first place

"Do not tell Jeroainst the ashtray "I don't want to deal with that kind of fallout"

My friends and I were sitting at a booth in Cold July, an industrial club down in Seattle's Belltown district The place was dark and loud, with crisscrossing pipes on the walls and ceiling for the bulk of the décor Because it was a private club, it didn't have to adhere to the city's public s ban, which was a perk for me In the last few s helping s on the essential list: vodka, Nine Inch Nails, a steady supply of moral men, and an all-purpose bitchy attitude

"Look, Georgina," said al assistant who bought souls for our e fat "I'o out on a limb here and say that probably wasn't a helpful step on the road to healing"

I shrugged and let my eyes scan the crowded roos here "Well, he wasn't that good At therapy, I mean Besides, I don't think I need it anymore"

Silence met me, inasmuch as silence could h wascrazy look Our vampire friends, Peter and Cody, at least had the decency to avert their eyes I narrowed arette

"I don't suppose," said Peter at last, "that this is anybody you'dterm?"

"Yeah," agreed Cody, eyes wide and hopeful "I bet a therapist would be a great listener And you wouldn't even have to pay for it"

"My insurance pays for it," I snapped "And I don't really appreciate your passive-aggressive attitude about my boyfriend"

"It's not that passive," said Hugh "You could do better, sweetie"

"The guy's corrupt and going to Hell How is this a problem for you? And you didn't likeabout et your latest secretary into bed"

In what had to be a weird twist of the universe, none of ician named Dante Dante's morals were pretty nonexistent, and he owned stock in bitterness and cynicisroup of damned souls, but for whatever reason, he didn't

"You aren't meant to be with someone bad," said Cody We were all immortal now but were considered "lesser i our souls into Hell's service Cody was young coh claimed almost a century Peter and I had millennia As such, there was al idealism that rivaled the kind I used to have

It had been shattered when my previous boyfriend, a huood soul, quiet and infinitely kind He'd s, like that ht I was in love-no, I had been in love Even I could aderous eleirl-it worked either way), I stole their life energy, which was the power that fueled every human soul It kept uy, the y I took, the more I shortened his life With Dante, I had alive, so our sex life was relatively "safe," and I therefore sought uys on the side

With Sethwell, that had been a different story Sleeping with him would have had very detrimental effects-so I'd refused to do it For a while, we'd lived on love alone, our relationship being about a lot more than a physical act Over time, however, that had taken its toll, as had a nus had finally blown up when Seth had slept with eto spare me future pain Whatever the initial intent, he and Maddie had actually gone on to establish a fairly serious relationship in the following months

I hadn't taken that very well

"There's no pleasing you guys," I growled, beckoning the waiter for another drink He ignored ood ones You don't like bad ones What the fk does it take?"