Page 80 of Obsession

So did he already know about Damion and Stacy? Is that why Zazel was insistent on us dining with them? To what end, I don’t know. Mind games? I’m starting to understand why Chris hates playing games.

“Do you need my assistance with this witch?” Zazel asks, snapping my attention back to the verbal conversation. It was a casual question, but the underlying threat to Bettina is implicit. He picks up a bottle of white wine nestled in an ice bucket and pours us a glass.

“Thank you, Father, but we have the situation under control,” Damion smoothly answers.

“Very well. Aubry, my son debriefed me on your last project. I must say I’m impressed by your skills.”

“Thank you.” It’s not as if my sleuthing skills cracked the case of Azrael’s missing scythe. We literally dumb-lucked upon it at Bettina’s apartment—the only lucky thing about that otherwise botched mission. Well, that and of course my luck in finding B.B., the sweetest cat that ever was. But, Zazel doesn’t need to know any of that, so I’ll simply take the compliment.

I grab the menu and decide on an outrageously priced salad. Unlike my aunt, I’m not a huge salad person, but I’ve lost my appetite, so it doesn’t much matter what I order.

“Those skills must not include bewitching a man if another witch was able to hex yours so easily,” Stacy comments with a smirk.

I take a deep meditative breath, then a large swig of wine. I’m not a big wine drinker, but tonight that might change. “Aubry is a white witch. She ascribes to the magical philosophy of do no harm,” Zazel informs Stacy with a bemused smile.

“Isn’t that sweet.” Seriously Universe, not becoming a saint. Our server appears, and Zazel’s interest quickly shifts from our conversation to the server and her suddenly peaked nipples. Stacy huffs. “Zazel, must you always slum?” I’m offended on behalf of this woman. Sonia was right—Stacy is just awful.

“Stacy would prefer she were the only female on the planet,” Zazel informs us. Stacy shrugs, not bothering to deny it.

Zazel must have muted his powers, because our server is able to describe tonight’s specials without orgasming. Stacy orders the salad, so I order a steak instead. We may have shared my boyfriend, but I refuse to share anything else with this she-demon.

Damion rubs my back as he and his father discuss something work-related, and I catch Stacy staring at us. I think succubi have a hard time understanding relationships. Lust and sex they get, no doubt, but affection and genuine feeling is something that confuses them, I’m coming to learn.

“Do you know Dr. Sonia Thompson?” I ask Stacy as I nurse my wine, giving me something to focus on besides plotting this she-demon’s downfall. I smile at the thought, but then push it away. According to Bettina, the coven got into dark magic when they hexed a woman who stole Lucy’s boyfriend. I’m beginning to understand how easily one could go down the dark magic path.

“The name doesn’t ring a bell,” she says in a bored tone.

“She’s a succubus. I thought you two might have crossed paths.”

“If we did, she wasn’t memorable. But few females are.” She gives me a pointed look. I’ve never had an archnemesis before. Can’t say that I would recommend it.

Dinner is served, and Zazel turns his attention away from the server’s breasts to me. “Aubry, so what philosophical topic shall we discuss this evening?” he asks with a wry smile.

“Well, let’s see.” I think for a moment. “The Angel of Death recently asked me for my take on the meaning of life. What would you say?”

“What do you say?” he counters.

“To love and be loved. To balance work and play. And to try and be a decent human being.”

“Not a bad answer,” he says, sipping his wine. “I would say the meaning is whatever you choose it to be. Life can be big or small, and to that end you either take action or inaction. Humans weave their own web and then wail at their god, or blame us demons for being stuck in their own creation. What say you, Stacy?”

“I say this is a meaningless conversation,” she announces, picking at her salad. “It’s simple. The strong take what they want. The weak cry about what’s been taken. And so it goes until the little human dies. The end. Wouldn’t you agree, Damion? You certainly took what you wanted. On your desk.” She gives him a lustful look and then smiles sweetly at me.

“I have no need to take anything. I already have everything I want,” he says, leaning over and giving me a kiss on the temple. Not exactly true, but now’s not the time to debate our relationship status. “But no, Stacy, I don’t agree. Even in the demonic world, we still have rules and decorum. We acknowledge what we are and accept our nature, but that’s not an excuse to cross certain lines.”

“My son, well said.” Zazel’s focus shifts to our server who offers dessert, but from the look of her, would rather offer herself up to Zazel.

We say our goodbyes, not soon enough for my liking.

“Damion, I’ll see you around,” Stacy says, eyeing him up and down. “Audrey,” she says dismissively to me.

“Sarah, nice to meet you.”

Who the hell said I had to be a saint, anyway?

Chapter 33

Baby, I’m sorry, Damion apologizes. I had no idea my father and Stacy would be here tonight. Gabe is helping her with a business deal, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn’t know my father was involved.

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