Chapter 26 -- Jezebel's Fifteen Minutes.
Penny was beyond angry, the more she thought about that bitch Jezebel... She needed to get some revenge. She really didn't want to kill her, she was necessary. Her anger wouldn't drive her to commit murder or political suicide. But she had a need to get even. She thought she had a way but she had been hesitating to do it.
About three days ago she had gotten an email from an unknown mail source which her IT people had been unable to backtrack, the source was good whoever they were. I was a report on a demon named Niklis. Jezebel had brought him to justice for the council and the Weres specifically. Interesting thing was the demons in Portland all worshipped the guy.
So she was thinking of leaking the info back to the Portland demon community about a demon traitor that got their hero killed. She knew Jezebel
probably
wouldn't die from any attacks, but it would be worth it to get back at the bitch, and at least cause her a little trouble if not a whole shit storm of it.
She didn't want to be back traced but wasn't confident about her ability to electronically pull that off. So she printed out five copies of the report and put them in five packages to demon clubs that were in the email she was sent. Then she sent it all in one package to an Elf she was paying in Oregon who would mail the 5 envelopes and destroy the packaging leading back to her.
She thought about it a little more and had a twinge of conscious, yes she was a demon, and a succubus who fucked with her mate. Jezebel essentially raped him by using his lust to erase his will power. On purpose or not didn't matter. But she was also the Arch of North America and a council member. Not to mention could order her to eat shit if she wanted and did not do that.
She growled in annoyance at her twinge and handed the thick package to America to a servant and ordered it mailed out. She just hoped doing this and getting some revenge would make her feel better. She hadn't shared her soul with her chosen mate since his cock had been in the bitch and she was miserable about it. Damn that fucking Witch and her rings as well.
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Jezebel was walking alone. In the cold brisk air and trying to clear her head. It had been two weeks since Italy and she had not been able to have physical sex yet. Every time she got in the mood for one of her lovers she would see Penny's face of betrayal, rage and pain. Hear the word slut, demon, stupid in her head. She was not hurting on energy as she was still with Daniel.
Soul sharing was pure. Her inner succubus was not involved. It was her only moment away from the guilt. How could she not have remembered? How could she not have seen the love between Penny and her mate and the betrayal she caused? She had been to intent on getting the voluptuous blonde in her bed, that's how.
So she had taken to wearing her clothes that covered her up, her breasts were once again a C cup, if you could even call that conservative, but she was too used to that size to change it now. She had forgotten that draining all the life energy and killing someone in pleasure was not the only evil she could do as a succubus. She was also the ultimate seductress.
She forgave Sandy a week ago, but she was pretty mad at her for a while for not listening. People who are betrayed do not forgive easily or quickly, and they don't shift blame they spread it. She understood the motive was love of her though, and had let it go, just another thing that was her fault.
She knew she had to end this circle of depression and self flagellation but she was having trouble getting there, so she was out walking, alone. Trying to find peace with within herself. Cat had contacted her and shared what she told Sandy, and to an extent she was right. Jezebel was young and it wouldn't be her last mistake. However that didn't make her feel one bit better about herself.
She didn't doubt for a moment the love of her mates was true, and she needed to get over it in a major way. If only for their sake, she knew they missed her touch, but were patient and wouldn't ask until she was ready. If only she were the same. Not so quick to spread her damn legs.
She heard the loud screeching sound of tires, then a large bang and glass breaking. Then she felt the fire with her power from about a block over. She ran in that direction. If there was a crowd she couldn't do anything, but maybe...
Nope, she saw a crowd. But she also saw a little girl about 6 in the back seat of a car, her mother knocked out in the front seat. The car was upside down and on fire. Shit. The crowd wasn't that big, maybe if she didn't put out the fire...
She reached out and controlled the fire, keeping it from the gas line and gas tank, but otherwise letting it burn as she raced over and broke the back window. She pulled the little girl out and pointed her to the people watching and said, "Go wait over there by the nice people. I'm getting your mom now."
The child was terrified but did as she was told, maybe too scared to disobey or question. She turned back to the car and climbed in grabbing the mother out of the front and dragged her out. She let the fire go free from her power when they were fifteen feet away. It took another fifteen seconds or so then the car exploded as they reached the crowd.
Jezebel said, "Did someone call 911?"
No one answered her but a few seconds later she heard sirens coming. The mother had a mild concussion and was knocked out, but she should be okay. She was glad because she couldn't use her healing power in front of all these people.
When the ambulance got there she slunk away from the scene, most of the people looking at the EMT's and the hurt people. One person did call after her but she ignored it and broke into a jog...
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Shit, was it beat up on Jezebel day and she hadn't got the memo? Actually considering all what's going on maybe it's beat up on Jezebel month. Sandy listened as the rest of the council lit into her.
Tony said, "I love you Jez but damn, that was stupid. Some guy recorded you. Attractive woman, kicks in a rearview window with nothing but her foot and a set of boots? Then sets the kid free and carries the mother back to the crowd showing no effort at all on your face from lifting that dead weight? I know you've been upset lately but you need to think.
"All you had to do too save them was control the fire and have it burn out really slowly from the sidelines. Everyone would not know it was you, or even anything was done. It would have looked like the fire just burned itself out without finding the fuel. Even if someone figured it out later there would have been no one that saw you specifically, the fire department could have gotten them out at that point with the explosion danger passed."
Sandy winced. On top of everything else Jezebel had Tony who she loved as family and looked up to, chewing on her ass now. What the hell? She listened as Patricia, Katrina, Amy and Thomas gave her basically the same speech. Of course Amy or Thomas would have let them burn and had a fucking barbeque. Damn Weres were getting on her nerves. That's when the spiral started, that fucking order to pick up Niklis.
Of course they were blowing it out of proportion, if the news stations hadn't been running it constantly for days, until they found her identity. Probably a student at the college recognized Jezebel. Now they had tons of calls on the apartment answering machine wanting her to come on the news and tell them all about it. Why, how etc...
The problem of course was Jezebel was beautiful young woman and a hero, it meant the ratings would be higher if they could get her on. It was a sad fact but true, beautiful heroes or victims get better ratings. She had even caught some photographers following her around, not a good thing when you led a secret life.
"ENOUGH!" sandy had enough of listening to it.
"The five of you just gave the same fucking speech, and now you're trying to repeat yourselves too. If you have nothing constructive to say that might... I don't know, actually help the situation then shut up. You are blaming her for being young and thoughtless yet you are acting like 2 year olds, cut it out. And Tony, I fucking quit, I can't believe you threw in with these Angelic blowhards.
"They have been trying to undercut and demean Jezebel for months so they can claw and scrape more power for the council and hence themselves. The first actual mistake Jezebel makes you can't cut her some slack? She saved a kid and her mother, what the fuck. You act like she started glowing in grand central station or something. You jump on their screw over Jezebel wagon. Fuck you Tony."
Sandy knew she went too far, she just couldn't stand it anymore. It's not like she's the one that broke council decorum though, they had been making a mockery of it all morning. She read Jezebel all the time, and the pain Tony had caused her lover just flipped her out. Jezebel had felt guilt from the rest of them too, but only for the stupid action, she had gotten used to ignoring their innuendos about her incompetence a long time ago.
She got up and walked out when the thought of disintegrating her protection charms off the lot of them came into her mind. Let them duck a damn bullet. But that brought her up short, she didn't want them dead after all, she was just too pissed off right now and had to go. She could feel Jezebel was worried about her, but Jezebel also felt a little better at the vehement defense.
Jezebel was right, they were way too young and too idealistic to be on this council, something would break soon. Sandy was going to make damn sure it wasn't her and Jezebel that did...
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