I rose and turned sharply around. Seth.
'Hey,' I said, hoping for blandness. The smothering feeling returned.
Light from inside the store lit up his features in the twilight, and I ate up every line and angle of his face. His eyes looked dark in the dimness, but in full light, they were brown infused with amber. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and his gaze wouldn't meet mine. It was painfully reminiscent of how he'd been when we first met, too shy to look directly at me.
'I wanted to see if you were okay,' he said after several awkward moments.
I turned the matches over in my hand a couple of times and then placed them in my purse's outer pocket. 'I'm fine,' I said, keeping my voice cool and distant.
'It's just…' He relaxed slightly and gave a small, rueful laugh. 'When you're vague about your activities and mention 'family,' it usually means immortal business. And immortal business always means trouble.'
I started to smile, then immediately squelched it. 'Yeah, it does, and believe me, it's a great one this time.' Even after everything that had gone down between us, there was such a comfort and familiarity with him that I immediately wanted to launch in and recap the story for him. I could already see us both laughing at the idea of Canadian Satanists. I could perfectly picture the way Seth would shake his head in exasperation. But it wasn't to be. I was too hurt and too proud to even allow him friendship, so I just shrugged and said, 'But it'll work out. It always does.'
'Yeah…but usually not without a lot of hassle. I'm just worried about you, that's all.'
'You don't have to be.' Not anymore . 'I'm not in any danger. Mostly just annoyed.'
He opened his mouth to speak, and I knew the gesture. He wanted to argue that there was still cause for concern-but times had changed. He swallowed and let the comment go. More silence fell. I knew I should leave, but somehow, I couldn't make myself do it. He apparently couldn't either. 'You…you look really great tonight,' he said at last, still fumbling for conversation.
There was a catch in his voice. He knew my looks tonight had to do with more than just my body and outfit. The energy I'd stolen from sleeping with the therapist wreathed me. Life and its power were irresistible to all creatures, mortal and immortal alike. Immortals could literally see that life glowing around me. To mortals, I simply looked beautiful. Unearthly. Perfect.
For the sake of politeness, I pretended he was complimenting me for normal things. 'Thanks. I was out with the others when all this…stuff…went down. It's kind of put a damper on my partying, though.'
He nodded by way of answer and shifted so that he actually made eye contact. I wished he hadn't. My heart melted inside me, and I felt a sob building in my chest. Desperate for something to do, I took out the serendipitous matches and lit the cigarette I'd been holding the whole time. I took a long drag and exhaled. Seth stepped back. He wasn't a fan of smoking. It was like I suddenly had armor.
'Well,' I said, feeling bolder, 'I should go home and pack. See you around.'
I turned and had only taken a step when he called out to me. 'Georgina?'
I glanced back. 'Yeah?'
'Do you…um…' He faltered, and again, I was reminded of that long-ago Seth. Bittersweet feelings burned within me. 'Do you need someone to feed your cat?'
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'No, but thanks. Cody'll do it.' I spoke the next words, fully knowing they'd inflict damage. 'Or Dante will.'
Seth flinched, and somehow, I felt both triumphant and sad at the same time. 'No problem,' he said haltingly. 'Just thought I'd, you know, check.'
'Thanks,' I said again. We held each other's gazes a few more moments, and then I turned away and walked off into the night.
CHAPTER 3
I neither packed nor called Dante when I got home. I was exhausted. Talking to Seth had been too depressing. I lived too close to the bookstore, I decided. What had once been convenient now felt oppressive. A few blocks simply wasn't enough distance between Seth and me. I kind of wished Emerald City had another branch somewhere that I could work. In lieu of that, maybe I was the one who needed to find a new residence. My lease here was ending soon, and until now, I'd never considered anything except renewing. Moving was a startling-and weirdly appealing-thought, and I pondered it as I drifted off to sleep that night, my cat Aubrey snuggled against my legs.
The next morning, I had to scramble to pack my things. Jerome hadn't given me any specific time to be in Vancouver, only 'soon.' I decided not to test the exact terms of that. Packing didn't take long, fortunately. I could shape-shift any clothing I wanted, but I had some favorites I preferred to just take with me. It was another lingering human habit. There were also cosmetics and other toiletries I wanted with me; I liked to do my own hair and makeup if I had the time.
I was pouring my third cup of coffee in the kitchen when I felt the tingle of immortal signatures appear in my living room. Only a higher immortal, like a demon or angel, could directly teleport in, and I immediately recognized these two. Grace and Mei.
They were Jerome's lieutenant demonesses. Heaven ran its agenda in a haphazard way, but ours was carefully organized. Territory was parceled out to archdemons, who in turn controlled a network of subordinate demons and lesser immortals like me and my friends: succubi, vampires, and imps. Jerome handled the big issues in the area, went to meetings with the demons who were above him, and was in charge of discipline. Grace and Mei handled the minutiae and paperwork and also kept an eye on the far reaches of Jerome's territory, areas he was too busy for and uninterested in. His full jurisdiction actually stretched along the coast of western Washington, though his base of operation was the Seattle metropolitan area. That was also where most of his staff was located. He only kept an occasional eye on the outskirts and left it to Grace and Mei to keep him apprised of what occurred there.
For whatever reason, the demonesses always wore matching clothing. Today they sported black pantsuits, tailored to a perfect fit. Grace was blond and Mei black-haired, but their hairstyles were also similar: bluntly cut at the chin. Both wore brick-red lipstick.
'Good morning, Georgina,' said Grace.
'We're here with last-minute instructions,' said Mei.
'Oh, okay.' I was relieved. I'd been afraid Jerome had sent them to find out why I hadn't already crossed the Canadian border. 'You guys want some coffee?'
I offered them something every time they were here, and every time, they refused. So, I was a bit astonished when Grace asked, 'What kind?'
'Um…Starbucks. Their house blend.'
'No,' replied Grace and Mei in unison.
I shrugged and sat down on the couch. Aubrey had been lying there a minute ago but was nowhere in sight now. She hated these two. Mostly they creeped me out. 'Okay,' I asked. 'What's the scoop?'
They remained standing. Mei crossed her arms. 'Jerome wants you to understand the situation with Cedric. The two of them have had a…disagreement over territorial lines.'
This perked my interest. 'Ah. It's him, then. We'd heard Jerome had something going on with another demon.'
'The two of them had been eyeing each other's areas,' explained Grace. 'In the hopes of expanding their own boundaries into one large Pacific Northwest…' She paused thoughtfully.
'…empire?' I suggested. She shrugged by way of agreement.
'Something like that,' said Mei. 'But eventually, they put the dispute aside and gave up, each settling for their current territories. That's why Jerome is lending you to Cedric, as a sign of good will.'
I was too intrigued to retort about the degradation of Jerome 'lending' me to anyone. 'Jerome doesn't do things out of good will,' I pointed out, recalling his snide remark about altruism last night. 'There's more going
