“Unless he concludes you’re channeling some ancient sorcerer, of course.”

“Or that. Either way, things never go well. On the other hand, dating within the paranormal community is tricky because it’s a small world with a really big gossip network.”

“Tell me about it. If you think your options here in Seattle are limited, you should try dating within the Foundation community at headquarters. It’s a minefield. There are no secrets. Everyone knows who’s sleeping with whom and everyone knows when there’s a breakup. And everyone talks.”

“Well, I might be able to give you an assist in that department,” Sierra said.

North raised his brows. She couldn’t see his eyes but she had a feeling they were a little hot. He was definitely intrigued.

“Exactly what kind of help are you offering?” he said, his voice very neutral.

“When this is over and you go back to your normal life, feel free to run your dates past me.”

He looked flummoxed. Whatever he had been expecting her to say, that wasn’t it.

“Aside from the logistical problems involved—Seattle and Vegas being about a thousand miles apart—why would I do that?” he asked.

“Because I will probably be able to tell you if your aura and that of your date’s are a good match.”

“You can do that?”

“With about a ninety percent accuracy rate, assuming I see the two of you reflected in a mirror.” She waved a hand. “Mom and Dad said it’s probably a side effect of my ability to pick up strong emotions infused into artifacts.”

North frowned. “But you can’t tell when your own aura is a good match with someone else’s?”

“Nope. You know how it is with auras. You can’t perceive your own. Enough of that subject. We’ve got bigger problems. Do we have a plan for today?”

“Yes.” North got to his feet. “But before I tell you about it, we should talk about last night.”

“Never in the history of the world has a conversation that starts out with ‘we should talk about last night’ ended well.”

“Believe me, I’m keenly aware of that,” North said. “But this is different. I just wanted to say thanks. I . . . slept. I really slept. I can’t tell you that I feel normal this morning. I don’t think I’ll ever feel normal again. But I’ve got my act together now. I’m not going to crash on you.”

“Good.” She set her empty cup in the sink. “Now, about our plan.”

“Right. You and I are going to pay a visit to the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital. It’s over on the coast.”

“Long drive, then. Why are we going there?”

“We need to find out everything we can about a Dr. Delbridge Loring, specifically why he is trying to locate a street woman named Marge.” North carried his dishes around the dining counter. “I’ll tell you all about it when we’re on the road.”

“Okay.”

North looked at his empty plate. “Those were a couple of avocado toasts, weren’t they?”