Riley led me to a detached garage behind Neil’s shop. From the look of the building’s faded sides and sunken roof, I expected a hoarder’s delight and a total junker inside. But Riley opened the garage door in one graceful but powerful motion, and—

“Oh wow,” I breathed, as I could feel my eyes growing wide.

Riley smirked at my wonder. “A 1967 Chevy Impala, in nearly perfect condition. It is my understanding that your kind covets these vehicles for their power and luring qualities,” he said, and there was a slight mocking tone in his voice.

“Are you kidding me? I don’t know anything about cars, but even I know that this is like, a dream car,” I said, feeling a little defensive of Americana. “Where did Neil even get this? And has he ever driven it?”

“He took it from two brothers after cheating them in a game of sport he called ‘billiards.’ ”

“Those brothers couldn’t have been too happy about that,” I commented, and feeling suddenly daring, I put my hand on the hood of the black beauty.

“The ensuing fallout was hardly anything one of our kind could not escape,” he replied, “Neil insists he only intended to borrow it, that he’ll give it back to them one day.”

“Yeah, what’s ‘one day’ when you’re immortal,” I shot back, and the sarcasm I felt surprised me. I looked at Riley, the Great One, beautiful, majestic, and unknowable. “We really are just ants to you,” I whispered as my heart sank. “Just blips on screen.”

Suddenly Riley was before me, and before I could protest my hands were in his. His touch sent a shock up my arms and down my spine, making my knees feel weak. I felt like I was nothing, and the tears began to well up in my eyes. It was all too much; things had been happening too fast and my brain couldn’t handle the overload—

“Andromeda,” he commanded, and my head snapped to attention, looking him in the eye although all I wanted was to hide my shame. “I am here now. And I will do everything in my power to see that no harm befalls you.”

His hands tightened around mine, almost too tight, anchoring me back to reality, pulling me from wallowing in my self-pity. “Everything,” he repeated with a wild fierceness. “Do you understand?”

I nodded dumbly. He let go of my hands, but as I was about to lift them to wipe the wetness from my eyes, he cupped my face, his thumbs gently wiping the tears away. I froze, the intimate gesture sending my heart into overdrive. I felt both burned and frozen, and my body begged… more. For a brief moment, he seemed to lean in as if… as if he would… kiss me—