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.