After we hung up, I tried Erik. He too answered, and in his usual way, he never bothered to ask why I needed the information. “There is someone,” he mused. “I’ve acquired crystal jewelry from her before, carved into assorted sacred symbols—ankhs and crosses. I don’t know if she works with the arcane or spellcraft, but she’s the only one I know in the area who comes close.”

I took down her name and address and went back inside. Seth had nearly finished his meal, rivaling Carter for speed. “Do we have a mission objective yet?”

I nodded. “Yup. Out to the hinterlands, even.”

Okay, Carnation wasn’t exactly the hinterlands, but it was well outside the Seattle urban and even suburban sprawl. It was one of several small rural communities that clung to western Washington’s edge before giving way to the wilderness of the Cascade Mountains and the desert on the other side.

I made a Starbucks stop along the way so that I could acquire some caffeine. It seemed requisite to get through this. When Seth asked me to order him a mocha Frappuccino, I nearly crashed into the drive-thru window.

“That’s got caffeine in it,” I said.

“I know. But they’re really good. Maddie got me hooked on them.”

We drove in utter silence for ten minutes after that. If not for Jerome’s summoning, I would have said this was the most astonishing thing to happen to me in the last twenty-four hours. Seth was drinking caffeine. It was unheard of. He’d abstained from it for years, and despite my clear addiction and coaxing throughout our relationship, he’d never shown any interest of cracking. Yet, Maddie—Maddie!—had somehow gotten him to change?

I don’t know why I took such offense at that. Honestly, it was an inconsequential thing in the greater scheme of the universe. Still . . . I couldn’t help feeling hurt. Well, maybe hurt wasn’t the right word. Inadequate, perhaps. She’d gotten him to do something I couldn’t. Why? Why her and not me? Was she more inspiring? Did he care about her more?

“Is something wrong?” Seth finally asked. My silence and death grip on the steering wheel had probably tipped him off.

“Nope,” I lied. “Just worried about all of this.”

“You are not.”

“I’m not worried about all this?”

“Okay, you are. But that’s not why you’re upset right now. You’re upset about this.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wave the Frappuccino. After all this time, he still knew me.

“That’s stupid. Why would I care about that?”

He sighed. “Because I know you. You’re irritated that I did something I said I’d never do.”

“Why should I care?” I replied stiffly. “I’m happy you’re expanding your horizons.” The look he shot me told me he knew better.