“Well, what are you doing?” I demanded. “Help me.”

“He’s not here, Georgina.”

“He has to be! We’re near salt water. There’s sand. There’s white stones. For the rest of the seal’s camouflage to work, he’s buried here somewhere.”

“I can’t sense anything. He’s not here.”

The rocks were cutting my hands as I dug, and I felt tears stinging my eyes. Until that moment, I didn’t realize just how horribly and truly afraid I’d been of Jerome not returning. My time as a succubus had been filled with upheaval. I liked the small piece of tranquility I’d carved out here in Seattle. I didn’t want that to change. I couldn’t let it change, not after everything else I’d been through recently.

“The whole point of the seal imprinting its magic was to mask Jerome’s prison! Of course you wouldn’t feel it.”

“The seal hides it from anyone not actively seeking it. I am, and I’m telling you it’s not here.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re not strong enough.”

With a sigh, Roman knelt down behind me. “Georgina, stop.”

“Damn it! He has to be here!”

Roman reached from behind me and grabbed my arms. I struggled, but he was too strong. “Georgina, enough. Jerome isn’t here. The only thing unusual about this spot is the smell from the garbage can. I’m sorry.”

I struggled against him a little bit more and finally gave up. Apparently feeling certain I wouldn’t fight anymore, Roman released me. I turned and looked at him, swallowing back my tears. “This was our last chance,” I said softly. “We don’t have any time left.”

Roman studied me with his sea-green eyes. I saw no anger or threat on his face, only compassion. “I’m sorry. And you don’t know for sure that it’s too late.”

“Ephraim will finish his assessment anytime now. And where are we going to go next? The Olympic Peninsula? Wenatchee? Hitting places at random was one thing when they were in our backyard. These others are too far away. We choose the wrong one, and that’s it. Game over. We won’t have time for anything else.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. From his face, I could see that he spoke the truth. “I want to find him as much as you do.”

I stared beyond him out at the blue-gray water and the circling gulls. “Why? Why do you want to find someone who tried to kill you?”

Roman smiled. “Why do you cling to a romantic ideal when everything in your life has pretty much shown you that it’s impossible?”

I think he’d spoken rhetorically and seemed surprised when I dragged my eyes from the water to look at him and answer. “Because of a dream.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What dream?”