“How can we celebrate Jerome being back when he’s not even here?” Tawny wanted to know. She was back to her normal, Amazonian blond self and was holding her martini glass in a precarious way. Peter couldn’t take his eyes off it.

I was nursing a gimlet out of politeness. The vampires had gone out of their way to get Grey Goose and fresh lime, but truthfully, I was a little burned out on alcohol. It seemed like I’d been perpetually drunk these last four months. I was not burned out on cigarettes yet, but I was trying very hard to break the habit once more.

“Jerome’s got plenty to keep himself busy,” I said. “We’re just drinking in his honor.”

“But he is staying, right?” asked Cody.

We all turned to Hugh. Like the rest of us, Hugh’d had his abilities restored, and I’d honestly expected him to be a lot happier having his imp vision back. Instead, he seemed very serious, and I could have sworn he was watching me when I wasn’t looking.

“Yep. He and Mei schmoozed the corporate guy pretty good and pulled in enough favors to get backing from others. Cedric and Nanette both swore up and down that no one else was better qualified to run Seattle than him.”

“Nanette finally caved, huh?” I swirled the ice around in my glass. “Of course, knowing Jerome owes her now probably makes her feel secure in her territory.”

Cody shook his head. “Still. Grace went through an awful lot to try to pull this off, between the Canadians and all the wheeling and dealing. And Dante.” He shot me an apologetic look that I waved off.

“I don’t know,” said Peter. He finally seemed convinced that Tawny wasn’t going to ruin his upholstery. “She’s a middle management demon with so-so power. Doing what she did—seizing the opportunity when she thought Jerome looked weak—was probably the closest she’ll ever get to ruling over an area like this.”

“What do you mean? Would she be stuck forever? Never have her own domain?” asked Tawny, frowning.

“She might have eventually gotten assigned control of some nonexistent town in middle America, but I doubt much more.” Hugh still looked oddly speculative. “Clearly, she didn’t want to. Neither does Mei, from the looks of it.”

“So much for it being better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven,” I said, pleased with my own wit. “Of course, I think we’re going to see a lot more in Mei’s career. She might be so-so in power, but she’s got a plan.”

“Have you noticed how she’s a lot less scary alone?” asked Cody.

“It was the matching clothes,” said Peter sagely. “When they dressed alike, it was too much like those girls from The Shining.”