“Georgina,” said Cody happily, opening the door for me. The lingering yellow bruise of a black eye showed on his face.

“Wow,” I said, shocked enough by his appearance to let go of the Seth-rage that had consumed me the whole drive over. “It’s true. You really did get in a fight.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said cheerfully. “It was great. Totally West Side Story.”

I stepped inside and glanced around. “You also finally changed the carpet.” They used to have velvety plush carpet stretching throughout the living room in ivory. This new stuff was a blue-gray Berber.

Peter stepped out from the kitchen and arched an eyebrow at me. I could smell pork chops and rosemary cooking. “Yeah, well, after three months of trying to scrub off that wine you spilled, I finally gave up.”

“That was an accident,” I reminded him. “Kind of.” My final showdown with Niphon had involved me punching him and throwing him around. Peter’s china cabinet and a full wineglass had been the casualties. I looked away from the corner where our fight had taken place. My heart had been raw and bleeding that day, fresh from the break-up with Seth.

“This is Scotchgarded,” continued Peter. There was a challenge in his voice, like he was daring me to spill something on it now.

I settled myself on the couch, in the same way they often made themselves comfortable at my place without asking. I started to take out my cigarettes, but one look from Peter made me put them away with a sigh. Sometimes he allowed smoking but apparently not around new carpet.

“So what happened last night?” I asked.

“Maude, Lenny, and Paul came hunting in the city,” explained Peter. There was an uncharacteristic anger in his eyes, rivaled only by the time he’d found out the color he’d used to paint his kitchen had been discontinued. “And then Elsa went over to the eastside, which pissed off Aidan.”

I wasn’t up to date on all the vampires in Washington, but I recognized most of the names and knew their territories—they were from far-out areas like Spokane and Yakima. Seattle would be a huge step up for them—except for the fact that Peter and Cody already controlled most of the city limits. My friends were laconic and mild most of the time, but I suspected I would have seen a whole other side to them last night when they discovered others in their hunting grounds.

“Three in your turf,” I mused. “I bet that was fun.”

“Oh yeah,” said Cody, face still aglow. “They’re not going to come trolling around here anymore. We kicked their asses like you wouldn’t believe. It was awesome.”

I couldn’t help a smile. “Your first fight?” He nodded, and I glanced at Peter. “No marks on you.”

Peter looked offended. “Of course not. Do I look like an amateur?”

“Hey!” said Cody. “What are you saying about me?”

Peter shrugged and returned to the kitchen, saying, “Just telling it like it is. I’ve been around a lot longer than you. Been in a lot more fights than you too. And I wasn’t the one who got a black eye last night.”