I’d never thought I would utter those words. Carter had tormented me for years with his unsolicited, cryptic advice. He’d particularly loved to comment about Seth and me, as though he had some special interest in our relationship. Since it had ended, I’d hardly seen Carter at all. He used to come hang out with my friends and me but had only surfaced a couple of times in the last few months.

Isabelle smiled. “He’s closer than you think.”

“Typical angel answer,” I groaned. I turned around to leave and then yelped.

Carter stood by the club’s entrance.

Abandoning Isabelle, I hurried across the crowded room. Oblivious to the dress code, Carter wore his typical grungy clothing, ratty jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. A flannel shirt was tied around his waist, and his blond hair could have handled a good washing and brushing. He smiled expectantly at my approach and stepped outside to the crowded street. I followed.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, taking out my cigarettes. I grabbed one for myself and then offered him the pack. He took one too.

“What are you doing here?” he returned pleasantly.

“You know what I’m doing here. Everyone knows what I’m doing here.” I fumbled in my purse for my new lighter and found a matchbook instead. I pulled it out. Mark’s Mad Martini Bar. I’d forgotten them.

“What’s wrong?” asked Carter, noting my frown.

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I traded the matches for my lighter, and we lit up. “You were lurking with your signature hidden,” I continued. “Why?”

“Element of surprise,” he said. “It was worth it to see your face.”

We walked past the club lines and drunken groups, no clear destination in mind—at least none that I knew of. “You haven’t been around in a while,” I accused.

“Why, Daughter of Lilith, have you missed me?”

“No! But I was starting to feel like you were only interested in me while I was dating Seth.”

“Of course not.” There was a long, overly nonchalant pause. “So . . . have you talked to him lately?”

I rolled my eyes. “You are only interested in Seth! You’re going to have to let it go, Carter. Seth and I are finished. Why can’t you obsess on me and my new boyfriend instead?”

“Because you can do better.”

“Everyone keeps saying that. But I’m a succubus. How much better can I do?”

“The fact that people keep telling you that should be answer enough.”

“Seth broke up with me,” I said through gritted teeth. “He doesn’t want me anymore, end of story.”

“Oh, come now. Do you really believe that?”

“Seeing as I was there at the break-up? Yes.”

Carter tsked. “Georgina, Georgina. You’re letting your anger and other emotions cloud your reason, which is unfortunate since you’re a lot smarter than people give you credit for. Go back and think. Why did Seth break up with you?”

I stared off at the far side of the street, refusing to look at him. “Because he thought if we stayed together, we’d both get hurt. That it would be better if we split, no matter how painful at the time.”