I sent my attention to the bathroom door when Nick came out, his head down, clearly worried. I exhaled in a slow puff, leaning back into my chair. “Oh that’s just swell,” I said sourly. “Something’s wrong with the charms.”

Triangular face worried, Jenks followed my gaze, saying nothing. Ivy didn’t look at all, and waited for it as Nick sat down before his Virgin Bloody Rabbit and took a gulp.

“My shoes are too tight,” he whispered, fingers shaking.

Mouth open, I stared. It hadn’t been Nick’s voice. “Peter?” I breathed, shocked. My eyes jerked from him to Ivy and Jenks. “My God. Can I cook, or can I cook!”

Ivy’s breath slipped from her in a slow sound. Check I thought, seeing her mentally cross off the next item on her list.

Grinning, Jenks started to eat again, this time working on my half of the ice cream.

I tried not to look at Peter, but it was hard not to. The vampire sat beside me, his arms resting on the table as if tired, the barest tremble in his fingers, which were a shade shorter than Nick’s, and thin, not swollen. The two men had exchanged clothes along with identities, and it was eerie how complete the change was. Only in the eyes could I see a clear difference. Peter had a haze from the painkiller he had taken so he could walk upright. Just as well I’d be driving.

“No wonder those things are illegal,” Ivy said, hiding her words behind her glass of juice.

My worry deepened when Jenks added, “His aura is the same.”

“Shit,” I whispered, my stomach knotting. “I forgot about that.”

Jenks finished the ice cream and pushed the plate away with a little sigh. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said. “Weres can’t use the ever-after. They can’t see auras.”

Embarrassed, I hunched over my drink. “You can. And you can’t use the ever-after.”

He grinned. “That’s because pixies are ever-after. We’re magic, baby. Just ask Matalina.”

Ivy snickered. She took a cherry, and Jenks put her sword with mine when she casually handed it to him.

“You know,” I said, “you can buy a box of those for a buck fifty in any grocery store.”

Jenks shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Watching the banter, Peter smiled, making my heart ache when I remembered Nick looking at me like that. “I wish I had the chance to know you before all this,” he said softly. “You fit well together. Like a vampire camarilla, but without the jealousy and politics. A real family.”

My good mood died. Jenks played with his fork to get it to balance on its tines, and Ivy became very interested in the Weres at the bar.

Peter blinked rapidly, a nervous reaction I’d never seen in Nick. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I say something—”

Ivy interrupted him. “Peter, we’ve got about an hour until Nick gets into place with that bridge traffic. Do you want something to eat?”