Page 1 of Looking for Seth

Chapter 1

Menhit

I smiled at the satyr opposite me just as the bell rang to signal the end of the speed dating event. Despite knowing I shouldn't, I almost let out a relieved sigh that I'd been saved from more pointless conversations that wouldn't go anywhere.

Normally, I had a lot more fun at Jinx speed dating events, but apparently, that wasn't the case tonight. I said goodbye and scrunched up the card in my hand, already knowing that I didn't want to put a tick by anyone's name.

I searched the crowd until my gaze landed on Bastet and Ptah, sharing a cosy table with one another at the back like they often did. She saw me looking and waved me over. Despite not taking part in the event, I appreciated that they came to offer me moral support.

I weaved between the tables while the singles taking part in the event also got up to leave, except for a pair of women three tables down from mine. From the way they were looking at one another, they weren't going to end their date here. Venus would no doubt be pleased about that.

I headed over to my friends, briefly considering ordering another drink before I did, but thinking better of it.

"I'm going to go have a word with Baal," Ptah said as I got there. "I'll be back." He leaned over and kissed Bastet's cheek, causing her to blush and let out a small laugh as if she was a young shifter experiencing first love, and not a several thousand-year-old goddess in a serious relationship with someone she'd known almost as long.

"We'll be here," she responded.

Ptah disappeared into the crowd, presumably to find the storm god he'd mentioned.

"Did I scare him away?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bastet laughed and slid a glass across the table. "For you."

"Thanks." I knew there was a reason I hadn't stopped to get a drink, and leaned in to take a sip of the rum and coke.

"And not even slightly. I think he just saw how badly that went and figured you'd need a place to vent."

I sighed. "It didn't go great."

"I could tell. What's wrong? I thought you liked coming to these things because they're fun?"

"It's complicated," I admitted, trying not to think about how much worse it was because I knew how she felt about speed dating. She'd only done it once, and I knew that was because Sekhmet had convinced her that she should and no other reason.

"Try me." She picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

"Okay, so it is fun," I said. "But I suppose I've been feeling a little lonely lately." Especially since I was spending a lot of my downtime around a couple who were as loved up as she and Ptah were.

"Oh, Menhit." She gave me a look that I would rather she never gave me again.

"Don't oh, Menhit me. I'm fine. It'll pass."

"What if it doesn't?"

"Then that's why I'll keep coming to speed dating," I responded with a little too much false cheer.

She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly unimpressed by the way I'm acting. I didn't really blame her, I could be doing a better job at being convincing.

I shrugged. "Or I'll try one of the other Jinx events. And if I get really desperate, then there's the matchmaking service, but I can't imagine trusting Cupid with finding me someone."

"I've heard he's good."

"I'm sure he is, but he's also a baby."

She laughed. "Only compared to us. To the humans, he's old."

"True." I took another sip of my drink.

"So you're lonely?" she asked.