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Unbidden, a memory of my childhood came to me. The Cyprian town I'd lived in returned to me in startling clarity, its colors, smells, and airs.
"I grew up around beaches," I said softly. "Sun and surf." I shook myself out of the wistful memory, feeling a bit embarrassed at my dreamy state. "But I'm in the wrong place for that."
"Yeah," she agreed. "You'd have to move to California for that."
We had another round of drinks and talked about other things, and to my surprise, I had a really great time. I remembered now why I liked Maddie so much. She was so easy to talk to, so funny and smart. I didn't have a lot of female friends, and there was a big difference between her and the guys I normally hung out with. Women needed other women sometimes.
I was signing my credit card bill when Seth walked over to our table.
Maddie looked up, beaming. "Hey, sweetie." She stood up and kissed him, something that unnerved both Seth and me. All of a sudden, the warm and pleasant feeling that had been building within me shattered. Maddie glanced at me explanatorily. "I called Seth to get a ride while you were in the bathroom."
I smiled tightly. "Ah."
Maddie turned back to him. "You're missing out. This place has great drinks. You sure you don't want to break the rules? We could stay another round."
"Actually, I need to go," I said, thinking of few things more agonizing than drinking with the two of them.
"And I'm not ready to break the rules," said Seth, avoiding my eyes. "Besides, I've got work to do."
Maddie looked only moderately disappointed. "Oh, well. No problem. Let me run to the bathroom, and we'll go. We'll give you a ride, Georgina."
I should have run away then and there, but Maddie dashed off quickly, and I felt it would be rude to leave without saying good-bye to her. Seth sat down in her chair and clasped his hands in front of him. Our usual wall of awkwardness slammed down between us.
"I don't need a ride," I said abruptly.
Seth glanced up at me. "It's a long walk."
"Not really. It's only six blocks."
"Yeah, but you've been drinking."
I scoffed. "I had two drinks. I'm hardly going to walk into traffic, if that's what you're worried about."
"No, but it's no problem for me. I just want to make sure you get home okay." It was one of those rare times when his mild mood had been replaced by something more adamant. For whatever reason, that ratcheted up the anger within me.
"I'll be fine," I snapped. "It's not your job to look after me anymore."
"Georgina, please."
"Please what? You know I'm right."
"You're making this into a bigger deal than it is. It doesn't always have to be about us."
"Of course it does...I mean, inasmuch as there is an us. You got out. I'm not your concern."
"I can still worry about you. Still care."
I leaned forward, possibly emboldened by my martinis. "You made it perfectly clear how much you care, and that's fine. I've got a whole new life now."
His look turned wry. "Yeah, your new life seems great."
That incensed me further, largely because I wasn't really convinced my new life was all that great either. "It is. I can do whatever I want now. I don't have to worry about hurting your delicate sensibilities when I sleep with someone or having to modify our dates to boring things that don't take you out of your comfort zone or interfere with your writing schedule."
It was horrible of me. Mean, mean, mean. I would have expected him to flinch, to look hurt. Instead, he fought back.
"And I don't have to worry about being hypocritically judged for being both too boring and too risky. I also don't have to wonder anymore if everything I'm being told is a half-truth or an outright lie."
That made me flinch. It was also when Maddie showed back up. She tried to cajole me into a ride, but I firmly refused-a bit more harshly than I needed to with her. She looked a little abashed, but I was too upset over Seth's words to care too much. I left, storming down the hill so hard, it was a wonder my footsteps didn't make the ground shake.
CHAPTER 6
It was dark by now, so I headed straight for my car and drove over to the vampires' apartment in Capitol Hill. Well, technically it was Peter's apartment. Cody was his apprentice and lived there by Peter's good graces, so long as he adhered to Peter's neurotic cleaning standards.
"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."
Cody looked like he might start a fight then and there, so I hastily asked, "And nobody knows how the mistake was made?"
"I heard it was Cedric," called Peter. "And that you've been cozying up with him."
"Hardly. I just met him yesterday."
Cody was apparently out of the loop. "What?"
"Georgina was sent to Canadian Boot Camp for sleeping with the therapist," explained Peter.
"Seriously?" asked Cody. I could already tell he was envisioning images of pine trees and snow-capped mountains.
I shrugged. "Figure of speech. It's some stupid job I have to do for him. I was there earlier today and got sent home empty-handed because there was nothing for me to do."
"I can't believe you'd do that," said Cody.
"Work for Cedric?"
"No. Go to Canada and not bring us back Tim Hortons."
The vampires invited me to stay for dinner, as I'd known they would, and we mulled over the mystery of last night's fight and other demonic politics. For the first time in a very long while, I had something to distract me other than Seth and the woes of my love life. There was nothing going on that really indicated some large, disastrous immortal scheme at work. A misunderstanding among vampires. A troublesome cult. An old grudge between demons. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on-something just beyond my reach. I kept thinking of what Tawny had said about scams and misdirection.
