Page 60 of Greer's Change

“Sorry,” I repeat. It’s hard to know what else to say. “Honestly, I didn’t have a choice. Remember when I told you about Cole?” I go on to repeat my story for the third time tonight.

Between Ember, my mom, and Bart, the council guy, I’m a little numb from having to repeat myself over and over. It’s still better to get it out of the way now. Her life seems to have turned upside down as much as mine in the last few weeks, and although the conversation takes longer than I’d like, I end the call feeling better than I have in days.

Ornights.

As a siren, I counted things in days, but now, I suppose I’ll have to get used to tracking things by nights.

Seiran’s clawed hand lands on my chin, tilting my face to his. He bends, giving me a slow and tender kiss. I’m not sure how it happens, but my phone falls to the couch, and I climb into his lap before I can stop myself.

He smiles against my lips, pulling back and palming the back of my head. “Hey, how about we get out of here for a little while? Maybe get some fresh air?”

My god, he’s dangerous with his hair falling around his face and the way those creases form around his mouth when he smiles like that.

I nod. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

“Where are we headed?” I ask as Seiran leads me down the sidewalk and away from the club.

“We’ll need to stay around town to remain close to Novak, but it’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the moonlight.” His massive wings flex behind him as his tail encircles my waist, pulling me close to his side. His wing wraps around my shoulder, and I find the gesture wildly romantic.

Black Cove might be bigger than Haven, but it has that small-town feel that I adore.

Spellbound is around here somewhere, but I’m not familiar enough with the area to know if we’re getting closer or farther away. At some point, I need to stop in and pay Lisette. Also to thank her for attempting to craft a spell for me.

I almost chuckle from imagining Hazel appearing in the old witch’s store. They only relayed the basics, but for whatever reason, Hazel’s magic brought her there when she was searching for me.

Luckily, Lisette knew who she was talking about, but it was extra thoughtful that she showed Hazel to the club. Although, I’m still confused about how the witch knew I would be there. Perhaps her cards told her, or maybe she has scrying as a gift.

Being with Seiran is justeasy,and having his wing tucked around me as we explore makes me feel safe.

“So, tell me about you,” I say as we walk past the line of shops. Most are open, and several have customers visible inside through the large glass windows.

“First generation demon.” He shrugs. “Hell was fine. When it’s all you’ve known, you don’t realize how miserable something is. I much prefer the human realm, but when Novak first summoned me, it was overwhelming. In a good way, but still strange.”

“I can only imagine.” I slide my arm under where his wings attach to his back, and my fingers dig into his hip.

“Have you given any thought to what you’d like to do about Granny’s house?” Seiran asks. “It belongs to your family, so the council may allow it to sit vacant, as long as you reside in town.”

I frown, shaking my head. “That seems so wasteful. It’s got, what? Five or six bedrooms? I know how limited the housing choices are in Haven. I’d feel terrible having it just sit there.”

“Renting it out would be an option,” he says, guiding me toward a flower shop. It seems to be open, but that’s one of the few businesses I’d expect to be daytime only. “I try to bring flowers every few weeks to swap out for the ones on Granny’s grave. They have fake options, and I switched to those recently, but with them being out in the elements, I try to replace them before they fade.”

My heart pitter-patters in my chest. He might just be the sweetest incubus in existence.

The cemetery is close, less than a five minute walk. It’s tiny compared to what I would expect to find in a human city, but I suppose that speaks to how few supernaturals die. Even when we do, a lot of cultures lean toward cremation.

Having humans dig up our bones for testing in a few centuries could be extremely detrimental to us being able to hide.

Seiran swaps out the fake flowers, says a few words to Granny, assuring her he’s looking after me, and drops the old bouquet in the trash can as we exit.

Being outside in the fresh air helps ground me. Life has kept right on moving since I died.

It’s hard.

I’m grateful they saved me, but I’m still bitter it was necessary in the first place. The frustration I feel toward myself is a whole different thing. The more I think about what Bart said, the easier it is to see how little I protected my own well-being. I knew essentially nothing about Cole.

Played a foolish game and you lost.

Seiran wraps his arm around my lower back as we head toward the lights of the small downtown area. “I want to court you, even though we’re already bonded. Normally, I would ask to take you out for a meal, but neither of us eats human food.”

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