Page 32 of Seph

And it was so tempting to turn her face upward and kiss him, to let her hands knead and delve, exploring him.

What if he dies, and I never get the chance to kiss him again?

That’s the way it ought to be.

So why didn’t her body know that?

Simeon patted her back and cleared his throat. “Well. Maybe this week’ll go better than you think. The town’ll be safe for a week. If we find Seph, I bet we can get Pine Ridge put in some permanent circle of protection. You’ll get a long, long vacation, Huntress.”

Emily wiped her eyes and hurried away from him. “That would be nice, Crow. But you realize this isn’t a vacation for me, right? This is just another saving-people disaster that I didn’t ask for. Worse, it’s a saving-vampire disaster. My dad would probably stake me first and you second at this point. I’m a traitor. Move your feet. There are crumbs all over the floor. I have to clean the carpet, or I’ll get ants.”

She couldn’t tell him any more secrets over the noisy old second-hand vacuum, and that was good. She didn’t want to let Simeon burrow his way into her heart any deeper.

That’s right, Simeon. You can dress it up and throw money at it, but all you’re doing is putting her in danger. You didn’t eventryto do it yourself without asking for her help. She wouldn’t do this if it weren’t for Jakob and J.J.. Jesse and Sophie. The ones with proper souls.

Simeon felt a shudder of revulsion start in his stomach. He might rather spend eternity in a slime pit than put Emily at risk. He groaned inside, and kicked the plug out of the wall. The vacuum spun to silence.

“Damn it!” Emily hissed under her breath, one hand raking through the mussed wisps of her bangs. “Simeon, would Hades mind if I put a Hoover on his credit card? It’s sort of related to saving his wife. I can’t leave the apartment to get infested with ants and roaches while I’m away, right? No, no. Even I don’t believe that. Maybe one of the neighbors has a broom...”

“It’s not the machine, Emmy. It’s me. I wanted to talk.” Simeon pointedly kicked the plug. “Look... You should stay here and enjoy a week where you know you’ll get peace.” Simeon forcefully whipped the tablecloth from the table and started folding it. “I panicked, and I wanted your help. It was a knee-jerk reaction to having the ruddy God of the Underworld show up in my bedroom”

“Whoa. No boundaries, huh?” Emily’s stunned expression morphed into a small smile. “Sounds likesomeone elseI know.”

“Oi! I have never shown up and sat on your bed—”

Emily crossed her arms. “Hospital?”

“Wh— Well, never mind. You stay here, and I’ll sort this out. It’s my mess, not yours.” He looked out the window of her little second-floor flat. Night was rapidly turning to morning. “I’ve gotta go. Gotta get back to my place before daylight. I might end up roasted by the end of the week, better not start today.” He gave her a little bow with his head and headed for the door.

Her stomach twisted.Roasted?

He’s a murderer. He deserves roasting.

Her voice was soft, warning. “You’re going to have to be careful with the car. You could jump across a time zone and into daylight.”

He hesitated, hand on the doorknob. “I know. Hell. I’m lousy at remembering that stuff.”

The twisting turned into a raging tornado. “Simeon... I’m going to go with you.”

“You don’t need to.”

“What if the only time we can reach her is during the day? What if she’s held in someone’s home? You’re still a vampire. You can’t go into a private residence without an invite. You can’t go out in the daylight.”

“I’ll figure out something. I’ve survived almost two centuries without your help. Well—if I’m rounding.”

She laughed. God, he was really the only one who could make her laugh, and one of the ones she should never share that with. “I’m still going. I—I owe you a favor, too.”

“The money? Look,Ican pay it back to Hades if it’s that big of a deal. I don’t care about—”

She was suddenly too close to him, angry eyes and intense fingertips digging into his chest. “I need to go.”

“I won’t screw it up, all right? J.J. and the rest will be safe.”

Emily’s hand latched onto his elbow. “I trust you. Not to screw it up, I mean. This isn’t just about Minegold or J.J. or anyone in this town. I...” All at once, she couldn’t look at him, couldn’t keep touching him. Instead, she busied herself with the vacuum again, plugging it back in but not switching it on. “I have reasons. For Milly. And Hades. And... other people.”

Mom. Me.

Simeon.

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