Page 31 of Seph

Touching him made her jump inside.

Simeon hissed, “I’m not. Hades is. If he has to pull us off of work, the least he can do is cover expenses. That’s what he gave me this for.” He flashed a little piece of black plastic at her. Numbers glittered like silver scales on fish, visible one second and gone the next.

“Ta, Alban. Bye.”

Emily stared at the vampire who was now calmly picking up the plate of cookies and carrying it to the kitchen counter. “How did you know Alban Wymark was my landlord?”

“Van Helsing, who has lived here longer, you or me?”

“You.”

“And who helped you find this place?”

“You and Mr. Minegold.”

“Question asked, question answered.”

“So, the god of the underworld just gave you his credit card to use on whatever you like?”

“Heisthe god of wealth, too. I think as long as I can justify the business expenses, he’ll be all right with it. If we find his wife, he probably won’t care if we blow a million.” Simeon smiled at her. “Who knows where we might have to mingle, hm?Undercover investigators, that’s us. When’s the last time you bought yourself new clothes, pet?”

Emily blushed. She had to buy three new bras (she always brought bras in threes) in the last few months because the padding she’d gained from eating regularly and allowing herself the occasional treat (usually from Simeon or Minegold) had all collected up top.

“Clothes aren’t important,” she mumbled.

“Fine. Don’t let me spoil you,” he sighed and stuffed a cookie in his mouth. “Mm. These are good.”

“They were my mother’s. I mean—they were what my mother and I used to have every morning. Before my dad woke up. Before she left.”

Simeon stopped eating, a second cookie carefully placed back on the china plate. “She left? I thought she—”

“She left, and she died a week later. A crash on the A-1 in heavy rain, right near construction. Loose stones or something. She skidded.”Like I skidded. But no friendly monsters were there to save her.

“Oh, Emily. I knew she passed, but I didn’t know she left first.”

Heat hit her in the chest, a sick wave of grief. “She wouldn’t have died if it wasn’t for me.”

“All kids blame themselves, love. You can’t think that way.”

“She wanted me to leave with her, Simeon. She told me we had to leave and not come back because my dad’s work was too dangerous. That’s what she said. She knew who he was and what he did when they got married. I think she realized too late that I would be forced to train like he did, work like an adult, and she was worried I would get hurt.” Emily swallowed hard and only twitched a little when Simeon came and stood next to her, hand on the small of her back.

“But you didn’t leave?”

“She told me we couldn’t take anything with us and we couldn’t say goodbye to Daddy or he’d stop us. I begged her to let me stay and say goodbye to my dad. I remember... I remember I had just learned to whittle a stake, and he was actually proud of me.Happywith me. I knew I needed to leave, but I didn’t understand why I couldn’t say goodbye.”

“What kid would?”

“I don’t know. A smarter one than me? She left and said she would be coming back that next Saturday and that rain or shine, goodbyes said or not, I had to be ready to run to the car and get in without looking back. I waited all day Saturday. All morning Sunday. My dad hadn’t even noticed she was gone because there kept being food and I put myself to bed and got myself up in the morning.”

The vampire’s face said it all.

Even the monster would have known his wife was missing.

Hell, the god of—that’s awkward— the God of the Underworld is obsessed with finding his wife.

“The police came on Sunday afternoon. She had been coming to get me because I wouldn’t go with her when she left. I knew she loved me best. I knew, and I still... I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to my dad.” Her head hit Simeon’s chest with a soft sob. She had never told anyone this. Never had anyone to tell. Her father was shocked by her mother’s death, but even as a child, she could tell he was more angry than anything. Angry that he would have to maintain the physical and material needs of the household and a child. Instead of slowing down the pace of his hunting to care for his grieving daughter, he’d pulled her along at breakneck speed so she could be his shadow. Training now became twelve hours of her day, with minimal sleep and the minimum of schooling that would keep the authorities at bay.

“I would have wanted to say goodbye to my old man, too, if I’d had a chance to meet him in the first place. I get it, Emmy. I get it.” He kissed the top of her head.

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