Seymour placed the tip of the pen in the middle of the new shape. “Say, like maybe right here?”
“It certainly seems to be at the very center of everything.” Day purred curiously. “What is that?”
“It is a small park.” Sariel shook his head. “That does not make any sense. There is nowhere to hide or carry out terrible acts of violence with a demigod’s brain.” He paused. “There is one very large tree, but… No. It would not be sufficient.”
“Well, can’t hurt to go check it out.” Seymour shrugged, shoving a few fries in his mouth.
All of the cheeseburgers were gone, and Day had made it through at least six fries and half of the milk. She’d slowed down, taking prim little nibbles. “After that, are we going home?”
“Home?”
Sariel blushed. “I believe she means my house.”
“Home is where your family is.” Day smiled brightly. “It doesn’t really matter where we are as long as we’re together.”
Seymour’s heart thumped, and he smiled. “Yeah. I reckon so.”
“Oh! Isn’t this just lovely!” a man’s voice exclaimed.
“Do you like it? Really?” said another, smooth despite the static of coming through a phone’s speaker and horribly familiar.
“I do!” the first squealed, and it was then Seymour realized he knew this voice too. “It’s so fun! It’s been far too long since I visited the mortal world.”
Seymour spun around in his seat, his heart crawling up into the back of his throat when he saw a very tall man with a long white braid strutting through the middle of the restaurant with a phone in his hand.
His phone case was gold—wait, no.
Bronze.
Well, fuck.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Seymour turned around, hissing, “It’s the fuckin’ king!”
Sariel looked past Seymour, and his eyes widened. “Oh, dear.”
“What the fuck are they doin’ here?”
Day shrugged. “Maybe he wanted a Happy Meal?”
Seymour put his hand up to his face, trying to shield himself. There was a tiny chance Zolrya wouldn’t see them, and maybe everything would be all right.
“Oh!” Zolrya gasped. “Darling. The little mortal and the angel are here!” He waved, his many glittering bracelets jingling.
He had on tight black pants, big high-heeled black boots, and a dark blazer made from a vibrant floral brocade in shades of green and shimmering silver thread. He wore nothing beneath the blazer except for a thick diamond collar that had several long, jeweled strands. There was a giant red rose on his left lapel, and his lips had been painted the same color.
As a human, his features were the same as his faerie form except his skin was now a warm copper hue and his teeth didn’t look like he could chew up a bunch of surfers in the middle of the ocean.
“Uh. Hey!” Seymour waved back awkwardly. “Love the outfit, Your Majesty.”
“Aw, thank you!” Zolrya clapped his hands excitedly. “I’ll be right over!”
“What are they doing there?” Talos asked through the phone’s speaker with what sounded like a very sour scowl.
“They’re eating, you silly man,” Zolrya teased. “Mortals have to do that, you know. They’ll die after, like, a day or something.” He cut ahead of a handful of people to approach the counter.
