Riley set his chin on Seth’s shoulder. “Luke.”
All in all, it was a promising start.
Violet wasthe next to arrive, followed by the bearded, flannel-clad high school teacher, who turned out to be named Trent.
Seth greeted Trent’s arrival with a certain amount of wariness—the guy was taller even than Riley and built like he felled trees for a living—but Violet’s blackmail victim didn’t seem upset to be there. He just grabbed a beer from Luke with one of those silent bro nods and took a seat, setting an earmarked paperback copy ofThe Woman in Whiteonto the table.
Anime Shirt Guy was last to show up. He was, in fact, wearing a different anime shirt tonight, and his name was Zephyr. He gave them each a shy, hesitant smile and claimed one of the sodas, as well as a piece from both cakes.
Double cake would always get Seth’s approval, so Zephyr definitely got a gold star.
And then the six of them were all seated, with the inevitable awkward silence that came from a group of people thrust together without much previous interaction. Sure, Violet was Luke’s niece, but she didn’t seem inclined to break the silence on her own, other than to comment that, “For a book club, this is a total sausage fest.”
“Who was in charge of recruiting?” Riley asked, the only word he’d spoken to anyone so far besides their name in greeting. He’dchosen the chair next to Seth’s and shoved it so close that their legs were practically crossed over each other.
Violet tilted her soda toward him in acknowledgment. “Touché.”
Seth cleared his throat, kind of feeling like he should have a gavel to bang against the table. “So, um, I thought we’d do a little icebreaker, if that’s not too cliché? We can keep it easy. Let’s all say something fun or exciting or weird from our week.”
There were vague sounds of affirmation and a few nods, but no one spoke first.
Oh God, were they going to have to go around in a circle, like some sort of forced grade-school activity? Seth opened his mouth to suggest it, and then everyone was speaking at once.
“I’ve been hearing singing coming from the coast late at night. Almost every night now. I don’t recognize the language.”
“I’m pretty sure my house is haunted.”
“Becky Simpson tried to edge past me for valedictorian, but she couldn’t cut it in calculus.”
“Something keeps eating the heads off my chickens.”
Well…okay. That last one was from Zephyr, and Seth turned to him. “You have…chickens?”
“Six of them.” Zephyr frowned to himself. “Well, four now. Rest in peace, Fluffy and Dumdum.”
“What kind of coop do you have?” Trent asked. Trent of the haunted house, according to his icebreaker. He didn’t look like the type to believe in that stuff, but maybe he’d just been trying to keep his on gothic theme. “I know some tricks to keep the predators out.”
Luke—who’d apparently been getting serenaded nightly in a foreign language—rubbed a hand over his scruff. “Damn. I was thinking about getting chickens as a fun thing for Colby, but not if they’re gonna get eaten. He’d never forgive me.”
Seth grinned at Riley. Just like that, the ice had been broken.Riley hooked his pinkie finger with Seth’s and then, miraculously, actually focused on the conversation happening in front of him.
Seth poured himself a glass of wine with his free hand as he listened to the benefits of an automated coop locking system. He felt…hopeful. Light. This was the start of something, he was pretty sure. Something small, maybe, but also…real. Like a little reminder that Seth might not have been human anymore, but he hadn’t lost his humanity. He could still be part of the world he loved so much.
He knew things would need to change and evolve when he and Riley didn’t age down the line, but that would all come later. They had years before they had to worry about that to any extent. And yeah, maybe Seth was going to have a major freak-out coming his way when that finally sank in, but for now, he was fine.
He’d fed on his first human last week, and it hadn’t been some horrible, traumatizing thing. It had been pretty pleasant, actually. He and Riley had driven up to Bellingham. They’d gotten teas and taken them to a park, and Seth had pulled someone aside to ask to use their phone. It had been a matter of quick compulsion and a quick bite behind a tree, and then his victim had been free to go, none the wiser. Seth hadn’t even felt guilty about it. It hadn’t taken much to fill his stomach, and the whole thing was probably more ethical than the majority of the meat industry, if he really thought about it.
Overall, he still felt like himself, especially here and now with cake on the table and his boyfriend at his side, listening to the casual, contented chatter around them. And yes, Seth could hear the hearts beating around him, if he focused, and feel the rush of nourishing blood pulsing in his guests’ veins. But he could also hearRiley’sheart, strong and steady and beating in a rhythm Seth already knew deep in his bones.
As much as he’d hated getting captured by the institute, Seth had also been given time to think in that cell, locked away forhours by himself without a companion or phone. Time to realize he didn’t actually need much out of life. He didn’t evenwantmuch. He wanted a community to rely on. He wanted to keep the people he loved safe. He wanted to bake delicious goods for himself and for others. And he wanted Riley, with all his sweet, feral devotion.
Whatever happened, they’d figure it out together. And they would have the help of Riley’s moms, the Colorado den, Benny and his terrifying husband, and Seth’s demon contingency back home. Even Violet would have their backs, and there was no fucking doubt that girl was only going to grow more intimidating with age.
Seth and Riley weren’t alone. They weren’t monsters. They were young and in love, and they had whole lifetimes ahead of them.
Seth rested his head on Riley’s shoulder. He couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.
EPILOGUE
