With the gateways to the Otherworld closed, they couldn't bring mortals over to their realm to feed on and entertain themselves with.

But no matter what they did, they wouldn't get those gates open.

"Tell me what you find out." Val reached over, slipping my sunglasses off and placing them on her face. I had to say they looked good on her. "I'll help you however I can."

Val and I left Lafayette, heading for the bookstore "Okay. More normal conversations," she said. "You ready for that?"

"Of course," I said, feeling a thousand times better after telling her. Truth kept the soul light.

"So what do you think about this new guy?" she asked as we stepped into the small shopping center across the street from the cemetery.

"Ren?" I looked away quickly because I could feel my cheeks start to heat. I thought about this morning and how his face had popped right into the forefront of my thoughts. "What do you mean? I told you I believe him."

"That's not what I mean. He's hot. Like really freaking hot. And he belongs to a secret organization within a secret organization, so that like tips the scales of hotness. When he was in the meeting Friday night, he smiled and my panties caught on fire." Across from the law offices, Val opened the door to the Garden District Book Shop. "You likie? Because I'd like to get me a piece of that, but only if you're not interested."

I opened my mouth to say no but nothing came out. Nothing. Not a no or a yes. Nothing.

Val spun on me, her eyes wide as she grasped my shoulders. "Oh my God, you're interested in him? You want him to set your panties on fire."

"I really don't want my undies to catch on fire." My God, why did everyone want to talk about sex right now? "At all."

She waved her hand dismissively. "You want him. You can have him. You need to break that epic dry spell of yours, and boy that would be one hell of a way to break it." Letting go, she rocked back on her heels and clapped her hands together. "My little girl is going to get laid!" Shimmying her hips, she squealed. "Finally!"

Um.

Looking to the right, I saw a woman behind the counter staring at us. To my left was a man with a small boy, maybe around the age of five or six.

"How do you get laid?" the boy asked the man.

I sighed.

Completely oblivious, Val spun around and headed straight for the romance section. I trailed after her, almost wishing we were still talking about the ancients. "You know," she said, twirling down a tight aisle, her skirt billowed out around her, "I wasn't joking when I offered to end the dry spell for you. I'm equal opportunity."

Laughing, I stopped in the middle of the row and scanned the shelf by authors' last name. "I know."

She danced over to me and draped an arm around my shoulders. "Girls are so much more fun than boys."

"I don't even need to try that out to know that's true. Wait." I bumped her with my hip. "What happened last night with your hot date? That was a guy, right?"

"Oh yeah." Slipping away, she hummed under her breath as she perused the shelves. "He . . . something else." She peeked at me through thick lashes. "I'm surprised I can walk today."

"Thought girls were more fun," I replied dryly, finally finding the last name Crownover.

"Usually." She picked up a book. "But then there are some guys. Like Ren. They are more fun. So when you going to let—"

"Don't even finish that statement." Spying the book I was looking for, I snatched it up and cradled it close to my chest as I turned to Val. "Look, I'm . . . yeah okay, I'm attracted to him. Who wouldn't be? But I've only known him a few days."

"Babe." She skipped over to me. "Babe."

"What?" I shot her a look before starting for the front of the store.

"You do not need to know him, know him, to get some. You just need to drop those panties." She paused and her eyes glazed over like she was remembering something pretty steamy. "Actually, you don't need to drop them. He could just tug them aside, and that is really hot."

"Oh my God," I murmured, and then louder, "Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"Whatever. Prude."

I smiled. "Ho."

After we paid for our books, I was sure the employees were happy to see us make our way to the exit. Walking out together, I knew I'd made the right choice by confiding in her. Val needed to know what was out there so she could protect herself. I didn't know what I'd do if I lost her.

We ended up at the coffee shop next door and didn't make it any further than the chairs. She continued on about how I needed to be in a bed or against the wall or on a kitchen counter with Ren by the end of the week until she suddenly jerked straight up in her chair, startling me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning toward her.

"Crap. The time." She jumped to her feet. "I've got to go."

I raised my brows. "Hot date number two?"

"Actually, yes." She grabbed her coffee. "How do I look? Delectable?"

"Hot as usual." I held my hand out. "But can I have my sunglasses back?"

"Oh." She laughed, reaching up and pulling them off her head. She handed them over and swooped down to kiss my cheek. "I'll text you later."

"I have a feeling you're going to be really busy later."