Page 12 of Looking for Seth

"Venus puts on good events," I said. "And they've had a few success stories of couples getting together, which I think helped spread the word."

"Is that why you're here?"

I shook my head. "I like meeting people, and this seemed like a good way. I was hooked after the first time I came."

"I can see why. If you like people, this is the perfect place to be."

"Do you like being around others?" I asked, surprised at how easy it was to talk to her even if she wasn't the person I wanted to be sitting opposite me.

"I do. It's how I got into real estate."

"And I imagine that also means you get invited into lots of houses," I joked.

She chuckled. "Yep, that's the secret most vampires won't tell you. What do you do?"

"I make knives," I responded, though I realised that didn't quite summarise the extent of what I did, but it was enough for now.

"Hmm, so we both have pointy weapons."

I shook my head in amusement, only to be semi-disappointed when the bell rang, signalling the end of the session. We said our goodbyes and she moved on, being replaced by a man who wasn't Seth.

I hoped I hadn't wasted my chance at meeting him.

Chapter 7

Seth

The moment I entered the hotel bar, a sense of foreboding settled in my stomach. I shouldn't be here. I'd not been enamoured with the idea of speed dating to begin with, but now I was inside the building, I was starting to truly question why I'd thought this was a good idea.

Merry. She was the reason. Her point about meeting a stranger was a good one. I knew that I wasn't going to do anything to harm her, but there was no way she could be sure of that, especially when we'd never met in person. And this was where she wanted to meet, so this is where I was.

Though signing up to take part was all on me. The moment I'd seen her message, I'd done the foolish thing of heading over to a woman who looked familiar, but didn't have a name tag so I couldn't know for sure, and signing up to take part, despite the fact there was only one person in the entire room that I actually wanted to meet.

But now I was sitting opposite a werewolf with a cute smile and a bubbly personality, I was truly starting to rethink my decision. She seemed nice, but definitely not my type.

Was I even in the right place? Everywhere I looked, there were paranormals talking away, and several gods I recognised, as well as those I didn't. I shouldn't be here. I'd spent so long hiding from my fellow gods, the last thing I should be doing was being in a room with them. I'd even spotted Baal in passing and remembered that I continually promised myself I'd reach out to my old friend but never actually did it. Perhaps this would be the chance I had to do that. If I didn't get to meet Merry, then I supposed reconnecting him wouldn't be the end of the world. He'd always been a good man.

All of it added up to one thing. I'd assumed that Merry was a mortal shifter, and now I was thinking that wasn't at all the case. At least I knew she wasn't a fire fairy, unless she'd lied about that, but I doubted it. The feelings within me were somewhat conflicting. On the one hand, I could understand that she'd kept this quiet, especially as I had done exactly the same. On the other, I was now in a room full of gods and I didn't want to be. I should have looked up the event better.

The bell rang, and I gave the woman opposite what I hoped was a pleasant smile, but I didn't know if I actually pulled it off. She responded in kind, making me assume that I'd managed. That was a relief. It had been a while since I'd been around this many people, and I didn't want to make anyone more uncomfortable than they were already.

I sat down in the next chair in line, preparing myself to go through the same experience all over again, only for me to stop in my tracks the moment my gaze latched onto her face.

Her gorgeous dark skin glowed in the light of the café, while her black hair shone and her eyes sparkled with what seemed like mischief. Even seated, I could tell that she was tall and graceful. But none of that was what struck me the most.

Because the woman sitting opposite me was clearly the same one I'd been talking to online for weeks. She was memorable and breathtaking in all the same ways.

"Hello," she said, her voice coming out a little breathy, as if she'd had exactly the same realisation about me.

I glanced at her name tag, confirming my suspicions that she'd been going by her human name on the app we'd been using. "Menhit suits you better than Merry," I said slowly.

She raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't the reaction I expected.

"I'm still processing." Especially because I could feel the power radiating from her. Even if I hadn't recognised her name, there'd still be no doubt in my mind that she was powerful. Gods didn't really have an aura around them that screamed god, and yet I felt no doubt that she was a goddess.

"I'm glad you came, even if you're still processing," she admitted, seeming to mean it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was..."

"A gorgeous goddess?" I should do better at formulating my thoughts before I spoke, but at least I was getting to the point quickly.