"Seamus, we can go back tomorrow. The mirror is working again," Madeline said.
He nodded without lifting his eyes from the playground. His focus stayed fixed on the same figure moving among the children, Maria.
"Yeah," he replied quietly.
Madeline tilted her head, watching him instead of the kids. "So… you like her?"
He stiffened. "What? No. I just want things between us to feel normal again."
She eased onto the bench beside him, leaning in close enough that he could feel the weight of her against his shoulder.
"Some things don't return to normal, even if we want them to. Sometimes the best thing you can do is accept that."
"But I haven't tried anything yet," Seamus said.
"Maybe if I talk to her or help her here, she will change her mind. I mean, Rowani is crawling with hunters and vampires who want my head anyway."
"Isolde would never let you stay," Madeline said.
After a brief pause she added, almost grudgingly, "But… the idea isn't entirely terrible."
