July went to great lengths to make her home as uninviting as possible. From the border of salt rocks surrounding the small yard to the warding runes woven into the doormat, the house made it clear that visitors, particularly of the supernatural variety, were not welcome. The ones she’d dealt with almost always intended her some sort of harm, and she’d found that most of them wouldn’t be dissuaded by words alone. Luckily, July was at least as stubborn as any of them and twice as resourceful.

A Sunday afternoon found her in her basement office, hard at work on her longest-standing literary project: a catalogue of all the immortals she’d dealt with over the past nine years. As one of few mortals involved with the complicated hidden society of the supernatural, she had taken it upon herself to gather as much information as possible into a guide she could someday share with others. Others in the same unfortunate position she was in.

As she was in the middle of editing a recent entry, she was startled out of her concentration by a sharp knock at the front door. Although slightly muffled, the sound was still loud enough to carry all the way down to the basement. July sat where she was for a moment, hoping the intruder would leave, but as the knock repeated, she sighed and headed upstairs to answer.

When she peered through the peephole, she let out an involuntary groan of irritation. She’d thought she might make two weeks without one of them bothering her. That was too much to hope for, she supposed. When she opened the door, there was Death herself, better known as Valen Desavi, in all her perpetually-agitated glory. Her hyper-modern, professional image looked exceedingly out of place in July’s rural neighborhood.

“Since when do locked doors keep you out?” July asked, making no effort to feign friendliness.

“I’m trying to be civil. I want to talk.”

“Wonderful. Well, let me save some time for both of us and say: no.” She tried to close the door, but it was blocked by a red-soled leather boot as Valen stepped forward to stand in the doorway.

“Twenty minutes,” the Reaper said evenly. “Then I’ll go. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.”

They both knew July had no way of making her leave. That fact only seemed more evident when they stood juxtaposed this way. Valen was over half a foot taller in her heels. She was larger in every sense, in fact, from her wide hips to her broad shoulders to her confident, even cocky body language. While July’s wardrobe consisted of Victorian ankle-length skirts and lace-trimmed blouses, Valen opted for an array of bespoke suits to accent her business-first nature; on this day, every curvaceous inch of her was swathed in pinstriped gray wool. The only skin left visible was her face, a pale counterpoint to July’s cool dark brown.

After another second of silent glaring, July gave up with a sigh and walked away from the door. Valen followed her inside without invitation.

“What do you want?” July asked tersely, taking a seat in a plush wingback armchair.

“Not your life, so you can cut out that defensive shit.”

“You already know I don’t want you here. ‘Defensive shit’ is all that’s on offer.” Her legs were drawn close, hands folded in her lap. The tension in her body kept her posture impeccable.

“Fine. Won’t make me leave any faster, though,” Valen pointed out, setting her ever-present attaché case on the floor and unbuttoning her jacket to occupy the center of the sofa. Her arms draped over the back, and she crossed her legs at the thigh. “It might help you to know I’m not here for myself.”

“I doubt that. I’ve never known you to do things for anyone else.”

Valen scoffed. Her eyes weren’t visible behind the dark-tinted sunglasses she wore, but she probably rolled them. “Right, because humans, historically, are so selfless.”

“Are you not here to ask for something?” That was all immortals ever did, in July’s experience. They would seek her out, propose their deals, then get angry and make threats when she refused to trade them her soul no matter what they offered in return. It was a formula, a cycle, one she was more than a little tired of. And apparently, it applied to even the most supposedly-respectable supernatural beings.

Predictably, the Reaper answered, “In exchange for something I know you want.”

Voice dripping with sarcasm, July replied, “Well, when you put it that way—”

“Look, will you let me finish a fucking thought before you jump in with the snarky one-liners?” Valen snapped. “I’m here because I have another case like you.”

“Like me in what way?” July paused to consider and quickly realized there was only one reason the two of them ever interacted. “You mean another Seer?”

“Mm-hm. And other immortals are starting to notice. Ones who aren’t as friendly as me. She came into it a lot younger than you did, too; she’s still a kid.”

“That’s typically how it goes, isn’t it?” July’s hands clasped tighter still as she dropped her head slightly to hide behind her braids. Her Sight—her ability to recognize supernatural creatures when she saw them—had caused her a great deal of grief over the years. She wouldn’t have wished that on anyone, especially not a young girl. “I’m sorry to hear it, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“You and I both know what kind of attention Seers attract. It won’t be long until she’s getting offers, so she needs to learn how and why to resist them.” Valen raised her eyebrows. “No one knows that subject better than you do.”

The room was quiet as July stared at her in disbelief. “You want me to teach someone how to avoid immortals? Because I’ve always been so good at that?” she asked, gesturing at the Grim Reaper sitting in her living room.

“I didn’t say ‘avoid.’ I said ‘resist.’ You’re living proof that there’s no way for a Seer to steer clear of us altogether. But you’re also proof that being smart can keep you alive,” Valen reasoned, absently flicking her wrist out to check her watch as she spoke. “She needs to be taught how to know what she’s seeing and which of us are dangerous. You’re the closest thing I have to an expert.”

True as that might be, does it make this girl my responsibility? “What makes you think she would listen to me?” For that matter, she wasn’t sure why Valen would go out of her way to protect one little girl. Probably for the sake of preserving her all-important schedule; that was the only reason she bothered to defend July, after all.

“The situation’s been explained to her. She’ll take whatever help she can get.”

“Like yours?”

Valen turned away to hide the sneer that curled her red lips. “Yeah, like mine. Some selfish immortal bitch who wants her to live past childhood and maybe have some kind of afterlife. She’s pretty desperate,” she growled. Mollified, July didn’t answer. “I’m not asking you to do it for free. If you agree to look out for her and teach her what she needs to know, I’ll put one of my employees on permanent watch over the two of you until she’s ready to look out for herself. Keep any pushy immortals out of your hair. What do you think?”

July was quiet for several seconds, until finally she said, “I think I’m going to make tea. Do you want tea?”

Valen’s brows furrowed. “No. Thanks.” As July left for the kitchen, she called, “Don’t take too long about it; I have places to be.”

“You said twenty minutes. You still have at least ten more.”

She knew the process of brewing tea so well by this point that she could do it automatically. Good thing, because her mind was otherwise occupied at the moment. Valen wanted her to teach? A child? Granted, she used that word, ‘kid,’ liberally, but July knew most Seers came into their powers around the age of twelve. She had no idea how to relate to a twelve-year-old. And the things that would have to be said? That was bound to be an uncomfortable exchange.

Still…

As she poured hot water over peppermint tea leaves, she considered Valen’s offered ‘payment.’ To not be bothered by bloodsucking immortals every time she left her house? To not live in constant fear of their threats and coercion? It had been so long that she could hardly recall what that felt like. But could one of Valen’s reapers really accomplish that? Just one against all the others she dealt with? It seemed like a stretch.

She wanted to help that little girl. So what to do?

When July came back to the living room, she was carrying a tray laden with one of her many immaculate tea sets, the sort most people kept for display only. “I don’t know that I trust your employees,” she said as she set the tray down on the coffee table in the center of the room.

“I do,” Valen answered, as if that disqualified her statement.

“Well, I don’t.” July poured two cups in case her guest should change her mind. With her saucer and cup in hand, she took her seat again, her rigid posture starkly contrasted to Valen’s.

“What’s your point?” the Reaper asked.

“Rework your terms.”

Valen let out an amused snort. “How so?”

“If I’m going to trust someone to protect me, I want to know, first of all, that it’s someone with the ability to do so. Someone who cares enough to make sure it’s done right. Someone who has some stake in keeping me alive.” She glanced at the Reaper over the silver rim of her glasses; they both knew what she was saying.

“You can’t be serious.” All traces of mirth had fled Valen’s voice.

July’s lips curved in a smirk as she answered, “I’m dead serious.”

“I can’t do it myself.” Valen pinched the bridge of her nose, frowning hard. What a blow to her almighty ego it must be to utter the words, I can’t. “If I had that kind of time, I wouldn’t be here looking for your help.”

“You’re asking for my help with teaching her, and I’m willing to try. But I can’t physically protect her from predatory immortals. Are you telling me your people would have no trouble fending off a hungry demon?”

The Reaper didn’t speak, which was answer enough. While July didn’t know the exact logistics of her workforce, she did know that even the best of Valen’s employees had only a fraction of her power. “Okay, look,” Valen said eventually, pushing gloved fingers through her red hair. “I get where you’re coming from. Maybe we can work something else out, but I’m telling you that me staying here in Albany is out of the question.”

“And I’m telling you that that’s the only way I’m going to agree to this,” July countered, keeping her tone even. “I’m not being difficult just to irritate you. I attract enough unwanted attention on my own, and I think two Seers in the same town will only be a more tempting target for the kind of immortals who mean us harm. I don’t want to risk that unless I know we’ll be protected.”

A few seconds passed in silence while Valen considered and July sipped her tea. As much as it must have bothered her, it seemed like Valen couldn’t deny that this was a valid point. Hoping to persuade her, July went on, “It’s not as if you would need to be hovering over our shoulders the entire time. Your presence itself would do a lot of the work for you. Once the word’s been spread that you don’t want other immortals here in Albany, most of them will be smart enough to stay away.”

It was a well-known fact among the immortals of the world that there were few worse places to be than on Valen Desavi’s bad side. This wouldn’t be the first time July had used her influence to escape another dangerous immortal. The threat alone would discourage all but the very confident and the very stupid.

Valen muttered to herself in an unfamiliar language for a few moments, then looked up at her sharply. “Say I did agree to this,” she started cautiously, “how long are we talking?”

“It’s hard to say. There are a few different aspects to consider—”

“Well consider them and give me an answer,” the Reaper insisted. “A year? Two years? Ten? I need a number.”

“Not ten.” Ideally, July would’ve liked them to have Valen’s protection at least until the girl reached adulthood, but she got the feeling that a number too high would render this deal nonviable in Valen’s eyes. “How old is she?”

“Twelve. Nearly thirteen.”

“Then in four years, she’ll be the same age I was when I came into my Sight. With my help, she should be fine on her own at that point.”

Valen let out a miserable groan and shoved to her feet to start pacing back and forth behind the couch. “Four fucking years? Are you kidding me? How much information could you possibly have that it would take that long to share?”

“I’ve spent twice that time learning about immortals,” July pointed out. “Besides, you’ve been around for millennia. Four years is nothing.”

“To me, sure. To my schedule, not so much.” With another glance at her watch, the Reaper concluded, “I’m gonna need you to condense it. Best I can do is two years. It’s June right now, so let’s say two and a half. That gives you until December after next to make sure she’s prepared.”

“But she’ll still be so young,” July argued. “At least give us until she’s sixteen.”

Valen shook her head, totally unsympathetic. “Look, you’re lucky I’m considering this at all. If I’m going to do it, I need it to end as quickly as possible. You’re smart; I’m sure you can make it work in that much time.”

It was difficult to accept that as a compliment under these circumstances. But it sounded like this point was non-negotiable, and it was true that July was asking a lot to begin with. So she conceded, “Fine. But there’s one more issue.”

“Of course there is.”

“If simply saying ‘no’ were enough to stop immortals pursuing us, there would be a lot more adult Seers in the world,” July said, brushing her braids back over her shoulder. “She needs to develop a resistance to magical influence, like I did. Otherwise, she’ll still be every bit as vulnerable after our lessons.”

Valen quickly realized the point she was making and cursed under her breath, “Oxujét. And you get that by—”

“By interacting with immortals. She has to be exposed to magic if she’s going to learn to ignore it.” Over the years, July had given this subject a lot of thought, and she had developed several theories as to how young Seers might be protected and instructed. Of course, she’d never imagined herself as the one enacting those policies, as she wasn’t really the social sort. But an educator? That, she could certainly be. In fact, the opportunity was beginning to seem at least as exciting as it was daunting. “So we’ll need your help with that too.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do about it? First you want me to keep people away from you, and now you’re saying you need them around.” Finally stopping her pacing, the Reaper stood on one hip at the far end of the room, making the moment feel much more like a duel than a negotiation.

“I’m just telling you what needs to happen in order for this deal to have the result you want. It would be best if the girl—what’s her name?”

“Emma Cavanaugh.”

“It would be best if Emma could only be around more trustworthy immortals at first.” As if there is such a thing. “You must know some of those. At least some who won’t be actively hostile.”

“Let me get this straight.” Valen pressed her fingertips into her temples like she was getting a headache. “You want me to stay here in town at your beck and call, play bodyguard whenever you need it, and drag my contacts out here for interviews?”

“And then supervise said interviews, yes,” July agreed pleasantly.

“Fantastic,” the Reaper said flatly. “So what the fuck am I paying you for?”

“My experience. I’ll be able to understand what she’s going through better than just about anyone else you could ask,” July reminded her. “So I can help her deal with it. You’ll only be around on occasion; I’ll be here all the time, explaining everything I can and answering all her questions. By comparison, your role in her education is actually pretty small.”

A few seconds passed in silence as Valen considered the situation and July’s conditions. The tension never left her shoulders, but her frown did ease eventually, if only a little. “Fine. As long as you’re going to take this seriously, I can live with those terms. I’ll get you in touch with the kid’s parents and you can take it from there. Anything else?”

“No. I’m satisfied.”

“For once.” Without ceremony, she left, already pulling her phone from her jacket pocket and starting to tap away at it. July locked the door behind her and refilled her tea cup to sit in silence for a moment. Most of the time, she was adamantly opposed to any sort of deal with an immortal, but this wasn’t the worst one she’d been offered. If her intervention could help a little girl avoid some of the trauma she’d been through, the effort would absolutely be worth it.