“I’m not jealous,” I protested. “The one in La Sirena is not strictly a men’s club,” he explained. “Women are members too. That’s not to say that there’s any lack of immoral behavior at these things. Depends on how easily you shock.”

“Not easily.”

“Excellent. We’re just going to go in there, talk to our guy, and get the talon. In and out.”

“Why am I novel enough to get in?”

“Your halo.”

“Oh.” Duh. I smiled. “Am I going to have to lie and say I’m demon?”

He squinted out of one eye, contemplating. “Just don’t admit to being human.”

“What time tomorrow?” I asked, hopeful again.

“It’s not going to be a fun night out, so don’t expect to enjoy it. If I ever get a chance to take you on a proper date, it won’t be to this damn thing.” He turned to leave. “I’ll pick you up at nine.”

26

The ties of my black wrap dress fastened into a tidy bow. It was the most adult thing I owned. Maybe the most expensive thing, too. The thin fabric hugged the curves of my hips and made my breasts look bigger. My ass too, and it didn’t need any help, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. The only jewelry I wore was a wide silver bracelet and the small silver moon pendant that my mother had given me on my sixteenth birthday.

“You look fantastic.” Dressed in my pajamas, Riley Cooper stood in the doorway, holding a bag of chips. I’d scaled back to a milder medicinal that kept her calm. Unfortunately, it also made her chatty. And hungry. I’d already had to go to the grocery store and bring back food. It was pretty weird to be playing house with the person who’d recently been chained in my basement. It set my teeth on edge, but I did my best to keep up the charade.

“Hey,” she said. “Remember when Joey took you to prom at my school, and you wore that crazy strapless dress?” Her eyes were bright and cheerful as she recalled some memory with Jane. “God, we got wasted that night.”

“We sure did,” I agreed. “I really need to hurry now, though. Can we talk about this later?”

“Oh, yeah, no prob. I’ve already picked out two DVDs to watch while you’re gone. It’s been so long since I just sat around and chilled. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Enjoy yourself, but don’t overdo it with”—that concussion I gave you—“your injuries from the car accident.”

“Oh, Jane. You were always such a worrier.” She shook her head slowly, then stuffed a chip in her mouth. “Have a great time, and if I’m asleep when you get back, wake me up and tell me how your date went.”

“I might be out late. Don’t wait up.”

“In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” she said brightly.

I patted her on the arm. “Alrighty.”

As she tromped off to the guest room, I turned off the bathroom light, then flipped it back on. In an inexplicable moment of audaciousness, I decided to take out my brown contacts. The change it made startled me. Just when I began considering putting them back in, I heard a loud knock at the door downstairs.

On my way to answer it, I grabbed a small clutch, then unlocked the door and gawked at the debonair demon standing in the porch light. “Holy shit, is that you?” I asked with a grin. Lon was dressed in a tailored black suit over a white shirt. The jacket was unbuttoned, no tie.

His eyes wandered over me in all directions: up, down, across, and back. Quickly, then leisurely. Many times. At first I was flattered, but when he didn’t say anything and his expression was blank, doubts rose.

“Okay, if this isn’t appropriate then you need to tell me, like, right now, because it’s going to take me a few minutes to dig up something else.”

No response.

“Dammit, Lon.”

His eyes connected with mine, and he finally spoke. “Christ, they’re blue.”

I relaxed when I realized what he meant. “I took my colored contacts out. You are the first person in seven years to see the real deal.”

Yet again, no response.

“Appropriate or not? I’m starting to get irritated now, in case you can’t sense it.”

He nodded several times in quick succession. “Appropriate.”

I made a face at him, then locked the door to my house. “Let’s get this over with.”

We drove in silence from Morella to the coast in a silver Audi coupe. The chrome-and-leather interior was spotless, in noticeable contrast to his truck and SUV, both of which were matted with dog hair, the backseat floorboards hidden under a pile of comic books. The owner of those comic books was apparently feeling better today, Lon told me when I asked, but that was the only conversation we engaged in for half an hour.

When we got to La Sirena, Lon pulled onto Ocean Avenue, which runs the length of the town’s beaches. We headed away from the Village into neighborhoods that were a mix of small businesses, restaurants, and homes. The rocky cliffs that bordered the edge of town loomed dark in the distance, standing out against a sky hung with a bright, waxing moon. I hadn’t really spent a lot of time out here near the beach, especially at night; it was rather pretty and romantic.

“I didn’t expect you to look so nice,” Lon said abruptly. “It caught me off-guard earlier.”

I stared at the glove compartment, weighing his clumsy words, then said, “Thanks?”