My voice came out calmer than I’d expected. I was careful to say only that I’d learned from Kaidan. I didn’t want to talk about Sister Ruth or Patti.

“And how did the two of you meet?”

“By coincidence,” Kaidan answered for me. “She was at one of my gigs.”

“I take it Belial has not taught you what it means to be of the Neph race, then?”

“No. We haven’t met.” I shifted, still in disbelief that I was sitting here explaining myself to a demon who looked so normal.

“I assume he doesn’t know of your existence? I daresay he would not have neglected your training otherwise.” Pharzuph appeared relaxed, amused even, but his tone was cold and calculating.

I didn’t answer, opting for a small shrug. Playing dumb felt like the best option here.

“I can assure you that I will have him informed at once. But in the meantime, you cannot be left unattended. Kaidan will show you the ropes. First things first—you reek of innocence. Yes, that’s right. I can smell it—your virginity.” He said it like a bad word, and my face flushed hot. “Like overripened fruit. Not to mention your emotions hanging about your person for all to see. How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

He leaned forward and smacked his knee with astonished laughter at my answer. “A sixteen-year-old Neph virgin! How do you expect to be a bad influence to humans if you aren’t behaving badly yourself? I assume you at least partake in substances with your peers?”

“Yes.” Surely I could be given a free pass if I stretched the truth to a demon.

I tried to process all he’d said. A bad influence on humans? Oh, boy. And what had he called me? Neph? Ah, short for Nephilim.

“You must not be partaking enough or you wouldn’t still have your virtue. Get my bag, Kaidan.”

His bag? That sounded like creep city. Pharzuph picked up his tea and sipped it until Kaidan returned. Pharzuph pushed aside the tea tray and opened the small black bag, laying out vials of powders and liquids, baggies with various dried plants, silver pipes, syringes, and other drug paraphernalia that made my skin crawl with revulsion and need. Please, please don’t ask me to do any of these.

“Which draws you most?” he asked me.

Steady. It was hard to choose. My hand slid toward one of the powder vials and pointed.

“Cocaine. Very nice.” He leaned back and sipped his tea again, eyeing me.

I let myself breathe when Pharzuph’s phone rang. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen, and pushed a button to silence it.

“I must return to work. Anna, I trust you won’t mind spending time with my son?”

I shook my head.

“Of course you won’t. Kaidan will take good care of you. He’ll have you working to the best of your abilities in no time at all. Don’t take too long about it, though. Learn what you need to learn, and get to work.” He turned his attention to Kaidan now. “I’m expecting company this evening and you are to join us. Marissa is bringing one of her nieces.”

“Yes, Father,” he replied, eyes darting away from me.

Pharzuph stood and was dialing as he left the room. Kaidan packed up the little black bag.

“Have you ever been to Lookout Point?” Kaidan asked me. He made an exaggerated nod, as if I should play along. I tried to sound natural, though it felt like I’d just survived a series of small heart attacks.

“No,” I said.

“Well, then, that’s where we’ll go.”

We left together in his shiny black Hummer, which felt extremely conspicuous. It was as large as my bedroom. What boy needed a huge Hummer all to himself? As he began driving, he pointed to the odometer and held up five fingers. Five miles? Then he put a finger to his lips. Could his father hear within a whole five-mile radius? I turned enough to peek at the black bag he’d tossed into the backseat as we got in. Kaidan saw me looking.

“You’ll love the view at Lookout Point.”

“Great,” I said, turning back to watch the road ahead. It was a notorious place for losing one’s virginity. I was thankful when we passed the turnoff for Lookout Point and I could breathe a little easier.

“It’s safe now,” he said. “Your friend Jay brought you?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I was listening when you showed up, of course. I had to make everyone leave.” He sounded put out. I remembered how upset the girl was who’d been kicked out.

“Oh. Sorry. Can I borrow your phone to call him?”

He handed me a high-tech gizmo that I turned in every direction before he took it back and got the touch screen to show a phone keypad. I dialed Jay’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jay. I just wanted to let you know that, um, Kaidan is going to drive me home.”

“Ohoho!” I couldn’t bring myself to laugh with him, but I saw Kaidan grin out of the corner of my eye. “Sounds good, chica. Call me later.”

I couldn’t figure out how to hang up, so I passed the phone back to Kaidan.

“Where do you live?” he asked. “Here in Atlanta?”

“No. Cartersville. It’s over thirty miles away. Is that okay?”

“Yes. He’ll expect me to be gone awhile.”

My stomach was still churning from the encounter with Pharzuph, not to mention Kaidan’s own perplexing actions toward me. He’d been cold and confrontational when I got there. And then his father showed up and he was... what? Protective? It made no sense. Even now, he was driving me home instead of taking me somewhere secluded and introducing me to the dreaded black bag, among other things.