"Notice anything different about me?"
His throat worked as he swallowed and his darkening gaze moved over my face, my neck, the pink lace of the bra, until it finally came to the "anything different" in question. His gaze snapped back to my own.
"How?" he asked simply.
I touched the chain. "It was delivered this afternoon. The Red Devil sent it to me personally."
His frown deepened. "He sent it to you? How did he know where to find you?"
"Exactly what I was wondering, but then I realized that it doesn't matter. He obviously found it at the pawn shop and bought it to give to me because he knew I needed it."
"And it works?"
"Come here."
After a moment, he approached me cautiously. I took his hand in mine and pressed it against my chest so he could feel the beating of my heart.
"Works like a charm." I slid my fingers over the metal.
He didn't move his hand, but leveled his gaze with my own. "That it does."
"Not the prettiest necklace I've ever owned, but definitely my new favorite. I can go outside in the sunshine. Also, you really don't realize how much a beating heart makes you feel normal until it stops."
"And your uncontrollable desire for blood?"
"Back to a humming white noise in the background of my life." I smiled at him. "And I can kiss you without going all Mistress of the Dark. As proven a minute ago."
He touched his mouth where my lipstick had made its second appearance of the evening.
"This is all very good, Sarah."
"I thought you'd think so." My smile widened before beginning to waver a bit. "You're saying that, but you don't sound all that convinced."
He placed my sweater next to me on the desk and then clasped his hands together. "I do have concerns."
"Concerns," I repeated. "Like, for example?"
"Such as the fact that while it is a good thing that the chain works as a dampener to the curse, the curse still does exist. The chain is not a cure, only a treatment."
"That's true. But—"
"And also if you happen to lose the chain or it is stolen from you, then there are no other options. It is as if you are painting yourself into a corner by relying on unreliable magic of this sort, and we mustn't be lulled into a false sense of security and stop searching for a true solution."
The air began to go out of my happy balloon with an annoyingly squeaky sound.
"Yeah, I guess. But—"
"And then there is the very important matter of this Red Devil. Who is he? What is his motivation for assisting you in this matter? Where did he come from? What does he want?"
"That's a lot of questions."
"To which we have no answers." His expression softened a little, and he moved closer to me. "Sarah, I know you are overjoyed that you now have the necklace again and that it works. But we can't let our defenses down. Now more than ever we are vulnerable. Most hunters are out of town, but it doesn't mean we should trust anyone who waltzes into our lives so easily."
I frowned. "Are you saying that I'm too trusting? Even after everything that has happened to me?"
He nodded. "It is a wonderful trait to have, this trust for your fellow man. But as you've seen in the past, there are very few who are actually worthy of this trust. Others have their own agendas, their own desires to be met, and sometimes lies and deceit are tools of that trade."
I reached up to touch his face. "I know you've been hurt a lot in your life. Well, I don't really know that for sure, since you aren't exactly all that open with the amusing anecdotes, but I'm assuming a lot of bad stuff has happened to you well above and beyond what I already know. Why can't I accept the Red Devil's gift for what it is? A gift from somebody who cares if I live or die?"
His jaw tensed. "Because he is not the Red Devil."
"How do you know that?"
"You said it yourself, he is human, not vampire."
I shrugged. "Maybe I was wrong."
"I don't think that you were. He's an impostor attempting to worm his way into your good graces. And perhaps not today or tomorrow, or even a week from now, but one day he will expect a favor from you in return for giving you the gold chain."
"Then I'll do it."
He laughed at that but it was cold. "Just like that."
"Sure. He did me a favor. Why wouldn't I do one for him?"
He let out a long sigh. "He is not the Red Devil."
"How do you know that?" I asked again.
"Because…" His expression tightened. "Because I… I knew the true Red Devil. A very long time ago."
I stared at him. "Okay, I think we have a bit of a communication problem, because when I first asked you about this very subject you said that he was an urban legend. Now you were a close personal friend of his? Which is it?"
"His identity has been a closely guarded secret. I keep that secret as well."
"After all this time?"
"Yes. And the true Red Devil has not made an appearance for a hundred years."
"And why is that?" I asked.
"There are many reasons."
"Such as?"
He sighed. "Such as the fact that the world has changed. That one man cannot make a difference alone. There is too much darkness in the world. The Red Devil grew weary of fighting against this darkness and not seeing an improvement."