When I saw him again, he was drunk at the house of a mutual friend. He had friends, now. He had a life. It wasn't one that really suited him, but at least it was an attempt.

He was wearing a fae-like headdress, a party favor. Bits of glitter sprayed out like attenae. His cheeks were rosy from too many dirty martinis, and his eyes were dilated and engrossing. I had been totally taken by surprise in seeing him there. Being too young to drink and not one for wanton loss of control, I tended to stay sober for these events. The moment he crossed my path, I grabbed the nearest plastic cup of beer lying around, as if it had always been mine. I couldn't bear to see him. Almost.

He muttered something at me. "What?"

"You're too young for me!" he shouted. "You... you... make me crazy."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I have news for you, you were already bonkers."

I left like I didn't care. I did care, a lot in fact. But I was still very hurt. So I walked away.

He followed me. "What are you doing here?"

I downed the beer. I hated beer. I threw the cup into the grass. "Same as you, I guess. I didn't think you'd be here."

"I was looking for you."

I turned around, summed him up. It was true. I was both elated and disturbed. "Well you found me. What is it?"

He fell into an odd slouch, his face twisting up into a stupid grin. He looked sort of like Mephisto, but a soft, vulnerable Mephisto, all gooey around the edges. "I'm... not sure, really. I--" He ran his fingers through his hair. I had never really noticed the place down the part that was starting to thin. "I just like to see your face. You stopped coming to the shop."

"I wonder why."

He looked like he was going to kiss me. He had that sort of soft, telling glow in his eyes. All the shackles had fallen. But I was disgusted by his weakness, by his inability to take responsibility for his emotions, his feelings for me. He wouldn't even take responsibility for Mephisto. Mephisto wouldn't take responsibility for Mephisto. I wanted to teach them both a lesson.

"Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom."

I slinked into Marlene's kitchen and found her phone. Pulled a little slip of paper from my inside pocket. It was still there. The number of the bounty hunter, Saxonny. I rang it once then hung up. I rang it again. She answered. "Hi honey, I thought you'd never call. Want to meet for coffee?"

"Cain is here. Where I'm at. He's drunk."

"Ooooh, this is good news, indeed. I don't think it would take much to persuade Mephisto to show, if Cain is vulnerable. Is he still there?"

I peeked out the window. Cain was starting to prepare his bike for a departure. It was slow going in his state. "He's trying to leave. I'll stop him. I'm at 1256 Se Brunswick."

"Lovely. I'll be there shortly. Stall him for me, will you?"

I put the phone back on the hook, checked my shaking hands. What was I doing? Meddling for the sake of meddling? For revenge? Why did I feel so compelled to throw a monkey wrench into Cain's life, or an imaginary demon, for that matter?

"You're a bitch." And there he was. Mephisto. Life size. In the flesh, so to speak. In the kitchen, with me. My heart leapt in my throat. An inalterable joy and love gushed through my veins. I wanted to attack him then and there, to kiss him as I had always truly desired, but never been able to admit to myself I wanted. He would pay for making me love him.

Why? Because he would never let me have him, in all eternity.

I turned around. I knew he was just trying to distract me. I ran out the door, after Cain. He was about to mount the bike, and I grabbed his arm. I kissed him like the next moment would never come. I watched him as I held him, his eyes going from a deep shock to melting eyelids. He was fourteen years older than me, and I didn't care. I just knew Mephisto was hanging somewhere in the air, observing, seething.

I finally let go. Cain stood dumbfounded. "That got my attention."

"Not just yours, Honey."

Saxonny was fast. I didn't really know if she was human, but it was likely that she was not. Her red curls twinkled in the moonlight.

Mephisto appeared behind Cain, looked over the man's shoulder and hissed at the woman. I had never seen him do anything like that.

Cain was struck by a kind of fear only prisoners of war are likely to experience in the worst experiences of isolation. His body became so rigid that Mephisto could have sat firmly upon his head, would he have liked. It didn't occur to me that Cain probably had not seen Mephisto before in his waking life.

"You're terrifying him, Dear. Show some consideration. I think he wet himself." She walked forward with a gait that implied familiarity.

"Sister, you're suddenly so considerate. You care so deeply about the mortals. So kind of you to protect them." Mephisto shook off his carefree distaste and embraced the moment in with his most jolly of demeanors.

I was still chewing on the idea of him having any relatives.

"No, no, he's not my brother the way you think," Saxonny corrected, reading my gaze. "But we are related. Sad to say."

Meph chomped his teeth at her playfully, waved his pen around, and sent her red curls into Medusa undulations. She snapped her fingers, and his coat tails wrapped around him like a straightjacket.

It seemed harmless enough to me at first, until I realized that he could not break her spell. For a brief moment, his eyes revealed fear. And then he bit his lip and smiled. "Very good, are you going to take Cain, too?"

Saxonny seemed to think about it. "I guess there's no choice."

"And Kaitlyn?" A broad grin engulfed his face. Saxonny looked surprised.

"Her too?" Her face turned suddenly to me with some sort of profound realization. She closed the distance between us and looked me closely in the eye. Her eye fell on my amulet.

"Dammit. I had no idea." She snapped her fingers and released him from his binds. "Rest assured, Mephisto, I will be back once I sort this all out. In the meantime, you should try hiding a little better."

"Who needs to hide? There's no need to run. Staying to play is so much more fun." With that, he grinned, wrapped one arm around me, and the other around a very stiff Cain.

Saxonny glared, then seemed to brush it aside with a hearty laugh. "Next time, then." And she was gone.

Mephisto looked at Cain, then at me. His face was so white it almost didn't exist. For the first time, I noticed he smelled like Desert Sage. Had he been human, his presence would have been intoxicating. As a demon, well, it was ten times worse than that. He was vibrating. I had never been close enough to really notice it.

"Mmm, you just hold that thought, Kaitlyn. We'll talk once you get to bed." He bit his lip, winked at me, then disappeared.

Cain turned to me, stunned. But I was the first to speak.

"Great, I'm never going to see you again, am I?"

He took a deep breath. "I dunno. I think I'm beyond that. I'm just... wow. Just wow."

"Yeah, he has that affect on people." I collapsed into the grass and looked up at the moon. It always had a habit of being full on nights like this. Figured.