A decent-size crowd amassed around them. Demons poked their heads out of the restaurant and wandered over from the frozen yogurt place next door.

“What’s the slayer like?” someone asked.

“Blond?” Jonathan answered uncertainly.

“As an angel,” Andrew said. “Like goodness incarnate.”

“And she carries a wizard staff that can sniff out evil,” Jonathan said.

“Topped with the powerful Marnoxon gem,” Andrew added, flourishing a hand for emphasis. “Stolen from the vengeance demons she slaughtered when she broke into hell.”

The demons hissed and jeered at this. Jonathan wasn’t sure he’d ever had so many beings listening to him at the same time. It was intoxicating. Was this how the cheerleaders had felt at Sunnydale High pep rallies? Or how the Mayor felt all the time?

“She’s trained in karate,” Jonathan told the crowd. “Or tae kwon do.”

“Kicks like a mule!” Andrew said. “Or a Power Ranger!”

“She shot the Master with a crossbow and tackled his wife through a stained-glass window.”

“She murdered a whole nest of fledglings!”

“Poor babies!” cried the spiky-haired vampire woman.

“How do we know this isn’t a setup?” asked one of the Juggernauts sitting close behind Jonathan. “Why would Angelus have two puny humans do his bidding?”

“There’s not a lot for Renfields to do in Demondale,” Andrew lied blithely.

“Yeah,” Jonathan agreed. “We pick up his dry cleaning and amass his army. So, tell your friends!”

“And your enemies!” Andrew said.

“Tell everyone!” Jonathan beamed. “Be at the Bronze tonight at midnight! To kill the slayer!”

“Kill the slayer!” the crowd roared.

Flyers rained down on the crowd. Jonathan and Andrew extricated themselves from the frothing demons and slipped around the corner to find the next group.

“You’re a much better storyteller than me,” Jonathan told Andrew.

“I just filled in the details,” Andrew said dismissively. “Like when we do puzzles at home. You’re the best at finding the border. I fill in the rest.”

“The rest is the important part.”

Andrew shook his head. “It’s all important, Jonathan.”

Jonathan grinned, feeling electrified. When was the last time that he’d contributed anything important? Had he ever? He’d never stood so close to so many demons without fearing for his own life. Being part of the crowd instead of standing outside it was amazing. Why had he spent so long hiding from the town he lived in? Why had it taken the threat of a mega-apocalypse to get him out of the house?

“Hey, man,” he said, clapping Andrew on the shoulder. “I already have a friend better than Warren. It’s you.”

“Oh.” Andrew’s face flushed. “Thanks. That means a lot to me. You’re better than Warren too. We make a pretty good duo.”

“We do.” Jonathan bit his lip, remembering the slithering shame that had been chasing him for the last hour. “But we were better as a trio.”

“But you just said—”