"In a perfect world he would vanish off the face of the earth and I would never hear of him again," I said. "But I'll take whatever I can get."

She absorbed that for a few moments, and then nodded slowly. "Very well," she said. "I will depart. But let me leave you with a thought?"

"As long as you leave."

She smiled, rising. "I understand your refusal to allow another to control your life. It's a poisonous, repugnant notion to think of someone who would dictate your every move, impose upon you a code of behavior you could not accept, and refuse to allow you choice, expression, and the pursuit of your own heart's purpose."

"Pretty much," I said.

The fallen angel smiled. "Then believe me when I say that I know precisely how you feel. All of the Fallen do."

A little cold spot formed in the pit of my stomach, despite the hot tub. I shifted uncomfortably in the water.

"We have that in common, wizard," Lasciel said. "You've no reason to believe me, but consider for a moment the possibility that I am sincere in my offer. I could do a great deal to help you—and you could continue to live your life on your own terms, and in accordance with your own values. I could help you be ten times the force for good that you already are."

"With that power, I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly," I said.

"Gandalf to Frodo," the demon said, smiling. "But I am not sure the metaphor is applicable. You needn't actually take up the coin, if it did not suit you to do so. The aid I can offer you in this shadow form is far more limited than if you took up the coin, but it is not inconsiderable."

"Ring, coin, whatever. The physical object is only a symbol in any case—a symbol for power."

"I merely offer you the benefit of my knowledge and experience," she said.

"Yes," I said. "Power. I've already got more than I'm comfortable with."

"Which is the foremost reason that you, of all people, are capable of wielding it responsibly."

"Maybe I am," I said. "Maybe not. I know how it works, Lasciel. The first taste is free. The price goes up down the line."

She watched me with luminous blue eyes.

"See, if I start leaning on you now, how long is it going to be before I decide that I need more of your help? How long before I start digging up the concrete in my lab because I think I need your coin in order to survive?"

"And?" she asked quietly. "If you do need it to survive?"