Gabriel met me in the hallway outside the mall’s security office. After briefly arguing my case, I finally conceded that he had won on time, if not on points.

We meandered until we found a bistro with a dark, empty section. We asked for a table in the corner.

“You should have noticed the dick tailing you.”

“I was focused on the potential Mommy-is-a-klepto. Generally I’m hyperaware of dicks.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gabriel said. “Seriously, Young Lady, girls are raised to ignore attention, and you’re not just any girl. Keep an eye on your surroundings.”

“I’m practicing holding my breath underwater.”

“That’s good. I’d like you to take self-defense classes.”

“Ian suggested the same thing, but I can kick anyone’s ass. Well, except his, even though I frequently want to.”

“There’s more to self-defense than physical strength. It also teaches you awareness, taking the time to think, and knowing how to take and keep control of a situation.”

“I’ve learned all I need to know from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Don’t panic.” I was all set to tell Gabriel about Ford and Cricket Poindexter when a heavenly waiter came over and it became urgent to ask, “Do you have anything sizzling on your menu?” while Gabriel said, “I want something saucy. What are your sauciest suggestions?”

When we both were sipping spicy tequila cocktails, I said, “Ooh, this is a party in my mouth.”

“Speaking of which, how are things going with Ian?”

“Oh, you know. He asks me to move in with him, but he still won’t tell me what he actually does for the Council. I want to know, but on the other hand, I may run away screaming.”

“But how do you feel about him?”

“Like I’m fighting an addiction, but still want one last high,” I said. “How did you know that Charlie was the one for you?”

“He fit all my requirements—hefty, hairy, gay, and having the family condition,” Gabriel said. The Grant family avoided the V word as if terrified it would bite them. “But he’s also very sweet.”

“He’s the whole hefty, hairy package,” I said. “I never told anyone else this, but do you know that when I was engaged to Oswald, Ian tricked me into reciting the vows of an ancient wedding ceremony? The words were in that awful language of yours and I didn’t know what I was saying.”

“Well,” said Gabriel. He nervously played with his cocktail napkin, folding it into a tiny diamond shape. “Don’t toy with him, Milagro. You know what he did to someone who hurt you—what would he do to someone, even you, who hurt him?”

I cringed as I thought about the vampire that Ian had cut one hundred times for the one cut I’d received.

Gabriel said, “He’s not called the Dark Lord because of his hereditary title, Mil. The Council sends him to deal with intractable problems and people have mysteriously vanished, their bodies never found.”