To my grandmother, Gabriel served as proof for me that I was just as welcome in God’s house as anyone, so she never failed to rhapsodize over how beautiful he was, and how being different from the others made him all the more special. A heavy-handed lesson, but her heart was in the right place. I spent many hours in that church staring at Gabriel with his soulful eyes and dark ringlets.

So the mystery of Jaz’s attractiveness was solved. But it didn’t make my heart patter any less when he turned his soulful eyes my way. The face of an angel covering a mind more inclined to devilry. Under the circumstances, it might be just what I needed.

AS WE LEFT the restaurant, Jaz said, “So you’re an Exustio? Or is it Aspicio?”

“Expisco,” I said.

“Exustio is fire,” Sonny said. “Aspicio is vision.”

“Damn half-demon names. All sound like Latin to me.”

“Could that be because they are Latin?”

“Smart ass. Even Guy didn’t know what an Exp—Expisco was. Had to get Bianca to look it up, and she had a hell of a time.”

“It’s a very rare subtype,” I said.

“And a weird one.” He glanced at me. “No offense, I just mean most of you get some elemental power or enhanced senses. Being able to sense trouble just, well, doesn’t seem to fit.”

“Full-blooded demons usually have special powers plus chaos sensors. Most half-demons get the powers without the sensors. I just get the sensors.”

“Huh.” He walked for at least ten steps in silence, which told me something was wrong. Before I could ask, he said, “The reason I’m bringing it up is that, well, Guy’s…not convinced.”

“That I am what I say I am?”

He nodded. “I wanted to give you a heads-up. He’s going to test you, and soon.”

HOPE EASY RIDER

HOPE

EASY RIDER

We cut through the pedestrian-only Lincoln Road Mall. The sun had set and the temperature dropped to a balmy seventy, though the humidity lingered. On the promenade, no one was pulling on warmer clothing. The barely-there bottoms, plunging necklines and bad boob jobs were on full display as the nightlife began to prowl, skirting the palms and umbrella tables as they zeroed in on their favorite club, hoping being early might get them inside.