Ariadne watched the exchange with interest. If nothing else, it reconfirmed her instinct that Cole--whatever else he was--seemed to be a kind soul. And that was important to her. She associated plenty with the selfish and the downtrodden and the snide.

Kindness was a precious and rare resource.

When he returned, she didn't ask about it. She just nodded and followed along as he started walking.

"First of all," she said softly, "you need to understand that where I come from. No one calls me a 'demon.' Most people I know think I'm just an ordinary Human. And my own kind--Alastrians--don't refer to us as demons either. It's a broad term. Basically for any creature that has something more than two arms, two legs, and one head."