The snow had just started to fall when Rizzo delivered us safely to my apartment, and we camped out in the living room with bowls of leftover chili. Sylvie talked nonstop about living the life of a Manhattanite and all the fun she and I were going to have hitting the clubs.

For his part, Rizzo listened attentively and offered thoughtful advice for surviving life in the big apple. Occasionally, he and I would exchange glances, and I had no trouble reading his shit's getting serious face. Did he want me to bring up the gollum topic now? Was he willing to be party to a potential friend meltdown? Sylvie was already wound tighter than a junkie at a rave.

When Sylvie stood to take her empty bowl to the sink, Rizzo leaned across the couch, speaking conspiratorially into my ear. "I take it you have not told her yet?"

"Nope."

"There is no better time than the present." He raised his eyebrows, which had me raising mine back. Apparently, he was on board.

"So, you haven't heard back from your landlord yet?" Sylvie asked as she resumed her position on the floor and tucked her legs under her.

"That's the third time you've asked in the last hour. Relax, woman. Let's talk about something else. A freaky thing happened to me recently."

Sylvie's eyes widened, signaling her readiness. "You mean more freaky than being snatched out of a living room window by a guy with wings?"

"Hmm, yes. I would classify it as more freaky, but it has something to do with that incident. I haven't been completely forthcoming with you about a few things, and I'm going to change that right now."

"Yikes. That doesn't sound good, but you're my best friend, so I'm going to keep an open mind." She glanced at Rizzo. "You're in on this too, aren't you?"

He offered a guilty shrug. "Oui."

"I want to start off by saying, I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you," I said. "I hope you'll understand after you know the truth."

Sylvie stared at me with those baby blues. "Just get on with it. I know you wouldn't lie to me without due cause."

"Okay. Good to know. Well, I guess the best way to handle this is to start big and work down to the details. The wings are real. The guy who snatched me out of the living room window was not completely human."

"Oh?" she said with a suspicious lift of her brow.

"He shares DNA with humans," Rizzo put in. "Which is why he and his comrades look like us, but they have the ability to change form."

"A shapeshifter? Like a werewolf?" Sylvie said, still looking skeptical.

"Oui, but they are not werewolves. The most common term is demon."

Sylvie broke into a giggling fit, the kind that usually ended up with one or both of us pissing our pants, but she quieted down when she realized Rizzo and I had not joined her. "Are we talking real life, spawned from Satan type demons," she said. "Or are they something less sinister, like gang bangers who went seriously astray? I mean, the guy who kidnapped you didn't take you to hell... did he?"

Sylvie kept me on lockdown with her unflinching gaze, which made it difficult to search for the right words. "They are not from hell, but many of them live underground. They prefer the dark."

"Of course, they do." Sylvie's head bobbed automatically, and I tried to decipher how things were going for her. She had a unique way of processing stress, which usually started out with giggling and proceeded to belligerence. "So, how did you manage to attract demons to your parent's house?" she asked straight-faced.

"Actually, I attracted a demon to me before that. Heath and I knew each other for two years."

"Heath? Holy frick!" Sylvie pushed up from the floor to stand in the center of the room. I expected the move. I also expected to see her grab a few strands of hair and work them into her mouth. "It makes sense now. The fights, the possessiveness, the crazy sex." She glanced at Rizzo but didn't linger there. "When did you find out Heath was a demon? Did he accidentally sprout wings in front of you?"

"No. I never knew Heath was a demon. Not until very recently."

Sylvie gasped as she pressed both hands to her chest. "At the Governor's mansion! Heath followed you to the Halloween party and then Vincent and Rizzo took him out." She started really going at her hair, gnawing on it as she paced in a tight line. "They were saving you from a demon. Oh, man. This is some next world shit."

"Stop biting your hair, Sylvie," I said. "Let me try to give you more context. Heath was interested in me because I had something unique to offer him, but I didn't know I was unique until very recently."

Sylvie stopped pacing to look at me. "Unique in what way?"

I stared hard at my friend, hoping my point would come across better if I gave her my I'm not shitting you face. "I'm not exactly human either."

I felt the weight shift on the couch as Rizzo leaned forward, probably preparing to catch Sylvie if she fainted. I had never seen Sylvie faint, but I had also never seen her face quite so pale.

"My best friend is a demon?" Sylvie's voice squeaked in a very un-Sylvie like fashion.

"No. I'm not a demon, but my grandfather is a demon, so..."

"So, you're half demon half human?" Sylvie's eyes were dead locked on me again, and I squirmed in my seat as I felt the pressure of her gaze.

"No. I'm a gargoyle with a demon for a grandfather. It's not the best combination, but I'm dealing with it."

As I spewed my confession, Sylvie's legs appeared to forget their purpose as she weaved away from the couch, and Rizzo lunged forward, catching Sylvie's collapsing body before it hit the floor.

"Shit! What do we do? I don't have smelling salts." I blurted my curse as I crouched next to Sylvie and pulled her hair out of her mouth. My big confession didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I wasn't completely surprised by her reaction.

"She should wake without them." Rizzo slapped Sylvie's cheeks lightly and called her name until her eyelids fluttered open.

"Sylvie, can you hear me? It's Reese. You passed out."

"No. Shit. Sherlock." Sylvie's head lolled inside the crook of Rizzo's good arm as she blinked up at us.

"I'll get you a cold washcloth. That'll wake you up." I rushed to the bathroom, threw open the linen cabinet, and yanked out more towels than I needed. After soaking a cloth, I returned to the scene and found Sylvie lying on the couch with Rizzo standing next to her. I smoothed the wet compress over her forehead as I rambled. "Let me know if I can get you anything else. I've never seen you pass out before. Non-alcohol related, that is."

Sylvie peeked at me through heavy lids. "Let's not forget sugar skull girl. I suppose she was a demon too."

"Yes. Her name is Cara."

I stared at Sylvie's face, waiting for it to pink up again. I hated to see her so vulnerable. It was usually me looking up at her after a night of overindulgence and self-abuse.

"You know her?" she said. "Did you know her before the Halloween party?"

"No. I got to know her later."

Sylvie dropped her head back on the pillow, letting her lids slide closed. "This is not my life."

"The freaky shit doesn't have to be part of your life Sylvie, but it's part of mine. That's why I needed to tell you this. There's bound to be some intermingling."

"Intermingling. Immersing. Impregnating. I knew the matrix was real."

Sylvie mumbled as she slung her arm over her face, which was my cue to leave her alone. Rizzo took the opportunity to nap on the floor, while I cleaned up the kitchen. About thirty minutes later, my phone chimed with a text from my landlord telling me the apartment was available. First come, first served, so he needed Sylvie to commit ASAP. I hadn't even made it across the living room before Sylvie spoke.

"Was that your landlord? Is the apartment available?"

"Yes. He needs the deposit today... If you still want it."

She lifted her head off the couch to look at me. "Of course, I still want it. Do you think having a demon gargoyle for a best friend is going to change anything? It's a lot more interesting than my sorry life has been lately." After taking a moment to stretch, Sylvie pushed upright, grabbing the washcloth as it fell off her forehead. "In fact, my life hasn't been this interesting since you left Baltimore. It will be the same crazy shit in a different location."  

"Well, I'm glad I can keep you entertained." I smirked at her and she grinned, looking like the old Sylvie as she tossed the washcloth to me.

"Find out if he'll take a wire transfer for the deposit," she said, scrolling through her phone. "Otherwise, I'll need a lift to the bank."

"This guy takes cash only," I told her.

"I can drive you to the bank," Rizzo offered, digging for his keys.

"Thanks, Rizzo."

"I'll stay if you two don't mind," I said as a sudden yawn overtook me. "I need a nap."

I watched Rizzo's face shift into concerned mode. Vincent probably instructed him not to leave my side. The poor guy was going to worry himself into therapy.

"How far is the bank from here?" Rizzo asked Sylvie as she shouldered her purse.

"According to my GPS, it will take us thirty minutes round trip with present traffic."

Rizzo nodded as he caught me up in his fatherly gaze. "Reese, please do not leave the premises while I am gone. That request comes from both me and Vincent."

"I promise. The furthest I'll go is to Mr. Pearlman's next door."

He hesitated a moment, then with a heavy sigh he nodded. Sylvie pressed a stick of gum into her mouth before kissing me on the cheek, assaulting me with the tang of fresh cinnamon.

"I love you, Reese, wings and all. Do you really have wings?"

"Yes, and they hurt like hell when I grow them."

Her face pinched. "That's unfortunate. Do I have to start believing in dragons and unicorns now?"

"I haven't heard a thing about dragons or unicorns, so don't be disappointed if all you get is a best friend with wings."

Sylvie's grin found her again, and she gave my arm a squeeze. "I'll bet they're sexy as hell."