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Carefully and slowly she sat up in the bed. Take your best shot.

“D.,” she said, “I didn’t know you cared this much about me. I’m glad you feel that way but, see, you scared me with this.”

No answer. She knew he was there.

“D., was it old dumb Ralph Mandy that made you mad? Did you see him at my house? That’s it, isn’t it? I was telling him I don’t want to see him anymore. Because I want to see you. I’m never going to see Ralph again.”

“Ralph died,” Dolarhyde said. “I don’t think he liked it very much.”

Fantasy. He’s making it up Jesus do I hope. “I’ve never hurt you, D. I never wanted to. Let’s just be friends and fuck and have a good time and forget about this.”

“Shut up,” he said calmly. “I’ll tell you something. The most important thing you’ll ever hear. Sermon-on-the-Mount important. Ten-Commandments important. Got it?”

“Yes, D. I—”

“Shut up. Reba, some remarkable events have happened in Birmingham and Atlanta. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

She shook her head.

“It’s been on the news a lot. Two groups of people were changed. Leeds. And Jacobi. The police think they were murdered. Do you know now?”

She started to shake her head. Then she did know and slowly she nodded.

“Do you know what they call the Being that visited those people? You can say.”

“The Tooth—”

A hand gripped her face, shutting off the sound.

“Think carefully and answer correctly.”

“It’s Dragon something. Dragon . . . Red Dragon.”

He was close to her. She could feel his breath on her face.

“I AM THE DRAGON.”

Leaping back, driven by the volume and terrible timbre of the voice, she slammed against the headboard.

“The Dragon wants you, Reba. He always has. I didn’t want to give you to Him. I did a thing for you today so He couldn’t have you. And I was wrong.”

This was D., she could talk to D. “Please. Please don’t let him have me. You won’t, please don’t, you wouldn’t—I’m for you. Keep me with you. You like me, I know you do.”

“I haven’t made up my mind yet. Maybe I can’t help giving you to Him. I don’t know. I’m going to see if you do as I tell you. Will you? Can I depend on you?”

“I’ll try. I will try. Don’t scare me too much or I can’t.”

“Get up, Reba. Stand by the bed. Do you know where you are in the room?”

She nodded.

“You know where you are in the house, don’t you? You wandered around in the house while I was asleep, didn’t you?”

“Asleep?”

“Don’t be stupid. When we spent the night here. You went through the house, didn’t you? Did you find something odd? Did you take it and show it to somebody? Did you do that, Reba?”

“I just went outside. You were asleep and I went outside. I promise.”