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“I already have one in mind,” I say softly, “so we can continue.” I begin to walk away and hear them muttering to each other behind me. Let Theo imagine what he wants, and let Ben lie to him. None of it will matter soon enough.

I quickly realize that I have no idea where I am walking, and must allow them to overtake me.

If I did not know any better, I might say Theo would like to put me on a leash with how often he glances back to ensure I am still following.

Ben glances too, but his looks are at least accompanied by brief smiles, which I return every time.

There are so many strange, new things in the park, I do not know where to look first. Dogs bark at me as they pass, and I battle the urge to hiss back, or slash their stupid noses with my claws.

Children run by, nearly colliding with me, and I fight the same urge.

Everything here is messy and chaotic in a way I am not accustomed to.

This, combined with the bitter chill from the wind, puts me in a foul mood.

Finally, we stop and Theo points across the street to where a large, colorful vehicle is parked.

He grins at me and asks, “Cold, Annie?”

“I have not given you permission to use the ridiculous nickname,” I sigh as he falls back to walk beside me. Ben has crossed the street and stands outside the colorful vehicle, speaking to a man through a window that opens up on the side.

“But you gave Ben permission,” Theo needles. “What else did you give him?”

I raise an eyebrow. “To what are you referring?”

“Do you think I’m blind?” he barks. “There’s something weird going on with you two, and I want to know what it is. Do you have him under some kind of spell?”

I cannot help but cackle in his face. “Do not be silly, Theodore. I am a demon, not a witch. The only spell I could cast on him is the magic of a pretty face and a nice pair of tits, which seems to work on you as well.”

To my satisfaction, he blushes a deep crimson.

“Just leave Ben alone,” he tells me quietly. “This whole thing is between you and me.”

“Oh, but you made it between the three of us when you agreed to let him help you!” I snarl back. “If you were not such a fucking coward, I could have simply tortured the information about the other priests from him, then you and I could have tracked them down ourselves.”

“I’m not hurting people, don’t you get that? I’m not gonna become the thing I’m trying to rid myself of!”

“Do you think that dear, sweet Benjamin will want you if you show him what a good little boy you are?” I mock. “If you show him how well you can follow the rules, like a puppy on a leash?”

Fury dances across Theo’s face, and he seizes my wrist, yanking it so we are standing close enough for our shoulders to brush. I send a surge of Hellfire rushing down my arm, beneath the skin, and he lets me go with a yelp.

“Do not ever touch me that way again, or I shall show you the pain that a demon of the Seventh Tower can inflict!” I desperately want to follow through on this threat, to twist my shadows around his neck and choke the air from his body until he understands exactly what I am capable of.

But as I am considering the consequences of such violence, Ben returns carrying three white cups with lids.

He passes one to Theo, then holds the other out for me. “Annie, mi amor , you’re gonna love this.”

“I wish to go back to the apartment,” I snap, not taking it from him.

He glances between Theo and I. “What happened?”

“Lovers’ quarrel,” Theo says sarcastically.

“Ok, well…we can go.” Ben sounds slightly disappointed. Without thinking, I take the cup he is still holding and wrap my hands around it. The warmth spreads through my fingers and I let out an involuntary sigh, then bring it to my nose and sniff.

“What is this?”

“Hot chocolate,” Ben answers. “Now, it’s just food truck cocoa, so lower your expectations. Sometime, I’ll make you my abuelita’s recipe. You’ll die for it because it’s a bit spicy.”

“Will you be doing this before or after the exorcism?” Theo’s voice is full of venom and Ben drops his eyes.

“I just…meant it rhetorically,” he mumbles.

“Let’s go home,” Theo snaps, and turns to walk away. Ben and I silently shuffle after him, clutching our hot cocoa. After a few minutes, I taste it and think I might melt at the smooth, delicious flavor.

“You like it?” Ben laughs.

“Hmm?”

“You made a little noise just now, when you took a sip.”

“It is…satisfactory,” I say quietly, then take another gulp.

“He’s just scared, you know,” Ben tells me in a soft voice. “Humans…we get scared when we aren’t in control of things, especially our own futures and our own bodies.”

“I cannot control his body. I have tried.”

“Right, but the idea that you could , that’s what’s scary. He wants to feel better, but he’s afraid to because it might give you power over him. That’s not an easy place to be.”

“As if I care about his feelings,” I snort.

“Oh, I know you don’t,” Ben says with a small smile. “I’m just letting you know why he’s acting this way. You wanted to learn about human behavior, didn’t you?”

“I suppose so,” I reply, then take another sip of cocoa and relish the way it slides down the back of my throat.

Theo walks some distance ahead of us, and stops to speak to a man seated on one of the park benches.

He is older, with a wild gray beard and bushy eyebrows sticking out from under his tattered winter hat.

His clothes are dirty, patched, and there is a large backpack sitting beside him, also filthy and worn.

At his feet lies a large, fluffy, reddish-brown dog, who raises its head when Theo approaches.

“What is he doing?” I ask Ben, who stops walking. “Who is that man? ”

“That’s Mr. Monroe and Roger. He’s homeless, but he stays around this part of town most of the time.”

“Homeless?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t have a place to live.”

“Where does he sleep?”

“Wherever he can find a safe, warm spot. Park benches, alleyways. When I was a parish priest, I’d have him crash on the couch in the church basement on Saturday nights, then take him to breakfast before Mass.”

“Does Theo know him too?”

“I’m not sure. Come on.” He walks over to stand behind Theo, who is now crouched in front of Mr. Monroe, scratching Roger behind the ears.

“Hey, Monty,” Ben says, reaching a hand out. Mr. Monroe’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles, showing several missing teeth. He grabs Ben’s hand and shakes it with some enthusiasm.

“Father Ben!” he croaks. “Where the hell you been?”

“Not a Father anymore. They finally got rid of me.”

“I heard,” says Mr. Monroe, his bright blue eyes flickering over to me. “Sorry for ya, Ben, but I guess it was only a matter of time. You ain’t cut out for all that bullshit anyway.”

Ben just laughs. “Monty, do you know my new friend, Theo?”

“We just met,” says Theo, who is now fending off an affectionate attack from Roger. “I was telling him how much Roger reminds me of the dog I had when I was a kid.”

“And who is this beautiful angel?” Mr. Monroe asks, looking up at me. I cannot help but smile at his egregious misconception.

“This is my Annie,” Ben says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him. My instinct is to move away, but I cannot deny that I enjoy the way this feels. Ben is warm and solid, and the way he holds on to me sends another strange spark burning through my chest.

“Oh, Father Ben,” says the old man with a wink, “if she’s the one who got you defrocked, I’d say it was worth it.”

“Nah,” Ben chuckles, “Annie would never take a priest to bed, would you, mi amor ?”

“Not in a million years,” I say, playing along. Theo laughs too, and Ben offers Monty his cup of cocoa.

“Promise I haven’t had any yet, but it might be cold cocoa by now.”

I am not sure what makes me do it, but I reach out and put my fingers on the cup, pouring my own heat into it until steam rises from the hole in the lid.

“It seems nice and hot to me,” I say, daring a glance down at Theo. He gives me a tense smile, then looks at Ben.

“I was just telling Monty that Roger seems like he needs a good bath and a brush out before it gets really cold. I have a friend, Jaime, who volunteers at the city shelter on Saturdays. If we can get you two over there, he can take care of Roger and have him back to you in less than an hour.”

Mr. Monroe seems tickled by this. “You got yourself a deal, boy.”

“Great idea,” says Ben, “and while Roger is getting pampered, maybe Theo and I can take you to lunch, Monty. Sound good?”

“I’ll be there with bells on,” Monty crows. “Will Miss Annie be there too?”

“I go wherever these two idiots go,” I say, and he lets out a barking laugh, which quickly devolves into a cough.

Ben frowns. “I’ll see if I can find someone to take a look at that cough too, alright? I know the VA clinic shut down recently.”

“Sure thing, Father,” Monty says, “and thanks for the cocoa.”

“Saturday, 11am, meet us here,” Ben says, patting him on the shoulder and bending down to pet Roger. I give the dog a wide berth as we walk away, but he does not bark at me as the others have—just watches me with his wide, golden eyes .

“Why does Mr. Monroe not have a place to live?” I ask as we continue through the park.

“It’s complicated,” Ben answers. “You couldn’t see it, but Monty lost one of his legs a long time ago, when he was in the Army.

He had to stay in the hospital for a long time.

The medicine they gave him…made him really sick, and when he got out, he couldn’t find a job because of it.

No job, so no money, and no house. He’s not sick anymore, but now…

it’s been such a long time that he doesn’t know what else to do, and he won’t go anywhere without Roger. ”

“And no one will help him?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…there’s more to it than handing him a house and a job.”

“My dad works with homeless veteran charities,” Theo says quietly. “I could have him ask around…pet-friendly housing or something.”

“That would be great,” Ben replies. “I try to help him out where I can, but…only so much I can do when I’ve been living out of my car.”

The two of them fall silent as we walk, and I cannot help but think about Monty and Roger.

In all my centuries of life, I have been told that humans will go out of their way to hurt one another.

I have been told that suffering, such as Monty’s, is due to human greed and selfishness.

Perhaps it is, in ways that I cannot see, but…

Theo and Ben seem willing to go out of their way to help him.

Just as Ben seems willing to go out of his way to help Theo.

I consider what Ben said before, about some people being lights in a dark sky, like stars, and wonder why I was never told of this.