"The fucking devil is your dad," Tzich said in a lazy sigh, "and he likes you. You're his masterpiece, you're the eagle on the totem pole of hellbound souls. But your soul doesn't belong to him until you die, if you die too soon."

He was mildly surprised that she seemed to not only understand but to accept this as fact. The expression on her face, the realization in her posture, was that of someone just given the answer to a question she'd been asking all her life. That thrill of anticipation tingled in his spine. He turned toward her fully; his eyes were the deep black of emptiness, and his mouth was sharp and grim.

"That's if you don't work off your debt. You were born to hunt demons. You've got a hunger, a strength and a power -- but I don't have to tell you that, do I?" He grinned like daggers. "The world's infested with renegade demons like that one in the alley, and it's your job to twist and break them, make them beg for mercy, and send them back home where your dad can [i]adjust[/i] their loyalties. You're a bounty hunter, the most feared of all. I'm only here to show you how to live up to your reputation."