Mai Luong–she identified now as Mai–offered a pretty smile to the stranger from Noir as he slid into the Honda’s back seat. “Those coins have value to someone,” she said softly. “To me, they were the price of a wish.” She then stared frustrated at the well-worn steering wheel. She laughed. “I have no coins left and I’m not sure if this vehicle is right for me.” As she spoke, she actively suppressed the aura of her immortal half.<br/><br/>Spawn of a draconic demon and a sixteenth century Vietnamese Đạo Mẫu priestess, Mai had been condemned to hell on her first death and denied reincarnation. Taking over the life of the dead Mai Luong, Mai felt she only restored her rightful place in the reincarnation cycle. Still, she possessed both magical and demonic powers, one controllable, while the other an intermittent reflection of the psychotic rage that could build within her. “I need shelter. I need money. I need a master to follow.” In saying master, she used the word chủ, which meant more a wise elder than slave master.