Stein shook his head. "If Shibusen didn't exist, I'd probably either be a toy of a witch already, or in jail." Want it or not, Birkin had his answer.

He laughed softly. "Spirit is a good man, a good man, but he's a philanderer of the highest order. His wife divorced him recently because he couldn't keep his hands off of other women."

The reaction from Birkin wasn't terribly surprising. "I might have, I suppose, but I was reasonably sure I wouldn't die." He smiled and spread his hands. "I'd rather trust these hands than anyone else's." Then he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a scar that encircled his forearm. "All of these are self-inflicted."