Page 64 of Redeeming the Angel

“I’d like that.”I paused.“Are you certain I’m welcome?”

“I am.”He opened a portal and when I stepped through, he pulled a folded square of paper from one of his many robe pockets.“He left a list.You’re a late addition, but you’re on it.So, we’re both making progress.Just don’t go in Kerainne’s chambers and take something of hers for a love spell.”

“Love spells are strictly demon magic.”I shook my head, then paused.“Didn’t you know that?”

“I did, but I’m surprised you do.”Rayven peered at me with his odd golden eyes.“Given that luminites are seen as the polar opposite of demons.”

“For one thing, I most of the same training as you,” I reminded him.Though it had been so long ago that I’d forgotten a lot of it.“For another, I spend the last twenty-five years studying them with one of the oldest luminites who specializes in demonology.”

“You were trying to find out if Mephistopheles was a demon.”It wasn’t a question.At my nod, Rayven smiled as if he’d found kinship in me.“I did my own research about that.I even paid a visit to Irkalla.”

“Fates!”Both Tiana and I echoed.I whirled around to smile at her.I hadn’t heard her come in from the kitchen.

Rayven’s sardonic features softened as he smiled at wife.Then he turned back to me.“Although the Evil One has some demon clans in his army, not every demon is fond of him.Many are even against his stealing pieces of worlds.We could probably recruit some to our side, but Zareth and Delgarias won’t hear of it.I blame their faelin sensibilities.”His golden eyes flicked to his mate.“No offense, love.”

Tiana giggled.“None taken.I wasn’t raised around the faelin.In fact, the whole country of Shellandria rejected me.”

“When did that happen?”Raven’s tone went sharp in outrage that anyone would reject her.

“When I was found near the primary school, the headmistress contacted Queen Nicharana to see if they wanted to take me in.She refused, but sent all faelin men who admitted to sleeping with non-Shellandrian women to come to Shalafi and do the kinship test.”

I shook my head in wonder.“And Delgarias wouldn’t have heard about the order since he was banished.”

“Even if he had, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it because I was still a baby when I was found, thanks to the time stasis container and he’d been a vampire for two thousand years.”

“And no one would have guessed you were half luminite because you were found after Medicia was destroyed.”In that moment, I understood why Nik had spent so much time hiding from everyone she knew and dulling her pain with every intoxicant and psychedelic she could get her hands on.Despite having plenty of non-sober days herself, Kerainne had been so angry at her sister’s drug use.Now I knew that the real source of her rage was for Nik losing her niece.

“You could have been my niece.”I winced, not having meant to say that aloud.

“Maybe I still can be.”Tiana patted my shoulder.“I don’t know anything about your breakup and I’m not going to ask.All I’ll say is that I can tell you still love my aunt and if she really hated you, she’d have found a way to get rid of you, diplomacy act and alliances be damned.”

“Thank you for that.”There was an odd, tight feeling in my throat.

“It’s only the truth.”Tiana shrugged.“Now come to the kitchen.Dinner’s ready and we’re not going to sit at that huge dining room table.It’s too awkward with only three of us and I’m sick of hearing Rayven’s plans to redecorate.”

Kerainne and Zareth ended up staying in Wurrakia far longer than I would have preferred, but she left a note attached to the missive from the King.It was terse, but still made me smile.

No, I’m not avoiding you.There’s a young woman who I want to make sure isn’t going to be trapped in a bad marriage.In the meantime, you can wear my favor in case you need to ride into battle without me.

It took an embarrassing long time for me to figure out that the favor she referred to was the purple ribbon that had held the notes together.And even longer to figure out that she was making a melodramatic quip about Wurrak culture.The majority of the males and, only recently, a few women strove to be great warriors.Knights, they were called.Since there were very few battles in their lifetimes, they held mock ones called tourneys.And they would wear a scrap of fabric that was either requested or offered by a lady.Generally, those ladies were romantic interests, but not always.

Either way, I was ridiculously pleased with the ribbon and convinced myself that I could detect a faint lilac scent from it.I tied it around my wrist.

Instead of being alone the guesthouse, I had regular visitors.Gabriel came by to crow about his romance with Sylvis and ask for advice.Rayven came to complain about Zareth’s and Xochitl’s decorating and pondering strategies for offering advice.Razvan came to ask if I wanted to go to Earth and watch Rage of Angels in a recording session.

“Gabriel’s your best friend, so you’ll have an excuse to be there.”He gave me a conspiratorial smile.“Don’t tell anyone that I know how to open the portal on my own.”

“Are you not supposed to know?”

“It’s never been outright stated, but the people of Aisthanesthai are wary about us.Our alliance with their queen is quite new.Immigration negotiations have barely begun and accommodations for our feeding only opened last year.”

“The blood houses.”I’d visited the one in the village.It also served as a restaurant for non-vampires and the food was very good.I wasn’t too sure about the brothel on the top floor.All my vampire friends had their Brides that were true-bonds, but their subordinates apparently availed themselves at times.I heard it was very busy after both recent battles.But since then, the customers were mostly human.

“The moment the Conclave was informed that we would be spending time in this world, a law was made that we cannot drink from anyone without consent.”Razvan made a mock grimace that showed his fangs.“As one who loves the hunt, even after the Elders passed the law against killing, I was at first vexed at this rule, but now I understand.Everyone else pays for their meals and so should we.”

Even though both Razvan and I could fly, he drove us to Spokane—the territory he ruled over—in his car.I hadn’t been in a car in over fifty years, and, to my embarrassment, got terribly nauseated.Thankfully, my stomach settled a few moments after exiting the steel death trap.

Gabriel was joyous to see me at the recording studio that I learned Razvan had built in Spokane.The rest of the band wasn’t as enthused, but they had lost all their hostility and most of their wariness.

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