Chapter Nine

Daylight

“You have questions.” Evelyn primly folded her hands.

Angie looked up from the workbench. She and Mike had been banished to the laundry room to craft the silver bullets, because the stench of melting metal wasn’t exactly homey like baking Christmas cookies.

Mike cleared his throat. “I’m going to make some coffee. Want some?”

“Sure.” Angie smiled at his retreating back—much like her dad, Mike didn’t mind that Angie was a lesbian, but he wasn’t comfortable hearing details about her sex life. Mike closed the door to the utility room behind him, and Angie shrugged at Evelyn once they were alone. “Is this the part where you try to Obi-Wan Kenobi me into joining the flock side?”

“It was my understanding that you already had.”

Angie blushed as she poured molten silver into the bullet molds. She still ached in pleasant ways from her time with Mistress Elizabeth. It was strange how one body housed both Lizzy’s dry wit and blushing awkwardness and a sultry sex kitten like Elizabeth.

“I guess so. But if you’re here to ask questions about Lizzy, I don’t kiss and tell.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to. Nor am I here to gossip about Sean, but I have been part of his flock for fifteen years. I have a great deal of experience on the subject.”

Fifteen years. Could she spend the next fifteen years with Lizzy? If they even lived that long, and they weren’t killed by zombies, werewolves or jealous vampires first.

“What do you know about Philippe?” she asked.

Evelyn frowned as her expression darkened. She was a handsome woman—too old for Angie, but attractive. Nice body, pretty smile, sexy voice. She had a hint of an accent that Angie couldn’t place. Cultured. Evelyn was a woman who should be wearing pearls and drinking tea.

“I have never met Philippe,” Evelyn admitted. “Sean usually met him in Philippe’s territory.”

Angie stepped back and folded her arms as she leaned against the dryer. Her jaw clenched as she thought of Lizzy’s words. “Before I was free from my Master, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. I did a lot of things that I had no choice in doing.” Philippe hadn’t been about to give Lizzy a choice, either. He tried to snatch her up and drag her back to that life, leaving the rest of them to die without remorse or hesitation. Even Sean, who was supposed to be Philippe’s brother.

“I sense a but attached to that statement,” Angie said.

Evelyn stepped closer and lowered her voice. “There is more. I will tell you this information in confidence, and you may share it with Lizzy but no one else.”

“All right.”

“Philippe moved to the area five years ago. The first few times that Sean met with Philippe, Sean returned home with severe injuries. He wouldn’t speak about it. I believe Sean appealed to Lord Josef to end the abuse.”

Angie grimaced. “Philippe sounds like a real jerk. Lizzy mentioned that he’s usually in demon mode. She doesn’t get along with her inner demon. Is Sean like that?”

“But we are all at war with our vices.” Evelyn smiled softly. “If the stories are to be believed, demons were angels once. Perhaps Lizzy and Sean retained that capacity for good when the rest of their family did not. Sean is a patron of the arts. He’s supported many bright talents in the time that I’ve known him. Talents that otherwise would never had the chance to develop.”

“A saint in the streets, a demon in the sheets?”

Evelyn laughed. “Indeed. He struggles to keep his demon’s needs separate from the rest of his life. It appears that Lizzy is similarly torn.”

“Yeah. Sean only recruits artists for his flock?”

“When he sensed that there was interest, yes, but most of the people he aided never knew that Sean was…different. Sean only asks what we’re willing to give. He’s never touched Trinity, though she is part of our family.”

“Gavin’s mother?” Angie asked, and she nodded. “Too young?”

“Too troubled. Trinity took one of Bailey’s classes at the center, and Bailey recognized that Trin has an amazing talent. And that something was very wrong with her home life. Trinity’s stepfather abused her, but her mother didn’t believe her. Sean took Trin in after she got pregnant, and he gave her a safe place to stay. She’s been with us ever since.”

“He sounds like a prince. Lizzy would ask what’s wrong with him.”

Evelyn shrugged. “He isn’t perfect. No one is. And…” She took a deep breath and placed a comforting hand on Angie’s shoulder. “It isn’t easy. I have been with Sean since he arrived in Chicago, and I’ve watched women come and go from his flock. There have been times when I would have given anything to be the only one he needed. It’s awful to know that no matter how much I love him, or he loves me, that I’m not enough to sustain him. No one person is. His demon will always need more than I alone can give.”

“That’s why Lizzy has been drawing blood from the others for her own blood bank. She doesn’t want to be with anyone else.” Angie’s jaw clenched. She didn’t like to think of herself as the jealous type, but she hated knowing that Lizzy was curled up in her coffin with Sean.

“And that will work for now. But when we leave, she may not have that option.” Evelyn stood straighter and folded her hands again. “I try to remember that Sean’s heart and his hunger are two separate matters. He loves me without question. It’s his demon that desires others.”

It made sense. Elizabeth was a porn star, and Angie couldn’t picture her being monogamous. Lizzy wanted a relationship.

“Sort of like dating Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Okay. But Sean’s fine with the flock that he has now, right? He won’t try to recruit?”

“Recruit, no, but he would not refuse someone who expressed interest in being bitten.”

“But he won’t bother Lizzy, right?”

Evelyn quirked a brow. “Define bother.”

“The vampires in her family don’t take no for an answer.”

“Sean isn’t like that.”

“What is he like, then? Why did he become a vampire?”

She sighed. “To be honest, he doesn’t speak about how he became a vampire and I’ve never asked. The subject troubles him. You could ask him yourself.”

“Maybe I will.” Angie ran a hand over her hair—she hadn’t been sure if she liked the super-short cut after she got it, but it had proven very apocalypse-friendly. Lizzy seemed to like it. “Something about this bugs me. Well, a lot about this situation bugs me, but you and Sean seem too good to be true. As I understand it, most vampires are evil like Philippe. Why is Sean an exception to that rule?”

“Why is Lizzy?” Evelyn countered. “They escaped their abusive situation and built new lives.”

It was too simple, too trite. Angie’s skin itched from the suspicion that there was more to their story—something dangerous.

“What do you know about werewolves?” Angie asked, changing the subject.

“Very little, I’m afraid. Bailey knows some of their people, but not much about werewolf culture itself.”

“Zombies, vampires, werewolves, what next? Is there anything else I need to know about? Sea monsters? Elves? Aliens?”

“Not that I know of.”

Angie breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I don’t think I can stand more surprises.”

“I will leave you to your work. Please don’t hesitate to speak with me or any of the others if you have questions.”

Evelyn left, and Angie stared down at the bullet molds. The problem was that she had too many questions about some things, and not enough information to even formulate questions about others. Vampires, werewolves and mobs, oh my! None of them were in Kansas anymore.

But there was comfort in the simple task of making bullets. Her father had demanded that his girls know how to do things for themselves—change a flat tire, change the oil in their cars, shovel snow. Even before Angie had joined the Army Dad taught her how to shoot, clean a handgun and make her own ammunition. “Maybe you’ll never need to know this,” he would say, “but it’s better to know it and not need it, than to need it and have no idea what to do.” Angie’s throat tightened, and she swallowed hard. Her family might be okay. If anyone could survive the end of the world, her dad could.

Mike returned and set a mug of coffee next to her. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh-huh. I’m not going to ask about your personal life—” he began, but Angie interrupted with a dry chuckle.

“When do you ever? Besides, you’ve been divorced twice. You’re not an expert on women,” she teased.

Mike sighed. “Hey, women I understand. It’s marriage that I was no good at. But I was going to ask about the fight earlier, because you discharged your weapon. If this wasn’t the apocalypse you’d have to write on that. Maybe you ought to do some paperwork anyway. Someone should be making a record of all this, and your handwriting is better than mine.” Mike calmly sipped his coffee as he waited for Angie to reply.

“No one would believe it.” Angie exhaled a shaky breath and then shrugged. “It was weird, like a bad dream or a crappy action movie. I emptied my entire clip, and Philippe barely flinched. Lizzy was hit twice and she was more hurt by the bites than the bullets. We’re going to be in serious trouble if Philippe comes around looking for another fight.”

“Bullets don’t hurt them. Even Father Sanchez’s cross didn’t hurt Lizzy, just scared her off. We have no way to defend ourselves.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to.”

“What do you think of this Sean character?”

Angie shrugged again. “I think the fact that Philippe was going to leave him is a point in Sean’s favor. If Sean was on Team Evil, Philippe would’ve recruited him.”

Mike snorted and shook his head. “Team Evil. Nice.”

“I think…” Frowning, she sipped her bitter coffee. Like most of Mike’s coffee attempts it was too strong and slightly sludgy, but she appreciated the thought. “We’re doing the right thing. It may seem like the weird thing, working with vampires, but I think we’re okay.”

“Me too. Just keep your eyes open tomorrow. Werewolves sound like trouble.” He frowned down at the bullet molds. “Silver bullets. If the captain could see us now.”

“He’d tell us to quit screwing around drinking coffee and get back to work.” Angie set her mug aside and squared her shoulders. There was plenty of silver left to melt down.