by Judith Post
While Voronika poured two glasses, she said, "Your sister can die, too. New vampires are vulnerable. The older a vampire, the more dangerous, but Enoch will protect her."
A chill ran through Angel. How long would Enoch put up with them? Their mother got tired of them a few days after they were born. Crystal practically raised herself and then helped raise her. She owed Crystal. She'd do anything to help her through this. How did you make an angel like you? By being good? She looked at Voronika. She didn't strike Angel as pure and chaste. By being beautiful? Crystal turned heads. Would that be enough?
Voronika placed a hand under Angel's chin and raised her face to hers. "There are no guarantees in life, little one, but Enoch and I will do everything we can to make sure Crystal has good options as a vampire."
Angel frowned. "What does that mean?"
"There are more good vampires than you think. Caleb has generals. Your sister could become one of those, or she could join one of the general's broods. She might even find a mate."
Angel stared. "Vampires have families?"
"Of sorts." Voronika glanced over to see that both Lucinda and Crystal had reverted back to their mortal forms, and they looked calm again. Enoch held his cashmere jacket in front of him, frowning at two, big holes in the back shoulder. It was stained with blood. She smiled. "It's a good thing you're rich. You should buy a supply of your favorites. Your clothes get ruined in attacks more often than I'd have guessed."
Angel tugged at her arm, impatiently. "What kind of families?"
"A lead vampire often sires other vampires, and he keeps them close. He chooses a mate, and his offspring choose mates, and they all live together in a clan."
"So a family might take in Crystal?"
Voronika started toward Enoch. He looked more upset than usual. "Yes, and the sire will train her and take her under his protection. If a general claims her, no one will mess with her."
Enoch's gaze scanned the women. "Where's Scarlet?"
Angel looked back to the open door of Scarlet and Lucinda's bedroom. She raised her hand to her throat. Please, no. Scarlet wasn't on the floor, drained, was she?
The balcony doors opened and Scarlet peeked inside. She wore a long, claret-red kimono, and her pale hair was pulled into a severe bun. When she saw Enoch and Voronika, she sighed with relief. "Lucinda started making noises in her sleep, then her fingernails grew into claws. I thought I'd better find some place to hide. I thought if I went outside and closed the doors, she might not catch my scent."
"You didn't think to warn the rest of us?" Voronika asked.
Scarlet shrugged. "I thought if Lucinda was turning, Crystal might be, too. I didn't want to stick around to find out."
Enoch's voice was dry. "You didn't worry about Angel's health?"
"She sleeps in the same room as Voronika. I assumed she'd be safe."
Enoch gave her a long, hard look, and Angel got the feeling he didn't like Scarlet very much. Odd. The few times she ever went to church, she'd been told that God loves everyone. And then the minister would give a list of all the people who wouldn't make it to heaven. She never understood how that worked, but maybe angels were the same.
Voronika shrugged. "When she's with me, she is safe. I'm an old vampire, and I was on my own for a long time."
That reminded Angel of their previous conversation. "You were talking about good vampires and generals. Enoch knows lots of generals. Can he set up my sister?"
Voronika's wine glass stopped in midair and she looked down at her, smiling. "You are a clever girl. Yes, he knows them all, and every general owes him favors."
Angel smiled. A happy possibility painted itself in her mind. If Enoch liked Crystal and asked a general to adopt her, he probably would. Then Crystal could be a good vampire and live a long, happy, undead life. Some of the cold anxiety she'd lived with for the last few days began to dissolve. Then she frowned. What would she do without Crystal? If she returned to Mom alone, her mom would treat her like shit. But she could survive that…as long as Crystal was all right. It wouldn't be pleasant, but she could do it.
Chapter 11
Enoch waited for everyone to settle before he examined his cashmere jacket. He shook his head. Past saving. He was about to toss it in the trash when a yawning Scarlet wandered back into the living room.
"Sorry," she said. "Can't sleep."
"Too much commotion." He understood. When he first saw Scarlet, she made him pause. With her pale hair, pale eyes, and paler skin, she reminded him of a ghost. Cold. Detached. Not that he'd met any deceased spirits, thank Someone.
"You're not throwing that away?" she said.
He pointed to the two holes and blood stains. "My tailor can't fix it."
"I know how to get out blood stains, and I can darn the holes. If you take that to Goodwill, someone will snatch it up. That's where I used to shop for better clothes. Some of them didn't even look worn."
He shrugged and handed it to her. "It was a chilly night to hide on the balcony."
A blush crept to her white cheeks. "I drank a few glasses of wine out there. Must have fallen asleep. I woke up, sitting on the floor, propped against your lawn chair."
Enoch didn't judge her. At Feral's club, she drank with her customers all night. Habits are hard to break. "Are you okay?"
"Fine now." She looked pissed. "Sorry I didn't knock on Voronika's door to give her a head's up."
Voronika tiptoed out of her room, too. She walked to him and nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
"Are the girls okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "You're a generous man. You took me in, and now you're trying to save these girls."
He raised an eyebrow. "You took these girls in. I'm trying to keep you happy."
"Same difference."
Scarlet grimaced. "I didn't realize how dangerous Lucinda and Crystal were. Vampires at the club could control themselves."
Enoch wouldn't be overjoyed either, camping with someone who might drain you in your sleep.
"We'll be more careful from now on," Voronika said. "When Enoch has to leave, I'll stand guard."
"Oh, well, it's over. I'm taking three aspirin and going back to bed." Scarlet walked toward the bathroom. They heard the medicine cabinet squeak.
Voronika looked at Enoch and shrugged. "She's an odd one."
"Sounds like she got in over her head, thought she'd be better off serving vampires than humans, then realized she was wrong."
"Maybe." Voronika yawned and looked at the clock. "My hours are messed up. I was hoping I could sneak out here and toss you on a couch to have my way with you. That always helps me relax. But no such luck. Get me up at sunset. I'll try to get back to something more normal."
"Will do." He kissed the top of her head. Damn. She was in the mood, and they were living in a freaking dorm. "See you tonight."
Voronika disappeared into her room, and when Scarlet entered her bedroom, Lucinda exited it.
Musical doors. Enoch forced himself not to sigh. He wasn't really all that social. He'd seen enough of people and longed for his alone time.
Lucinda padded to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, staring into it blankly. "Are you hungry?" Enoch asked. She shouldn't be. She'd just fed.
Lucinda waited until Scarlet closed the door to their room, then came to stand very close to him and whispered, "Don't trust Scarlet."
"Really?" Enoch shook his head, but kept his voice low. "You're the vampire who tried to drain me, and you don't trust the human?"
"She asked me to bite her last night, to change her. Like I'd do that to someone on purpose. I'm too new. I probably wouldn't have done it right. Not that I'd do it anyway. It sucks being a bloodsucker."
"A play on words?"
Lucinda shrugged. "A vampire has to have a little humor. But Scarlet wasn't in our room when I changed. She went out on that balcony before the hunger ever hit me."
"She said you fidgeted in your sleep and your nails grew."
"No."
Enoch frowned. "Why would she hide on the balcony in her pajamas in this weather?"
"To meet someone?"
"I live in the penthouse."
"Do all of your friends use the elevator when they come to visit you?" she asked.
She meant vampire friends. "No, they don't."
Lucinda gave him a knowing look.
Enoch gazed down the hallway at the closed door of the spare bedroom. "Why would Scarlet want to turn? She's seen how vampires live."
"She likes it," Lucinda said. "A lot of mortals do."
Worry twisted in his gut. Enoch stalked to the balcony to sniff the air. A faint scent of vampire remained. Scarlet had snuck outside to meet someone from the club. He inhaled more deeply and recognized the scent. Feral.
He balled his hands into fists. Damn it to hell, Feral had landed on his balcony.
When he returned, Lucinda raised an auburn eyebrow. "Who met her?"
"Feral. Scarlet could have invited her into our home. I wouldn't have been here to protect you girls. I'll…."
She interrupted him. "Feral knows better than to sneak in here. Voronika's older than she is, and stronger. When you found out she'd been in your home, you'd make her true dead. She's vicious, but she's not stupid."
Enoch went to the kitchen to pour himself a Scotch. What was Feral playing at? Why had she come? Lucinda settled on a stool at the island to watch him. He savored a smoky sip, then asked, "Why didn't Scarlet ask Feral to change her? She worked at the club long enough."
Lucinda pushed an empty glass toward him and he poured her a drink, too. "Feral won't do it. Customers pay extra to drink from mortals. Scarlet's a bigger asset as a human."
They drank in silence. Enoch couldn't push away his worry. The next time he left, he'd lock the grids and take the keys with him. That way, no one could open them but him. He looked at Lucinda. She hadn't wanted to be a vampire, but she seemed to be managing. "You don't hate yourself as a vampire, do you?"
She shrugged. She was still dressed in his long, white T-shirt, and the shrug accentuated her firm, full breasts. He made a mental note to buy the women new clothes tomorrow. "What's done is done. I've never believed in crying over spilled blood." She gave a small smile.
Enoch stifled a groan. More bad vampire humor. "I got it. Go on."
"It's not my fault I ended up undead. My sire and Femur were both nightmares, but I figure you'll help me make the best of it."
"A good philosophy." He hadn't known too many other vampires who took being changed in their stride, but Lucinda was right. There wasn't much they could do about it.
Light pressed against the heavy drapes, and Enoch realized the sun was up. He looked at Lucinda. She stretched and yawned. "Thanks for the mother's milk. I can sleep now."
He shook his head. "A far cry from milk."
"Nurtures me. Same thing." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You're a decent guy for an angel. Thanks for taking me in." He blinked, surprised, and she laughed. "You're pretty uptight for all the shit you've seen."
"Yeah, I've heard that before."
She swallowed the last of her drink. "See you tonight. And thanks again."
He poured himself another Scotch when she closed the door to her room. Then he walked to the balcony and eased himself onto a lawn chair. The air nipped at him, but he ignored it. He watched as a breeze fluttered the last leaves still clinging to the trees that lined the street below him. The sooner he got Scarlet out of his place, the better. She might not want to work for Feral, but she had an odd attachment to her. Did she understand that Feral only used her?
Scarlet hadn't cried for help when Feral came to visit her, and it didn't appear as though she'd sent her away. Instead, she kept the meeting secret. Why? And why had Feral come? To try to win Scarlet back? He considered that. If Scarlet had trouble finding a job and struggled to make ends meet, Feral's club would look again.
He still worried about Candi. If the woman could, she'd make trouble for her daughters and anyone who helped them. He'd call Danny today, and maybe they'd go visit the loving mother. His lips curled in a wry smile. Sarcasm. Lucinda would appreciate that.
He had an hour to kill, so settled in his armchair and picked up a book to read. Jack London. He'd read his works decades ago. The fight for survival that permeated most of his stories suited Enoch's mood this morning. He waited until seven-thirty and then went to wake Angel.
The girl blinked up at him. With her honey-gold hair, mussed, and her brown eyes unfocused, she looked like the eleven-year-old she was. "What?" she asked.
"Time to get ready for school."
She groaned. "Can't I skip today? I haven't had very much sleep."
"It's Monday. You missed days last week."
Voronika raised up on her elbows. "She's smart. She'll catch up. You can drag her to school tomorrow."
Enoch grimaced. He didn't like it, but he nodded. "Tomorrow then. No excuses."
Angel fell back onto her pillow and pulled her blankets close.
Enoch quietly closed their door and went to call Danny. He'd be at work by now.
"Yeah? What's up?" No preamble. Danny always cut straight to the problem.
Enoch explained about meeting Candi at the vampire club. "I'd like to talk to her more and make sure she realizes she can't interfere with the girls."
"Got it." Papers rustled in the background. "I can go with you this afternoon. Probably better anyway. I'm betting Candi isn't a morning person."
"You should call the school, too, let them know the girls are okay."
"Will do. See you later." Danny must be busy, but when wasn't he buried in paper work?
"Give me a time."
"One?"
"I'll pick you up." Enoch clicked off his cell phone and went to his desk in the corner of the room. His article was due at the end of the week. He might as well start work on it. Lost in thought, it took him a minute to realize someone was watching him. He looked up and Angel, with her chin resting on the back of the sofa, sat, watching him.
"Do you need something?" he asked.
She shook her head.
He wrote a few more sentences, looked up, and there she was. He saved his work and made himself concentrate on her. "I thought you were too sleepy to go to school."
"I am." She yawned.
"Then why are you awake?"
"I don't know."
Fair enough. "Do you want to watch some TV? I don't know what girls your age do in the middle of the morning."
"What are you working on?"
He stifled a groan. "I write news commentaries for a major magazine."
"That's a job?"
"Some people think so. They pay me for it."
She wrinkled her nose. "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Crystal was going to college to be a teacher."
"A worthy occupation."
"No one hires vampires." Angel sighed. "I don't know why anyone would want to spend their whole life in school."
"Some people like learning."
She shook her head, an unbeliever. "I guess so."
Enoch hunched his shoulders. "What do you plan to do with your day off?"
Angel came around to sit on a chair that was closer to his desk. "Voronika said to wake her up at noon to go shopping."
Noon—an hour and a half away. What was he supposed to do with this girl until then? He frowned at her. "Let's get honest. I've never been around kids. What am I supposed to do with you?"
She laughed. "How should I know? My mom was usually passed out until late afternoon."
"Okay, that's more honesty than I expected, but it doesn't help me. What do you usually do in your free time?"
Angel glanced around the pristine apartment. "I usually clean up after my mom and her boyfriends."
"I pay someone to do that."
"Really?" She squinted her eyes, and he braced himself. He didn't want to hire a kid to clean his apartment. "Doesn't Voronika sleep during the day?"
Angel tilted her head to the side, studying him. "You met my mom, right?"
Oh, holy heavens, he didn't want to have this discussion. "Your mom and your dad."
"Then you should know I've mostly taken care of myself. No, that's wrong. Crystal was always there for me."
He nodded, unsure how to answer her.
She glanced at his bookcase. "I like to read. Do you have any Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs?"
He stared. "You're eleven. Aren't they a little old for you?"
"What do you want me to read, the Power Puff girls?"
"Harry Potter?"
She rolled her eyes. "Been there, done that."
"You've read all of them?"
"I'm not stupid!" she said. "I just hate school."
He did a quick re-evaluation. Not stupid didn't do the girl justice. She must be too smart for her own good. He thought a minute. "I never read about vampires and magic. It's too close to my everyday life, but if that's what you like, then go for it." He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a Kindle. "Buy whatever books you want. I have an account."
She flipped the switch and bit her bottom lip. "This is the newest version. I can do anything on this."
Nice. That should keep her busy for a while. He nodded. "Then do it."
She raised an eyebrow. "You just want me out of your hair."
He smiled. "In that, you're right. I don't do kids, don't understand you, don't want to. If playing on my Kindle makes you happy, go for it."
She hesitated. "I thought an angel would be boring. You know, a goody-two-shoes—lots of praying and meditating. But you're not too bad."
"Neither are you for a kid. So let's leave it at that. I do meditate, but only when I'm alone, so hopefully, I won't bore you." He nodded to the Kindle. "Buy whatever you want and let me get back to work."
She nodded and disappeared onto a couch in the far corner. Maybe she was afraid he'd change his mind if she purchased something he didn't approve of. He didn't really care too much what she bought, as long as it wasn't porn. Voronika liked the girl. She wanted to help make her life a little more stable. He wasn't sure what would happen to her when Crystal left to join Bart, but Voronika was determined that Angel would end up someplace good. They were simply her halfway house, half way between a mom who was a selfish bitch and a family who would love her.