About the greeting she’d expected. “I have great news. Can we come in?”

“You can.” His gaze stayed on Mal. “That’s it.”

“The child comes with me.”

He glanced down at Lilith and crinkled his forehead but stepped aside to let them pass. He swung the door shut as soon as they were in. “What’s this great news?”

“First, how about you lose the attitude?” How was she ever going to leave this child with Preacher if he didn’t cool it? “I’m not the enemy.”

Preacher sneered. “The vampire out in that car is.”

“No, he’s not. In fact, he saved this little girl’s life. And she happens to like him very much.”

Preacher crossed his arms, but the tone of his voice softened a little. “What’s it to me?”

“You’re starting to make me regret this decision.” Chrysabelle leaned in until only a few inches separated them, then lowered her voice. “She’s your daughter, you self-loathing hypocrite.”

The scowl on his face melted into disbelief and his eyes focused on Lilith. He shook his head, the scowl coming back. “That’s a dirty trick and it’s not going to work on me. That child is human. My daughter is not.”

“She is now.” She put her hand on Lilith’s shoulder where the little girl hung onto her leg. “This is your daughter, rescued from the clutches of the ancient ones.”

Doubt clouded his eyes. “Mariela has a birthmark on her hip shaped like a crescent moon.”

Chrysabelle nodded and crouched by the little girl. Lilith looked on the verge of tears. This all had to be so confusing for her. At least Velimai had been able to get her some decent clothes. Chrysabelle patted her hair. “It’s okay, baby. Can I just look at your tummy and see if you have a spot there?”

“M’kay.” She pulled up her dress, showing off a pair of pantaloons, then pointed at her side. “Here.”

Chrysabelle tugged the pantaloons down half an inch, revealing the crescent-shaped mark. She looked up at Preacher. “Satisfied?” But his eyes were already filling.

He dropped to his knees in front of them, his dog tags clinking softly. “Mariela,” he whispered. “My Mariela. At last. I don’t know how she’s grown so fast, but I don’t care.” He looked heavenward. “Thank you.” Then he held out his hands to her. “My sweet girl. I’m your papa.”

Mariela looked at Chrysabelle. She nodded. “He is.”

Mariela shook her head, her bottom lip thrust out.

“Wait,” Preacher said. “Give me a sec.” He disappeared into a back room, returning with a speed only made possible by his vampire abilities. He held out a stuffed pink giraffe. “Remember Gigi?”

Mariela’s frown disappeared. She put her hand on the giraffe’s head. “Gigi.”

“That’s right. And I’m papa. Remember?”

Mariela smacked one of his hands with her own like she was playing a game, then loudly pronounced, “Vampire.”

He laughed and nodded. “Yes, I am.” Then he glanced at Chrysabelle. “And so was she. So how isn’t she a vampire anymore?” He shook his head. “She’s changed so much. She’s so… big.”

Chrysabelle let go of Mariela as the little girl tucked Gigi under one arm and took hold of both of Preacher’s hands. “You can thank the ancients for her growth spurt. As for the vampire half of her, it’s a bit of a story, but it’s gone for good.”

He looked up. “How is that possible?”

“It has to do with the Tree of Life and the—”

“The Tree of Life? The Tree of Life?” He scooped Mariela into his arms, kissed her face, and stood. “In the Garden of Eden?”

“That’s the one. She ate fruit from the Tree and it killed off her vampire side, making her completely human again.”

A single tear tracked down his face. He pressed his mouth to Mariela’s cheek in a long kiss. “Thank you. Thank you for saving her.” He hugged his daughter tightly, causing her to squeal. “Parenting a human child is not going to be easy for me, I know, but I will do the best I can.”

“Do you wish that you could be human again too?”

He nodded, obviously too choked with emotion to speak.

Chrysabelle reached into her pocket and pulled out the gleaming black apple Michael had allowed her to leave with. “It just so happens, I can help you with that.”

He stared at the fruit. “What is that?”

“Apple!” Mariela shouted. She reached for it.

Chrysabelle pulled her hand back. “No, no, little one. You’ve had yours.” She nodded at Preacher. “She’s right. It’s an apple from the Tree of Life.”

He shook his head. “How did you get that?”

“It was a gift from my… from the Archangel Michael. For this exact purpose.”

He glanced at the fruit with new appreciation, holding out his free hand.

She drew the fruit back slightly. “First, I have to know something. When you turned yourself into a vampire through that accidental blood transfusion, did you die before you were transformed? The way it usually happens?”

“No. I was conscious the whole time.”

“Then, from what I understand of how the Tree works, eating this should kill off your vampire side and restore you to your full humanity, just like it did with Lilith. I mean, Mariela. But eating this also means you’ll age, lose your extra strength and speed. All your vampire abilities will be gone.”