Lilith grinned and pressed her hands together in front of her chest. “What’s the special thing?”

Tatiana moved closer to Mal. Was she that afraid of Lilith or trying to present a more unified front? “My darling, Malkolm and I have decided to take you to the most beautiful place on earth. The Garden of Eden. Won’t that be exciting?”

Lilith looked doubtful. “Why? What’s exciting about it?”

Mal wanted to roll his eyes, but didn’t. Tatiana wasn’t selling this very well. He sighed. “Because your mother has missed so much time with you, she wants to make up for that by allowing you to choose a very special present from the Garden. All the animals there are tame, so you can pick anything you like as a pet.”

Tatiana smiled like Mal had just come up with the best idea ever. Which, clearly, he had. “That’s right. Any animal you like. You pick it and we’ll bring it back here to live with us.”

Lilith’s eyes brightened. “You mean after that we’re all going to live here together?”

“Yes,” Tatiana answered. “You’ll stay here with us from then on.”

She squeezed her hands together. “And I can have any animal I like?”

“Any one at all, my darling. I used to have a cobra. I might get another one while we’re there.”

“No,” Lilith shouted. “Only I get a present.”

Tatiana stiffened and she held her hands up as she laughed unconvincingly. “All right, my sweet, only you get a present.”

If he thought he’d have a chance, Mal would have killed them both right there. A more irritating pair he couldn’t imagine. “Go rest now, Lilith. We’ll call you in just a short time to join us, but we have some final preparations to make before we can leave.” They’d already decided that Lilith shouldn’t see the portal being drawn. If anything went wrong, that wasn’t information she needed to possess.

“You promise not long? I hate waiting.”

Tatiana nodded. “We promise. Not long at all.”

“Fine.” She narrowed her red eyes at them. “But you better not be lying.”

“Go now, Lilith,” Mal said. “Or we won’t call you at all.”

“Hmph.” But she crossed her arms and disappeared.

Chapter Thirty-eight

Sand and rocks covered the earth in every direction except the one directly in front of Chrysabelle. Before her stood a set of gold filigree gates unlike any she’d ever seen. They soared over her, the tops of them disappearing into the clouds scuttling across the blue sky. The wall they were attached to was made of trees; trunks and branches and swathes of leaves all woven into an impenetrable barrier.

The sweet aroma that had wafted through to the other side of the portal was nothing compared to the air now. It was like she could taste the sweetness of the fruit and flowers perfuming the breeze. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

With a jerk, she opened them again. A being with four wings stood in front of her. A drape of the deepest blue covered him and a soft glow surrounded his body. He had a kind but strong face.

“Who are you?”

“I am Eae, the cherubim who guards this gate.” He held his hand out to his side and a flaming sword appeared in it. The blade twisted of its own accord, spinning slowly.

“You’re not going to let me pass, are you?”

He smiled with the ferocity of a lion. “Your blood decides that, not me.” He stepped to the side and the gates began to open. “And yes, you may pass. Just know that you may not remove anything from the Garden and you bear the consequences of anything you eat.”

She nodded, shocked that he wasn’t trying to stop her. “I understand. Thank you.” She hesitated. “There are others coming. Vampires. Two females and a male.”

His face shifted into something fiercer, almost hawklike. “Nobles?”

“Yes.”

He scowled.

“Will they be able to pass?”

More scowling. “Yes.”

She glanced at the sun shining in the sky. How was Mal going to know when it was night here? “This sun will affect them just like the sun anywhere else, right?”

“Yes,” Eae said. “But they will never see it. The Garden is whatever its inhabitants need it to be. For them, it will be night.”

“And for me?”

“As you may abide either, you will see it as night when they arrive.”

She sighed with relief. She’d know exactly when Mal got here. “So you know, the male is on my side. But the females with him can’t know I’m here. Please don’t say anything to them about me, but if you can somehow let the male know I’ve arrived, that would be okay with me.”

He nodded. “I will do what I can.”

“One more thing?” She prayed she wasn’t overstepping her bounds. “The portal I came through…” She glanced behind her. It shimmered on the ground, a brilliant red circle undeniably out of place. “Is there any way to hide it from those coming?”

“Sand.”

“Sand?” She picked up a handful and sprinkled it on one side of the portal and the edge disappeared. “Okay, sand.” She quickly covered the rest of it.

A quick thank-you and she hurried into the Garden, unsure how much longer the gates would stay open.

Once past them, the world around her was unbelievable. Not a single cloud obscured the sky on this side of the wall and the brilliant sunlight picked out every color of the flowers and trees and wildlife, making her feel like she was walking through a kaleidoscope. Mist drifted through an abundance of lush, tropical trees and plants in every imaginable shade of green. Beneath her feet, a mossy path wound into the distance. She reached down to touch the grass. The tiny springy blades were silky soft.