Red-Headed Stepchild

She moved forward toward the altar and knelt. As she touched her head to the floor, I stood silent. When she rose, candles around the altar sputtered to life without the aid of matches. Next, she lifted the golden lotus figurine and kissed it. That done, she turned to me.



“What news?”



I knew we didn’t have much time, but part of me longed for some hint of warmth from her. Pushing the thought aside, I got down to business.



“I’m leaving tonight for San Francisco. The meeting is tomorrow.”



“Excellent,” she said. Her slender, milky hands rubbed together. “I’ll alert Persephone and Tanith.”



I nodded, but she didn’t see it, lost in thought. “Are there any further instructions?”



She shook her head. “I’ll be checking in with you via your secure phone. I’ll remind you not to give the number out.”



No shit, I thought. Resentment tickled my gut, but I knew she only wanted to be sure the mission went off without complications. She couldn’t help herself.



“Yes, Grandmother,” I said. “I’ll be careful.”



“Now, have you considered how you’ll play the meeting with Clovis?”



“Yes, I feel it’s important to feign reluctance. If he thinks I’m too eager to join him he’ll be suspicious.”



She nodded. “I expect he might also try to use your birth to lure you onto his side. Use it to your advantage.”



Her mercurial attitude set my teeth on edge. One minute she treated my mixed blood like a shameful secret, and the next she wanted me to use it manipulate someone. I nodded anyway, hoping I could get to Clovis without having to share too many intimate details with him.



“You must remember that Clovis is half-demon. He can appear quite charming when he wants to be.”



“You’ve met him?”



“Yes, his father was a trusted adviser to the Dominae when we were still in Rome. Clovis showed a lot of promise despite his father’s unfortunate affair with the demon Akasha. However, his mixed blood lured him away from the Lilim early on. He’s been a thorn in our side ever since.”



“That certainly sheds some light on the matter.”



She didn’t acknowledge my sarcasm. Instead, she turned and seemed to dismiss me as she prepared the room for midnight prayers. I stood there for a moment, waiting for something. A good-bye. Anything.



“Grandmother,” I said finally. “What do you know about the Praescarium Lilitu?”



She swung around, her eyes intense. “Why do you bring up that nonsense?”



I shrugged. “Someone mentioned it in connection with the Caste of Nod.”



“Sabina, why are you wasting my time with questions about faery tales? The Praescarium Lilitu is a myth. There is no Caste.”



I nodded. “So the birthmark on my shoulder blade isn’t a symbol of the Caste?”



She went very still. “Whom have you been talking to?”



The anger in her voice gave me pause. “Just some guy. He said the symbol for the Caste is the eight-point star.”



“Did you tell this person about your birthmark?” Her voice was intense and I got the sense the answer to this question was important.



“No.”



“Good. What have I always told you?” she said, coming closer. “That birthmark is like a neon sign advertising your mixed blood to the world. You’d best keep it to yourself.”



I still didn’t understand how keeping the mark to myself was doing me any favors. After all, my mixed scents and hair were immediate signals to all the dark races that I was mixed-blood. But I could tell from her tone that Grandmother didn’t want to talk about it any more.



“Like I said, I was just curious. Sorry to waste your time.”



She nodded regally. “You should go.”



I turned to leave through the door hidden by the tapestry hanging behind the altar. It depicted the first mating of Lilith and Cain, which resulted in the birth of the vampire race. For the first time, I noticed the serpent curled in the tree behind the lovers. The erotic picture had been a fixture in my life since I could remember, but as I looked at it now I wondered why I’d never noticed that detail before.



Shaking off the strange feeling, I lifted the panel.



“Sabina.” Grandmother’s quiet voice stopped me. I turned with my eyebrows raised. “I don’t think I have to remind you of the critical nature of this mission. Do not fail me, child. It’s shameful enough to me that your birth prevented you from entering service to the Temple.”



I swallowed the argument that sprang to my lips, and the movement felt violent to my throat.



No sense in reminding her I’d not chosen this path. When I’d reached maturity, I was told that because of my mixed blood, I would not be allowed to become an acolyte at the Temple. Instead, the Dominae decided I would train for the only profession fit for a mixed-blood. So, I was sent away to train as an assassin, despite the fact half my blood was from one of the most noble vampire bloodlines. The job usually fell to lowborn vampires, who didn’t mind the outcast status the profession required. Eventually, I accepted my role as pariah, because I was damn good at my job and it made me useful to the Dominae. At times, though, I still resented not having a choice in the matter.



“I understand.” Somehow I managed to keep the lingering resentment out of my voice. She nodded once and returned to her task, dismissing me.



As I made my way through the corridor, dust filled my lungs, weighing them down. At least, I told myself it was the dust.



9



When I got home that night, I found Giguhl lying on my couch in my hot pink kimono.



“Nice robe,” I said by way of greeting. He ignored me and continued watching Jerry Springer. I dropped my stuff on the kitchen table and plopped into the armchair.



“Mortals are silly,” he said finally. “What’s a ‘baby daddy,’ anyway?”



On the screen, a woman with serious dental hygiene issues was beating a man upside the head. “I guess you don’t get to watch much TV in Irkalla.”



He propped his head on one scaly bicep and turned to look at me. “Nah. We stayed busy torturing the souls of the damned and playing hide the hot poker. You know, the usual.”



We watched the show for a few minutes. The scene onstage turned into an all-out brawl. “As amusing as this is, we need to talk.” I grabbed the remote from the table and clicked it off. Giguhl sat up, careful to arrange the silk around his hips.



“What’s up?”



“I’m going out of town for a little while.”



“What?”



“I’ve got to go to San Francisco to take care of some business.”



“What kind of business?”



“The kind that is none of yours.”



“Very funny. So what? You’re just going to leave me here?”



“That’s the plan.”



He stood up, looming over me. “No way, sister. If you’re leaving town, then I’m coming with you.”



I was already shaking my head before he finished speaking. “No way.”



“Come on, Sabina. I’ve been trapped in your house for days—even shopping has lost its once-heady appeal. Plus, you’re no closer to getting me home than you were when I arrived. And now you expect me to just sit here while you run off for Bael knows how long?”



“What do you want from me?” I asked, frustrated. “I can’t put off this mission any longer.”



“Give me one good reason why I can’t come with you?”



I looked him over—from the tips of his horns to the cloven hooves. Not to mention the pink robe. “For one thing, you wouldn’t exactly blend into the mortal world.”



He rolled his goat eyes. “Is that all?” He snapped his fingers. A surge of energy tingled down my spine and a plume of violet smoke filled the room. When it cleared, instead of a seven-foot-tall demon standing over me, a black-and-white cat was looking up at me.



I blinked and shook my head. “What the hell?”



The cat spoke. “Someone played hooky the day they covered demon powers in school, huh?”



I wasn’t sure what freaked me out more, the ease with which he changed himself into a cat or the fact I was having a conversation with a talking pussy.



“What’s wrong?” he said. “Cat got your tongue?” The sound that came out of his tiny pink mouth was part laugh and part meow.



“Wait a second, all this time you’ve been able to change shape and you never told me?”



He sighed and twitched his whiskers. “Didn’t come up. So when are we leaving?”



“You’re not going.” I stood and walked toward the kitchen. The cat tripped me up as he wound around my ankles, purring. I cursed and he sat back on his haunches and widened his little cat eyes at me. “Stop that.”



“Come on, Sabina. Hey! Maybe I could help with your mission.”



“I work alone.” I started walking again, but a puff of smoke and the acrid smell of brimstone stopped me. I turned slowly, finding Giguhl back in demon form. Naked.



My eyes bulged out of my head as I saw what rested between his hips. “Good Lord!” I said without thinking. A forked penis will do that to a girl.



He glanced down at the appendage and smiled knowingly. “Once you go demon you never go back.”



“Give me a break,” I said. “And while you’re at it, put on some clothes.” I grabbed the robe from where it lay on the ground. Keeping my eyes averted, I tossed it to him.



“If I put this on, can I go with you?”



I crossed my arms and took a deep breath. Taking him with me wasn’t in the plan, but the more I thought about it, having a demon at my disposal might be a good thing. Surely he had other talents besides the shapeshifting. Besides, maybe he could teach me more about demons in general, which would definitely help me when it came to Clovis.



“Fine, but you have to promise to do whatever I say.”