Page 65 of Archangel’s Lineage

Amy’s eyes shone wet. Blinking, she looked away for a moment, but nodded. “Yes.” A waterlogged sound. “I did eventually figure that out.” She took one deep breath, two. “As I figured out that it was my mom’s choice to stay with him even knowing that she could never live up to Marguerite.

“Over the years, I was so angry with Mom, too. How, I thought, could she just accept being second best?” She twisted her lips. “Then I fell in love and understood that sometimes, it isn’t a choice. Sometimes you love so much that you’d accept crumbs from your love’s table.”

This wasn’t a conversation Elena had ever thought she’d have with Amy. But oddly enough, it was easier than it would’ve been with Beth. Because while Beth was older, she had always been Elena’s little sister.

Amy, meanwhile... she felt more like another elder sister.

“We have a complicated family.”

“I think that’s the most diplomatic way to put it.” Amy’s smile was wry.

“Hey!” Eve threw up her hands, her ponytail swinging. “Are you two going to keep lollygagging or are we eating cake?”

“Where did you hear that word?” Amy laughed, the sound reminiscent of Gwendolyn’s gentle joy. “It feels like something a grandma would say.”

“Or a three-hundred-year-old vampire.” Eyes dancing with glee, Eve accepted the huge slice of cake Beth put on a plate for her. “Was behind her in a queue at the grocery store and she was muttering about how the cashier was lollygagging with all the customers and holding up people who had things to do.”

Eve made a wicked face. “I was tempted to point out that it was hardly as if she was growing gray hairs standing there, but I behaved myself. Though I did roll my eyes behind her back when I saw the bottled blood she was holding—cheap watered-down crap. She’d get more nutrition in a single glass at one of your cafés, Ellie.”

“Hey, don’t knock the cheap stuff.” Beth served up three more slices. “My favorite ‘champagne’ is a pink one that costs eight dollars a bottle.”

“The horror!” Amy cried, clutching at her heart. “Were you even a young woman in Gwendolyn Deveraux’s house? Does she have any idea of your taste in fizzy pink water?”

“We have a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.” Beth winked and passed her a slice of cake. “Strangely enough, though, Mama-Gwen has stopped gifting me five-hundred-dollar bottles on major occasions.”

As everyone cracked up and Beth passed Elena a slice of cake, Elena realized that this was the first time in her life that she was surrounded by all of her living sisters in a setting joyous and warm.

But somehow, she didn’t feel like a traitor to Belle and Ari.

In fact, after she took her seat on the cushioned wicker chair that Beth had had modified to accommodate her wings, with Beth on one side, Eve on the other, and Amy across from her, she could almost feel Belle leaning over her shoulder, while Ari stood on the other side of the table, one hand on the back of Amy’s chair.

Both of them smiling and enjoying this moment where all six of Jeffrey’s daughters were together as family for the first time.

40

Interlude

Archangel of Disease

Charisemnon watched the large monitor one of his people skilled in such matters had put up for him. The vampire had called this a “live feed” of the room that held Charisemnon’s second crop of subjects, all of whom he’d infected with a slightly different strain of his most promising disease.

He sat alone as he always did here, watching them whimper and crawl and roll into balls. The vampires were interesting... but he was far more invested in the angel who sat slumped in a chair in the corner. Five hundred years old and a weak hanger-on of a courtier no one would miss.

He was crying tears of putrid green, his movements weak as he scratched at his arms.

Until a chunk of flesh came away.

Then he began to scream and thrash, falling to the floor in his panic. His wings collapsed under him. Not folding in the normal way. Not even as if he’d broken a wing. As if they’d rotted.

Charisemnon’s heart raced and he leaned closer to the screen.

Had he done it? Created a disease that killed immortals?

He didn’t move all night as the angel thrashed and screamed... and got quieter and quieter...

41

An hour after they’d sat down, and Eve was groaning and patting at her washboard-flat abdomen while saying, “Surely, I can fit in another piece. My stomach is capable of expansion. Also, we—”

---