Page 26 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

I knew Mom would say that, because shehadsaid that. Right after I had made the mistake of watchingTwilightwith her. My mother was a powerful woman whom I was starting to really miss, but she had a conference to attend then the first vacation she has had since I was born.

So much had happened. I wished I could call her and tell her. But she was literally unreachable until she got home. Maybe if it turned out I was Nephilim, she could talk to me about some of it? My mother raised two girls, then three when Sarah showed up, by herself while also becoming one of the top surgeons in the country. It would not surprise me to find out she was supernatural. It would actually explain a lot, about her. It would explain my sister and her incredible intelligence, and young appearance. But me? I don’t think there is anything particularly special about me.

Darrius walked into the dining room and filled a cup of coffee. “The angels just pulled into the garage, so let’s all head to the parlor and get this over with.”

“So, when are we going to tell Vivi about this?” I asked as we followed Darrius to the parlor.

Rune walked next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. His touch was warm and comforting, so I leaned into it, for now. He might end up being more drama than he was worth, but right now, I could use the support.

“Well, we figured we would test you two first,” Darrius answered. “If we need to, then we can test Vivi, but Tori, I think if yours comes back positive, then we will have to test her. I can go with you to talk to her if you like, answer questions she might have. But if it comes back negative, then there is no reason to worry her at all.”

“Yeah,” Murmur said. “Besides, she and Evie were up all night. They are both passed out in the media room, surrounded by empty candy wrappers. I’m just saying this now, if we have to wake them up…NOT IT.”

“Chicken,” Sarah taunted.

“Nope, I’m smart. If I am going to risk my life, it’s going to be for a worthy cause, and it will be a tale whispered about in awe. Death by angry teen girls is not how I am going to go out. Hard pass.”

“Ok, that’s fair.” Sarah laughed at Murmur. “So, how long is this supposed to take? And how soon can we get started?”

“About five minutes, and how about now?” answered an unfamiliar voice.

I stepped into the parlor behind Sarah. There were two men standing with Ulric. The first was tall with broad shoulders and a thick, muscled body. His pale green eyes seemed to light up behind his fair skin and under his stylishly sleek long whitish blond hair. The other man was intensely white, like he had yet to see the sun, ever. He was shorter and had light blue eyes, an ashy mop of red hair, and a matching goatee.

“Are these the two we are testing today?” the taller one said.

“Yes,” Darrius answered. “Ladies, this is Tabberius and Matthew. They have just arrived from the angelic outpost in Las Vegas. They will conduct the tests for us today. Gentlemen, this is Victoria and Sarah.”

“Pleasure to—” the blond—Tabberius—started.

“I thought there were three,” Matthew interrupted.

“Yes, well, the other is quite young and still asleep,” Darrius said. “Tori here is her older sister. We thought it might be best to test her first, then if need be, test the child.”

“That’s more than reasonable. Where would you like us to set up?” Tabberius asked before his partner could voice his obvious disapproval at the situation.

“Will in here work?” Darrius asked.

They nodded and started unpacking the large bags they had carried in.

I took a moment to inspect each of the angels. Matthew seemed annoyed that he was here. Tabberius seemed more laid back, like he was looking forward to the task at hand. He also kept stealing glances at Sarah, smirking the few times she caught him.

Murmur must have noticed the same time I did. His hand slid into Sarah’s, their fingers interlocking.

Interesting.

When did that happen?

Sarah looked as nervous as I felt. Her leg was bouncing up and down, and the hand not being held by Murmur was twisting her earring. The tension in the room was stifling.

I had to break it.

“So what all does this test entail? Ritual sacrifices, summoning the dead, a lot of Latin?” I asked.

Tabberius smirked at my joke while Matthew scoffed.

“Just a simple blood test,” Tabberius answered.

“Cool, so you take a vial and get back to us in a week?” I asked, taking a seat on a couch.

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