“And then what?”
“I dunno. There’s something else you should know.”
She sat down. “Whenever you get that look on your face, I know it’s not going to be good.” Lia climbed into her lap, and I took a deep breath.
“I’m not half unseelie like I thought. I’m half demon.”
Evie froze. Lia meowed, and my sister absently began stroking her again. “Would you like to tell me how the fuck that happened?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve been trying to figure out who my father could be, but apparently creating someone like me was forbidden.” And I hadn’t realized how depressing that thought was until right now.
Evie narrowed her eyes at my tone. “Yeah, forbidden because you’re such a badass. The world couldn’t handle having more of you around.”
I had to laugh. When my sister loved someone, she was all-in. Even when we were fighting as kids, she was always my biggest cheerleader.
“Either way, I don’t think whoever is shooting these demons knows what I am.”
“Why?”
“Because it seems like a lot of work to kill the demons to stop me from asking questions. After all, shooting rowan wood through my heart would kill me too.”
The blood slowly drained from Evie’s face. “Jesus, Dani.”
I hadn’t meant to scare her. “All I’m saying is, I have a chance to find out who’s silencing anyone who recognizes the photo of Mom.”
She nodded. “That’s good, I guess.”
“I have something else to tell you.” May as well get it all out now.
“Oh god, what is it now?”
“As a half-demon, it’s likely that I’ll have a longer-than-normal lifespan.”
It took Evie a moment to understand what I meant, and then her mouth dropped open. “Jesus, you’ll be around for centuries.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be. How am I going to end up old and wrinkly while you’ll still look like that?”
Guilt flowed through me, and Evie burst out laughing.
“I’m a homebody, Danica. You spend your time going up against insane witches and fighting paranormals. If I had to put my money on who would live longer, it’d be on me.”
I smirked. “You know, that’s basically what Vas said.”
“I knew I liked him. It’ll be fine, Danica. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that. There’s one other thing.”
Evie slumped back on the sofa and rolled her eyes. “Oh god, make it stop.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her dramatics. I walked over and sat next to her, stroking my hand down Lia’s silky head. “When I was at the coven’s house the other day, I noticed something weird.”
“Weird in what way?”
“When I lower my shields, I sometimes see magical signatures. They occasionally look like colors, although sometimes it’s just a feeling. Did you know the coven’s house had power?”
She nodded. “Yeah, hundreds of witches have added their power into wards and protection spells over the years. It’s not sentient or anything, but it now requires less and less power to sustain the wards.”
