TWELVE
They entered the darkened house, only lit by the small lamp in the hallway. “Mom is still at choir practice.”
Sophie nodded.
“Let’s get you to bed. Some sleep might—” Jesse stopped. Sleep wouldn’t help, it just might cause a delay in dealing with the reality.
“She gave up her life to be with him.” She sat at the kitchen table, coat still on, her purse dangling next to her sneakers.
“She must have loved him so much. They’re both demons. I don’t mean that in a bad way, Babe. There are demons and there are demon realms. They couldn’t be together here, but they wanted to be together.”
Sophie raised her head. “You mean... like souls go to heaven or hell, demons go— oh, no. My parents are—”
“In a demon dimension doesn’t mean a place of suffering, at least not to them. I imagine it wouldn’t be too comfortable for mortals, that’s why we don’t hang out there. But think about it. He was... he was a Snow King, like me. She was a Desert Queen. He was icy, she was fiery.”
“So they pull a Romeo and Juliet?” Sophie shook her head. “Fine. Why make a baby while you’re planning to dimension-hop?”
Jesse was silent for a long time. He puttered in the kitchen, even though they weren’t hungry. He eventually came back withtwo packets of instant cocoa and empty mugs. Sophie heard the kettle start its soft shimmering hiss of water rolling against metal.
He took her hand. “I want to tell you something.”
“Tell me whatever you want.”
“Most demons don’t research other demons, or even themselves. I’m willing to bet your parents were surprised that they could have you, and surprised that humanity wasn’t holding up well for your mother once she changed forms. They didn’t do this to punish you. This happened because two people who shouldn’t have found each other did, and they fell in love. They would go to impossible lengths to be together. When your mother died, I bet she was waiting on the other side, and your father had promised to join her. They couldn’t know for sure what you’d be. Dhampir, ifrita, human, humans-plus...”
Sophie managed a little smirk.That’s me. Human-plus. Super unleaded.
“If they’d taken you to the demon realm, you’d have died. Torn between love for your mother, who he could join, or love for you, who he would endanger? Soph, he had to give you to a human family, he must’ve known it would be hard for him to take care of an infant.”
“You could have done it.”
“I’m not like most vampires, Sophie. You know that. He might have been more demon than human.”
“My mother was a temptress who burned people and my father was a murderer who drank people?”
Silence. The kettle keened and Jesse rose to get it.
Sophie looked up to see crimson eyes glaring at her as hot water splashed angrily into her cup, creating cocoa froth.
“Your mother is a nursing assistant who saves lives and cooks like a goddess. Your father is a diesel mechanic for SEPTA. They worked themselves to the bone to save up for an adoption andthen a man, who didn’t have a lot of humanity left, did the kindest, noblest thing in the world. He protected his child. Your mother made wishes come true, right? She gave your parents a daughter. Your parents, both sets, did the right thing when it came to you. I don’t know how many kids can say that, but you can. You, Sophie Usman, areloved.”
Loved.
Hated myself all my life, since I was old enough to understand what they were teasing me about.
Hate the stares and whispers.
Hate my looks.
Loved. Loved by my pale father and my fire-dancer mother. Loved by a nurse and a mechanic, by their mothers.
Loved by Jesse.
Loved by Grace.
