“Yes, that. Protecting Judas vamps is a sacred duty because Judas was Christ's apostle and the church feels an obligation to forgive.” Kilian might not have understood the theological arguments in favor of the relationship, but he respected that the church upheld its own standards.
“Sometimes the church forgives too easily, hence pedophiles.” Stephen pushed away from the wall and paced the two steps to the edge of the alcove and then back.
“You can't blame the entire church for that,” Kilian said. Hell, society as a whole hadn’t acknowledged or understood the problem for decades.
“The words ‘watch’ and ‘me’ are coming to mind,” Stephen said sharply. “Seriously, I am totally okay blaming the church all day long and through the night.”
“Maybe you can skip the blatant condemnation for right now, especially since many of the bishops believed that confessing the sin was the same as curing it.”
“Which makes them stupid.”
Kilian grimaced. “I won’t argue. However, the bishops have been very understanding of Judas vamps, and we can’t gain anything from confronting them with their collective stupidity right now.”
“Your mercy couldn't possibly have anything to do with your parents’ rabid Christianity and your desire to rediscover a relationship with them, could it?” Stephen ducked his head and gazed up through his lashes. The gesture should have been submissive or coy, but instead a frisson of fear went up Kilian’s spine. The tension was broken when the door opened and an older man in jeans and a cartoon T-shirt appeared.
“Can I help you, my son?”
“You’re a priest?” Stephen blurted, shock coloring his words. Kilian wanted to face-palm. “My parents were not much for formal religion, but I have to say my expectations were a little higher.” Stephen looked the priest up and down.
“Stephen,” Kilian snarled.
“It's quite all right,” the priest said. “Everyone is allowed to have their own preconceived notions and to be wrong.” His smile turned a little sharper. “If we had met in confession, I would have been more formal. But given you invoked Silas’s name, I have to assume this is not a formal request for a priest.”
“I need to see Silas,” Kilian said, and at the same time Stephen asked, “Why do you assume this is not a formal request for a priest? Kilian is very good at guilt. Exceptionally good. Maybe he's come for some old-fashioned Catholic confession.”
The priest's eyebrows went up and he turned to Kilian.
“I'm not.” If Kilian tried to enter a confessional, he would fall into a coma deeper than the one Silas was currently in.
Stephen huffed. “Fine, so he isn't, but you didn’t know that. He could've been here looking to reconnect with his Catholic roots, and you might have driven him away from the church again.”
Kilian took a deep breath. “Stephen, do you think maybe you could wait fifteen feet that way?” Kilian gestured toward the alley.
Stephen rolled his eyes. “I'm only protecting your interests.”
The priest had the audacity to chuckle. “Everyone should have a friend who advocates for them. I quite approve, and if any of Judas’s spiritual offspring were to seek a reconciliation with the church, I would be happy to assist them. However, since coming to know Silas, I have to assume that that reconciliation would come at a high enough cost that very few would take the risk.”
“Criticize not lest all your faults get pointed out in lurid detail,” Stephen muttered under his breath.
Kilian was at his wit’s end. “Stephen!”
Stephen lifted both hands in a disingenuous gesture of surrender.
“I apologize, father,” Kilian offered. Even addressing the priest made him feel nauseous, so the priest was completely correct in assuming that a Judas vamp was not going to come looking for confession, no matter what Stephen said.
Kilian couldn’t decide why Stephen had said it. Last night, Kilian had assumed that Stephen’s belief that some great cosmic clock was winding down was nothing more than pre-mission nerves. He had seen every variation of mission anxiety humanly and inhumanly possible, and the sense of time running out was common. Kilian had once worked with a banshee who would claim to be on the verge of a scream twenty-four hours before every mission. They'd all learned to stop listening to her unless and until the scream manifested. But Stephen’s concern worried him.
But for now, he focused on the mission. “I am Silas’s last child, and I need to speak to him.”
“I had assumed Silas explained the sleeping to you, he is not available, and he will not be for many years, possibly not for many decades.” The priest’s voice was kind but uncompromising.
“Things have happened that he needs to know about,” Kilian explained. Behind him, Stephen snorted.
The priest spared Stephen a glance before answering. “It’s unfortunate that he is unavailable, but until hunger either wakes him or steals the last of his vitality, he is not available.”
“Well, he's a load of helpfulness. Let's skip him and head to the altar,” Stephen suggested.
The priest chuckled. “I do not know who you are or what relationship you have with this Judas vampire; however, I can promise you that he cannot approach the altar without falling unconscious at which time he would cease to be any kind of threat.”
