Page 54 of Good Vampires Go to Heaven

Luckily, it seemed as if he heard her, and all he said was, “I know.”

“And you are not a Christian. You are a Jew.”

“Jesus was a Jew.”

It was Michael now who said, “I know.” He tapped his fingertips on the arm of the chair, thinking. “You are no longer a Lucipire, or even a demon, you know?”

Hallelujah! A good sign. Finally.

“I suspected,” Zeb said and his lips twitched with a smile, which he suppressed. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. “What am I, exactly?”

“That remains to be seen,” Michael said. “Do you still wish to become a vangel?”

“Oh, yes, please.”

Surely, it couldn’t be as easy as this, Regina thought. There had to be a catch. There always was with Michael. She’d like to warn Zeb about an upcoming trap, but got no chance with Michael watching.

More tapping of Michael’s fingertips on the chair as he studied Zeb. “Vangels have always been Vikings. Thou art not a Viking,” Michael pointed out, just as she and Zeb had discussed earlier. “But mayhap there is a loophole in the regulations.” Odd that Michael could use such archaic words as thou and dost and then pop out a modern one, like loophole.

“A loophole?” all of them said.

“Perhaps you could marry into the family, so to speak. Yes, that might work. In the old days, back in Judea, arranged marriages were often the norm. Marrying into a family was often considered an asset.”

At first, they were confused.

“Zebulan could marry his rescuer, Regina, and thus become a vangel by marriage.”

What? Michael had always opposed vangel marriages, not facilitated them. In fact, he’d forbidden them in the beginning before vangels discovered lifemates.

The archangel seemed pleased with himself. He’d probably had this idea up his saintly sleeve the whole time.

But she couldn’t allow him to get away with this preposterous idea. “No!” Regina cried out.

“No way!” Zeb cried out.

“Hmmm,” Vikar said with a decided grin on his face.

“I have no particular liking for men,” Regina tried to explain.

“Oh?” Michael arched his brows. She could practically see his brain spinning, wondering if he was going to have to deal with a gay vangel on top of everything else.

“Not like that! I’ve just had some bad experiences with men in that way.” That sounded lame; so, she tried again. “Overall, they are more trouble than they are worth.”

“Zeb is trouble, and yet you went to such lengths to rescue him? Hmmm.” Michael was being difficult. Surprise, surprise!

“Zeb is not so bad, but sharing a bed with him, yuck!” That slipped out before she had a chance to bite her tongue.

Zeb and Vikar both turned to stare at her.

She refused to acknowledge their stares, and besides, at the same time she’d made that unflattering statement, she recalled her carnal response when giving Zeb blood. No yuck there!

No matter!

“Surely there have been men who treated you well, Regina. Thou art an attractive woman, for a human,” Michael said. “Isn’t she, Vikar?”

That question startled Vikar. After a brief hesitation, he answered, “She is not bad when she is not being snarky.”

“Mayhap thou could tone down thy snarkiness,” Michael advised Regina.