That sounded so good.
She stripped off the heavy habit for what she really hoped was the last time. Standing under the spray of scalding water, she let some of her tension drain away. Maybe freedom wasn’t beyond her reach, and she could come out of this with everything she’d dreamed of. And more.
She no longer had to fear that she would be killed for what she was. With that realization, a huge weight dropped away from her. She felt almost light, as though bubbles were rising up inside her.
Asmodai, the selfish bastard, had lied, and she understood why. He’d aimed to keep her under his power, and what better way than to make her believe that everyone else was out to kill her? That she had no friends anywhere in the world?
Well, what had she expected? He was a demon. He’d never pretended to be Mr. Nice-guy. But somehow, she had come to trust him, and it hurt to know that he had isolated her in such a deliberately premeditated manner.
Now, she would have to decide what to do. She still had the Key. Or Ryan did. Should she hand it over to Asmodai and gain her freedom? Or should she put her trust in these people, who she really knew very little about?
They claimed they wouldn’t have actually killed her themselves, but they wouldn’t have stood in the way if her father’s people had tried to do the job. She closed her eyes and tried to remember her father, but the memory remained nebulous. It was as though there was a curtain in her mind, hiding the memories. A curtain she couldn’t draw back. So she stopped trying. For now. Instead, she switched off the water and worked out what questions to ask Tara.
What she’d really like to ask about was Asmodai. But at the same time, she was unwilling to reveal who her demon protector was until she had decided what to do, whether or not to hand the Key over to him. Surely, that wouldn’t be so bad. After all, Tara and Christian were related to the demon. They could stop him doing anything bad with the Key.
She hoped.
Roz also wanted to know about the fae. Her father’s people. Who apparently were as bad as demons but better at hiding it.
And what else was there in the world? What other monsters were there, that she had believed were mere myths and legends?
After drying herself quickly, she pulled on a robe—hers dark red, going nicely with her pale skin. She rubbed a towel over her hair, ran her fingers through it, and went back into the lounge. The welcome scent of freshly ground coffee greeted her.
Tara and Maria were sitting, facing each other, on opposite sofas with a coffee table in between. A tray stood on the table, and Roz pounced on it. She poured herself a cup, added cream and sugar, and settled herself on the seat next to Maria, so she would be able to see Tara’s face while she talked.
“So,” she said. “Are you allowed to talk to us, tell us things?”
“You’re one of us now, and Sister Maria already knows about demons…I reckon she isn’t going to be telling any tales.”
No, maybe not. Maria would probably go back to an enclosed order and never speak again. “Okay then,” Roz said. “Tell me everything.”
Tara laughed. “I don’t know everything. I’m still learning myself.”
“So tell me what’s important.”
Tara thought for a minute. Took a sip of coffee and thought some more. “They’re good people. Here at the Order. They may come across as a little…” She hesitated as if searching for the right word.
“Bad?” Roz supplied for her.
“Yes, they may come across as bad, but they do a job that needs to be done.”
“And what is that exactly?”
Tara studied her, head cocked to one side. “What do you know?”
Roz shrugged. “Nothing.”
Tara laughed again, the sound musical. “Okay, I’ll start from the beginning.” She relaxed back against the cushions. “Years ago—more than a thousand, I think—demons and the fae pretty much did what they liked. The two don’t exactly get on, though demons are fond of fae women, which probably didn’t help matters. Anyway, they fought a lot, and there was a real danger that they would end up destroying the earth and all of mankind. So the Shadow Accords were set up.”
“Who set them up?”
“The vampires.”
There was a little squeak from Maria, and Roz glanced toward her. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open.
“Vampires?”
It occurred to Roz that no one had mentioned vampires to the sister before. It was bound to be something of a shock. She patted her arm. “I’ll explain everything later.”
Tara continued, “Obviously, vampires have a vested interest in the continuation of mankind.”
“Food?” Roz guessed.
“Exactly. They were also one of the more powerful factions, and from what Christian told me—”
“Was Christian alive then?”
Tara shook her head. “No. He’s actually about the same age as you—around five hundred, give or take a few years.”