Demon Moon

reason for his tension. She opened the box and pinched off a bite. “Do you want some?”
    “No.”
    “Do you like food?”
    “I can’t taste it. But the scent…” His lips firmed. “I remember some, particularly fruits and sweets. The cinnamon, the apples. Oranges—I had them several times.” He looked at her, then away. “The privilege of aristocracy.”
    “Too exotic for the plebs?” As the younger son of the seventh earl of Norbridge, he’d have had access to a variety of luxuries a commoner could never have afforded.
    “Yes. We had—have—an orangery at Beaumont Court. Though my nephews had transformed it into a fort upon my last visit.”
    “Do they know what you are?”
    “Yes. I’m their beloved blood-drinking Uncle Colin, as I have been for generations.”
    “They don’t think it’s weird?”
    “My youngest niece’s response upon learning the truth was, ‘Brill!’” Colin shook his head. “She was not a bit disturbed, though I’ll admit to some dismay at her vocabulary. Worse, that the longer I visit, the more I adopt their speaking habits. That is the true horror, my sweet Savitri.”
    “Do they know about your sister and Anthony Ramsdell?”
    He heaved a long sigh, but the amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes belied the harassed sound of it. “Yes. Indeed, I have to recount the events every Christmas season; the children especially enjoy it when I linger over my part—bedridden and starving, attacking Emily and trying to drink her blood until Castleford and Ramsdell arrived at the penultimate moment and rescued her from my evil clutches.”
    “Evil?” Grinning, she popped another bite of the apple turnover into her mouth.
    “Quite, though they do not seem to believe it.” His voice lowered dramatically. “Instead I must tell them stories of the evil demon Lilith, and of how Ramsdell thwarted her and returned Michael’s magical sword to his possession after centuries in Beaumont Court’s library. So, yes, Ramsdell has become a family legend, Castleford and Lilith slightly less so; alas, despite my exquisite appearance and the immortality I gained from their actions, I’m neither legend nor villain.”
    “I guess it’s more exciting to hear tales of winged Guardians and demons than a mere vampire.” She caught her tongue between her teeth to stop her laughter when he turned his head to stare at her, an aggrieved impatience creasing his brow. But his lips twitched slightly as he looked back toward the road.
    “It’s most disagreeable.”
    “And I suppose it also helps that his medical practice was the basis for Ramsdell Pharmaceuticals,” Savi said. “Your family still reaps the benefit of it.”
    “Yes. When creating legends, possessing both virtue and money is an unbeatable combination. I have one, but have no inclination to acquire the other.” He smiled briefly. “You do not have the history or familiarity with such things that my niece does, yet you have adjusted very well. Particularly considering your pagan roots.”
    “I don’t know if that helps or hurts—have you seen Detective Taylor lately? Since she found out about all of this?” She shook her head when he arched a brow and replied in the negative. “Never mind. Despite all of the stuff in the restaurant, even in my apartment, I can’t really say that Nani and I are pagan—or much of anything. Between Nani and Hugh, my upbringing was completely secular.”
    “Perhaps it is more shocking, then, your adjustment.”
    “Well, I’m not convinced anything I’ve learned is faith-affirming or-destroying; at most, a shifting of a paradigm. We don’t really know.”
    Colin gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “Savitri, don’t be absurd. You’ve not seen enough evidence? You’ve a rational explanation for Caelum, and its effect on us? For the symbols’ protection, and the spell’s prevention of communication of any form, as if it can recognize intent?”
    “No. I don’t,” she admitted. “But what’s the reason behind it? We have an explanation that it all derived from Heaven, that demons were created when they followed Lucifer in his rebellion, that the nosferatu were cursed with bloodthirst and vulnerability to the sun when they refused to take sides in the First Battle—but who witnessed this? The demons and nosferatu, who say they were once angels.”
    “Ah. But they’re all liars, so you assume they lie about this as well.”
    “Well, I don’t know that they do; I just