The two days she'd given Wrath had passed and Lilith was preparing for the return journey to the Black Dagger Brotherhood's mansion.
"Come back here, you little rascal!"
Lilith looked up as the youngest female, other than her daughter, entered the room behind Hope. While Lilith was out fighting, her young computer tech Zoe was the babysitter of nearly three-year-old Hope.
Speaking of the little devil, her daughter was toddling towards her mother with outstretched arms, babbling away happily.
With a grin, Lilith knelt down and scooped her daughter into her arms. Kissing the top of her black curls, she said, "Did you come to see Mommy off, my darling?"
Zoe approached with a fangless smile, "Ever since she learned to walk it's been harder to keep up with her. She likes to run."
Lilith smiled at Zoe. The pretty blonde with the huge brown eyes was the latest edition to the Black Sisterhood. In just twelve short months, she would go through the transition and be officially inducted into the Sisterhood. Though she dressed casually and in brighter colors than the rest of the Sisterhood, Lilith had trained Zoe herself ever since she'd found the female infant abandoned in a dumpster twenty-four years ago. Zoe was a highly skilled warrior as well as a genius when it came to computers, though she usually dressed in jean shorts and bright t-shirts with cartoons on them.
Today's shirt was bright pink with a rather angry piece of bread popping out of a toaster declaring: You're Toast! on the front of it. Lilith bit back a chuckle, Zoe had a funny taste in t-shirts all right.
Lilith jiggled Hope on her hip, "She's full of energy. In a few more years Mama will teach you how to fight. Yes she will!" She managed to bite back her grin at the look of alarm on Zoe's face.
Zoe managed to shake of her shock and asked Lilith, "Do you think the King will agree to combine the Sisterhood and the Brotherhood?"
Smirking, she answered the younger female, "He has no choice."
Zoe cocked her head to the side, a move that reminded Lilith of a puppy, and asked, "Then why did you give him time to think about the arrangement then?"
She sent a her a sly look, "Sometimes, males need to feel as though they are in control."
Zoe laughed.
Diane walked into the room holding a nasty looking gun in her hand. Her latest project, Lilith guessed. The female was a weapon maniac.
"Diane, not that I don't love the beautiful machines you come up with, but can you please stop fiddling with it and get ready to go?"
The female lifted head of wild black curls, gave a mock face of dismay that was mirrored in her violet eyes, and cradled the weapon to her chest like her child, "But, Boss! It's my baby!"
"I swear, she loves weapons so damn much that I think she prefers them to males sometimes," Karen drawled as she came to stand behind Diane.
Diane glared at the redhead whose hair was as straight as hers was curly, "Only neanderthals fight with their fists, Karen."
The hand-to-hand expert sent her a look from under her lashes, her emerald-green eyes gleaming with amusement, "Now you've done it, now I have to hurt you. Where did I put my wooden club?"
Lilith rolled her eyes at the exchange, the two females would be accompanying her tonight. She wanted all her girls familiar with the Brotherhood's home.
Glancing at the grandfather clock on the other side of the living room, Lilith kissed Hope on the cheek and handed her back to Zoe. "If you need any help, or if you need a break for a bit, get Nathaniel or Gabe to help you. It's not like the two of them do anything important around here anyways."
"Hey, I resent that remark!"
Nathaniel poked his head around the corner of the doorway that lead to the kitchen. His blond hair was disheveled and his pale green eyes were glazed, which told her that he'd just woken up and hadn't had his coffee yet.
"You look terrible, Nate."
He glared at her, "I'm going to kill that demon one of these days."
Lilith barely managed to keep a straight face, "What did Gabe do this time?"
"He barged into my room banging pots and pans together!"
She bit her lip in an attempt to keep from laughing, "I'll speak to him."
The angel's eyes narrowed at her in contempt, "You'll do no such thing. I know you and that bastard will have a nice good laugh about it in your office. Then he will walk out of the room pretending to be pissed as if you scolded him."
He was right, but she didn't say so. She just smiled brightly.
Nathaniel gave her a look of disgust, turned away and disappeared into the kitchen while mumbling, "I need my damn coffee."
As soon as he was gone, all four females burst into laughter. The prank war going on between the angel and the demon was a major source of entertainment for everyone in the household.
Once they calmed down, Lilith gave Hope another peck on the cheek, "Bye, Sweetie." She waved to Zoe as she, Karen, and Diane headed to the door, "See you later."
"I'll order some pizza to celebrate your accomplishment. We'll all chow down once you guys get back!"
The three grinned before they disappeared.
Once again, Lilith found herself in the Blind King's office.
And, once again, Wrath got right down to business, "I'm accepting your proposal."
She didn't bother to hide her satisfied smile.
Leaning forward in his chair, "I need to discuss things with you. Privately," he added with a meaningful nod towards Karen and Diane.
Lilith felt her girls tense up behind her. She noted their concern, but since she was fairly sure what it was that the king wanted to talk about it was alright. "Fine. Diane, Kare, step outside please."
They hesitated but she sent them a hard look over her shoulder and they left.
Once the door had closed behind them, Wrath observed, "They are very loyal to you."
She didn't reply, but waited. When minutes went by without him speaking she said, "Let me take a guess. Annaliase told you about my past, is that correct?"
When he nodded, she sighed, "That explains why you're so careful around me." Straightening her shoulders Lilith spoke with an edge to her voice, "You don't need to worry about me suddenly demonizing on you. I've got both a demon and an angel that live with me and if I need to, I ingest their blood."
"The Scribe Virgin asked for a request," Wrath started.
Uh-oh, Lilith thought as her eyes narrowed, she wasn't going to like this, "What?"
He sighed, "She wants you to not fight, like me."
Rolling her eyes, Lilith threw herself into the chair opposite Wrath's, "She's pulled this one on me before. I refused. Why does she think I would agree this time?"
Shrugging his massive shoulders he said, "She just said that you have more to lose this time around. Whatever that means."
Lilith stiffened, her aunt had been talking about Hope. The Scribe Virgin wasn't wrong, she did have more to lose than the last time she'd asked. Now that she had Hope, the request to stay home and play with her daughter all day seemed like paradise.
She'd be bored in three days.
Not that being with Hope could ever be boring. But the time when she was asleep, what would she do then? Lay in bed all day and stare at the ceiling?
"I'll think about it," she grumbled.
Black eyebrows shot above wrap-around glasses in surprise, he apparently hadn't thought she'd even consider it. He would have fought tooth and nail to continue fighting the enemy if he'd had a chance.
Sitting back in her chair, Lilith eyed the King of the Vampires, "So, are we officially joined? The Brotherhood and the Sisterhood."
What other choice did he have, Wrath thought to himself gruffly. Extending his hand out to her, he said, "Welcome to the family, Sister."
Her lips peeling back in a grin, Lilith let her hand be enveloped by Wrath's, "It's good to be here."
Releasing his hand, she cocked her head and asked, "So how are we going to break this to the children?"
Wrath couldn't help but laugh.