Page 26 (1/2)

"You’re married to Matthew Clairmont?" Chris exploded "Since when?"

"About ten etically

"I’ll say!" Chris lowered his voice "I warned you about his reputation oreat scientist, but he’s also a notorious ahole! Besides, he’s too old for you"

"He’s only thirty-seven, Chris" Give or take fifteen hundred years "And I should warn you, Matthew and Fernando are listening to every e say" With vauarantee of privacy

"How? Did your boyfriend--husband--bug the house?" Chris’s tone was sharp

"No He’s a va" Sometimes honesty really was the best policy

A heavy pot crashed in the kitchen

"A vaested I had lostwith caution Telling humans how the world really worked tended to unsettle thee mistake My freshman roommate, Melanie, had passed out

"A va it all through

"You’d better sit down" I gestured toward the sofa If he fell, I didn’t want hiestion, Chris plopped hi chair instead It was more comfortable, to be sure, but had been known to forcibly eject visitors it didn’t like I eyed it warily

"Are you a vaerly on the edge ofchair

"Are you absolutely sure that Clairht?" Chris sat forward, as though a great deal depended on the answer

"Children" I held two fingers in the air "Twins"

Chris threw his hands in the air "Well, no vairl on Buffy Not even Spike

And God knows he never practiced safe sex"

Bewitched had provided eneration with their supernatural primer For mine it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer Whichever creatures had introduced Joss Whedon to our world had a lot to answer for I sighed

"I’m absolutely positive that Matthew is the father"

Chris’s attention drifted to my neck

"That’s not where he bites me"

His eyes widened "Where?" He shook his head "No, don’t tell e place to draw the line Chris wasn’t normally squeamish--or prudish

Still, he hadn’t passed out That was encouraging

"You’re taking this very well," I said, grateful for his equanimity

"I’m a scientist I’m trained to suspend disbelief and re is disproved" Chris was now staring at the Blasted Tree "Why is there a tree in the fireplace?"

"Good question We don’t really know Maybe you have other questions I could answer, though" It was an aard invitation, but I was still worried he ain Chris fixed his dark eyes on mine He wasn’t a witch, but it had been very difficult to lie to him for all these years "You say Clairmont’s a vampire, but you’re not What are you, Diana? I’ve known for some time that you aren’t like other people"

I didn’t knohat to say How do you explain to so characteristic of yourself?

"I’ Surely you trust h to come out to e anything between us"

Beyond Chris’s shoulder a green se becaet Bishop, with her ehter The wind blows fron of a battle to coainst you?

I had plenty of enele friend

"Maybe you don’t trust h," Chris said softly when I didn’t immediately respond

"I’m a witch" My words were barely audible

"Okay" Chris waited "And?"

"And what?"

"That’s it? That’s what you’ve been afraid to tell an, of course I’ witch" In this case Chris’s love of priht actually prove useful

"Do you have a wand?"

"No But I do have a firedrake That’s a kind of dragon"

"Cool" Chris grinned "Very, very cool Is that why you’ve stayed out of New Haven? Were you taking it to dragon obedience class or soet out of town quickly, that’s all I’m sorry I didn’t tell you"

"Where were you?"

"In 1590"

"Did you get any research done?" Chris looked thoughtful "I suppose that would cause all kinds of citation problems What would you put in your footnotes? ‘Personal conversation with Williahed

"I never met Shakespeare Matthew’s friends didn’t approve of him" I paused "I did"Equally impossible to footnote, however"

"You’re supposed to be shocked!" This was not at all what I’d expected "Don’t you want proof?"

"I haven’t been shocked by anything since the MacArthur Foundation calledis possible" Chris shook his head "Vampires and witches Wow"

"There are daelow and they’re not evil Well, no more so than any other species"

"Other species?" Chris’s tone sharpened with interest "Are there olves?"