“Grandpa.” It felt odd, but nice to say the word grandpa. “I’m assuming there is a reason you’re telling me all this...”
“Of course, darling.”
We sat in silence while I waited for him to continue. It was clear I was going to be waiting a long time. I wiped the frown off my face. A change of tactic was in order...
“Alrighty then,” I clapped my hands like a kindergarten teacher and slapped on a big smile. You get more bees with honey, right? “I’m guessing you’re a True Immortal and that Satan and his brother God are too.”
“Yes Astrid, that’s accurate.”
“I think Cousin Jesus must be one,” I added, trying to hold back my smirk. Saying cousin and Jesus in the same sentence just seemed wrong.
“No,” Grandpa cut me off. “Jesus is an immortal, but not a True Immortal. He is the only being in the universe that embodies flawless purity and goodness. He is beyond reproach and would never be touched, but he is not a True Immortal.”
“Do you know him?”
“Of course, I spend a good amount of time in Heaven. That’s how I know your Nana.”
“I thought Demons weren’t allowed in Heaven.”
“Ah yes, but I’m also a Sprite which is genetically close to an Angel.”
I didn’t want to touch that.
“Wow, neat.” I was stuck. Who in the Hell were the other True Immortals?
“God begat two Angels, The Angel of Death and the Angel of Light. They are True Immortals. Your Grandmother is also one.”
“Does she like to be called Grandma?”
“Oh hellfires, no. She’s a colossal bitch.” Grandpa gave me a sly grin.
“You like her!” I accused, laughing.
“No,” he insisted. “I don’t like her at all. She’s very difficult,” he smirked. “But I do love her.”
“Is she your true love?” I asked quietly, thinking about Ethan.
Grandpa stared at his snack. “Yes, Astrid, she is...but that doesn’t mean I can live with her. I’d kill her . . . Dixie’s mother is a True Immortal.”
“Her mother is alive? Does Dixie know her? I haven’t heard her talk about her.”
“Oh no, Dixie knows nothing about her.”
“But she’s alive?”
“As far as I know, my sweet. I’m sure I would have heard if she bit the big one. Although if you ask me, she may as well be dead considering how she’s neglected her duties and the mess she’s made.” He finally took a large bite out of the PB&J and closed his eyes in ecstasy. “Why does food taste so much better when someone else makes it?”
“I have no idea, Grandpa, but we need to back up a little bit.” He was excellent at avoidance, but he was not avoiding this.
“Fine, darling, what can I help you with?” He finished off the sandwich and made another.
“Do you have a good reason for showing up and scaring the Hell out of me?”
“Oh yes.” He took my hands and stroked them lovingly. “I was testing your abilities. You need to be ready. I’m so worried for you and so is your nana.” He let go of my hands and took another huge bite of his sandwich.
“Am I?” I asked, holding my breath.
“Are you what?” he replied with a mouth full of PB&J.
“Am I ready?” I huffed in exasperation.
“Oh, For the Love of Everything Repulsive, No,” he laughed.
I deflated like a balloon and dropped onto a kitchen chair. My head fell to my hands and I gave into the impulse that had been clawing at me since I arrived in Hell. I cried.
“Oh, my baby.” Grandpa smoothed his little hand over my hair.
“I’m okay,” I said, wiping my tears.
He giggled with relief and squeezed himself. Holy Hell, he’d better not do that. I wasn’t sure I could curb my hugging impulses if he was going to rub my face in it by loving on himself.
“I’m not going to be of much help,” I told him. “I can’t use my Vampyre powers down here.”
“Of course you can,” he corrected me.
“Um, nope. They’re gone.”
“You must accept your Demon powers and you will find your Vampyre powers have been with you the whole time.”
“What do you mean? Accept my Demon powers . . . ”
“It’s more mind over matter,” he explained. “You don’t need to have control of your Demonic power, you simply need to accept and embrace your Demon heritage.”
“You want me to accept evil?”
“No. I want you to accept that there is a balance—a Balance of Chaos, if you will. We are all good and all evil.”
His answer was simple, but I knew by now nothing was simple and nothing came without consequences.
“I saw no good in my father or my mother.”
“At one time your father was very good. Time and choices made him dark and quite honestly unredeemable.”
“Why did he look like he did? Do you look like that too?”
Grandpa was silent for a long moment and if I’m not mistaken a flicker of sadness crossed his face. “That was choice, not necessity. You father chose his physical appearance and after a while he was stuck with it. The outside often ends up being a manifestation of what lies within.”
“How do you control what you become?” I asked, wondering what had really happened to my father.