Brantley asked Evie a dozen times how old she was, since that was her excuse for refusing him, and the best he got was, "I'm too old for you."
So Brantley brought Evie breakfast in bed. All her favorite things, eggs sunny side up, toast, orange juice and a bit of cheese.
She said, "I need to get up and feed the animals."
"I'll do it," Brantley said, patting her knee. "Rest."
He didn't bring up the emotional burden of mourning or that Gran had only been gone a few weeks. Best not to remind her.
He fed the cats, then let himself in the house. He rushed through the chores, though Cassie, Tess and Lemon were all lethargic and moody with Evie sleeping over almost every night and demanded more than a pat on each head.
He told them to lie down, but the dogs followed him everywhere he went. He groaned to himself, Loyal bitches.
He needed to get to his task. Evie rarely carried a purse, but she did have one. He opened her wallet and not only found an ID card, but lineage papers. Of course, Brantley had lineage papers and his had been green for generations, but he never carried his. Then again, with Evie's hair, she probably got harassed more.
What was stranger, her lineage papers were a direct line. Mother, Jane Cuthbert, grandmother Anne Moore, great-grandmother Mary Jones and so on. No siblings or aunts listed. All the men were named Joe. Brantley's lineage paper unfolded into a map of his history. Green, green and more green.
The papers stated no demon blood, no demon tendencies.
Well, those must have been issued before she started dying her hair.
But the picture was of her with her wild demon red locks.
No alcohol use. Staunch Catholic.
That reminded him of the an Mhor lineage book and he snickered.
No history of sexual deviance or suicide.
Brantley put down the papers. Suicide got a yellow mark. He should have known that. He must have studied it in one of his early poli sci classes, but absolutely no memory remained.
He shook it away. His mom had mentioned something about Evie being adopted.
And she was from another country, though the lineage papers stated she was born in Ohio.
Her birth date was listed as March 11, 1996. Twenty-six.
So she was a whopping four years older than him. What was worse, he couldn't confront her about it without admitting he'd snooped through her purse.
YOU ARE READING
The Lamb and the Gray Battle
FantasiEvie has spent the last 575 years on the North American continent, now called America, the Pure and Clean. She smiles, volunteers and makes cakes and pastries for her neighbors, hiding away her demon blood. She wants nothing to do with her estranged...
