Free Fang Girl by Helen Keeble Page B

it would be best if you continued to think of her as Lily.”
    “Mr. de Sanguine.” I wouldn’t argue when my mum used that tone. “Tell us.”
    Ebon struggled for a moment, looking conflicted, then let out a long sigh. “Her real name,” he said, “is Lilith.”

Chapter 10
    M esopotamian mythology.” As usual, Mum barged into my room without knocking. Going straight to my desk, she started unloading books one by one from her massive shopping bag. “Talmud commentaries. Kabbalah traditions. Chronicles of the Vikings. Scandinavian cultures from the seventh to tenth centuries. The French Revolution.” She dropped the last book onto the teetering pile. “The librarians must think I’m writing an incredibly odd research paper.”
    “Good evening, Xanthe,” I muttered to my own reflection in the mirror. “How are you? Why yes, Mum, I’m recovering nicely from last night’s traumatic events, thank you for asking.” I screwed the top back on mylip gloss and turned around with a deep sigh. “Mum, what’s all this?”
    “Research.” She pointed at each group of books in turn. “Ebon. Hakon. Lilith. Though that last one is a little speculative. French aristocrats and Viking warriors have solid historical evidence, but I’m dubious about the existence of a ten-thousand-year-old demon.”
    “What, and vampires are perfectly logical? Anyway, of course there has to be a Lilith. There’s always a Lilith. In vampire books,” I explained, at Mum’s blank look. I waved a hand at my own bookshelves. “She’s always the vampire queen or ultimate sire or some such. And she’s usually an utter skank. Um, no offense,” I added to the air in case Lily was listening in. “Anyway, Lilith turns up in loads of religions and myths as the mother of demons or whatever, so it makes sense that she’d be real, right?”
    “Hmm.” Mum did not sound convinced. “And what does she say about all this?”
    “Nothing. I can’t get a signal, not even at the bottom of the garden.” I hadn’t dared go farther than that, for fear that the vampire hunters would jump me again. “But Zack’s phone isn’t working either. Maybe the station is down or something.” I picked up one of thebooks from the Lilith pile. The front cover had a painting of a fair-haired woman who seemed very happy to see the anaconda encircling her naked body. I had to admit, she did look like Lily sounded. “Mum … I am really fast and really strong. I think that means that my sire has to be pretty old. So that part of Ebon’s story checks out. And the werecat and paper-clip guy make a lot more sense if they’re hunters rather than spies for some ancient vampire Elder. But … I don’t know about the rest.”
    “That’s what these are for.” Mum patted the stack of history books. “Here, I’ve prepared a list for you.”
    I took the clipboard she handed me and leafed through the papers dubiously. “What is this, an undergrad French history exam?”
    “Exactly,” Mum said in triumph. “So we can find out if this Ebon really is who he claims to be. You can subtly work questions into normal conversation.”
    Yes, I could just see myself ever so casually asking Ebon to explain the composition of the États-Généraux in under two thousand words. He’d never suspect a thing. “Why don’t you do this?”
    “I tried while you were getting dressed. He’s able to turn any inquiry into vague small talk about theweather.” Mum glared at the books, as though they had somehow failed her. “I think he might be under orders to only talk to you.”
    “I’ll … be there in a minute.” I turned back to my pale and slightly worried-looking reflection. “I just need to redo my hair.”
    “Xanthe.” Mum took the hairbrush out of my hand. “You look very nice already. Stop fussing.” She paused, studying me in the mirror. “Is that why you’ve been hiding up here? Worrying about how you appear to him?” Her voice fell into familiar lecturing