Prettiest Vampire

Epilogue: Demons, and...

Epilogue: Demons, and...

"Oh, look at this!" exclaimed Ilinca. "This is so pretty. You will look very nice in this one."

Lilian held up the nightie. "Look, it's really not my thing, okay? I mean, don't you ever wear anything that's not lingerie? Maybe something with pants?"

"Don't be silly," replied Daciana in her no-nonsense tone. "Put it on."

"You are young!" Ilinca reassured him. "You can still wear such things."

Lilian sighed, knowing very well by now that there was no arguing with the ancient, sanity-challenged Sirens.

"This is the one, Mistress. It is perfect for you! You are very beautiful," exclaimed Ilinca after Lilian had changed. She sat Lilian at their dressing table where the two Sirens could work on him.

"Okay," replied Lilian, looking himself over in the mirror. "Um, thanks Ilinca. I know you mean that in the nicest way possible." Lilian was quiet for a moment, wondering how to ask the question that was on his mind.

"Back in the tower," he eventually managed to say, "there was a demon, in the pit. After Mirela. I saw you calling down to it. And then it, well, it looked at me. Did you... know it?"

Daciana and Ilinca looked at each other, wondering if they should answer truthfully.

"Yes, Mistress," Daciana finally replied as she brushed Lilian's hair. "We knew her. She was our sister. Her name was..." Daciana paused to collect herself, "Her name was Anna." There. For the first time in three hundred years, she had said it. Saying the name didn't drive her into madness, but the sting of her suppressed tears might have been worse.

"Oh," said Lilian, considering their answer. "So, the Count wanted me for Mirela, but you wanted me for your sister, am I right?"

"Yes," said Ilinca, her voice filled with shame. "And we are so sorry. We were wrong. We were so very, very wrong."

"What do you mean?" asked Lilian. Her answer confused him as it was not at all what he had expected.

Daciana answered, "We wanted to bring her back, to give her life once more. But that was only what we wanted for her. We couldn't give her what she wanted, what she needed. But you did."

"I don't understand," said Lilian, bewildered. "What did I give her?"

"A moment of calm," Daciana told him. "A brief moment of clarity, that is all."

"You gave her peace," Ilinca explained further. "For just one single moment; enough time to remember that there was good and beauty in the world. And that was enough. Then she died, finally and forever, but we know that she died happy."

"And that is why," explained Daciana as she wiped a tear from her cheek, "we have decided to accept you, and love you, as our Mistress."

"Oh, um, okay, thank you, but I'm not really the 'Mistress' type," explained Lilian.

"You... don't want to be our Mistress?" asked Ilinca, pausing from her work on his nails to look up at him.

"Um, no, thank you. I hope that's all right," explained Lilian.

"But that is even better!" exclaimed Daciana. "You see, we don't want you to be our Mistress either!"

"You... don't?" said Lilian, totally confused.

"No," said Ilinca, standing and helping Lilian from his chair by both hands. "Not our Mistress. But please, please tell us that you will be our sister!"