Sion saw that Saint and Solenne looked happier than they’d been in a long time. Gone was the misery from his face, replaced with that look of love he usually wore whenever his wife was nearby. Terek and Ilona looked as happy as ever, and Sion thought he saw a stronger look in her eyes after months of training with her sire in the east.
And Vasilije looked as he always had, except for after he released Sasa. The strength and power had returned to the Romanian, most likely because of his time with the dragons and the lovely women there, or at least that’s what Dante had mentioned when Sion met with him the night before.
The clyten was the first of them to greet Sion on his return to Greece, and for the first time ever, he felt like Dante wasn’t a complete stranger to him anymore. His time under the influence of the Bliss had changed him in many ways, and one of those was that he could be more like a human instead of more like a machine, as he had been all those years.
It was very different for him, but Sion liked it.
As they all waited for Nico to appear, Dante hushed the group. “Even though Nico is late again, I want to welcome back Sion and Kali. We hear you had one hell of a time up north, but we’re glad to have you back here with us.”
For a moment, the room fell completely silent as everyone stood shocked at Dante’s comment about what had happened to them in Prague, but even though the old Sion would have hated his candor, this new Sion had no problem with it. He wasn’t proud of becoming addicted to Bliss, but he wouldn’t shy away from admitting it either.
Pulling the clyten close, Sion wrapped his arm around his shoulder and smiled. “As only Dante could say it, right? Thanks for the welcome back. I can tell you all firsthand that what the Archons are putting out there is pure poison. Kali and I made it back, but I saw a lot of vampires who never will. We need to end this now before our kind is wiped out by Bliss.”
Everyone clapped at his words, and as uncharacteristic as it was for him to show emotion, he turned and kissed Kali as she stood next to him. If the silence after Dante’s comment was striking, the silence after everyone seeing Sion kiss her was deafening.
They’d get used to the new version of him eventually.
“I swear to God I’m the only vampire in this room not getting any,” Dante announced to break the silence. “That’s it. I’m going out after this meeting and having a good time. No more nose to the grindstone with Nico. He can work alone.”
“Did someone say my name?”
Nico sat down at the head of the table, a clear sign that fun time was over and they had business to attend to. Everyone found a seat and waited for Sion and Kali to explain what their big news was, but there was no mistaking the feeling that something had changed in their time away from Greece.
“It’s good to see everyone again,” Sion began. “Thank you for the applause before. Kali and I appreciate it. We’ve been through some tough times in Prague, but we’re back and she’s got news to tell you, so I’m going to let her do the talking.”
Kali stood and took a deep breath before she spoke. What she had to say was stunning, to say the least, and she’d told him earlier that what she had to tell them frightened her. He hadn’t pressed her as to why, but he knew telling them about Theron would change things.
Just how much he wasn’t sure.
“Thank you for letting me attend today. I do want to apologize for how long it’s taken me to figure out some of the key parts of the prophecy. I got lost for a little while, and for that, I’m sorry.”
Nobody said anything in response to her admitting what had happened with her addiction, but Sion saw on their faces they understood. She was among friends in that room. Except for Nico’s expression. His showed something that made Sion think he must have come from a contentious meeting with the elders just before this one.
“Okay, so let me get down to it. I’ve long believed that the sections of the Prophecy of Idolas that refer to his brothers actually instead refer to you, the current Sons of Navarus. I don’t know if I’ve told you this before because I think I only told Sion and Thane when we were at the monastery, but forgive me if you’ve heard this already. Nikator was one of the brothers of Idolas, the one who saved his life when Navarus tried to kill him because he was illegitimate.”
Ramiel spoke up and said, “I remember this. Noele is descended from that brother, while the rest of us are descended from Idolas.”
“And Solenne is a descendant of Idolas, we now know, but exactly. And I believe the prophecy says that a descendent of the one who saved Idolas, Nikator, is the one he calls ‘the savior’ in his prophecy.”
“The only direct descendent of Nikator that works in that scheme is Noele, and as much as I love my wife, I don’t see her being the savior of anything other than me,” Ramiel joked.
Without even looking up from the notebook that he was jotting down details in, Nico said, “That’s not what she’s referring to. You know where she’s going with this.”
Ramiel folded his arms across his enormous chest and shook his head. “No. I told you the other day what I thought of that. No is still the answer.”
“Nico, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but what I figured out is that Theron is the one Idolas calls the savior. He’s the one he prophesied would save the vampire world.”
The room fell eerily silent for a long moment before Ramiel spoke a single word.
“No.”
For the first time since he’d sat down, Nico lifted his head and turned to face Theron’s father. “It’s been fated, Ramiel. You can’t change that.”
“Fuck I can’t! I told you the other day, and I’ll repeat it for everyone here so you all know how this is going to go. I am Theron’s father. I will not let you use my son because some moldy old fucking books say he’s some kind of savior. Find another way!”
“I agree with Ramiel,” Dante said, directing his comment toward the end of the table where Nico, Sion, and Kali sat. “He’s too young. I spend every day with him, and even though he looks like he’s about to be a teenager any time now, he’s not ready for what you want him to be able to do. He’s just not ready. Give him some time to grow up. He’s a great kid, but that’s all he is. A kid. Give him some time to become what we need.”
“And what do we do if the Archons begin this war in the meantime while you and Theron are off having your playdates?” Nico snapped back.
Sion had never seen the clyten truly angry, but now as he glared down at Nico, his rage was clear. “Playdates my ass. Theron is a clyten, a far more impressive kind of vampire than your old washed up self. And if you think Ramiel and I are going to just let you take the kid off to create some kind of super war machine out of him, you better be ready to bring more than yourself to that fight, and I don’t think you’re going to find many friends around this table for the idea of taking a boy away to war.”
Terek looked down the table at Dante and tried to calm him. “Nobody’s saying that. Kali’s just saying that’s what she found in her work.”
Dante began to speak, but Ramiel stopped him. “We have no problem with what you said, Kali. I knew my son had a bigger purpose. His mother knows that too. We’re not fools. We know all these powers he has aren’t for nothing. We’ve known what he was destined to be since that night in Rome. But Nico there thinks that now’s the time to send Theron out to battle the Archons, and that’s not going to happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not next month. The boy’s not even two years old. No way.”
Nico jumped out of his chair, and it skidded back across the floor behind him. “Then how long? How long do we risk our entire world because you don’t want to admit this child was born for one and only one purpose?”
Sion watched as rage filled Ramiel. Trying to diffuse the situation, he stood and began talking, but it was no use. Hearing his boy was born to merely be a fighting tool was too much, and the Visigoth in him exploded.
“Born for only one purpose? To be your war machine, Nico? To save a world this Order h
ad centuries to protect, centuries you were alive and the rest of us weren’t? My son won’t be used to fix your fuck up!” Ramiel bellowed in a voice so loud it echoed off the walls around them.
“Our fuck up? This Order kept our world you care nothing about safe while you and your kind were working to terrorize every human in sight!”
By the time Ramiel made it down to the end of the conference table, he had murder in his eyes. Nico was no match for the much bigger vampire, and while Sion didn’t agree with a word he’d said, he couldn’t let Ramiel kill him.
Jumping out of his chair, he hurried to get to Nico while Saint, Terek, and Vasilije raced to hold Ramiel back, but it was no use. Anger burst out of the two vampires with Ramiel slamming his fist into Nico’s face as Nico did his best to hurt him. Both men got a few punches in before they peeled them off one another, but it was clear their differences were a serious problem.
Ramiel broke away from Saint’s hold on his arm and stormed out of the meeting, followed by Dante. Sion helped Nico up off the ground and back to his seat as everyone let out a collective sigh after holding their breath. While the Sons had always had divisions, never before had they come to blows over them.
Now that they needed unity more than ever, it was the last thing on so many of their minds.
“Let’s all take our seats again and relax,” Terek said in his usual calm voice. “Things got a little heated, but I think we all need to just take it easy.”
As everyone did as he suggested, Solenne spoke up. “I know I’m not a Son, but I think someone needs to say this. Theron may be a special vampire, but to his parents, he’s their child. I’m worried we’ve lost sight of that because we’re so worried about what the Archons will do.”
The look on Nico’s face showed he wouldn’t be changing his mind on the matter, but Sion saw that not everyone agreed with him. Saint and Terek looked especially worried about what Solenne had said.
“Well, at least we can say we have the dragons behind us,” Vasilije announced. “Everything else might be up in the air, but them added to the werewolves should give us some extra power for when the goddamned Archons finally decide they want to start this war.”
“You’re forgetting one thing. They’ve got witches behind them.”
Nico’s words crashed down on top of the group like a dead body. As he looked around the table, Sion saw the news had erased any good feelings from Vasilije’s news.
“Witches? Their spells will hurt the weres. They’re especially susceptible to their powers,” Terek said somberly.
“But they’re human, aren’t they?” Ilona asked. “Doesn’t that still give all of us an advantage?”
Terek shook his head and frowned. “Yes and no. In battle, they’ll be more vulnerable, but their spells will hurt.”
Nico wiped the blood from his busted lip on a napkin. “There is some good news there, though. The American witches don’t seem to be siding with the Archons.”
“Your spies have gotten pretty good,” Vasilije said with a chuckle. “Any idea of when the Archons plan to attack since we seem to know everything else?”
“The Order’s spies do what they need to, but they can’t find everything out,” Nico said sharply. “The Archons still want to get Bliss out to the masses, and they haven’t reached the American shores yet.”
Just the mention of the drug’s name made Sion tense up. Kali squeezed his hand under the table, likely feeling the same thing, and quickly tried to change the subject. “It looks like the Americans are going to be very important in how this war plays out.”
“I think we need to consider putting feelers out to the American witches. If they aren’t on the Archons’ side already, there’s a reason why,” Saint said. As everyone nodded their agreement, he added, “Even if we can’t get them on our side, it’ll help if they agree to stay out of things altogether.”
“I can go,” Vasilije offered. “I’ve spent time in the States, so I could speak to them.”
Smiling for the first time since he’d arrived at the meeting, Nico said, “I think it might be better if Dante took this one.”
“Dante instead of me? This is a first.”
“I think he’s less threatening, and right now, we need those witches to side with us, if possible. He’s the only American among us too, so that could help.”
Whatever offense Vasilije had felt at Nico’s suggestion faded quickly, and he agreed with the idea of Dante going to meet the American witches. “He does have that quintessential American feel to him. I can’t deny that. But is he ready to represent this group?”
As always, Terek defended the clyten. “I know he’s often been difficult, but I think we can rely on him. I’m just a little surprised after what happened here, Nico, that you’d suggest him at all. He clearly agrees with Ramiel about Theron. I know he’s close to the boy too.”
“That’s another reason I think he’s perfect for this,” Nico explained. “He’ll be eager to find an alternative to Theron being forced into something earlier than he thinks he should be, so I think he’ll do a good job at convincing the American coven.”
“I think you’re right,” Terek said. “But who’s going to tell him?”
Nico chuckled at the question. “I don’t think I’m the right man for that job, but he respects you, so maybe you could tell him. Just make sure to let him know we’re all behind him on this. It’s his first time on a big mission alone, so I think he needs to be sure we believe in him.”
Sion cleared his throat to change the subject. “How is Noele doing?”
“I just saw her last week. She’s a very happy pregnant woman and due any time now,” Solenne said with a smile. “I think she’s hoping for a little girl this time. But do we know if this child will be like Theron?”
Everyone at the table looked toward Kali. Shaking her head, she said, “I haven’t found anything in any of the texts or the prophecy that says there’s another born vampire like Theron. As far as I’ve found, Noele and Ramiel’s second child will just be extraordinary in that he or she will be a born vampire.”
“That’s pretty extraordinary in and of itself,” Sion said, truly impressed with the idea of a born vampire.
Somewhere deep inside him, he wished he and Kali could have the chance for a child. It was impossible, but when he heard about how happy Ramiel and Noele were, even with Theron being so different, he couldn’t help but think they could be happy like that too with a baby of their own.
Nico stood from the table to leave. “Well, on that note, I need to leave and get back to let the elders know about tonight’s meeting. If I hear anything, I’ll let you all know.”
After he’d gone, Terek said quietly, “The problem between Nico and Ramiel isn’t going away. It’s something we’re all going to have to deal with soon.”
Vasilije nodded. “I’ve known Nico for a long time. Give him a chance to come around and understand where Ramiel is coming from. He’s not the monster here. He just bears more of the weight than we all do since he has to report back to the Order for all of us.”
“I don’t think he’s a monster, but it’s clear Ramiel isn’t going to change his mind, and if Nico can’t abide by that, it’s going to come down to all of us taking sides,” Terek warned. “Divided, we’ll be picked off in no time.”
“Then we don’t take sides,” Vasilije said as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. “That’s what they hope for. They want us divided, but we can’t let that happen. Ramiel will have to come around to understanding Theron has a destiny in all of this, though. Like it or not, his son can’t stay on the sidelines forever.”
“Any idea how fast he’s aging?” Saint asked as he turned toward his wife. “The last time I saw him, he looked like a toddler.”
Solenne shook her head at Saint’s description of the boy. “He’s no toddler anymore. I’d guess he looks like he’s ten years old or more. Noele mentioned she thought he was aging even faster now.”
Kali squeezed Si
on’s hand again. “There’s nothing about that in what I’ve researched, but what if he’s aging quicker because the war’s about to begin?”
A hush fell over the room at the thought of peace ending. Sion saw the fear on each one of their faces and knew he was no different. While they talked strategy every time they met like this, the truth was every one of them knew that when war came it meant the real possibility that some or all of them wouldn’t make it out alive.
That their pledge to defeat the Archons or die trying could very well mean they’d all pay the ultimate price to save their world.
When everyone had left the meeting room, Kali put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “That didn’t go exactly as I thought it would.”
Sion hugged her and said the words they both knew were true. “Things are getting tense, and something’s going to have to change regarding Theron. The only question is how soon. Is that why you didn’t mention what you found out about Idolas prophesizing him taking over rule from the Archons?”
Leaning back from him, Kali knitted her brows in worry and shook her head. “No. I can’t explain it, but I just don’t think we should tell anyone about that. Not yet.”
He searched her face for an answer before asking, “Why? What are you thinking?”
Kali shook her head again, as if what she thought was something too terrible to even mention. “I don’t know. Just promise me you won’t mention that to anyone, especially Nico, okay?”
Pulling her close again, he kissed the top of her head and whispered against her soft hair, “Okay, but there may come a time that I have to because I’m a Son and I have a duty, Kali.”
“I know, but give me a little time to see what I can find out. There’s no point in getting Nico all stressed out about things. He’s already pretty gung ho about the whole Theron issue. Just give me some time.”
Blood Craving Page 20