Oracle

by Amy Reece

  I backed away, my hands in front of me. “Whoa, there, crazy! I’ll let you handle the childbearing for now. Give us a few years, okay? I’m only 20. Plus, we are raising Jack’s sister, you know.”

  “I heard. That is so sweet! Okay, I’ll give you a couple years before I start nagging about you giving our son a playmate.”

  Kate had André bring in a bottle of champagne for more toasts and he passed out the flutes—ginger ale for the expectant mother—before joining us in a toast.

  Kate waited until after dinner to bring up the true reason for our visit and we spent the next hour or so planning how the newest prophecy ‘reveal’ would go down the following day. I had wondered about having Phillipe make up a new prophecy for me to say, but Kate already felt bad about the first made up prophecy I’d had earlier in the summer in order to stage the ascension.

  “These are my people,” she ground out. “I am still responsible for them until the fates or whatever deem it time to reveal the true identity of the new Oracle. I will not have them lied to again.”

  “What if there is no new Oracle?” I whispered as I stood and looked out the window in the sitting room where I’d once destroyed an heirloom Meissen vase.

  “What?” Phillipe had heard me. “What did you say, Ally?”

  I turned and cleared my throat. “What if there is no new Oracle?” I looked around at their blank faces, all except Jack’s, whose showed nothing but concern for me. “It’s what we’re all thinking, isn’t it? It may not be me. It may not be anyone. What happens then?”

  “I don’t know, cherié.” Rémy came to stand in front of me and took my hands in his. “You’re the only one around here who has, so far, foretold the future.” He smirked in the old way that used to annoy me so much. Now it comforted and even amused me.

  I managed a small chuckle, which turned into a small sob. “But what about Luc? He’ll never stop!”

  “Hey.” He pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back. “We will stop him. I promise. I have a plan, so trust me, okay?”

  “You have a plan? What is it? Tell us.”

  “Tomorrow. After the big reveal, okay? We’ll have plenty of time to talk then.”

  ***

  The members of the Conseil gathered mid-morning with plenty of time for the buffet luncheon Kate had planned afterward. She had orchestrated the meeting to include me making a dramatic entrance, standing before them, and reciting the prophecy that she had actually had. I had changed her plans slightly: Jack and I walked in together, holding hands. Oracle or not, the Conseil had better get used to seeing him at my side. I recited the words I had memorized:

  Light and dark will battle for preeminence. An ancient evil will return. Darkness shrouds the origins. Blood will be the price.

  When I finished, Jack and I took the seats that had been reserved for us and listened while the other Seers in the room discussed possible meanings of this newest, darkest prophecy. I had nothing to add, so I tried to listen, but found my attention wandering. I couldn’t get the vision, the conversation with an older Kai, out of my mind. I was nearly frantic with worry over Megan’s safety and couldn’t find it in myself to care much about prophecies and Oracles.

  The endless meeting finally wrapped up and we went in to lunch. I pushed the food around on my plate and gave monosyllabic answers to questions. The others soon gave up and left me alone. I felt Jack’s hand squeeze mine and I smiled at him gratefully.

  “All right.” He stood up and held out his hand to me. “Ally and I are going to our room. We’ll see you at dinner.”

  Sometimes it was nice to have someone take charge.

  ***

  I felt refreshed and slightly calmer after a long bubble bath and a nap. Jack was amazing, cosseting and spoiling me, even making arrangements for us to have a private dinner in our room. The rest of the Conseil members finally left and we met with Kate, Phillipe, Rémy, and Mina in Kate’s private sitting room.

  “Okay, what is your plan?” I asked Rémy. “You’ve kept us waiting long enough.”

  “Patience, cherié.” He stood in front of the rest of us as we were seated on the sofa and easy chairs. “I have given this much thought and I believe it is time to force Luc’s hand. We know he is in the United States, most likely in Albuquerque, and most likely watching us.”

  “What about Kai? What does he have to do with all this? What about my visions? What about Megan?” I choked as I said her name.

  “Kai is part of this, I’m sure of it.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “But I have no idea why or how. I fear Luc may try to use him if he discovers him, if he discovers that he has any sort of power. This is why I believe we must take action sooner rather than later.”

  “And you think you know how best to do this?” Phillipe asked.

  Rémy nodded. “I propose we draw him out. It’s Ally he wants, but she is carefully guarded and rarely alone. What if Mina and I decide to remain in France for a few days longer than Jack and Ally? Maybe a week, as I have many business dealings to attend to. Then Jack will be required to attend one of his army training weekends and Ally will be alone.”

  “What about Megan?” I asked.

  “She will need to remain with her aunt and uncle until this is over. We can’t risk her safety.”

  “I agree. I don’t want her anywhere near—”

  “No.” Jack’s voice was low and dangerous.

  “Jack, I understand how—” Rémy attempted to placate.

  “No.” Jack stood and walked across the room to Rémy. “You’re talking about using her as bait.”

  “We will be nearby, all three of us, Jack. She won’t really be alone.”

  “There is no fucking way you are going to use my wife as bait for a killer!”

  “But she’s not only your wife, Jack! She is the most powerful Seer in many generations. And she is the Oracle!”

  “I don’t hear you offering up your own wife as bait!”

  “My wife is not the Oracle!”

  “You don’t know for sure that mine is, either!” He grabbed Rémy by the front of his shirt and shook him. “She’s just a girl.”

  Rémy, to his credit, didn’t react; he let Jack shake him until Mina and I intervened. She placed her hands on both men, trying to calm them with her gift.

  “Jack, no! Please!” I managed to pry his hands from Rémy’s shirt. “It’s okay, Jack. This is the best way. Can’t you see? We have to keep Megan safe and this is the best way. We need to get this over with so we can move on with our lives. Please, Jack. Just listen.”

  He took my face in his hands and stared intensely into my eyes. “I’ve almost lost you three times, Ally. I can’t go through it again. Please don’t ask me to do that.”

  “You’re not going to lose me. I swear. And we’re not going to lose Megan. This time we will have the upper hand. We will be in control.” I could say it, but I wondered if anyone in the room believed it. “Let’s just listen to the plan, okay? Please?”

  He rested his forehead against mine and squeezed his eyes closed. He nodded and said, “I’ll listen. That’s all I’m promising.”

  I led him back to the sofa and held his hand as we listened to Rémy detail his plan. He and Mina would remain in Rouen, purportedly to allow Rémy to attend to some family business. They would attend a society soirée where they would talk ad nauseam about their plans for a trip to Marseille as a sort of delayed honeymoon. They would actually return to Albuquerque after the party, using fake passports and flying into Los Angeles and then driving to New Mexico. They would hole up in a house on the block behind ours that he had already rented, in another name, of course. Jack would get a phone call informing him that he was needed to fill in at a special leadership conference because someone had fallen ill. He would leave Friday morning, be seen entering the conference center, and then make his way back to the rented house. Megan would remain with Manny and Trina through the week. Jack would tell them that since he was going out
of town, we needed them to keep her for a few days longer.

  Jack shook his head as Rémy finished. “No. Not good enough. I need to be in the house with Ally. I can sneak in.”

  “Luc will know. We can’t risk it. It will be difficult enough to get you into the rental house without being seen,” Rémy argued.

  “Shit! I hate this!” Jack stood again to pace. He shoved his hands through his hair. “Okay, okay. How do we make sure we know what’s happening with Ally?”

  Rémy just tapped his head. “Mina and I will know. We will be in constant communication.”

  Jack paced for another minute. “Okay, but I’m going to have Trina and Manny take Megan out of town for the weekend.”

  “How are you going to convince them to do that?” I asked.

  “I don’t know!” he roared. “But I’ll figure something out! Sorry,” he said a beat later.

  I crossed to him and put my arms around his waist. “It’s going to be okay, Jack. Trust me. I’m psychic.” I smiled up at him. “Too soon?”

  He laughed mirthlessly and pulled me close. “Shit,” he muttered again.

  Our lovemaking that night was especially intense and perhaps tinged with desperation; afterward we held each other, listening to the silence of the large house echoing around us.

  “I need this to be over, Jack.”

  “I need to know you’re going to be safe, querida. I can’t agree to this crazy plan of Rémy’s if I don’t have some assurance of your safety. I want to be there with you, at the house.”

  The memory of Michael falling into my arms, gunned down by one of Luc’s henchmen, flashed through my mind. The thought of Jack being anywhere near me when I finally faced Luc left me cold with terror. I swore to myself that I would meet Luc one final time and I would end this, whatever it took. I realized that Jack didn’t know the extent of my powers since I had spent so much time training during the summers when we were apart.

  “You know that won’t work.” I propped myself up on my elbow and stared down at his handsome face. “I can take care of myself, Jack. I’m not afraid of Luc. I’m ready to face him, to deal with this and end it once and for all.” I swirled my fingers through the dusting of black hair on his chest.

  “Ally—”

  “Shh.” I leaned forward to kiss him. “I’ll show you tomorrow.”

  “Oh, you’ll show me, huh?” He chuckled, sensing my need to put the seriousness behind us for the moment.

  “I can be very persuasive, you know.” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.

  He laughed, which was maybe not the reaction I was looking for, but it would do. He pulled my face to his, kissed me sweetly, and then rolled me over. “Show me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “So here I am, against my will and yours too, well I know—no one wants the man who brings bad news.”

  —Sophocles, Antigone

  I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink on the flight home, but I closed my eyes soon after takeoff and didn’t wake until Jack gently shook me.

  “Oh, my God. Did I sleep the whole way?” I asked, yawning. “I’m so sorry, hon.”

  “Why are you apologizing? I take it as a compliment for keeping you awake last night.” He kissed me briefly. “They’re bringing breakfast in a minute and you slept through dinner. You need to eat.”

  I smiled and kissed him back. I appreciated him taking care of me, even though I had taken great pains to assure him that I could take care of myself. Back at the Giles estate, I had taken him into the garden and given a demonstration of the abilities I had worked so hard to refine. I had moved several large boulders around, knocking them together for effect, which caused Rémy to accuse me of being a showoff. Then I had knocked Rémy on his rear end, something I relished doing at any opportunity. Jack was impressed, but still wanted me to carry a gun. I refused, of course. He would have to be satisfied with my crazy psychic abilities and carry the gun himself. Rémy assured him that he and Mina would also be armed.

  “Mina has a gun?” I had asked.

  “Mais oui. She’s an excellent shot.” He had laughed. “We will take very good care of you, cherié.”

  I dug into the cheese, baguette, and fruit that the flight attendant placed in front of me, especially relishing the strong, black coffee, and appreciating that Rémy always remembered to order vegetarian meals for me when he made the travel arrangements. Jack slipped his fruit onto my plate and I smiled at him through a mouthful of bread.

  We landed in Washington, DC, and had a brief layover before our flight to Albuquerque. By the time we landed, gathered our luggage, and found our car, it was nearly midnight. I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally pulled into our driveway. We headed straight to bed since we both had work and school the next day. Jack had called to check on Megan before we boarded in DC and got the report that she was fine. It had been hard for Jack to hint to Trina that he and I needed some couple time without Megan, but he had done it to keep her safe. We had arranged for Tara and Mat to take her on a road trip to Las Cruces on Saturday morning since Jack was determined to get her out of town while Luc was likely to act.

  I returned home Tuesday evening, after my late class to find Jack sitting at the kitchen table, which was covered with newspaper, cleaning his gun. I set my bag down and hugged him from behind. “Mmmm. You smell good.” I kissed his upturned lips. “Cleaning your gun again?”

  “Hey, babe. I’m uh, actually cleaning your gun.”

  “My what? I don’t have a…oh, Jack,” I sighed.

  “Please, Ally. I need you to do this.”

  So, knowing it would make him feel marginally better about Rémy’s crazy plan, I sat and learned how to put my new Ruger 9mm together, break it down, and put it together again. And again. It was a small model that fit my hands better than his gun, but it didn’t change the fact that I hated guns. It was the only way Jack would agree to wait in the rental house with Rémy and Mina however, so I sucked it up and learned how to use it. After endless rounds of breaking it down and putting it back together, Jack announced that we were going to the indoor shooting range. I swallowed my irritation and played his game. I was a terrible shot; even my normal competitive nature was no match for my lousy skills on the shooting range.

  “Hey, I think you hit the target that last time,” said Jack as he pressed the button to bring the target back to us. “Yeah, look at that!”

  “Where?”

  “Right there at the edge. Good job, babe.”

  I rolled my eyes and demanded food. He laughed good-naturedly and promised that I could choose the restaurant. When I threatened to choose a vegan restaurant, he gulped and said that would be great.

  “I’m just kidding. Let’s go to that burger joint we tried last week. They do a pretty good quinoa burger.”

  “Oh, thank God,” he said. “I really didn’t relish the thought of choking down some of that fake shrimp. That stuff’s just vile.”

  He took me shooting every afternoon that week and I got to where I stopped jerking the gun when I fired and was able to hit the target most of the time. On Thursday evening we stopped by to visit Megan. We missed her terribly and wanted to assure her we would get her back as soon as possible.

  “Meg, you know we want you with us, right?” We were ostensibly tucking her in and listening to her read a chapter from her book.

  “I know.” She nodded. “You and Ally aren’t really fighting, are you?”

  “No, sweetie. It’s Seer stuff. There’s just some bad stuff going on right now and we need to know you’re safe here with Manny and Trina. It’ll be over soon. I promise. Then you can come home where you belong,” Jack said as he pulled her comforter around her slim shoulders.

  “You guys will be careful, won’t you?”

  “Of course we will,” I said and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll keep your big brother safe, don’t worry.”

  She giggled. “Good. I want to come home soon.”

  “We want th
at too, Meg. As soon as possible.”

  Back downstairs, we patiently listened as Manny and Trina gently lectured us on how difficult the first year of marriage often was and how we needed to be understanding of each other’s needs. Trina gave Jack the phone number for a marriage counselor and hinted they would be happy to pay for a few sessions. I knew it cost Jack an immense amount of pride to take the card from his aunt, so I slipped my arm around his waist and hugged him close to my side.

  “Thanks, Trina. We’ll talk about it, okay? We’re doing fine. We just needed a few nights on our own. I am crazy about this guy and wanted him all to myself for a little while. We’re thinking that we’ll be ready to have Megan back on Sunday night.” I hoped I wouldn’t have to go back on my words.

  We walked out to the SUV silently. Jack started the ignition but didn’t slide the gear into drive. “Thanks for that back there, querida. I hate lying to them.”

  “I know. I am praying this whole thing is over by this weekend. I love you, Jack.”

  “I know.” He gave me a half-smile at our old exchange. “I love you, too.”

  We were getting ready for bed when I heard from Rémy.

  —We just touched down in Los Angeles and will rent a car and be on the road soon, cherié. How are things there?

  —Good. Jack bought me a gun and is trying to teach me how to shoot.

  —God help us all.

  —Shut up. I’m not that bad.

  “Rémy and Mina are in L.A.,” I told Jack. “They’ll be on the road soon.”

  “That still freaks me out a little bit,” he said as he crawled under the comforter. “I don’t like that he can get inside your head anytime he wants.”

  “Well, you can get inside much more interesting places than my head,” I teased, kissing his neck and working my way down toward his chest.

  “You make a good argument.” He pulled me on top of him and kissed me deeply. “Ally, it’s getting close. I can feel it.”