by Eve Newton
“Christ, Devon! You scared the crap out of me,” I snap.
My tone causes him to raise his eyebrows. “Jumpy, aren’t you? It’s interesting,” he adds, almost to himself.
“What’s interesting?” I ask.
“Seeing you this way. Nervous. I don’t think I ever have,” he says, slightly bewildered.
I smile a wistful smile. “No, I don’t suppose you have. It was the same with Fraser, even though I ended up having to blurt it out, but you weren’t with me then.” My heart clenches at the memory of Devon’s ‘rebellion’ during my time in the Scottish Rebellion. When I needed him most, he wasn’t there. He had left me in a fit of temper, and I didn’t see him again for fifty years. Our only time apart in five hundred and six years.
He looks away and I feel terrible for making him remember that too.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I walk over to hug him, remembering how I feel with CK. Comforted.
“Don’t apologize,” he murmurs. “I wasn’t there, and I should have been.” He holds onto me like a lifeline. He pulls away first with a smile. “Okay, I’m going. Call me if you need me,” he says seriously, squeezing my hands.
I nod at him and say, “I will.”
He gives me what passes as a smile and leaves me alone.
I turn to the mirror and appraise myself. Black dress (of course), clingy in all the right places, and falling just above my knees. It’s the demurest thing I own. Nice and low key.
My phone buzzing on the dresser draws my attention. It’s CK. I hesitate. I don’t want a big, fat lecture on the demerits of telling Cole our secret. But I know my sire. He will keep calling me until I answer. Or worse, turn up unannounced and scare Cole half to death.
“Took you long enough,” he says gruffly when I finally do answer.
“Hello, to you, my love. How has your day been?” I ask sweetly.
He chuckles. “Very good, thank you, and yours?” he says.
“All good so far, thank you kindly. What did you need me for?” I ask, briskly.
“Hmm, all sorts of things,” he says seductively.
“Hmm,” I murmur, letting my imagination run wild.
After a moment of silence on his end, I say suddenly, “Are you at the penthouse?” Referring to his penthouse in Milan as opposed to his castle in Tuscany, twirling my ‘T’ charm absently.
He pauses briefly before answering, “Yes. Why?”
“No reason, I just wondered,” I mutter.
“Liv? Why do you ask?” he presses.
“I miss Tuscany,” I whisper. “You never take me there anymore.”
He hesitates for several seconds and clears his throat before he says, “I wasn’t aware that you wanted to go there. Given what it means…”
I sigh. We are hitting taboo territory here; I shouldn’t have brought it up. “Forget I mentioned it. What did you want me for?” I ask again, eager to get to the reason for this call. Cole is due shortly.
“Specifically, something has come up,” he says.
“What?” I ask, only half interested.
“Where are you?” he asks instead.
“At home, why?” I ask, confused.
“I’m coming over, I need to see you.”
“Why?” I ask again, now intrigued, but then remember Cole. “Now isn't really a very good time, CK.”
“I will see you shortly in your office,” he says, ignoring me.
I find myself listening to the dial tone as he has hung up on me, much to my annoyance.
I stride to the door and yank it open. “Devon!” I yell, and he comes running.
“What’s up?” he asks in panic.
“I have no idea. CK just said he’s coming over,” I say, marching downstairs.
“Great,” he mutters. “Can’t say that I will stick around for that visit.”
“Dev, don’t start,” I admonish.
“Wait! Does this mean that Cole gets to meet him today?” he asks with far more interest than I’m comfortable with.
“I hope not. Hopefully, he will come and go before Cole arrives. Surprising him with this now? Well!” I fling my hands up in the air.
He snorts and agrees. “Yeah, I get that.”
“Will you please stall Cole if he gets here before CK leaves?” I ask him. “I can’t deal with that right now.”
“Yeah, of course, Livvie. What do you think he wants?” Devon asks, curiously.
I shrug and push open the door to my office. CK is already waiting for me.
Closing the door behind me, I glare at him. “What’s all this about?” I demand. “I have plans in a few minutes.”
Watching me, he slowly walks over to stand in front of me. Looking into my eyes, he slowly lowers his mouth to mine and claims me in a soft kiss, pushing his tongue between my lips and against mine. Bringing his hands up to my face, he deepens the kiss and any surprise or annoyance I felt, leaves me, and all that’s left is him. I cling to him, kissing him back and then suddenly he pulls away with a wicked glint in his eye.
“There, that’s better,” he smirks. “An acceptable way to greet your sire.”
I huff at him, thoroughly aroused.
“Sit,” he orders, gesturing to the chairs. “I have something to tell you.”
Not bothering to argue, I sit and wait. He pours us both a Scotch and hands me one. I accept with a nod of thanks. CK takes a sip.
“Well?” I snap.
He smiles at my impatience. “Patience is a virtue, my sweet,” he says.
I snort and reply, “Well, I am not feeling very virtuous right now, so out with it.”
CK’s eyes go darker as he is no doubt thinking about my severe lack of virtue. He takes another sip and leans casually against the sideboard. He is striking in his black suit and white shirt, casually open at the collar. My eyes focus on the small patch of skin I can see, and I feel a ripple pass through me. He shifts as he senses the thrill running through me. I snap my focus back to his amused expression.
“Do you remember centuries ago I told you about the prophecy,” he finally begins. “The one about the fourth Council member?”
I nod, wondering what that has to do with anything.
“It dates back to the Witch, Corinne. As you know there were originally four members of The Council. When Ahmed disappeared in the year AD2 and couldn’t be located, he was presumed dead. Although no one could figure out how an Initial Vampire was killed, it was recorded in the archives as a death in AD4.” He pauses to take a sip.
I exhale loudly in exasperation. “I know all of this, CK. What’s with the history lesson?”
He glares at me to be silent, so I shut my mouth. “You only know the bits that I have told you. I am going to fill you in on some of the details. The battles continued for the fourth seat with no resolution, another year passed and then one day in AD5, Corinne requested an audience with us.”
At this point, I interrupt, “Corinne? AD5?”
At my confusion over the timeline, CK explains, “Ahmed turned Corinne in 1BC, at her request. Before he drained her, she cast a spell that would allow her to keep her Witch powers once she was turned.”
Wow, this story is getting interesting now. CK smirks at me as he sees he now has my undivided attention.
“So, she’s a Vampire-Witch?” I ask and he nods.
“Are there others?”
“No, the spell was never written down and Corinne has long since forgotten. Or so she says,” he adds dryly. “It was well known that Corinne had special abilities as a mortal Witch. These were amplified tenfold when she was turned. She quickly became known as a ‘Vates’: A Seer. When she spoke to us that day, she said she’d had a vision: that a fourth member of The Council would be chosen through a series of events and would bear Potentia Uno. The Power of One.”
“The Power of One? What’s that?” I ask, now riveted to his tale.
“That part is not clear. All she saw was a symbol, like a diamond.” He comes to perch on the edge
of my desk. I instinctively turn towards him. He smiles at my reaction to his closeness. He leans back, resting his hand behind him, his glass hanging loosely from his left hand. It’s a very relaxed pose for him and it takes my breath away to see him so.
“She said a union would occur on Holy ground and the Chosen one would claim the fourth seat. She listed a series of numbers, but couldn’t determine their meaning,” he continues. “We had the best minds of the time work to figure out what the numbers meant, but no one was able to make head nor tail of it. It was thought, at first, that they were dates, or years, but it was quickly discarded, as they didn’t make sense at the time. Anyway, the years passed and soon the prophecy was forgotten, but the battles remained for the seat. Corinne disappeared and Gregor, Eloise, and I were determined to keep things as they were with just the three of us. Then a couple of days ago, one of The Council cryptographers was in the record room and happened upon an old copy of the transcript of the prophecy. He said it just appeared in front of him as if by magick.” He shrugs and pauses for another sip. My drink has been forgotten. I’m engrossed in his story, as well as how much I’m enjoying hearing him speak. His lightly accented voice is like honey and I remember how I felt when he used to read to me for hours on end centuries ago.
“This cryptographer was intrigued, of course, by the prophecy,” he continues, sitting upright, but still relaxed. “He ran the numbers again through our new programs and came up with this.” He pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket and fingers it as he stands. “The first line is the numbers that Corinne saw in her vision. The second line is one of the sets the program threw out. Remember your lessons, my sweet, that N stands for…”
“Nulla,” I interrupt. “Zero. I remember, my love.”
He smiles that perfect smile that I think is meant just for me.
I take the paper from him and look at the numbers:
NNN IIIII II II II IV V V VI VII
1012150617452012
It takes me a moment to separate the numbers on the second line and my eyes widen.
Seeing my reaction, CK sighs. “In light of the way we now read out years, I think you will find the first three dates of particular significance to you. I think you are the Chosen One.”
CHAPTER TEN
I stare at him in disbelief and shake my head. “That’s not possible,” I say, standing up. “It can’t be me.”
“The numbers don’t lie, my sweet. 1012. It was my intention to turn you on Holy ground, but Radulf nearly killed you before I could, and I had to turn you in the barn. 1506, it was your intention, I believe, to turn Devon on Holy ground before his mother nearly killed him and you had to turn him in the barn. 1745. You married Fraser in a church with the desire to turn him although he refused. And 2012…”
“This year,” I interrupt. “But I have no intentions of any Holy Unions.”
“Maybe so, but you have a human lover with whom you are prepared to share our secret. You don’t know what will happen with him,” he warns.
I shake my head, but he continues, “As your sire, I am going to advise you against any course of action that will lead to the possibility that this prophecy will come to pass.”
“CK, what are you saying exactly? I’m still not sure I understand,” I say perplexed.
He turns from me to stare at the stained-glass window. He frowns as he looks at it and says, “Aefre.” My heart clenches as he uses my first name. I just stare at his back trying to process what he is saying.
Knocking interrupts us. CK turns to answer the door with a deeper frown. Devon is on the other side, looking pissed.
“May we help you?” CK asks smugly, switching to English again as we had been speaking in Italian, just to piss Devon off further.
“I’d like to speak to my sire, if you don’t mind,” Devon replies.
CK’s face hardens at the reference, but opens the door wider, staying where he is though so Devon can’t enter.
“Livvie, Cole is at the gate. Finish up if you don’t want a disaster on your hands. I’ll stall him as long as I can,” he says.
I nod briskly as CK slams the door shut; his expression is unreadable.
“If you turn this man, this year, the prophecy will come true, of that I have no doubt. However, Gregor and Eloise will not stand for another member being sworn in. Under normal circumstances, I would be inclined to agree and take whatever necessary precautions to prevent this from happening.” He turns back to me with a menacing look that I know isn’t directed at me, but at the thought of someone barging into their little elite clique. “As it is you, it throws a rather large spanner in the works.”
“Constantine, I don’t want this. You can believe me when I say that this is not something I have ever wanted, and nor will I ever. Quite apart from the fact that I have never understood how another member, an ordinary Vampire, would be accepted and respected, this is so far from what I want, if it is me, you don’t have to worry about it.” I try to reassure him as the horror of what he is suggesting sinks in. “Not to mention, Cole doesn’t even know about me yet. Who is to say what will happen?”
He nods but is regarding me with those unreadable eyes. “You must keep this quiet for now. I am only telling you because it's you and I need you to understand that you will be in danger. Gregor and Eloise are not aware of this yet. Lucio is loyal to me and he brought it to my attention first. He will not, however, stay quiet for much longer. You must recognize the danger of this, Aefre. They are dead set against this,” he emphasizes ‘dead’ and I gulp. “It is a mistake for you to tell him who we are.” He steps closer.
“But you said a relationship cannot survive a secret this big,” I say accusingly.
“That was before I knew about this.” He places his index finger on the paper I had discarded and slides it slowly down the edge of the desk towards me. “Be wise, do the right thing and I will keep in touch.”
“Are you still going to Monaco?” I ask, ignoring his comment.
“Yes, if for no other reason than to see you again,” he says softly and leans forward to kiss my forehead. Before I can say another word, he turns and Teleports out, leaving me bereft and in shock over his revelation.
Me? Prophesied to be the fourth Council member? It makes no sense. Why me? There are far more powerful Vampires out in the World than little old me. I’m no one special, and I really don’t want all of that hassle. Not to mention the horror of having to see Gregor and Eloise on a daily basis. That thought alone makes me shudder. And what is this Power of One business? That sounds like bad news to me. I accept magick in the World, but I don’t like it and I certainly don’t want to wield it. Although thinking about it rationally for a moment, one has to concede that to be equal to an Initial Vampire, one would need a bit of a power boost. Maybe that’s what that is? It’s the whole ‘One’ thing that is daunting. That has far too many connotations for me to be comfortable with. No, Constantine is wrong. It’s not me. I just want my nice little, normal Vampire life. Me and Devon against the World; like it’s always been.
Only now there is Cole. I know exactly what CK meant by saying ‘do the right thing’. He wants me to forget about telling him and end it, but I am not doing that. I push the paper with the numbers on under the ink blotter. I could tell him tonight and he could tell me to go to Hell. I doubt very much he will jump up and ask me to turn him in the nearest graveyard. No, it’s not going to happen.
I look back to where I have pushed the paper away. But I can’t deny that I knew there was something about him the first minute I laid eyes on him. Just as I did with CK, just as I did with Devon and Fraser. Could it be?
There is a knock on the door, and I forget about it as Cole pops his head in, smiling that delicious half smile. “Hi. Devon said you were on a call. Are you done?” he asks.
“Yes, all done. I am happy to see you,” I say and embrace him tightly.
“Everything okay? You look a bit shaken,” he asks concerned.
“I’
m good, baby. It’s nothing,” I say with a smile and then give him a once over. I whistle and say, “Wow, check you out.”
His half smile widens, and he gestures to himself, dressed in a navy-blue suit with a white shirt. “What? This old thing?” he says.
I giggle and he glances appreciatively at me. “You look beautiful,” he says and kisses me chastely. “Do you mind if I drive us to dinner?” he asks.
“No, of course not. Any particular reason why?” I ask, and then the penny drops. “You want to take the Veyron?”
He grins. “I do, is that okay?”
“Of course. What’s mine is yours,” I add, and then realize that might be a bit heavy on the commitment, but he doesn’t seem fazed.
I take his hand and we stroll to the garage. He opens my door with a flourish. I step in gracefully to the low bucket seats, which is not easy in 6-inch heels
Cole gets in and, grinning at me, he fires up the engine. I shake my head at him with a smile.
T he drive is quiet. I’m preoccupied with all that CK has said, not to mention, how and when to broach the Vampire subject with Cole. We pull up to the restaurant. Cole parks the car around the back and we get out, which is even harder to do gracefully in 6-inch heels, but Cole is there to help me. I love him for it.
We are ushered to our booth in the back. I’m still quiet in my reflections.
“Hey,” Cole says, taking my hand across the table, “everything okay?”
I smile the best one I can muster and nod. “I’m fine.” Thankfully, the waiter sidles over for our drinks order.
“Sauvignon Blanc, please,” I say.
Cole orders a beer.
My phone buzzes on the table and a quick glance down shows me it’s the offices in China. Great, I sigh, just what I need right now. “Sorry, my love, I have to take this,” and I answer the phone in fluent Mandarin.
Cole’s eyebrows go skyward, as I knew they would, as I carry on the conversation.
Hanging up minutes later, I cast a glance at him. He looks quite serious. “So, that’s French, Italian, and Chinese.” He counts them off his fingers.