“But if the Luminaries choose for me, how was there a mistake? How was two chosen for me?”
“I don’t know. It never made sense to me but who am I to question anything?”
I couldn’t help but wonder if Odin was ever really chosen for me. Did the Luminaries really make a mistake? “So, what happens to Tristan for helping me?”
“The same thing that will happen to us if we get caught, we die.”
“They can’t do this. They can’t force me to stay with Odin. They can’t kill my friends for simply helping me.” I was hoping Tristan had been wrong about them wanting to kill us.
“They can Lilith and they will.”
The waitress finally came over to take our drink order. When she left to get our drinks, Bristol said, “So you and Tristan huh?”
“What about me?” Tristan said taking the seat beside me.
“Was just asking if you two are together now,” she said with a smile.
Tristan looked at me searching for confirmation. “Yes, we are together,” I said matter of fact. I spoke to Tristan in his mind, I needed an okay to ask about the babies. When he nodded, I asked Parker, “What will happen to my babies if I am caught by Odin?” Parker and Bristol both looked at me shocked with their jaws dropped. When they didn’t speak, I asked again. “If Odin catches me and I get sentenced to death what will happen to my babies?”
“I’m sorry did you say babies? Like as in more than one?” Bristol asked.
“Yes, more than one. I am having twins.” Parker still hadn’t spoken yet.
“Oh, my gosh. That is so amazing. It is very rare for a vampire to have twins,” she said.
I looked over at Parker, “Parker, what will happen to them?”
“Who’s the father?” he said finally speaking.
“Odin. But I have no intention of telling him they are his. As far as he will know if he ever finds out, Tristan is the father.”
“If he thinks they are Tristan’s they will be sent away.”
“Sent away where?”
“We don’t actually know where they go. There have been rumors of babies created out of the bond were killed. They are considered to be abominations. But no one knows for sure what happens to them. The Luminaries make the call as to what happens to them.”
“What if they think they are Odin’s?”
“Then Odin and his new mate will raise them. His mate will raise them as her own.”
“You mean they will think she is their real mother? They will be calling her mom?” I asked feeling heartbroken.
“You will be dead Lilith; they will never even know you existed.” Tears started to burn the rims of my eyes. The pain of knowing my children may never know me killed me inside. The tears began to spill over right when the waitress came to take our order.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” I said having lost my appetite.
“Baby, you have to eat. The babies need nourishment. Do you want to end up back in the hospital?” Tristan said.
“Fine. Just two scrambled eggs and some fruit please,” I said still not wanting to eat.
When the waitress had all of our orders and walked away Parker’s focus turned back toward me, “Lilith, I know what I have said to you is painful to hear, but it is the truth.”
“They can’t be that cruel. Odin would never do that. I think he honestly loved me. He just can’t do it, he won’t.”
“Lilith, he will. Even if he chooses not to, Draven will. Draven makes all of Odin’s decisions for him.”
“What will happen if Draven or Odin are killed?” I asked feeling my anger start to take over me.
“I don’t know. Someone will take Draven’s place, but no one will know if he feels the same as Draven did. He may carry out Draven’s orders, but he may not.”
“Not if I kill him and take his place.”
“You may kill him, but you could never be one of the Luminaries.”
“Why not?”
“Because they are all men. There has never been a woman to serve as a Luminary.”
“There is always a first time for everything.”
“You can’t be serious about this Lilith,” Parker said sounding worried.
“I have two little angels growing inside of me that needs my protection. And I will protect them. I will do whatever I have to do to ensure their safety. And if that means killing Draven then so be it. I will not let them kill any of you or my babies. And I sure as hell will not let another woman raise my kids and make them call her mommy. They are mine and no one on this God forsaken earth will so much as touch a single hair on their heads.”
“I will stand beside you with whatever choice you make. Those are my babies and I also will not let anyone hurt them,” Tristan said.
“Me too. I mean I am going to be an aunt, I can’t let anyone hurt them. And Lilith I consider you to be my sister, I won’t let them hurt you either,” Bristol said.
Parker didn’t say anything. He just looked at us like we had lost our minds. “Parker, I need you. My babies need you. It will take all of us to take them out, we can’t do it alone. Will you help me?” I asked pleadingly.
“Fine, I will help, but we need to be very careful. We must cover our tracks and be very discreet,” he said.
“We need a plan,” I said a little too excited.
Chapter Ten
When we finished breakfast, we headed back to the room to start working on a plan, but Bristol kept getting distracted. “How far along are you?” she asked.
“Eight weeks.”
“Why were you in the hospital?”
“I thought I was having a miscarriage, so we went to the hospital. Turns out I was just dehydrated. They kept me over night, but then Latham and Brant showed up to take me back to Odin.”
“If they showed up how are you not back with Odin?”
“I put them to sleep then we escaped.”
“I see. So how long have you known you were pregnant?”
“Two weeks.”
“How did you find out?”
“Slaaneth told me in a dream and I took a test to confirm it.” She was asking her questions so fast it was hard to keep up with her.
“So how long have you and Tristan been official?”
“Since yesterday. But he was by my side way before that,” I said as I caught a glance of him. He made my heart flutter with just a simple glance.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes, I do.” Growing tired of her interrogation I tried to get back to the reason we were here. “So, does anyone have a plan yet?”
“I was thinking that maybe the two of you could come back to Italy with us and stay at our house. Odin has already searched it. He won’t come looking for you there again. We could hide you until you have the baby. Plus, that will give us plenty of time to formulate a plan to take Draven out,” Parker said.
“You mean stay locked in a house for seven months?” I asked not liking the sound of his idea.
“Unfortunately, yes. It is the only way to keep you safe. We will be able to have a doctor come to the house for visits for you. You need a doctor during your pregnancy Lilith.”
“Baby this is a really good idea. No more running or hiding. We will be safe there. And you will be able to rest and relax with no worries,” Tristan said.
“You do understand that you will have to be locked up with me, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I know, but as long as I’m with you and you are safe, I don’t care.”
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Yay!” Bristol said as she jumped up to hug me. “We will have so much fun.”
“Yup being locked away for seven months sounds like a real hoot,” I said bitterly.
Before heading back to Italy Bristol and I decided to spend the day at the spa here at the hotel while Parker and Tristan went horseback riding.
The plane ride back wasn’t something I looked forward too. I
was nervous to go back. What if Odin finds out that I am with them? They will pay with their lives if we get caught.
“Is everything okay baby?” Tristan asked sensing my uneasiness.
“What if this doesn’t work?”
“It’s the best option we have right now.”
“Doesn’t mean I am comfortable with it. As soon as we get there, we need to make an escape plan just in case Odin comes to search their house again.”
“I agree with that.”
Parker and Bristol came to sit in front of us just as the pilot announced that we were departing. I rested my head on Tristan’s shoulder trying to rest, but it was no use. “Parker what can you tell me about witches?” I asked curious to see if he could help with the witches that are after me.
“Not really much more than what I have told you before. Witches only have one or two powers but no more than that. But of course, you are different. Why?”
“Because I have a coven that’s after me. They want me to join them. They made it sound like they could make me, and they said they would hunt me until I joined them.”
“They can’t force you. You have to accept their offer of your own free will. Witches are tricky. They will find what you love most and hold it against you, so you have no choice but to join them,” Parker said.
“It sounds like to me we need to add some witches to our hitlist,” Bristol said. I liked her line of thinking.
“That may be true. Killing them too, may be the only way to stop them. But why do they want me so bad?”
“How many of them were there?” Parker asked.
“Three. They said they needed me.”
“I see. They need their fourth.”
“Their what?”
“Fourth. They need someone to complete their circle. Earth, wind, fire, water. If the four elements connect the witches will become very powerful. They will be unstoppable. As long as they cast together their powers would be unimaginable.”
“Well, I’m already all of those things. So why do they need me? Why can’t they just find some other witch to join them?”
“Exactly. They want you because you already have those powers. If you joined them, they would have power like never before. They want to see what it feels like to be you. You are stronger than any other witch in history. Why wouldn’t they want you?”
“Don’t they know I’m not one to mess with? I hurt people before I even know I am doing it.” The words brought me back to when I hurt Ambi before I even knew what I was doing. I had planned on killing her and almost succeeded had it not been for Odin. Then I thought about the man whose heart I ripped out without thinking about it. It was so effortless, so easily done before I knew what had happened.
“Trust us, we know; we were their when you and Ambi fought,” Bristol said.
“Not just her,” I said as I hung my head in shame. “I ripped a shifters heart out,” I said in almost a whisper.
“No way,” Bristol said astonished.
“You should have seen the power she used. She ripped his heart out with no effort at all. I mean the strength she carries within her is magical. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before,” Tristan said bragging me up. His bragging didn’t make me feel any better about what I had done to that man.
“Parker, can you teach me how to control my powers? I can’t control any of them except one. It usually just happens on its own. Usually when I get angry my body automatically calls for the vampire or the witch inside of me. They take over automatically.”
“I don’t know how to help you with that but give me time and I will find you answers.”
With some of my questions answered I could relax a little bit. I still feared Odin would find us, but my thoughts of him got replaced with my desire to know more about the witches. I couldn’t help but wonder what they would threaten me with to try and get me to join them. Then something occurred to me, I wondered which powers I already had went with the vampire or the witch part of me. “Parker, can I ask you a few more questions?”
“Sure.”
“I was thinking about my powers and I don’t know which ones vampire and which ones are witch powers.”
“What powers do you have already?”
“I can talk to people with my mind as well as read theirs.”
“Telepathy. Could be both, witch or vampire.”
“I can talk to people in their dreams. That is how I got Bristol to get you to me.”
“Dream manipulation. Vampire.”
“I brought you and Odin to me once with a snap of my fingers; what did you call that?”
“Conjuration. Witch.”
“I can put people to sleep. I use a spell, but I feel deep down that if I thought it, it would just happen.”
“Try it.”
“On who?”
Parker looked over at Bristol who had in ear buds listening to music. “Her. She will never know it is coming and won’t be able to block you.”
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. I thought about what I wanted to do and focused on Bristol’s face in my mind. I opened my eyes and peered at her. I mouthed one word, sleep. Bristol’s eyes shut, and her head fell to the side instantly. “It worked! I did it!” I said overexcited. Tristan laughed.
“Mind stunning. Witch,” Parker said with a smile. “Try causing Tristan pain.”
“No. I can’t do that to him,” I said disgusted by his suggestion.
“Go ahead. I don’t mind. I think it is a good idea to figure out what powers you have,” Tristan said.
“Fine. How do I do it?”
“The same way you do everything else.”
I closed my eyes again and this time focused on Tristan. When my mind was clear, I opened my eyes and looked at him, “Pain.” He doubled over crying out in extreme pain. He was gripping the armrest so tight his knuckles turned white. I broke my focus from him feeling guilty about hurting him on purpose. “Tristan I am so sorry.” He held up his hand to me needing a moment.
“Pain infliction. Witch,” Parker said.
“I can move objects or people with my mind.”
“Telekinesis. This one could be both as well. Now try to make Tristan do something by touching his arm.”
“Make him do what?”
“Anything.”
“Are you okay with that Tristan?” I asked still feeling bad for him.
“Yeah. Go ahead.” I reached out and grabbed Tristan’s arm. I thought about what I wanted him to do. He reached out and punched Parker in the arm.
“What was that for?” he said rubbing the spot Tristan had just hit.
“That was for making me cause him pain,” I said.
“Okay. I get it. Now Lilith, try doing the same thing but this time use eye contact.” I looked into Tristan’s eyes and concentrated on what I wanted from him. This time I made him dance in his seat causing Parker and I to burst out into laughter. “What you just did was mind compulsion. By touch is witch, eye contact is vampire.”
“This is starting to get fun,” I said still smiling.
“Not for me,” Tristan said still dancing in his seat. We laughed again, and I broke the eye contact between Tristan and me.
“Want to try more?” Parker asked.
“Yes. I need to know what all I can do.”
“Try to make Tristan feel a certain way. It could me sad, happy, mad. Any emotion.”
I focused again on Tristan and thought about how I wanted him to feel. I looked at him and he immediately broke down and started crying. Tears were flowing heavily down his face. I then changed the emotion and he burst out into laughter. He was laughing at absolutely nothing. I giggled at him as I broke my concentration from him.
“Emotional control. Vampire.” Parker looked at me with a mischievous smile playing across his lips, “Want to try a fun one?”
“Sure.”
“Concentrate on Tristan and try and see beneath his shirt
.”
“You mean like x-ray vision?”
“Yup. Just like x-ray vision.” I looked at Tristan and focused on seeing what was beneath his shirt. When his chest came into view for me, I was shocked. I also couldn’t help myself and looked further down. I could see him as if he were sitting in the seat naked. I smiled at his body and the dirty thoughts I had about it. “Lilith.”
Parker called my name making me turn to face him. “Oh, my God,” I yelled horrified. My eyes landed on Parkers naked body. When I tried to look away my eyes landed on Bristol. I had just seen both Parker and Bristol naked. I closed my eyes, “How do I turn it off? I’ve seen way more than I needed to.”
“Just stop thinking about it,” Parker said with a laugh.
I slowly opened my eyes back up and thankfully everyone was wearing clothes again. “I never want to do that again. That was horrifying.”
“It could come in handy at some point,” Parker said with a laugh.
“Why would I need to see anyone naked?”
“You won’t just see naked people. With x-ray vision, you can look through objects like doors or walls.”
“Well in that case I’ll use it.”
“That’s a witch’s power by the way.”
“Noted. Got anything else?”
“Try turning yourself invisible.”
“Seriously. I can do that?”
“I don’t know. Try it and we shall see. But I’m willing to bet that you can.”
I didn’t need concentration this time. I simply thought about being invisible and instantly was. “This is so cool.” I wanted to see if this power went further. I thought about Tristan turning invisible too. The moment I thought it he also turned invisible. Then so did Parker. “This is the best power yet.”
At that moment, Bristol finally started to wake up. I kept us invisible and decided to mess with her a little bit. “Guys? Where did you go?” She got up from her seat and looked around the jet for us. She walked into the back room searching. I got up from my seat and followed her. When I reached her, I tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around with a frightful look on her face. “Guys this isn’t funny.”
I made myself visible again and said, “Boo,” Bristol screamed making the three of us laugh.
Beautiful Corruption (The Corruption Series Book 2) Page 7