Rux pulled up at the entrance, and I unclipped my seatbelt with a shaking hand. It was a good thing I had my eyes closed. The windscreen was completely covered with splattered bugs. “How could you see through those, Rux?”
His bottom lip was quivering. “Poor bugs,” he mumbled.
One thing at a time. I took his hand again. “I just have to make a quick stop at reception. Will you come with me, Rux?”
He stared at me. “I no leave you, Eva. Even if this a game.” He scowled. “Alex kill me if I leave you.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
We walked into reception. Susan, one of the day receptionist, was there, having generously offered to cover the desk for us. I barely knew her, but she was middle-aged, sharp as a whip, and overly competent. I had to get past her.
“Hi, Eve!” she called out as we approached.
“Hey, Susan.”
She lifted her chin, gesturing at Rux behind me. “You left your party. You got a new bodyguard?”
I managed a weak smile. “Sort of. It’s getting a little wild. I needed a breather. There are quite a few Revelations guests at my party.” I shrugged, hoping it seemed nonchalant. “One of them needs something from the stock cupboard. Guests first, huh?”
She smiled knowingly, and nodded. “Guests first,” she agreed. Then winked at me. “You’ll probably be a guest here yourself pretty soon, though.”
I decided that I’d said enough to get by her. “Stay here,” I murmured to Rux. He ignored me, and followed.
Moving purposefully, I opened the stock cupboard at the back of the office, where we stored every possible personal item that any guest could ever want. It was our duty to provide their heart's desire; whether it be corn pads, turquoise nail polish, or Disney character Band-Aids.
I found the box I was looking for immediately and slid it up my shirt, hiding it well enough between my breasts. Quietly, calmly, I made my way back out the service door.
I nodded at Susan, and walked quickly through reception, with Rux following close behind. We started on the path towards the bungalows, but I ducked onto the jungle path as soon as I was able.
Rux moved with me. His footsteps behind me grew curiously silent, so I peered back behind me in the darkness. He’d shrunk back to his true imp form and was flinging his hairy little body through the vines and bounding over the logs with the enthusiasm of a parkour expert.
We reached Alex’s bungalow. I ducked inside, heading toward the bathroom. “Stay here,” I told Rux, more firmly this time. Thankfully he obeyed me, and he settled himself down to wait just outside the door.
I took the box from my shirt and settled myself down on the toilet seat. Heart pounding, I took the little stick out of the box, and shook out the pamphlet with the instructions, opening it to read it. There was no way I was going to misread this test. I had to know for sure.
For a second, I wished that I’d done this with Clover. She’d be an expert at reading these tests. It was actually a miracle that I’d been able to sneak away by myself. I couldn’t have taken Clover with me. And I knew for sure that Margot didn’t have any spare pregnancy tests lying around.
When I was sure I had the gist of the test, I took a minute to calm my breath.
It's going to be okay, I told myself. Everything will be fine.
I stuck the test between my legs and summoned some pee. It wasn’t hard - I’d been downing Pina Coladas all night. When I was done, I shook the test and held it up in front of my eyes.
I watched the liquid travel up the indicator stick slowly. It reached a faint pink line, and turned a vivid, brightest pink immediately. My heart began to thump.
In another second, the liquid reached the second line. It blossomed into bright pink too.
That was it.
I was pregnant.
Chapter Fourteen
I put my head between my legs and tried to breathe.
This was it. The end of the world. It was happening. Despite being on two forms of birth control, I was pregnant.
I cursed my stupidity. Of course, it was always going to happen. It was my destiny. I was always going to be the one that gave birth to the end of the world. There was nothing that was going to stop this from happening.
What the fuck was I going to do?
My ears were ringing. Thank God I was alone. I needed this space.
I lifted my head, and put my face in my hands.
Space. All I needed was space.
I took a few more deep breaths, and imagined myself floating in a void, all alone, with no one around me. No expectations, no demands. No guilt, no terror. No apocalyptic destiny. I drifted in this void, feeling the blackness wrap around me. I was nothing. I was nobody.
After a long while, my heart returned to normal, and I could think clearer. I could work through this. Firstly, what was I going to do?
You have options. Clover’s words echoed back to me.
She was right. I didn’t have to have this baby. I was only about five weeks pregnant, I was sure of that.
However, the second I heard the word ‘baby’ in my thoughts, something inside my heart fluttered.
Baby. I was having a baby.
This wasn’t the Antichrist. I wasn’t having a three-headed beast, nor giving birth to the Destroyer of Worlds. That was just extra fluff dreamed up by the Seers who had to put on a show for their masters. I knew that with unmoving certainty. I was having a little human baby, a tiny, helpless, perfect little creature.
I was going to be a mother.
At that moment, I made my decision.
I was going to keep him.
The warmth settled in my heart and bloomed like a flower.
A long time later, there was a little tap on the bathroom door. “Eva?” Rux’s little voice squeaked.
“I’m still here, Rux. I’m okay.”
“I know you okay, Eva. I hear you breathe. Just checking - you want me to sing to you? Sometimes my singing help the poo come out.”
“Um, no.” I got to my feet and smoothed my dress down. “I’m all done. I’m going to come out now.” I flushed the toilet and washed my hands.
“Good thing, too. Just in time,” Rux squeaked as I opened the door. He was exactly where I'd left him, cross-legged on the floor outside the bathroom door.
“Just in time for what?”
He grinned. “Alex and Nate here. Game over.”
The wind blew my hair back like a tornado ripped through the room. I had to squeeze my eyes shut against the gale. When I opened them again, both Nate and Alex were in front of me.
Alex’s arms were out and braced; his huge muscles bulging, tensed, and ready to rip and tear. His icy-blue eyes shot around the room, glowing, burning hot.
Nate growled like I’d never heard him before. “Who took you?”
I put my hands up in a calming gesture. “No one. I took myself.”
Alex’s stance changed immediately; he dropped his arms and came towards me, concern flaring. “Why? What’s wrong?”
"I... I, uh..."
“You snuck away from us?” Nate sounded hurt.
I nodded dumbly.
Might as well get this over with.
I held up the test.
They both stared at it for a whole second, confusion and wariness written all over their faces. Then Alex’s mouth dropped open. “Is- is that…”
I nodded again.
“And it’s-”
Another nod.
“Positive,” Nate breathed out.
They both froze. In the silence that followed, I could hear my ears chime. They were unmoving for a long, long time.
“Congratulations!” Rux squeaked.
Both Nate and Alex glared down at him. Rux took one look at their expressions, flinched, and disappeared with a loud pop.
I watched Alex’s face carefully. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Eve, the last few hours have been the worst of my life. We couldn’t find you. I thought you were dead.” Hi
s low voice broke on the last word. “We searched everywhere; all around Jagera, and on the road to Cairns too. We sent all the nuntius to check here for you. They said they didn’t find you.”
“Don’t blame Rux,” I pleaded. “I told him I needed privacy. He thought it was a game.”
“I felt as if my heart was gone,” Alex went on, ignoring me. “I even had Nimue search Hell for you. You were nowhere.” He stopped, and clenched his jaw. “I have never desired oblivion more than when I thought you were dead.”
“I’m not dead,” I whispered, my lips numb. “And neither is the world. I’m having this baby, Alex. We’ll find a way.”
Alex glared at the ground stonily. He was giving me every impression that he was furious with me. He shook his head. “That’s not even an issue that needs to be discussed.”
“What?”
This didn’t sound like him. Had I pushed him too far? “Wait. Of course we need to discuss this…” I trailed off, acutely feeling the situation spiral out of control.
As if realizing my distress, Alex took a step towards me and reached for my hands. His grasp felt hot and reassuring. Tilting my chin so I would meet his gaze, I saw that his eyes had finally softened. “Woman, it’s your choice, of course. For what it’s worth, I know in my heart that this baby will be perfect, and I will love him as much as I love you, which is more than anyone has ever loved anyone before. But first…”
“First… what?”
His eyes sharpened. The tension in the air spiked out of control. Alex shifted his gaze from me, looking sideways.
Nate was backing slowly away.
“First,” Alex growled, low and dangerous. “I have to beat the crap out of my best friend for getting you pregnant.”
Nate held up his hands, his eyes wide. “We don’t know if it was me,” he said slowly, backing away further.
Alex stalked towards him, powerful, menacing, like a lion defending his pride from another male. “Eve and I took precautions,” Alex growled. “You were too drunk to do that.”
Nate kept backing away. “She’s on two different types of birth control as it is,” he pleaded. “As if one more would have made a difference. It could be either of us. Alex, please. We’ve worked through this.”
“That was before I knew you’d got my woman pregnant,” Alex snarled.
Nate’s frustration peaked. Pushed into a corner, he stood his ground. His lithe-muscled, elegant body tensed; a scowl came over his face. “It wouldn’t have happened if you had stayed with her, instead of running off with Magdelena.”
“She tricked me!” Alex roared.
“You left your lover in a cold bed,” Nate taunted. “Eve was devastated. I comforted her. You should be grateful.”
With a howl that made my blood run cold, Alex launched himself at Nate. He had him by the throat in a second, squeezing so hard his knuckles turned white. Nate punched his arms through Alex’s, breaking the chokehold, and with a crack that sounded like lightning, threw a devastating punch at Alex’s face.
“No!” I shouted desperately. “Stop it!”
Alex’s head barely even snapped back. Quick as a cobra, he threw out a knee and caught Nate in the ribs. As he was bent double, Alex drove an elbow into his back. Soon, they were both on the floor.
Leave them be, a voice whispered inside me. Their human sides need to fight this out.
As quickly as my fear and distress appeared, it was gone again. For a moment, I watched the two boys wrestle on the floor, the violent sound rumbling through the bungalow. They couldn't kill each other. They were immortal.
I sighed deeply. Carefully, I stepped over and around them, on the way to the couch to wait it out. As I did so, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, finally turning it on. Instantly, it rang.
The screen told me it was Margot.
I suppose I had some explaining to do. I walked to the lounge, curled my legs up under me on the sofa, and hit the answer button.
“Hi Margot. Listen, I’m-”
A cold, gravelly voice on the other end silenced me. “If you want her to live,” the voice said, “you’ll come back here. Alone.”
Chapter Fifteen
I didn’t recognize the voice. But, I still knew exactly who it was.
Godric.
“H-How-”
“Get here. Alone. Or she dies,” he growled. “I’ve got sentries. I’ll know if that demon is with you, or his traitorous friend. I’ll slit her throat, and I’ll keep coming for you.”
I heard a faint gasp on the line. Margot. She was still alive.
“Stay away, Eve!” she screamed. “Stay away!”
The phone clicked. He hung up.
It was all over in a second. He didn’t need to say anything else. I understood perfectly.
I knew what had to be done. I had to go to him. I had to be prepared to sacrifice myself.
One thing at a time.
The boys were still wrestling on the floor. I stood up and walked out, not even risking a glance behind me. I left the door open.
I wasn’t thinking. If I let myself consider what I was doing, I was sure I would crumble to pieces.
Margot would die.
My body took over. On autopilot, I found my way to the valet’s office. There was one man inside, tapping on the computer, checking the bookings. I lingered out of sight, just outside the main building, where the drive curved around a grand fountain, gushing crystal-clear water into the air from a cherub’s mouth. I stared at it blankly for a minute.
A car pulled up at the entrance, and the night valet stood up and left the office. Silently, I slipped inside and grabbed the key that dangled under Alex’s bungalow name.
Rux would be upset.
No one was around when I slipped into the carpark. It was easy to find Alex’s car - it had been washed, and the screen was free of bugs.
I climbed into the front seat and started the car. I wasn’t a great driver, but it didn’t really matter now. All I had to do was get home, alive.
I drove slowly. The sky above me lightened. With a jolt, I realized that I’d be passing the Revelations courtesy bus, coming back towards me. It would be filled with all my friends, all drunk and happy, singing, slurring, or unconscious. A bus filled with life and happiness. And a future.
I shut down that thought and kept driving.
The road tunneled, green on both sides, the big trees arching over in front of me. I focused on the grey snake that wound ever so slightly, to the left and to the right, and kept driving.
It seemed like hours later that I reached the village. The sun was higher now; dawn had broken. It was a beautiful bright morning. The night’s dew hadn’t yet disappeared, and all the plants glittered around me, dazzling like emeralds scattered through the jungle. Slowly, I pulled into the driveway of my home.
At the top of the drive I spotted a fat little creature in a loincloth, wings fluttering behind him. A katadonis, acting as a sentry. I saw his beady eyes narrow as I passed, and he disappeared with a pop. No doubt reporting that I had come. And I was alone.
Gail’s car was gone. It was a small mercy that she wasn’t here to witness this.
There was another katadonis outside the garage, I spotted him when I pulled up. He sneered at me and didn’t move, watching while I undid my seatbelt with a shaking hand. I got out of the car.
The katadonis studied me carefully as I walked towards him, ignoring the outside staircase. I’d take the one inside the garage.
“You were wise to come, Chalice,” the katadonis said, his nasal voice thick and unctuous. “Your aunt will not have to be sacrificed.”
Loathing surged through me, giving me strength.
One step at a time.
“The path will continue,” he said, lifting his head proudly. “God will be pleased.”
I walked towards the katadonis. I had to pass quite close to him to get into the garage. The cherub turned his head to watch me walk past, but he didn’t follow me. No doub
t, he’d be on the lookout for others who might come and rescue me.
Once I was inside, I moved to shut the door behind me, staring the katadonis in the face while I did so. I let the terror flood my eyes, and let the fear run rampant through the tense lines on my face.
I wanted the creature to see how scared I was. I wanted him to see exactly what he was doing to me.
And they thought they were creatures of light.
It didn’t change anything. His eyes were as hard as granite. I slammed the door in his face.
One step at a time.
The next step I performed as quietly and as quickly as possible.
A little bit of panic seeped in; my fingers fumbled a little. But soon, I had the inside door opened, and I was walking up the stairs to the living room.
“Margot?” I croaked. Fear had made my throat seize up. “Margot!”
“Here.”
Godric’s voice echoed through the lounge room, magically amplified. It was coming from the deck outside.
I turned towards the sound, stepping slowly over the debris from the party on my way. Paper cups and champagne glasses littered the surfaces. The floor was sprinkled with confetti. One of the paintings on the wall - an abstract landscape of the jungle outside - had been knocked, and was at a tilted angle on the wall.
I wondered how long he’d had Margot for. Probably not too long. He would have waited until 5am when the courtesy bus took all the guests away. She would have tried to tidy up a bit before she went to bed. He didn’t give her the chance.
I reached the French doors. They were open. I walked outside.
Margot was sitting on one of our spindly living room chairs, her hands bound, a thick piece of tape wrapped around her entire head.
I guessed she had been quite vocal. Margot was a fighter, unlike me. She would have tried everything to get away. But she was no match for a supernaturally-powered man.
Revelations: The Fallen Page 19