“I had an idea it might be Liv. The numbers were significant to her, so yes, I told her,” CK says.
Eloise sneers again and says, “Of course he did. He’d like nothing more than to have his bitch serve next to him on The Council.”
CK steps forward. “Call her that again and I will make good on her threat,” he says menacingly and even I gulp at the prospect.
“Yes, well the numbers are still being verified,” Gregor says offhandedly.
“They don’t need to be verified,” CK snaps. “Liv is the Chosen One. It is done.”
“Maybe it’s not done. There are other baby Vamps being sired tonight on Holy ground, as we speak,” Eloise says sweetly.
CK is growing impatient. “Liv is the One. Turn around!” he barks at me.
I obey; to do anything else would be foolish. I face Cole, whose eyes are so wide they may well fall out of his head. I catch his eye and try to look reassuring as CK yanks down the strap of my top to expose the symbol I have been marked with. I hear Eloise gasp in surprise and even Gregor grunts softly. Strangely, I feel Eloise’s cold fingers flit lightly over my shoulder and she hisses drawing her hand back as if she’s been burned.
“It is done,” CK says again, roughly pulling the strap back up. “Devon, Cole, if you please.” It’s not a question.
Gregor moves to stand next to Eloise for the big reveal as Devon and Cole hold up their wrists to show their matching markings.
Eloise gets over her surprise rapidly and is now extremely pissed off. She snaps her gaze to Constantine. “Somehow you planned this. I don’t know how you knew, but this has all been a set up from the start, all for you to get your whore whelp onto The Council.”
I take great offense to that insult, but CK just looks exasperated. “Don’t be an idiot, Eloise. What do you think brought you here in the first place? You sensed The Power. The prophecy was foretold and has come to pass. Deal with it. We have bigger issues to be concerned with than your paranoia,” he snaps.
Oh? Like what?
“We know nothing about this Power of One, only that Liv now has it. Her charges have been marked as well and we don’t know what that means.”
Oh! Like that!
“We need to get back to The Council and gather as much information as we have on this prophecy and somehow, we need to track down Corinne,” he states with profound authority, making me mentally swoon.
“Agreed,” Gregor says, surprising everyone again with this affirmation and he Teleports out.
Eloise is still not agreeable and glares at me with such loathing it takes everything I have not to flinch.
CK turns his back on her to face me. He takes my face in his hands and says, “We’ll figure this out, my sweet. In the meantime, take the car, go back to the hotel and look after your boy. I will return later tonight.” He kisses me softly and I nod.
“Okay.”
Eloise is throwing stakes at me with her eyes over CK’s contact with me. He nods at Cole and Devon. Then, takes Nico’s arm, ready to Teleport them out. “You first,” he says to Eloise, not trusting her. She grins wickedly at me, triumphant in the knowledge that he is leaving me and returning with her. She blinks out and with a last nod
, CK follows.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“M an, she really hates you,” Devon pipes up from the back seat. Cole is driving, as he wants to do something ‘normal’. I get that he must be feeling a bit disorientated and with this whole Power of One business having been revealed, I’m sure he is probably wondering ‘what the fuck?’. I’m going to have a whole bunch of explaining to do now. Stupid fucking prophecy.
“The feeling is definitely mutual,” I sneer with loathing, trying to table my growing anxiety of what happens next.
An uncomfortable silence grows and just as I hear Devon take a breath to break it, as he hates them as much as I do, Cole speaks up.
“So, is someone, at some point, going to fill me in on what the fuck just happened? Or are we just going to ignore it,” he exclaims.
“Oh, baby. It’s so complicated.” I sigh but fill him in anyway. I get looks, grunts, and growls, and more than a few expletives sent my way, but soon he is up to date with the whole prophecy concerning The Council and the Power of One thing.
“That’s why you wanted to turn me yesterday? So, you could be on The Council?” Cole asks incredulously. “Do you have any idea how fucked up that sounds?”
“What? Gods, no, Cole! I do not want to be on The Council. It’s chosen me. We thought it best to act quickly to save you. Had Eloise and Gregor figured it out they would likely have killed you and then probably me as well to prevent this from ever happening. I’m sorry, I should have told you,” I finish, ashamed for keeping the truth from him. Damn CK, he knew my keeping it a secret would cause a rift.