Devon looks uncomfortable, but says, “Yeah, no worries, dude.”
CK is watching us from a few feet away, a faraway look in his eye. Cole, to my surprise, makes the first move. He walks over and extends his hand to my sire and says, “Whatever it was that changed your mind, I thank you. Liv is happy and I’m grateful.”
CK stares at him in that unrelenting way of his for a few moments. I hold my breath, preparing for the worst, but then he accepts the handshake and I breathe out.
“Her happiness is all I care about,” he says quietly, and Cole nods, finally understanding, at least in part, the complexities of Vampire relationships. CK nods back and I roll my eyes at them. Men!
“Nico, the ring, please,” he says and turns to me.
“Of course,” Nico says and takes it out of his pocket and hands it to me.
“Thank you,” I say, and he nods.
Cole returns to my side and I open the box. A tiny glimmer shines off the Faerie Silver ring.
“This is for you, my love,” I say, taking it out of the box. “Do you accept it?”
“Yes,” he says and holds out his left hand. “Same as yours. Will it fit?”
I smile. “It’s made to fit,” I say and slip it onto his thumb as I did with Devon and CK did with me. He flexes his hand, as a current runs through him, protecting him from our limitations.
I feel a sting on my right shoulder, and I hiss in surprise at the same time Cole and Devon also say, “Ow,” rubbing the inside of their left wrists.
“What the fuck?” Devon peers at his wrist as Cole does the same.
“What?” I ask urgently. “What is it?”
Before they can answer, CK is at my back, pulling the strap of my vest top down. He catches his breath and rubs his hand over the place where I felt the pain.
“CK?” I ask, peering over my shoulder trying to see what he is looking at.
“It is you,” he says quietly. “You are the Chosen One.”
“What?” I exclaim, trying again to peer over my shoulder. “What do you see?”
“Potentia Uno, my love. The symbol Corinne saw for the Power of One,” he says.
My mouth drops open as Devon and Cole stand on either side of CK and stare. They hold up their wrists as I turn around. There is a small diamond-shaped symbol about an inch in diameter etched into their skin.
I shake my head in confusion. I grab Devon’s wrist and rub my thumb over it. It feels warm to the touch. Again, I try to see over my shoulder. Helpful as ever, Nico is at my back with a compact mirror, which he holds up and sure enough, there etched on my skin, is a one inch in diameter diamond shape.
Looking back at CK in shock, I get an even bigger one when on either side of him appear two people. A light-haired man and a red-haired woman. CK sighs. I scowl. Gregor and Eloise. The other two Council Members.
“Well, well, well. I might have known your bitch would have something to do with this, Constantine,” Eloise sneers, a nasty look crossing her cruelly beautiful face.
“Eloise,” Constantine growls a warning.
Snapping her evil green eyes from me to Cole, she licks her lips seductively. In an instant, I push him behind me protectively. “Mm, he is handsome, you certainly know how to pick them, don’t you? I bet he tastes delicious,” she says.
I take a step forward, my protective sire side taking control. “Look at him like that again and I will rip your eyes out and stuff them down your throat,” I growl, not afraid of her even though she could squash me like a bug. Fuck her. I have my own sire at my side who would annihilate her if she hurt me.
She cocks her eyebrow at my boldness and also takes a step forward. Devon steps to my side as CK steps in between us, facing Eloise.
“Enough!” he barks.
Glowering at him, she eventually concedes to his, albeit slight, superiority.
“You knew it was her and you told her, didn’t you?” Gregor asks suddenly and we all turn around to face him, having forgotten his presence. His pointed features give me the creeps. Actually, in general, he gives me the creeps. I wasn’t sure where he had been born but had adopted Russia as his native land many centuries ago. Eloise, I think, was originally from Gaul and adopted France as her home in later years.