Ask the Oracle (6 page)

JJ Black

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light to an unmentionable wrong. Something that needed to be stopped immediately. With

his ability sparking to life, Gray knew he was about to be on the receiving end of nightmare.

He also knew he didn’t want to have to face it alone.

He grabbed Dreo’s arm, needing the other man’s attention. When the Demon met his

gaze, Gray was surprised by the concern he saw reflected there. Shaking off his shock, he

knew he only had moments to act before he was pulled into his other sight.

“Would you like the chance to see through the eyes of an Oracle,
Lord Demos
?”

Normally, Gray would never offer to allow someone else to hitch a ride on one of his

visions. In many cases, the things he saw were of the worst humanity had to offer—murder,

kidnapping, abuse—just for a start. He would never chose to subject someone else with that

kind of horror, just for the novelty of it. It served only to trivialize his gift. Unfortunately, this

situation was different. Something within him told him that this one was going to be bad,

and Dreo needed to see it.

Picking up on the urgency of the situation, Dreo didn’t hesitate to nod his consent.

Taking the other man’s hand in a firm grip, Gray turned to fully meet his eyes. He saw

confusion and concern but, thankfully, no fear. At least, not yet.

“What do I do?” Dreo questioned, nervousness just a small gleam in his eyes.

Gray smiled gently. “Just focus on me. The rest will happen on its own.” He didn’t tell

Dreo that he could already feel the images building up, just waiting for admittance into his

mind. The oily feel and the shiver up his spine confirmed his earlier suspicion. This one was

going to be a bad. As his vision dimmed to black, he gave Dreo’s hand one last firm squeeze.

“No matter what you see, remember that you are safe, okay?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will,” Gray said, sadly. “Forgive me.”

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The vision played out before them, like clips from a horror movie. It didn’t take long for

Gray to realise why these events needed to be seen. Scene after scene flashed before his eyes.

Povell beating a female Demon with a spiked chain as she hunched protectively over a small

Demon child. Povell slitting the throat of a battered human man as he cowered and begged for his life.

Povell and another Demon abducting young men and women, violating them in ways Gray couldn’t

have imagined in his worst nightmare—

On and on, the images flashed before them, each new scene worse than the last. Gray’s

stomach began to churn. The horror of what they were being forced to bear witness to was

just too much. In his line of work, he had seen some truly horrific things, but he’d never seen

anything close to this level of depravity. As he struggled to push down the growing urge to

lose his lunch, he felt the swelling tide of Dreo’s rage brush against him and sizzle against his

skin. It was oddly comforting to know that he was not alone in this nightmare. Even when

enraged, Dreo’s presence soothed him. A full body tremor worked its way through Gray,

leaving him a wrung out, nauseated mess. As his normal sight started to return, he couldn’t

remember ever being more grateful to return to reality.

As soon as his vision cleared, Gray’s stomach gave a vicious twist and he was moving.

He shoved his way through the surrounding guards and Demons, desperately trying to get

clear of the teeming masses. He made one last push, finally managing to get clear of the

crowd, before losing the contents of his stomach in a nearby corner. Hunched over and

heaving, he was startled by the heavy weight of a hand coming down to rest on his back. His

tension vanished when he recognised Dreo’s familiar presence. He fought back a moan as the

other man began rubbing his back in soothing circles.

“Are you all right?” Even the harshness of his tone did nothing to mask the concern

Gray heard in Dreo’s words.

Glancing over his shoulder at the room full of people, Gray’s face burned with

embarrassment. He usually had a much stronger stomach. Dragging himself to his feet, he

wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Straightening his shirt, he met the other man’s

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gaze with barely leashed anger. “I’m fine. What are you standing around for? We’ve got

work to do.”

Respect warmed Dreo’s gaze, clearing away the worry. “As you say.”

With a sharp nod to Gray, Dreo turned back to the assembled crowd that seemed to get

grow with every passing minute. As he started forward, the crowd parted before him. Gray

imagined it had something do to with the expression on Dreo’s face. That kind of malevolent

rage, coupled with the power of a high level Demon, was enough to scare even the bravest of

Demons.

Coming to stand before Povell, Dreo stared at the other man in contempt. “To think, I

once considered you an honoured friend. You have always held a place in my heart, just as

you once held a place in my bed. Your compassion and kindness, your strength and bravery.

They made you a good man…a respected man. While love between us was never in the

cards, our friendship would have lived on forever. You have betrayed your people and your

purpose with your actions. Did you honestly think you would be able to continue this way

and never be caught? You are an abomination!”

Turning his attention to the guards, he scanned the surrounding Demons. “Balen!” A

large, blond Demon separated himself from the crowd. He made his approach without fear, a

cocky grin on his lips.

“Master Demos,” the Demon, Balen, greeted with a dip of his head. “How may I be of

service?”

“Take Povell into custody.”

“The charges?” Balen asked curiously.

“Assault, kidnapping, rape, torture, murder, genocide and treason. There may be more

charges added later, after the full investigation is underway.”

As gasps and frantic whispers sounded through the crowd, Dreo glared at Povell,

daring him to dispute the charges. The man, who just moments earlier had been filled with

superiority and malice, seemed to shrink under the weight of Dreo’s stare. His shoulders

hunched and he began to tremble violently.

“Andreo,” Povell gasped. “You can’t do this. Our friendship has spanned centuries.

How can you believe anything he showed you more than my own word?”

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“Because he is
The Oracle
!” Dreo growled. “The prophecies have been proven true in

him. He sees the truth in all things—past, present and future. His knowledge is absolute. I

have witnessed it with my own eyes.”

The truth in Dreo’s words rang ominously through the hall and suddenly, Gray felt

very afraid. He’d been prepared to be part of a discreet investigation. He had agreed to
See

the death of the previous Lord, identify the murderer then go back to business as usual. An

announcement like the one Dreo had just made was not designed with discretion in mind,

nor would it go unanswered. As it stood, he already had enough people who would like to

kill him for the things he had
Seen
. He knew nothing about the prophecies Dreo spoke of and

was pretty sure he didn’t want to. He had plenty of pressure serving the clients he had, as

well as the work he did for the police. With prophecies, there was always the involvement of

a higher power, destiny and enormous expectations. Gray couldn’t handle any more

responsibilities. He was maxed out already. As far as Gray was concerned, his only destiny

was to protect his ‘family’ and to look out for those who came to him for help. Anything past

that was beyond his ability to handle. If Dreo thought he could force something like this on

him, then it was definitely time for him to leave.

Turning away, Gray scanned the room, looking for the quickest exit. Noticing a break in

the crowd, he had just made a step towards freedom, when a hand came down on his

shoulder, stopping him in tracks.

“Don’t even think about it, Oracle.”

Gray flinched at the warning in Dreo’s words. He was a mess of mixed emotions as the

sound of the Demon’s deep, rumbling voice worked its way through him. While logic told

him it would be smartest to run for the hills, his body craved the comfort of Dreo’s touch

with a need unlike anything he had ever felt before. Besides Sarah, Gray had never had

anyone in his life who’d cared for him as a person, more than they cared about him being an

Oracle. Even Stephen, who had rode to his rescue during his darkest hour, tended to focus

mainly on the part of him that was Oracle, and ignored anything else. Gray knew that his

friend didn’t do it on purpose. Because of his own self-sufficiency, people tended to assume

that nothing fazed him and Gray allowed them to believe the lie. It seemed too much like a

weakness to admit that sometimes, after a really bad day, he would give anything to just

have someone hold him and tell him that everything was going to be all right. As he looked

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up into Dreo’s eyes, he felt a glimmer of hope spark within him. Maybe—just maybe—this

was man who could hold him together when his world was falling apart. Maybe Dreo could

be the man that Gray told all of his secrets to, both good and bad, and still loved him despite

them. Because of the nature of their gift, Oracles didn’t tend to keep lovers long. Gray had

never dared to dream that he would find someone who could truly be his other half. He

couldn’t help himself from hoping that Dreo could possibly be that man.

The pull to be near him was more than Gray was able to fight. He leaned in, plastering

his body against Dreo’s. The new proximity allowed him to feel every dip, ridge and swollen

inch of the sinfully gorgeous Demon. The feel of his skin was electric. Suddenly, the touch

that had been designed to comfort and calm and turned into something more. It ignited a

heat within Gray that he could barely understand, let alone try to control. If they hadn’t been

in a room full of curious onlookers, he wouldn’t have hesitated to grind his growing arousal

against Dreo’s heavy thigh. Fortunately—or unfortunately depending on one’s point of

view—they were in a room full of people, and Gray had never been known to have any

exhibitionist tendencies. The low, rumbling growl that sounded from the stunning man

almost had him second guessing his stance on that. The sound was like a bolt of lightning to

his system. Thankfully, his common sense chose that moment to kick in, beating back the lust

that was trying to blind him to the reality of his situation, and awakening an anger that

burned in his stomach like acid.

“Get your hand off of me, Demon,” Gray snarled quietly, not wanting to make a scene

with so many witnesses. He wasn’t sure who he was angrier with—Dreo, for using Demonic

powers on him, or himself, for letting down his guard and allowing himself to be turned into

the Demon’s bitch. For the moment, he’d settle on Dreo. He could beat himself up about his

bad choices in men later, when his life wasn’t hanging in the balance.

Shaking off Dreo’s grip, he rounded on the seemingly stunned Demon. “What the fuck

do you think you’re doing, using your powers on me? I thought you were different. Stupidly,

I thought that maybe you were beginning to care for me. I came here to do a job for you, not

to audition to be the next member of your harem. Now, keep your bullshit stories and

Demonic pheromones to yourself and let me work, so I can get the fuck out of here!”

Dreo stared at him, silently, for what seemed like an eternity. When Gray moved to

push past him, Dreo’s hand shot out, his firm grip digging into Gray’s bicep. A quick tug had

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him flush against the demon’s massive body. Layers of rippling muscle and Dreo’s gothic

good looks had Gray’s mouth watering. Swallowing hard to keep himself from drooling all

over the sexy Demon’s shirt, he looked up into eyes glowing with molten flame. It surprised

him how something that should fill him with fear, instead, had him practically panting with

need. Wrapping his bigger body over Gray from behind, Dreo cocooned him away from the

curious eyes around them. Hot breath tickled his neck as Dreo nipped and kissed his way up

his throat and across his jaw,

“For a man who
Sees
everything, you are blind to what’s right in front of you. To think,”

he scoffed, “you would accuse me of using my powers against you?” Dreo gave Gray a

pitying look. “Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible for me to use my powers on my

own mate.” Pushing himself away from Gray, Dreo turned back to the guards, shouting out

orders and arranging transportation for the prisoner.