Revelation of Blood (13 page)

Jameson’s arm came around as he rested the
necklace against my throat. It felt heavy on my skin and definitely
worth a house or two. After he secured the clasp, his fingers
lightly trailed down my bare shoulder. I stiffened at his
unexpected touch and slowly turned around.

I looked up at him questioningly, my eyes
surprised. Jameson gazed down at me with a mixture of emotions, and
not a single one of them I could pinpoint before it changed to
another. He closed his eyes, his brow furrowed, and sighed before
turning around and walking out of the room.

I swallowed thickly and let out a breath I
hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
What in the world was
that
? I wondered fleetingly as I packed my red lipstick in my
jeweled clutch and exited the room.

Archer was standing by the floor-to-ceiling
window talking with Beverly. As soon as he heard the swish of my
dress, he glanced up at me and stilled. “My God, you’re beautiful,”
Archer whispered in awe as he drank me in. He set whatever papers
he was looking at down on the table and came over to me. He stared
down into my eyes as the back of his knuckles softly brushed my
cheek.

“Hi,” I whispered a bit self-consciously as I
gazed up at him.

“Hi,” he whispered on a smile as he lowered
his lips to mine and gently kissed me. “You look really amazing,
Skye.”

“So do you,” I smiled, brushing a lock of
thick brown hair from his forehead. Archer was wearing a classic
Brioni tux, complete with black bow tie, and a red silk
handkerchief in his breast pocket; he had color coordinated with me
and it made me grin.

“Is it time?” I asked as I adjusted his bow
tie and smoothed his lapel.

“It is,” he whispered before kissing me one
last time. “Ms. Reynolds kindly brought the itinerary and guest
list.”

Turning my eyes to the woman, I smiled
brightly at her. “Good evening, Ms. Reynolds,” I greeted more for
Archer’s benefit. I personally didn’t care for the woman.

“Miss Morrison,” she politely inclined her
head as she picked up the papers and came over to us. “Everything
is here along with the folder the assistant to the Cardinal Bishop
sent over.” Archer thanked her and she grinned up at him with a
look that made me want to kick her in the ankle. “Your limo is
downstairs. Call me if you need anything else tonight.”

Jameson showed her out and chuckled when the
door closed behind her. “She’s still got a thing for you I see.”
Archer sighed and shot him a look. Jameson laughed harder and held
his hands up in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just
merely stating a fact. Though I am surprised Skye didn’t jump in
there and put her in her place.” Jameson glanced over at me with a
smirk.

“I can be a lady when I need to be. Look, I’m
in an evening gown for crying out loud,” I pursed my lips then
crossed my arms under my chest. “Besides, I don’t think Archer
wants a dead concierge on his hands.”

“Baby,” Archer smiled down at me, his voice
soothing.

“I think that’s enough sappiness for one
evening. We’d better get going,” Jameson said, checking the time on
his cell phone. “We’ve got twenty minutes to get to Saint
Ailbe.”

**********

The ride to the church was not as I expected
it to be. Archer handed me a folder with Gaelic translations and
made me memorize the oath I would have to take. Surprisingly, it
was easy to learn and pronunciation wasn’t as hard as I thought.
Another positive check in the vampire column.

We arrived at the church and were greeted by
several valets. Archer took my arm and escorted me up the cathedral
steps with Jameson not far behind.

“I’m nervous,” I admitted as I blew out a
deep breath.

“You’ll do fine, baby,” he said gently,
stopping to face me. “You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known.
You can take down highly trained soldiers without even chipping a
nail. This is just a ceremony. You say some words, drink a little
wine, meet some people…it’s going to be a little boring but it’ll
be manageable, okay? There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Piece of cake, little sister,” Jameson said,
letting his hand touch my shoulder for a brief second before he
dropped it. I didn’t know why but that one gesture from him meant
the world to me.

Nodding my head, I turned around to face
them. “I just wanted to say thank you…for all you’ve both done for
me. And I want you each to know that I love you…very much.” I
sighed and took each of their hands, but my eyes were only for
Jameson this time. “I’m glad you’re here with me. I can’t imagine
this day without you in it.”

His brow furrowed briefly but I chose to
ignore it. I wasn’t under any false illusions; I knew our
friendship was non-existent now, but that didn’t mean what I said
was untrue. I did love Jameson, a part of me always would, and I
honestly couldn’t image doing this without him. I took another deep
breath and nodded, signaling I was ready to go in.

As we approached, the double wooden doors
opened outward toward us. The two men manning the doors bowed
formally as a middle-aged man in a tux waited just inside the room
to greet us.

“
Iníon
Morrison,
An tUasal
Rhys,
An tUasal
Doyle,” he said in a slight German accent,
nodding his head to each of us. “
Fáilte
. We are honored to
have you join us tonight.”

“
Go raibh maith agat
,” we each
replied, nodding our heads back.

“
Iníon
Morrison, my name is Heinrich
Hirsch and I am the personal assistant to Cardinal Flannigan. If
you will follow me please, we can begin the ceremony.
An
tUasal
Rhys and
An tUasal
Doyle, the others are waiting
for you inside the main cathedral.”

Archer smiled reassuringly as Mr. Hirsch
offered his elbow and escorted me around the corner and down a long
hall. After a leisurely walk, he paused in front of a single door
and turned to me.

“
Iníon
Morrison, I wish you a long and
happy life,” he smiled down at me with kind eyes as he took my hand
and brushed his lips across the back of it. “May God be with you
and yours.”

With that he turned around and began walking
back the way we came.
Uh…okay
, I thought silently.
What
am I supposed to do now
? I glanced over to the door and then
back to Mr. Hirsch’s departing figure.
Did he really just leave
me here
? Indecision ate away at me. I was nervous enough as it
was and didn’t know what I was supposed to do now. I looked back at
the door and made a judgment call.
Oh well. Here goes
nothing
.

Opening the door, I gasped softly at what I
saw. The door opened to the back and side of the main cathedral. I
was instantly floored with the immense splendor I saw before me.
Intricate religious murals covered the ceiling and glittering gold
and shining stained glass adorned the high arches. Hundreds of
candles lit the room, each flickering beautifully to an inaudible
song as I stepped further in.

A man in red and white robes was standing
silently fifty feet from me, his hand outstretched in my direction.
“Come child,” he beckoned to me with a small smile. I took a deep
breath before straightening my spine, pulling my shoulders back and
bravely walking his direction.

Very soft murmuring on my left drew my
attention and I glanced over to see a small sea of people. I
quickly found Archer and Jameson among the ones sitting in the
front pews and looked away so I could focus. I was deathly afraid
of tripping and falling on my face, embarrassing myself for an
eternity.

As I approached the man, I curtsied slowly as
Archer had instructed me to do in the limo. “Cardinal Flannigan,” I
greeted as I rose.

“
Iníon
Skye Everleigh Morrison,” he
addressed me, raising his voice and commanding the room. “Are you
prepared to recite your vows, accepting your role as a child of
light, this day before God and your peers?”

“Aye, Father.” He smiled kindly at me as he
held out his hand and I took it.

Father Flannigan led me over to an ornate,
carved wooden kneeler and I carefully lowered myself upon it while
he went to stand behind a table in front of me.

“
Cead Mile Failte, deartháireacha
,” he
addressed the crowd in Irish Gaelic then switched to English. “One
hundred thousand welcomes, my brothers. Today we are here to
welcome an extraordinary newborn into the arms of light. Skye
Morrison is more than just a fresh face in our society; she is a
warrior and a beacon of hope in the darkness that surrounds us.
This child singlehandedly defeated
Athair Dorcha
, the Dark
Father, within three days of awakening. During the battle with the
Father of Darkness, she discovered her Divine Power, and what a
blessed power it is. Never in the history of our race has one been
gifted with teleportation abilities.”

Father Flannigan struck a match and put it
into a metal container. Soon, smoke began to pour out of it. “Today
we bless her, thank God for her, and welcome her into the arms of
light. Let us pray,” he said as he came around the table.

The room began receiving a prayer in Gaelic
as the priest followed suit, swinging the smoking container around
my body. The incense was strong and sweet and I fought off a cough.
The smell didn’t bother me as much as the actual smoke in my face
did, but I did my best to ignore it as I closed my eyes and tried
to feel the prayer.

When the prayer concluded, the Cardinal stood
behind his table, drew a dagger and quickly slid it across his
palm. He held his hand over a golden bowl and caught a couple of
teaspoons of blood.

“May her father come forth,” he called out as
he held his hand in the direction of the pews.

I heard the wooden pew creak as someone got
up and walked to the front where the priest and I were. Archer
stood by the table and offered up his palm for the Cardinal. The
Cardinal repeated the motion across Archer’s palm and caught the
blood in the same golden bowl.

“Thank you,
dheartháir
,” he nodded his
head to Archer and I saw Archer leave out of the corner of my
eye.

“Do you have your vows,
deirfiúr
,” the
Cardinal addressed me.

“Aye, Father,” I nodded my head.

“
Iníon
Skye Everleigh Morrison will
recite her vows, selflessly bequeathing her immortality to the
bosom of Day.”

He looked down at me expectantly and I took a
deep breath as I repeated what I’d learned in the limo. “I, Miss
Skye Everleigh Morrison, will dedicate my abilities to the service
and welfare of the people of Day, may God direct and sustain me.
Amen.”

“Now in Gael, my dear,” he whispered gently,
prompting me after my long pause.

“Oh, right,” I smiled, momentarily forgetting
about that part. “
Iníon
Skye Everleigh Morrison ,
mo
lándhícheall a dhéanamh ar son leasa is fónaimh mhuintir na Day,
Dia do mo stiúradh agus do mo chumhdach. Áiméan
.”

Cardinal Flannigan stepped beside me, holding
a beautiful ornate chalice in his hands. “The blood of Christ,” he
said softly as he offered it to me.

“Amen,” I whispered as I leaned forward and
put my lips to the rim. A rich, woodsy wine coated my mouth and I
swallowed as I crossed myself.

He set the chalice down and picked up the
bowl he and Archer had bled into. I watched as the Father dipped
two fingers into the blood and made the sign of the cross above me.
He then moved his hand closer to my face and I closed my eyes.

“We commit her soul to the almighty God, upon
Thy dear blood. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
spirit,” he said as he crossed my forehead, smearing it with the
blood from his fingers. “Welcome to the family, Skye.”

I opened my eyes and grinned up at him; my
heart happy and full. The room then erupted in applause as Cardinal
Flannigan helped me stand.

“It was an honor to preside over your Sacred
Vow Ceremony, Miss Morrison,” he smiled, taking my hand.

“Thank you, Father, but the honor was all
mine,” I replied. “I apologize if I was a little nervous.”

“I couldn’t tell a bit,” he said kindly as he
patted the back of my hand. “For someone not familiar with our
rituals, you did remarkably well child.”

“Your assistant, Mr. Hirsch, helped with
that,” I admitted. “He sent over a little homework for me to study
on the ride over.”

Archer arrived at my side and wrapped one arm
around my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you,
cion
. You did an
amazing job.”

“Go mingle with your guests, dear,” Cardinal
Flannigan said as he patted my arm again. “They’ve been
anticipating your arrival for weeks.”

I thanked him again and watched him walk to a
group of men before I sighed and looked up at Archer. “So, I know
this may sound a little stupid, but do I have to keep this blood on
my forehead all night?”

Archer chuckled and took the red satin
handkerchief from his pocket. “No baby,” he whispered, leaning into
me and gently wiping the bloody cross from my forehead. “There…good
as new.”

“I didn’t know I’d feel this way,” I
whispered thoughtfully as I gazed up at him.

“What way, baby?”

“Happy,” I searched for words, “complete…like
I belong here. I thought the vows would just be something that I’d
have to recite and it would have no meaning for me, but I was
wrong. I didn’t expect to feel like a changed person.”

“It’s like that for all of us, love,” he
smiled knowingly down at me.

“Miss Morrison,” I heard a familiar voice say
and I turned around. Ruarc and another man were standing before me
and they were both smiling.