Revelations (Bloodline Series) (8 page)

“No,
course not,” Lily said.

“Will
you sort Elizabeth out in one of the guest rooms?”

“I
will, don’t worry.”

“Keira,
I will take Olivia and her brothers to my house. You don’t have any other rooms
sorted out yet,” Tyler said.

“That
would be great. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

I
hugged Elizabeth then walked out of the room and headed to my bedroom. Eligos
followed me.

“Are
you okay?” he asked me when we were in my room. “Really?”

“I
don’t know; I still feel really strange. I’m worried constantly that the angel
will take over, and I don’t have any idea how to control it. On top of that, it’s
been a very sad day, and I still can’t stop thinking about Marimay.”

“That’s
understandable; it must have really upset you. You need to get a good night’s
sleep, darling. You may feel a lot better in the morning.”

“I
hope so.” I got changed and climbed into bed. “Eligos, do you think it’s safe,
you staying in here with me?”

“Well,
I’m not leaving you, so I think I’ll take my chances. Like Lucifer said, the angel
responds to your feelings. You love me, so I should be fine,” he smirked while
getting in beside me. “But...I meant to ask you this before, actually. Why didn’t
the angel appear when you found out it was Marimay standing in front of you?”

“Well,
at the same time I was thinking ‘Bitch, you’re gonna die,’ I was also thinking ‘Please
don’t let her find out about the angel.’ I don’t want her to know…it may keep
her away from me, and I don’t want that. I want her to challenge me, and then I’ll
show her what I really am now.”

“That’s
probably why then. See, your thoughts controlled it.
You
controlled it,
Keira.”

“I
guess I did,” I said with a thoughtful look on my face. “You’re right.”

“Keep
up the good work then.”

Chapter 8

A
Strange Experience

Keira

The
next morning when I woke Eligos wasn’t beside me. Instead, a note was on his
pillow to let me know he had returned to Hell to speak with Danny and Brad. I
climbed out of bed, got showered and dressed, then took a good long look in the
mirror. I didn’t like what was staring back at me…a mix-up of all things
stereotypically good and evil. If the average person was to find out about me,
how would they see me? What must my friends really think of me now?

Not
long ago I was living a normal life, had a good career, my best friend was moving
in with me, and I had no fear at all. Now I had nothing
but
fear and
anxiety. So would I go back in time and try to change things if I could? The
answer was “no.” I would rather be scared and constantly looking over my
shoulder than go back to my life without the guys, their families, Lilith, and
my friends from Hell. I most certainly wouldn’t want to be without Eligos. The
thought of not having them in my life upset me, and I felt my eyes welling up.
I shook my head and walked away from the mirror.

I
went downstairs to make myself a coffee and saw Hecate through the window,
sitting outside on my swing and looking deep in thought. I made her a drink too
and walked outside. She must have been in her own world, because when I went to
pass her the coffee she jumped.

“Sorry,”
I giggled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s
okay,” she said, giggling herself.

“Are
you okay?”

“I
was just thinking...it doesn’t matter, you’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Hecate,
come on, something’s obviously bothering you. Talk to me,” I said, putting my
hand on her shoulder for a moment.

“It’s
just what the guys told us yesterday—you know, about Vetis.”

“What
about him?”

“Honestly,
he scares the hell out of me,” she admitted. “And I mean
really
scares
me.”

“Why?”

“Keira,
he’s incredibly powerful. Nothing scares or falters him. He isn’t afraid of
anyone…well, actually....” She trailed off for a moment.

“What
is it?”

“He
always seemed wary around Eligos.”

“Wary?”
I asked.

“Yeah,
like, unnerved…he seemed to watch Eligos’s every move.”

“Why?”

“I
don’t know,” she sighed, shaking her head slightly.

“I
can ask him when he gets back.”

“Keira,
we really don’t want this guy as an enemy.”

“What’s
his story—what does he do?”

“He
is a lord; he used to work very closely with Lucifer, but for some reason he suddenly
stopped. Not many people know the reason why, and those that do will not speak
about it. He worked with him for over two thousand years, so….”

“Maybe
they had an argument.”

“Maybe,
I really don’t know.”

“I’ll
mention it to Eligos, see what he knows.”

“Vetis
was really mean. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as cold hearted as him. I
remember once I was on my way to the palace; he walked past me and gripped a
man. He ripped his heart out of his chest, then cut his head off with a soul
destroying weapon.”

“Oh
my God,” I gasped. “What did Lucifer say?”

“Nothing
to my knowledge; I know Vetis never received any form of punishment,” she told
me.

“Is
Lucifer afraid of him?”

“God
no…Lucifer isn’t afraid of anyone.”

“Hmmm.”

The
conversation ended when Lily and Jake walked outside.

“Morning,”
they both said as they made their way over to us.

“How
are you feeling, Keira?” Lily asked.

“A
little weird, but okay.”

“Well,
you can have some peace and quiet for a while,” Jake informed me. “Lucian and
Tyler are keeping the newbie’s away today; they want to get to know them better,
and answer more questions for them. They didn’t think you would want to start
explaining again.”

“I
thought they knew everything,” Hecate said.

“They
know how we met, and the story so far, but they want to know more about power
and magic.”

“Fair
enough,” I shrugged.

“Where’s
Danny and Eligos?” Lily asked me.

“Hell.”

“Why?”

“Don’t
know really, some meeting I think. Listen,” I said, getting up off the swing. “I’m
going into town. I need to go to one of the showrooms and get a new
car...again.”

“How
you getting there?” Jake asked.

“Like
this.”

A
moment later, I was down one of the little back roads just off the main street
in town. I spent just under two hours looking around a car showroom and
deciding which one I wanted, another SUV, very similar to the one I’d crashed
and blown up. Then it dawned on me…the guys’ cars needed replacing too. I shook
my head and signed the papers the guy in the showroom gave me. I told him I
wanted to go to a few places around town, and that I’d call back to pick the
car up.

I
went to a few of the shops, having a look at some of the clothes, but nothing
really called out to me to buy it. After about an hour boredom kicked in. I
didn’t want to go home yet, so I decided to go and treat myself to a latte in
one of the little coffee shops. I ordered my drink and flopped down on one of
the comfy sofas near the windows while I waited for the waitress to bring it
over.

A
TV was blasting, showing scenes from yet more towns and cities that had been
wiped out. Everyone in the shop was watching, all with worried looks on their
faces, clueless as to what was happening; people wanting answers that sadly,
nobody had for them. The world was turning chaotic. The reporter was talking
about riots taking place in London, Paris, and Berlin. Governments were arguing
and blaming each other for terrorist attacks and weapons testing.

I
was so engrossed in what I was watching that I didn’t realize the waitress had
brought my drink over to me. I sat sipping it while continuing to listen to the
news.

“This
is getting beyond a joke,” a male voice said.

I
looked up to see a tall man with long dark hair staring at me.

“Sorry,
were you talking to me?” I asked.

“Well,
anyone who was listening really,” he smiled. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not
at all.”

“I
like these seats; they’re comfy.” He sat facing me and put a newspaper and his
drink on the table. “Every paper you read, every channel you put on, they all
tell you the same thing. The truth is, someone somewhere knows what is
happening, and they are enjoying the chaos they are creating.”

“You
think so?” I asked.

“Oh,
come on; close to half a million people just disappearing, whole cities being
destroyed? Don’t tell me that hasn’t been carefully thought out.”

“You
think people are being targeted for a reason?”

“That’s
one theory.”

“Oh.”

“What
do
you
think is happening?” he enquired.

“I
have no idea,” I replied, looking back towards the TV for a second.

“My
name is Steve,
by the way
.”

“Keira.”

“Nice
to meet you Keira,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

I
leaned over the table. As soon as our skin touched I got goose bumps
everywhere, and a static shock seemed to run straight up my arm. I pulled my
hand back quickly and stared at him.

“Are
you okay?” he asked me, rather concerned.

“
Yes…yes
,
sorry.”

“Are
you sure?”

“Yes
I’m
fine
, thank you,” I assured him.

I
looked down at my hand for a second. What had caused those feelings? Who or
what
was
this guy? He looked and sounded normal enough. Was it just me
being silly?

“Where
are you from?” I asked him as casually as possible.

“Here
and there; I move around a lot.”

“Why?
If you don’t mind me asking.”

“It’s
my job…I’m self employed.”

“Oh,
right…what do you do?”

“I’m
a recruiter,” he explained. “I find jobs for people all over the world, life
changing jobs.”

“Wow,
never heard of one before.”

“Yeah,
well, I’m one of a kind,” he smirked. “How about you…are you from around here?”

“Not
originally, but I live here now.”

“It’s
a nice town—a lot of people.”

“Yeah,
I like it here.”

“I
could find jobs for most of the people here, I think.”

“Is
that what brought you here? Work, I mean.”

“Yeah.”

“I
hope you enjoy your stay,” I said, studying him.

“Thank
you, I’m sure I will.”

“Well,
I’d best be going,” I told him. “I need to pick up my new car.”

“Ahh,
treating yourself to a newer model?”

“Something
like that.”

“Well
it was nice talking to you Keira,” he smiled.

“And
you…take care.”

“Bye.”

I
walked out of the shop and took a deep breath. There was something weird about
that guy. He didn’t give me the creeps or anything…not weird in that way. Something
about him just made me feel nervous. And what was the experience I had when I
shook his hand? I shook my head and made my way back to the car showroom. I
just wanted to go home.

Chapter 9

Brothers

Keira

When
I pulled up in the driveway in my new car, Hecate came out to have a look and
to tell me everyone was still out. I wanted to tell her about Steve, but I didn’t
want to worry her, especially when it could have been something or nothing. He
hadn’t done me any harm at all, so I decided to put it to the back of my mind.
I went inside with Hecate and waited for Eligos and Danny to return.

We
were only waiting an hour or so before they appeared in the living room. Both
of them flopped down on the sofas, Danny next to Hecate and Eligos next to me.

“Are
you alright?” I asked them both.

“Yeah,
it was just a long meeting,” Eligos sighed.

“Do
you know anything new?”

“People
have started gossiping about you already. We couldn’t have stopped them doing
it if we’d have wanted to after what happened yesterday.”

“You
want them to gossip though, don’t you?” Hecate confirmed.

“Yes.
Don’t forget they have had a few days to spread the news. It was yesterday to
us, but what with the time difference, it’s been like three and a half days in
Hell,” Danny added.