A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(55)

“I don’t believe you,” I retorted, feeling sick. “This is bull—it’s impossible. You’re not powerful enough, and neither are these ‘Daughters’ you talk about…you couldn’t do this, not to witches, not to jinn. And what about the Oracle? She visited us, and you said she came here, but we all remember her!”

The Druid shook his head. “The Oracle was the daughter of an Ancient. She held within herself great power, enough to reverse the protection of the Daughters. There are no others that I have come across able to accomplish such a thing. In truth, I don’t exactly know how the Oracle managed to, either.”

I started to back away, wishing he would just shut up. I didn’t want to listen to another word he had to say.

“I told you that you wouldn’t like it, but it’s true, Serena.” His voice had become cold and unyielding, his face set in displeasure. “I know this is painful for you—”

“Do you?” I retorted. How could he possibly comprehend how painful this was?

“But perhaps it’s better this way,” he replied. “They are spared the pain of missing you. None of them would know you were ever born—there will be no trace of you back at your homes, no evidence that suggests you once existed.”

“Is that supposed to comfort me?” I roared, rage completely consuming me.

“Yes!” he shouted. “It is. There’s nothing I can do about this, and you’ll see it’s better this way. Would you rather look in this flame and see your family and friends devastated?”

I was speechless. How could he possibly think this was okay? That this was a better alternative? I knew my parents, and the others. Their overwhelming emotion wouldn’t be devastation—it would be determination, and they would have stopped at nothing to find us.

Now we didn’t even have a chance.

“I want to get out of here,” I replied, my breathing coming out in short rasps. I suddenly felt claustrophobic—the walls of the room felt like they were closing in on me, the heat feeling even more oppressive.

I turned and ran, leaving the Druid behind me. The entrance had been left open, and I pounded through it, needing to get outside of the house, just for a moment. I headed for the greenhouse, jumping through the smashed door and then coming to a stop outside. I leaned against the wall, putting my head between my legs and trying to catch my breath.

I knew I would have to tell the others. They would insist on seeing it themselves, and I simply couldn’t bear the thought of Vita or Aida seeing what I’d just seen—or Field, or Jovi. And especially not my brother.

It would tear them apart, and vanquish any trace of hope.





Vita





[Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]




I kept drifting in and out of sleep. The night was so hot that I couldn’t get comfortable, and Aida kept tossing and turning, making the bed creak and occasionally poking me with an elbow or leg. It was still the middle of the night, and Serena was either still with the Druid or had found another place to rest.

The heat was making my entire body itch, and so rather than try to go back to sleep once again, I got out of bed and went over to the open window. The night air was a little bit cooler, and I stuck my head out as far as it would go, smelling the sweet fragrance of the greenhouse and the overgrown lawn. I contemplated going down into the gardens, but after Serena’s experience that didn’t seem like such a good idea on my own. I decided I’d go and look for Serena, but first take an ice-cold shower.

The lamp was missing, so I had to rely on the moonlight. There was only a small window in the bathroom, but it was enough to see by. I ran the faucet, hoping that I wouldn’t disturb Aida. I quickly stepped under the water, my body jerking awake as the cold streams smacked the heat away. It was bliss.

I closed my eyes, letting the water scatter down on my face.

Once my body was numb, I stepped out, wrapping myself in the only threadbare towel we had. I sat down on the edge of the tub, just taking a moment to enjoy the sensation of my body feeling ‘normal’ and refreshed before the sticky heat consumed me again.

We were all in such a strange situation. It was still making my head spin, almost like I expected reality to assert itself at any moment. This house, the Druid, the incredibly captivating incubus, the repulsive, screaming creatures that had attacked from the sky…and strangest of all, the visions and the idea that the Oracle had passed over her powers to us. How could it all have taken place in such a short space of time? How could my world, and everybody else’s, have twisted inside out?

My mind drifted back to the vision I’d had earlier. It had been physically horrible—a twisting, sick feeling in my gut like I was about to vomit, my legs and arms becoming shaky and weak like they could no longer hold me up. The actual vision I’d had was even worse, more disturbing than I’d let on to Serena and the others.

I had seen the creatures Serena had pointed out in the painting, riding through the sky. The screams of their horses had been ear-splittingly loud as they had chased us. Ahead of me, on the ground, I had seen them all running—Jovi had been calling back to me, yelling at me to move faster, but it had felt like I was frozen to the ground, unable or unwilling to move. Then the vision had changed, and I was in a large room, Serena, Field and Jovi standing in front of me, their eyes wide in horror. I tried to call out to them, but only bubbles had escaped my mouth. I looked around, gasping for air as water filled my throat. Phoenix and Aida banged against a blue film that held us captive. My hair tangled in the thick water around me, winding its way around my neck, covering my eyes. I felt like I was drowning. My hand hit the wall and Serena’s palm met mine on the other side, helpless to stop whatever was happening to me…and then the vision had stopped.