Revelations (Bloodline Series) (10 page)

“Fantastic—I
hope they come in useful.”

“Oh,
I think they will. Some of them are really offensive. I feel sorry for anyone
caught in their path…they may lose several limbs,” she giggled.

“They
should definitely help then.”

“So,
where did you and Eligos go?”

“Just
for a drive; we sat in the countryside chatting.”

“I
bet it was nice spending some time alone.”

“Yeah
it was,” I smiled.

“Good.
Well, to keep you updated…the new guys are really nice, and after the talks
today they actually
want
to fight. They are scared, they openly admit
that, but they want a shot at taking the thing down. I’ll tell you this too;
Jared is the most powerful of the three. He always has been even though they
should all be the same really.”

“Is
he the eldest?” I asked.

“Yeah,
do you think that could be why?”

“I
don’t know, maybe. Do they or Hecate know who gave their family the power they
have?”

“I
don’t know…I can’t say I thought to ask.”

“Okay,
no worries…I don’t suppose it really matters.”

“How
are you feeling, by the way?”

“I
feel different and still like a time bomb, but I kinda feel in control—which is
really strange considering everything that happened only yesterday. I think
Lucifer set my mind at ease a little. He said my feelings would control the
power and that if I control
them
, everyone I care about should be safe
and protected.”

“Just
try and stay relaxed, you should be okay then.”

We
both went quiet for a moment and then Eligos walked into the room.

“Am
I interrupting?” he asked.

“No,
you’re fine,” Lily told him.

“The
guys are eager to carry on fighting and learning, so we’re gonna go into the
fields. It would be beneficial for the new guys too.”

“Well,
don’t be too long; I’m gonna start cooking now.”

“I
know it is a little late, but we’ll just ease Jared and the others in, then
start properly with them tomorrow.”

“Have
fun,” I told him.

Eligos
walked out of the room, and Lily decided it was time to kick me out of
her
kitchen. I walked into the living room half expecting to find Elizabeth there,
but she too had joined Eligos. I flopped down on the sofa and closed my eyes.

Chapter 10

Earthquake?

Keira

The
following week was peaceful. Jared, Marshal, and Olivia were settling in well
and really enjoying their sessions with Eligos, fighting and using their powers
more. They were staying at Lucian’s and were getting on really well with his
parents. Whenever the guys were fighting I took the opportunity to either spend
time getting to know Elizabeth better, or wandering around town on my own, so I
had time with my own thoughts. I would go for a coffee and just sit watching
the people walk by, getting on with their own busy lives.

On
a couple of occasions I could have sworn I saw Steve walk by, and each time I
did my stomach tied itself in knots. Not because I was attracted to him in any way…it
was because of how I felt when I shook his hand; I wanted to do it again to see
if it had just been my imagination, or if there was something inside him. I
made myself giggle sometimes thinking how strange I was, hoping to see a stranger
just to shake his hand. I knew the chance of meeting him again was slim. I
remembered him telling me how he was never in the same place for long.

I
even found that sometimes when I was in bed at night I would see his face when
I closed my eyes. Sometimes he would grin at me; other times, he would just
have a blank expression on his face. It was as though he was haunting me, a
thought that I figured would make him think I was a freak if he knew about it.
Eligos knew I had something on my mind, but I didn’t want to tell him. I didn’t
want to risk him thinking I was interested in someone else. He’d had enough
worry with Tyler and the angel taking me over; I didn’t want him worrying
needlessly over something else. So whenever he asked me what was wrong, I just
said I was thinking about everything that was going on, or about the angel, or
Ballantine. That seemed like the best thing to say, and all he would do was
pull me to him and tell me everything was going to be okay.

It
had now been seven days since I’d met Steve. I was in town getting a few things
to fill the fridge, and as I was walking down one of the aisles in the grocery
store, completely in a world of my own, someone crashed into me.

“Oh
I’m sorry,” I said, quickly looking up at the person.

“Well
Keira, since it’s you, I suppose I’ll let you off,” Steve smiled.

“Hey.”

“How
are you?”

“I’m
okay,” I told him, a little shocked to see him. “I didn’t think you’d still be
around.”

“Yeah,
well I’m waiting for some decisions to be made, so it looks like I may be here
another week or so.”

“Well,
you did say you like the place.”

“Yeah,”
he smiled again. “Good memory.”

“Thanks.”

“Do
you fancy a coffee or are you busy?”

“Erm,
I just need to pay for these, then yeah, why not?”

“Great,”
he said before waving a magazine at me. “I suppose I should pay for this too
really, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah,
it might not go down very well if you don’t,” I giggled.

We
paid for our things, then he helped me carry the bags to my car before we
headed to the coffee shop. I felt comfier with him now. When he bumped into me
I didn’t get any weird vibes or sensations off him, and when he took some of
the bags from me, and his hand touched mine, it felt like a normal hand. Maybe
I’d just imagined it the first time I shook it.

“I’m
buying,” he said as we got to the counter. “What would you like?”

“Thank
you; I’ll have a mocha please.”

“Make
that two,” he said to the young girl taking the order. He paid her, then we
went to sit on one of the sofas and waited for our drinks to be brought over. “So,
what have you been doing with yourself?”

“Not
a lot really. I have some friends staying with me at the moment, so I’ve been
catching up with them…kinda getting to know them all over again,” I lied,
thinking about the new guys.

“That
must be nice. I don’t really get the chance to do that. I see a lot of people
through my job, but it’s very hard to make strong friendships.”

“Don’t
you have partners or someone that travels around with you on occasion?”

“Yeah,
yeah I do—I have a few that I trust. They sometimes go out and find special
people for me to recruit. However, we tend to work in separate areas and then
get together for major events.”

“Such
as?”

“Say,
takeovers.”

“What,
like a company take over or something?”

“Yeah,
something like that.” he nodded. “Anyway, what are your plans for the rest of
the day? Are you cooking for your friends?”

“No,
my friend who lives with me is the cook, she loves it. I’m just the errand
girl,” I smiled.

He
was still laughing when the waitress brought our drinks over.

“Sorry
for the delay,” she said to us. “It’s been a mad day, the machine keeps
breaking.”

“Don’t
worry; thank you,” I told her before she walked away.

“The
people here are so nice,” Steve said between sips of his drink.

“Yeah,”
I sighed. “I hope that never changes…I hope the town itself never changes.”

“Sometimes,
Keira, change can be a good thing.”

“Yeah
I know, but this town is fine as it is.”

“Hmm.
Well, I guess I don’t know it as well as you.”

“I
thought you said you liked it here,” I frowned.

“I
do; I just mean sometimes things can be added to or taken away from a place, and
it can make things better.”

“I
understand, I think.”

“Don’t
worry,
I
know what I mean,” he laughed. “I speak my own language, sometimes.”

“Yeah,
I do that,” I said, laughing myself.

“Keira,
can you excuse me a moment? I just need to use the bathroom.”

I
watched him walk into the men’s room and then took my usual position of staring
out the window, people watching. Not even a minute later the ground started to
tremble, only slightly at first, but it soon became violent. Everyone inside
the shop started to panic and hide under the tables. The pictures, clocks,
mirrors, everything fell off the walls and smashed as they hit the floor. I
could hear the sound of pots breaking in the kitchen area.

Steve
ran out of the bathroom, grabbed my arm, and dragged me under our table. I
watched as bits of plaster and dust from the ceiling fell to the floor. I
feared the whole place was going to collapse on top of us.

“Don’t
move,” Steve shouted to me. “Stay under here.”

I
could hear people outside screaming and car horns blaring. I was frightened for
everyone, but also for myself. I had to try and stay calm…I couldn’t risk the angel
showing itself in public. People would be more frightened of me than the
earthquake.

After
what felt like hours, but couldn’t have actually been more than three minutes,
the ground became peaceful and still. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Steve
crawled out from under the table to check the area was safe, then took my hand
and pulled me to my feet.

“Are
you okay?” he asked, scanning me to check I wasn’t hurt.

“Yeah,
are you?”

“Hmm.”
He held his hands out in front of him…they were trembling. “I’ll be fine in a
minute or two.”

“Can
everyone please vacate the premises?” the manager of the shop shouted. “I don’t
know if the building is safe, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

As
he finished his sentence, a large piece of the ceiling fell to the floor. The
customers didn’t need to be told twice. They all collected their jackets and
bags and walked quickly outside. Steve and I followed.

The
street was a mess, cluttered with litter and debris from buildings. Parts of crashed
cars covered the roads and the walkways. The traffic lights had fallen, along
with some of the shop signs and street lamps. People were running about making
sure others were okay.

“Wow,”
Steve gasped as he looked all around him. “I’ve never experienced anything like
this.”

“I
wish I could say the same,” I muttered.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing—listen,
I’m really sorry, but I’m gonna have to go. I need to go and check on my
friends.”

“Oh,
sure, I understand.”

“I
have your number on your card; I’ll phone you later to make sure you’re okay,”
I told him as I started to back away from him.

“Yeah,
yeah okay.”

I
turned around and ran towards where I had parked my car. I felt awful leaving
him; he was clearly shaken by it all. But I had to get home and make sure
everyone was safe. I tried calling them but couldn’t get any reception; the
phone lines had obviously been affected. Luckily the parking lot hadn’t really
been damaged, and the cars were intact. I was so glad I hadn’t parked in the parking
garage; God only knew what damage may have been done to that.

I
jumped in the car and sped home, coming to a sharp stop on the driveway before
jumping out of the SUV and running toward the house. I gave the place a quick
once over from the outside, and noted that there didn’t seem to be any damage
at all. I burst through the front door shouting for everyone.

“Keira,
what is it?” Lily said as she ran into the hall with Tyler and Lucian.

“Are
you guys okay?”

“Yeah,
why wouldn’t we be?” Tyler asked.

“The
earthquake.”

“Erm…what
earthquake?”

“The
one that just happened not even fifteen minutes ago.”

“Keira,
there hasn’t been an earthquake,” Lucian told me, raising an eyebrow.

Now
everyone else was in the hallway, all with concerned looks on their faces.
Eligos took my arm, led me into the living room and sat me down, and I told
them everything that had happened. They all looked rather confused.

“I
don’t understand it,” Olivia and Jake said.

“Neither
do I. We should have felt it here,” Marley added.

“Keira,
did anything strange happen before it? Did you see anyone lurking around or—?” Eligos
asked me.

“No,
nobody…just people doing what they normally do.”

“Hmm.
Well, I think it’s safe to say something is here.”

“Do
you think this is it, the start of the attack on Salem?” Lucian asked, looking
at me and Eligos.