“I’m not going to either,” Jordyn piped in. “I’m staying just the way I am.”
“I hate to even bring this up.” Dr. Vieira’s tone was hesitant. “While this prophecy might not be relevant at this juncture, it could very well still be in play when Orion is older. Abbey has one tied to her.”
Sam growled. “That doesn’t make me feel good, Doc.”
My mind was spinning with what I’d learned from Agnes and her father-in-law, Everett. “I’m confused about something. Everett told Sam and me that, according to you, Agnes, witches could lose their powers if they turned. Is that true?”
Agnes shook her head. “Technically, no. Over the years my kindspeculatedthat could happen. Not that it would. That was another fear-driven assumption.”
I hated that we were running scared from a simple vision of someone who wasn’t even alive.
“The bottom line is this,” Dr. Vieira said. “Any witchwith Vel-negative blood could turn with Orion’s blood, as I explained earlier. Outside of that, we need to make sure that witches far and wide know they have nothing to fear.”
“He is the prophecy,” Jordyn said. “But the loophole is that a witch would have to drink Orion’s blood not once but twice. And this prophecy could come to light if Orion wanted a vampire witch coven of his own.”
Sam and I whipped our heads toward her.
She shrugged. “What? Think about it. He could have his own harem of witches.”
I snarled at my sister lovingly. Regardless, I couldn’t help but recall something else my mom had said.One of your children is prophesied to change the course of humankind, which will have a ripple effect that upsets the balance of the world.Maybe Orion would do just that when he was older. For now, I had to focus on the here and now and take comfort that a witch could only change through genetic altering and not from a simple bite. I doubted they would be lining up to become creatures of the night.
“Damon, you’ll need to present your findings to Captain Greer of the Midnight Raiders. They’re the best source to spread the word through the witch community,” Steven said.
“I emailed Isadora Blackman, their scientist, early this morning to cancel her trip here. She and I have been trading messages. I told her I would give her a call when I have a moment and explain everything,” Dr. Vieira said.
Steven looked at his watch. “In light of Layla’s change, Jo has called Zoey Thornton and postponed her trip here as well. I’ve informed Jack and Tabitha Aberdeen that we had to also reschedule their trip to see their son Noah. In the meantime, Layla, as my liaison, you can work behind the scenes. We’ll talk more about that later. Plus, until we can deal with our enemies, we don’t need any other distractions.”
Zoey didn’t have to fly here anyway. We could talk via phone or a video chat about the Mystic. As far as my uncle Jack and aunt Tabitha, it was best I didn’t face them—at least not until I was comfortable in my new skin, so to speak.
For now, I needed a hot shower and sleep.
28
LAYLA
Ileft the infirmary about an hour ago and asked if Jordyn and Agnes could watch Orion and his sisters. Sam had a strategy meeting to attend to, and I had to take a catnap. That way I would be in better shape to spend time with my children, sister, and grandmother.
The sun’s rays pouring in through the wall of windows in our apartment was warm as I waved my hand through the beam of light. Natural-born vampires weren’t affected by the sun, but my transformation wasn’t natural like Sam’s had been. After all, he carried the vampire gene.
I was giddy when the heat of the rays sent sparks of electricity along my arms and down my legs as if the hot ball of plasma was infusing me with energy rather than burning me to a crisp.
Sam came up behind me, clutching my shoulders and kissing my neck. “See, you didn’t burn.”
“You never know,” I said, turning into his arms. “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’m a vampire.”
“Join the club. I thought you were dead. I didn’t know how I was going to tell our kids their mother died.”
“Again, I’m so sorry.”
He placed a finger on my lips. “Shh. You’re here, and that’s all that matters.”
“And I’m immortal. That means we get to spend eternity together.”
His face brightened. “Best fucking news ever. We should celebrate. I have two hours before the meeting.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Do you want to experience sex as a vampire?”
I gave him a flirty smirk. “Do birds fly? But I have to take a shower first.”
He scooped me up into his arms, carried me into the bedroom, set me down on the bed, then locked our bedroom door. “Just in case anyone comes in.”
