“Not much. Just one thing, an ancient prophecy of sorts, but the translation is obscure. If I manage to translate the original text myself, I think I’m on to something. It’s not going to be easy, though. It’s in Eastern Ethereal, either old Angelic or Demoniac.”
Kayden blew out a frustrated breath. “Fuck. That sounds complicated and will take a lot of time. Do you have any idea what it’s about and how it’s related to our situation?”
“Uh…as a matter of fact, I do,” I said.
“So what’s it about?” Alec asked, impatient.
I twisted my jaw for a second. “The fucking apocalypse.”
Chapter 14
Zavariel
My job was simple. Pass a message and leave. But the forbidden reincarnated abomination would not listen, and now I could not go home. I had to stay and watch her every move, to stop her in case she did something idiotic that would destroy everything.
I would not bother elaborate why, even if I had permission. The stakes were beyond her comprehension or her companions’. Besides, they were too selfish, greedy and indulgent to care.
All she had to do was listen, and she would, by force if necessary. However, if she still would not, and all hope was lost, I was authorized to…seize her sorry soul.
She could not see me, but I had been watching since last night. I must admit, the job was harder than I anticipated.
I did not only watch her actions or reactions. The genuine tears, the sad face, the angry face, the tired heart, the heavy swearing, the impulsive decisions, the submission to filthy desires, all these I was used to see. But it was what she felt on the inside that was foreign and rather captivating to me.
Isabella Ferro’s emotions were intense with unparalleled extremity, as if she felt with every fiber in her being, and each and every one of her feelings reached me with equal intensity. The pain in thatwoman’ssoul was…too much. Despite my lack of affinity for her, my tears fell in abundance on their own accord with every slice and taste of her aches and struggle.
Another thing I must admit, her battle with the darkness within her this morning, her desperate attempt to cling to the sparkle of good she still had, was…unexpected. I was prepared to intervene, convinced that I would have to, but she proved me wrong. Isabella Ferro might not be as terrible as I had perceived her to be.
She was crying again, hiding in the bathroom, turning on running water to muffle the sound of her sobs. Out of habit, I reached an invisible hand for her shoulder to comfort her soul, but I stopped midway.
No matter how excruciating, I was not allowed to take away her pain. It was imperative that she felt it all. She needed it to listen, to hopefully make the right decision that would save us all.
For the briefest moment, as her tears ran down her face and into my own soul, I wanted to reach my hand out again despite the orders.
I dismissed the inappropriate want and directed my attention toward the running conversation among her agitated lovers.
“Touched by the Devil himself, they rise. One offspring with the power to unite darkness against light. The Devil’s cursed passion builds and destroys until there’s no dark or light, only chaos,” Joshua recited to the werewolves. “That’s all I found, and it’s far from accurate.”
He was right. It was far from accurate.
Kayden made Joshua repeat twice his interpretation of the prophecy he should have never found, but I wasn’t worried. I had no faith they would be able to translate it properly to reveal the secret that was not theirs to know.
“Your demonic apocalyptic prophecy involves Belle and her baby from Damien?” Kayden asked.
Asher pinched his nose right above the glasses Belle had developed an unhealthy attraction for so much. “Like I said, twice already, I don’t know for sure. The text I found is incomplete and the translation isn’t accurate at all. But it involves an offspringtouchedby the devil himself, and hiscursedpassion. The words that are translated into touched and cursed could mean several other things.”
“Like what? Like touched could also mean made and cursed mean reincarnated? It’s a self-explanatory prophecy, doesn’t need any further translation, Professor.”
That was oddly perceptive, but still not accurate. I might be underestimating these creatures.
“You’re getting way ahead of yourself. These ancient texts are always tricky. It can—”
Alec threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Don’t lie to yourself, Asher. Haven’t you heard Archangel Asshole? It’s obvious now why they don’t want her to have hisoffspring.”
Was that going to be how they addressed me all the time?
“No, it’s not. It’s quite the opposite,” Asher said. “To Heaven, the apocalypse is inevitable. In all religions, it’s happening with Heaven’s blessing. Why would they want to stop it?”
I listened more carefully now. Joshua Asher was clever, perhaps the most intelligent among them all. Could a vampire fathom the severity of the prophecy and what was at stake?
