Darkness Revealed (Guardians of Eternity #4)(87)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

They sounded great. A pity they only worked when they wanted to.

“They’re also unpredictable, randomly destructive, and occasionally missing in action.”

Siljar, or at least Anna assumed it was Siljar, gave a soft laugh. “You are very, very young, Anna Randal. With time you will learn control.”

“Even if by some miracle I do, they will never compare to the sort of power that the rest of you obviously possess.”

There was a deep, rumbling sigh. The sort of sigh that was usually reserved for annoying children.

“You are mistaken,” the gravelly male voice informed her, “but it does not matter. It is not your powers that mark you as an Oracle.”

“Then what does?”

“Your heart.”

Anna gave a choked cough, that numb disbelief threatening to return. She didn’t know squat about these Oracles, but they didn’t strike her as being touchy-feely types. More the do-as-we-say-or-we’ll-rip-your-throat-out types.

For God’s sake, they held Cezar captive for two centuries just because they had a vision he might keep her alive.

“If you truly know my heart then you must realize I can’t play hardball with the rest of you. It’s just not who I am.”

She thought she heard a muttered agreement from more than one of the Oracles, but it was Siljar’s comforting voice that floated through the shadows.

“You have proven a rare ability to fight for justice, even when you knew it was hopeless, even when you knew that all of your efforts would lead to nothing more than disappointment.”

She stiffened in surprise, disturbed by the thought that these demons had been watching her for so many years. Maybe from her very birth.

“You mean my career as a lawyer?”

“It was more than a career, was it not?”

She thought back to her years battling for those who had no voice. Those who were oppressed. Those who were taken advantage of simply because they were too old, too poor, or too frightened to fight back.

It had been more than a career.

It had been a foundation that had given her life meaning.

“I suppose.”

“And the manner in which you confronted Morgana reveals you are capable of overcoming your human emotions and battling an enemy without the desire to punish your opponent,” a deep male voice boomed.

Anna shuddered. Her fight with Morgana had been a nasty necessity that would give her nightmares for centuries to come, not a job reference.

“I trapped her in a chunk of stone.”

“Yes,” the hissing woman murmured. “Quite amusing.”

Right.

Enough was enough.

With a surge of emotion, Anna rose to her feet and glared at the shrouded forms.

“This is crazy.” She shook her head. “There have to be thousands of demons who would make far better Oracles than I ever would. I barely even know about your world.”

“You are young and immature, it is true,” the gravelly voice agreed. “But in a few centuries you will be suitably trained to take your place among us.”

“Why not just take someone who’s ready now?”

“We do not choose Oracles, they are foretold by prophecy. We have known for some time that if you managed to survive Morgana you were destined to join us.”

“Did it occur to you that I might have a better chance of surviving Morgana if you’d helped?”

“But we did,” Siljar reminded her. “We gave you the vampire.”

The tangled emotions oddly eased at the mere mention of Cezar. For all the trials and uncertainty she had endured over the years, not to mention the annoying attempts on her life, she wouldn’t change one damn thing.

Not when it had brought her an extraordinary man who would love her for the rest of eternity.

“Yes, I suppose you did, although I don’t think he’d appreciate it being put in those terms.” With a smile, Anna slowly lowered herself to her knees and bowed her head. “Thank you. I doubt that it was your intention, but you’ve given me more than I ever dreamed possible.”

There was no missing the stir of astonishment that rippled through the air. Obviously the demons expected this response at the offer of becoming an Oracle, not at the mention of Cezar.

“You speak of the vampire?” the hissing woman demanded.

“I speak of Cezar.” Her head lifted with a flare of pride. “My mate.”

There were several low growls and mutterings at her words, as if the announcement of Cezar being her mate wasn’t overly popular.

Too damn bad.

“An…unfortunate decision by the vampire,” a new, ominous voice rasped. “Not the first I might add. He is lucky that he is not to be punished again.”

“Punished?” Anna scrambled back to her feet. By God, she wasn’t going to stand aside and let Cezar ever be hurt again. She didn’t care who the hell these demons thought they were, she would battle them to the death. “For what? Protecting me against my demented aunt? Caring enough to save my life? It’s certainly more than anyone else has ever done for me.”

“She is right, the vampire did what was necessary.” Siljar overrode the mutterings, her voice holding a rich command that filled the vast cavern. “He has served his purpose.”

“Perhaps, but he will be a blessed nuisance for the rest of eternity. You know how vampires are when they’re mated,” a demon groused.

“True,” another agreed. “He will be forever hovering around the female. He will have to be restrained when the Commission is in private session.”

Her eyes narrowed. She’d been kidnapped from her bed, forced to meet the mystical, powerful Commission in nothing more than a T-shirt, and bluntly informed that she was supposed to become an Oracle rather than enjoy a peaceful future with Cezar. She was in no mood to listen to them speak about the man she loved as if he were no more than a pesky bug they wanted to squash.

“The female has a name, and I haven’t said that I even want to be on the Commission,” she gritted.

There was a collective gasp, the shock a tangible force in the air. Clearly they expected potential Oracles to leap with joy at the thought of joining their exclusive ranks.

“Anna Randal, you do not understand the honor that has been given you,” the gravelly voice chastised with obvious annoyance. “There has never been an Oracle who has turned away the opportunity to serve upon the Commission. Indeed, there is none who would not be eager to fulfill such a destiny.”