The Legend of the Eight: The Charmed (Book 4)

21: The Eight Come Clean

TWENTY-ONE: THE EIGHT COME CLEAN
OCTOBER 20
KATE DIAMOND

THE ROOM WAS SILENT--THE most uncomfortable kind. Seven of the Eight gathered in Kate's dorm—all but Wil. Even Cam and Logan had shown up which was a shock to them all. And standing in the center of it all was Chloe Lawson, with her arms crossed and her eyes darting around at each of their faces.

Earlier, she'd overheard a conversation between Nicole and Logan about the Eight and prior to that, she'd found the obituary that Wil had saved from that one time she died. Kate made a mental note to talk to her sister about that.

They hadn't spoken since Wil's explosive scene in the Dining Hall. Because they weren't twins and Wil's real mother was Bernadette Chamberlain, their father's mistress. The world had been flipped upside-down and Wil did what she always did—shut down. She pushed out anyone who tried to help her and thought she could handle the situation herself which almost never worked.

"Well?" Chloe asked, raising an impatient eyebrow. "You wanted to go somewhere private and we did. So spill. What is going on? Why does Wil have her own obituary and how is there a picture of a party that hasn't happened yet? What does my brother have to do with this?"

There weren't enough lies in the Three Realms to cover up what Chloe was on the verge of discovering. They had only one option—the truth.

Carefully, Kate untied the laces of her Michael Kors booties and removed them, revealing the tattoo on the top of her foot. Nicole took the hint and lifted her shirt to reveal hers under her bra wire while Phoebe showed hers down the side of her torso. Liam pushed up his sleeve, exposing the ink on his arm and Calm revealed his calf, Logan lifted his shirt up just enough to show the ink on his bicep and Drew went all the way as to remove his sweatshirt, exposing the massive work on his back.

"Are those...?" Chloe's voice trailed. "What are those?"

"Blood knots," Kate said just in time for the others to readjust themselves so their tattoos were once again covered. Drew remained shirtless though. Phoebe barely bothered to roll her eyes at her husband. "Eight knots. Eight of us. Wil's is on her wrist."

Chloe nodded but still appeared to be very confused. "Why would you link your magic to each other? That's forbidden."

"We didn't," Liam assured her and Kate was grateful. She was never very good at explaining the Eight. "An Alchemist named Eva linked us. She did it to stop a powerful Dark—Bartemius."

"And Jeremiah," Chloe added for herself. "I know you guys know about my dad. I heard his name earlier."

Kate gestured to Wil's obituary. "He did that."

"He killed Wil?" Chloe gasped.

"No, he wrote the obituary. He's an aspiring journalist now," cracked Drew and that time, Phoebe really did roll her eyes at him. "Yes, he killed Diamond. Didn't seem to stick though."

"He was also instrumental in my death," Cam said and Kate realized those were the first words she'd heard her ex speak in weeks. She'd actually forgotten the sound of his voice. It was deeper than she remembered. "He and my father, Bartemius, turned me into a vampire."

That time, Chloe's jaw practically slammed against the floor. "You're—You're a vampire?" She stumbled backwards a few steps, her chocolate eyes wide with fear.

"Not anymore," Cam assured her and Kate's hand reached for that spot on her neck where he'd bit her. She didn't' mean to. It was just habit. The fang marks were gone but the memory remained. She had never felt fear like that before. That night, in the cell in the Shadow Lands, she was actually afraid he'd kill her.