Prophecy
"What the fuck are you doing her, in my house, one my property, you fucking prick!" the woman screeched, almost flying through the garden in a whirl of silk and tulle, and with a crack, Kieran's head snapped to the side with the force of her slap.
"Cassandra-" Kieran began, raising a hand to the red imprint of her hand on his cheek, but she cut him off with another slap, sending his neck snapping to the other side.
"Don't you dare 'Cassandra' me, Kieran, because I've had enough of you and your ragtag group of fucking good samaritan Nephilim, you hear me? I've had enough of you dropping by whenever you feel like it just 'cause you want to go over the prophecy for the hundredth time! I've-had-enough! Now get the fuck out've here!"
I watched mutely as anger flared in Kieran's face, on which two red hand prints stood out prominently, as he glared at Cassandra. "You will listen to what I have to say, because, for once, you were right."
His words surprised the rage off Cassandra's dark exotic features. "What?"
"I'll explain once we get inside," Kieran snapped through written teeth
"What, with her?" Cassandra demanded incredulously, giving me a look of contempt.
"Yes, with her."
"Why? She doesn't seem like much does she?" She eyed my choice of bland clothes before resting on my tangled hair with a curl of the lip.
"Unlike you, Cassandra, we don't all have the power to get people naked in bed with one look."
Cassandra's full lips lifted into the faintest of smiles-or maybe it was a smirk?
"What's your name... Lupi?" I stared at her evenly without a word. "Not much of a talker, are you? Not particularly surprising, though, I suppose. Your voice must be as appalling as your looks.
"Cassandra..." Kieran began in a warning tone.
"Oh, stop worrying, Kieran. I won't be too nasty," she replied, cutting Kieran off without breaking eye contact with me, but a sly smile was forming. "My bark is worse that my bite, my dear little Lupi girl. You can tel me your name when you feel like you're ready, now, okay?" she added condescendingly.
"Megan Vaughn." The words blurted out of my mouth, and Cassandra's face bloomed into a dazzling smile, showing off a set of white teeth that contrasted against her ebony skin. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now come. You can tell me whatever you deem necessary over a nice cup of tea." She laughed at Kieran's fuming expression and turned around in a flurry of her layered black dress.
I glanced at Kieran for direction, but he just pursed his lips and followed the unnatural beauty into her magnificent house.
The interior of the house was just as stunning as the exterior. Compared to modern day infrastructure, this manor seemed as though it had been cut out of the pages of a Victorian era novel, with chandeliers, hardwood floorboards and intricately carved furniture. Cassandra led us to a large library, laden with bookshelves loaded with books both old and new. Sitting a distance away from the bookshelves were several round tables, each encircled with four chairs and a small pile of decorative coasters in the middle, topped with a delicate glass vase holding a single semi-bloomed red tulip.
"Please, sit, my friends. You'll have to excuse me while I get tea ready."
Kieran smiled sweetly at her with just the right touch of poison before turning to look at me once Cassandra had turned away.
"You look terrified," he observed dryly. "Try not to let her see it so easily, will you?"
"I'll try," I muttered, running a hand across my face. "Why does she hate you so much? And is she bipolar or something?"
Kieran snorted at my last words. "She probably is, but I'd be a hypocrite if I made a big deal out of it. As for why she hates me... well, let's just say that since she informed us about the prophecy, me and the people I work with have been badgering her for clearer descriptions of her prediction. Like I said before, predictions and prophecies are vague, and unlike some other stuff, you can't just magically make its meaning clearer. You've just... got to make do with what you've got, which generally isn't much."
We lapsed back into silence, and my mind drifted back to that little violet vial of Akonit that Kieran had forced me to drink. He'd said that it would last several days, but considering the recent goings-on... would I ever shift again?
"What is it?"
"What?"
"What is it? You've got that look again."
"What look?" I asked defensively, my face automatically smoothing out.
"You know. That 'oh, shit, something's seriously wrong' look. What is it?"
"You known the Akonit you gave me? Considering that my Lupi blood is dissipating and turning human, will I even be able to shift after the Akonit wears out?"
"I should think that you should be able to. With my experience with curses and magic enhancements in general, they take at least a week for the deterioration of the effect to wear off completely, and that's for the minor ones. For this, one cast by the angels themselves, it'll probably take a few months? I'm not sure myself.
I nodded to reassure myself and cupped my chin in my hands, closing my eyes. No matter how hard I tried, my mind constantly wandered back to the rainy day, only this time I was focusing more so on the conversation rather than the feeling of finally finding my mate. The Lupi had wanted a bag. What was so special about it? What did it hold? Why did the Lupi resort to shooting Leo to get it? I tried to explore the possibilities with no plausible solution. And rewind two years, I'd thought that he just died in a mugging...
"There's nothing better than a nice relaxation session, is there?" Cassandra's voice snapped my eyes ope to see her standing opposite us with a tray holding three blue and white china cups with a matching teapot. "Of course, nobody has the time for that with all of today's technology and socialising, but being who I am... well, I have plenty of time to spare to indulge in such luxuries."
She poured each of the cups to the brim and sat back with teacup held delicately in hand, watching us over the brim and waiting for us to drink. "Go on then, it isn't poison," she said with a small laugh, taking a small sip herself.
"What is it, then?"
"Kava tea. Trust me, it's a miracle worker for easing anxiety, and it doesn't take the Eye to tell that you two need some relief from it." I glanced at Kieran for confirmation, and he nodded stiffly, bringing the cup to his lips.
"Oh, isn't it just lovely how young Megan is at your beck and call, Kieran?" Cassandra asked with a smile. "Why, she's almost like a little puppy-oh, don't be upset, now!" she added in delighted amusement when my lips twitched almost imperceptibly in annoyance.
"I came here for a reason, Cassandra," Kieran ground out icily.
"Please, go on, then."
I watched Kieran carefully as he explained while occasionally pausing to sip the heavily-scented tea, when he broke off and turned to me.
"D'you want to finish it off?"
I nervously swallowed at the thought of talking in front of this imperious woman, but managed an indifferent shrug. "Two years ago, I found my mate, except soon after, he was killed. I killed the murderer-a spur of the moment decision, mind you-and ran away soon after, but once I became Alpha, I let the pack fall to pieces. Recently a group of rogues gave me an ultimatum: clear out the territory so they could take over or let the entire pack die. I lost the fight, but it turns out that my Beta was behind a good chunk of it, trying to get me killed off. He challenged my position and I lost, and I became rogue. Kieran found me and and he made me relive those memories. Now, it seems that Leo was, in fact, a Nephilim, and his killer was a Lupi. Somehow, I didn't even smell anything different about either of them."
"And this means..." Cassandra encouraged, curiosity evident in her expression as she leaned forward slightly in expectation.
"I think that the spell is falling apart."
Surprise filtered through Cassandra's face slowly. "What makes you think that?"
Kieran took over, saying, "Think about it: ancient books and literature say that the Lupi basically couldn't stand to be in the same room as a Nephilim without ripping their throat out, but now? Half the Lupi live without even knowing of our existence, most of the rogues get along with us like bread and butter, and the we have Megan here! She herself just said that her mate was a Nephilim! Surely something's happening, right?"
Cassandra chewed her lip doubtfully, when she saw me place the empty teacup on the table. Her eyes landed on the cup and seized it with the agility of a cheetah before setting it carefully in front of her on the table.
"I-What are..." I stuttered in confusion, while Kieran rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"She's reading your tea leaves," he explained with an annoyed expression.
"My, my, my, you poor little underprivileged girl," Cassandra murmured slowly, and a pang of anger burst through me at those words. "Well, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, for sure."
"What is it?" I asked Kieran frantically, panicking.
"What is your amazing Eye telling you now, Cassandra?" Kieran demanded tiredly.
"Your future, Megan Vaughn, is indeed one of tangles. You will be a mere was of time during the times of conflict, and your strength will be severely underestimated, and you will face many hardships in the coming years. Or months. Or days." Cassandra looked up from the cups to look at me with a puzzled and yet amused glint in her green cat-like eyes that contrasted against her dark skin. "You have a very confusing future, Megan, to say the least. I suppose that's the main reason why Kieran found you and decided to take you in. Nothing much for him to really... 'dig'? Is that what people say these days?
The next thing I knew, Kieran was towering over Cassandra with a furious snarl and his arms cornering her in her chair. "I came here for a deadly serious conversation, and this conversation is going to stay deadly serious, you hear me? So, if I may suggest, stop trying to get under Megan's skin and make her run away, and actually listen to the problem, will you?"
"Why though?" Cassandra whined, her eyes sparkling with humour. "Deadly serious conversations are so mainstream!" She opened her mouth to taunt some more, but something dangerous and untamed in Kieran's glower silenced her. "You were saying?" she managed weakly after a small cough.
"Satisfaction flickered across Kieran's face as he returned to his seat, but it was quickly replaced with grimness. "Like I said, I need help, and I'm not talking about you constantly bullshitting, alright? I want some real, solid information. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if you really were holding back on that prophecy of yours."
Cassandra managed a weak grin at that. "And I though that I'd get away with that." Kieran's face instantly darkened with rage, so she hastily continued, "Alright, I'll tell you, okay? Just... just stay calm."
"After all those times we came here..." Kieran seethed before snapping, "Spill."
"I already knew about the downfall of the Lupi, how their blood would become humanised, so to speak, but the big thing, the climax, is when the demon-dominant Nephilim rise in power and open the gates of Hell upon us all."