Damian's Oracle Part 16

"You would be more pleasant if you f.u.c.ked him every once in awhile."

"Wow, Pierre, that's the most inappropriate thing I've ever heard."

"Forgive me, Ikira."

By his tone, he didn't give a d.a.m.n what she thought.

"There's nothing to be embarra.s.sed about. We Europeans enjoy a more liberal form of commitment than you Americans."

"You sleep around."

"Yes, and it's very relaxing."

"I don't want to sleep with a bunch of men."

"You wouldn't be permitted that freedom, Ikira," he almost scoffed. "But you have one man you can sleep around with."

"He wants Claire and probably has a private brothel in town. Pierre, I'm some sort of monster killed by a psychopath and resurrected that can't eat real food," she said bitterly. "The last thing I need is to complicate things more."

"It's not that bad. Claire?" he tsked. "I would not sleep with her. Damaged goods."

"Pierre, you can sleep with whomever you want, really."

"I know. Why do you not ask him?"

"To sleep with me?"

"Oui."

Because he would agree. She mulled his proposition and forced her gaze to the paper again.

5. Test ability to control skill on new target.

There was one person she wanted to know more about.

"Do you know where Claire is?"

"Oui."

"Let's go."

He led her from the library, across the courtyard, and into the far wing of the mansion she'd not yet explored. It was a barracks for the Guardians, most of whom greeted her with a quiet good day, Ikira as she pa.s.sed. The wing housed an indoor basketball court, indoor pool, a small game room, and a huge theatre room where music blared from some action movie. Claire sat beside another Guardian, watching the movie. Sofia didn't have time to plot how to approach her.

"Claire," Pierre said, stooping to kiss her cheek.

"Bonjour, mon amour," she purred in response.

"Ikira wanted to meet you."

Claire rose, the smile freezing on her face as she faced Sofia. She forced her own smile, noticing how Claire's gaze swept over her as if she were an uninvited insect in her bedroom.

Claire. Darian said again.

"h.e.l.lo, Claire," she said, extending a hand. "I wasn't able to meet you the other day when you stopped by. I'm ... "

Claire shook her hand, and the visions that protruded into her thoughts floored her.

Czerno.

"... I'm Sofia," she choked out. "I wanted to welcome you."

"Enchantee, Sofia. It's my pleasure," Claire said. "Pierre will defend you well. Damian couldn't have chosen a better guard."

"Babysitter," Pierre corrected her.

"Exactly," she agreed. "I didn't have a choice."

"If you must be with a man, it's good that he's French," Claire said with a wink at Pierre. "Please excuse me."

Sofia stepped out of her way, trying hard to digest what she'd seen.

Claire and Czerno in bed together.

"Sofi!" Damian's call pulled her from the vision replaying in her head. "C'mon!"

He waved her out of the theatre and led her towards the mansion. She sensed his excitement and trailed, troubled.

"Heya, Dust-man!"

Three men stood in the main foyer, two in the same shade of brown as her bodyguard and a striking man in designer jeans and an expensive sweater. He shook hands with Damian, a small smile on his chiseled features. Dustin was lean and handsome with clear, cool blue eyes and sharp, angular features. His hair was sandy blonde, his skin golden. His n.o.ble features and cold, aloof air gave her the impression of an ancient Greek prince.

"Good to see you, bro," Damian said with warmth she hadn't seen him display towards anyone else.

"Better circ.u.mstances this time around," Dustin said with a glance at her.

"Hold the salt, Dust-man," Damian warned. "Sofia, this is Dustin, the commander of the western hemisphere. He helped me rescue you from Czerno."

Her face felt warm at the look both gave her.

"It's a pleasure, Ikira," Dustin said and held out his hand to her, palm up.

She looked at it curiously, then at Damian.

"You haven't taught her s.h.i.+t, have you?" Dustin asked Damian.

"Not the traditional greeting."

"Ikira, in our time, an oracle greeted all visitors to the king's palace to a.s.sess their loyalties to her king. Visitors held out their hands like this," he said, indicating his outstretched hand. "It's a sign of the ultimate respect. The visitor is giving you an open invitation to his soul. You have the option to touch me or not."

She braced herself and placed her palm against his. His memories were much like Damian's: fuzzy home videos with no sense of his future. She removed her hand. Dustin a.s.sessed her in silence for a few seconds, and she had the feeling his sharp gaze missed nothing.

"You're better off than when I saw you last," he said at last and turned to Damian. "You got time to talk, BFF?"

Sofia hid a smile at the term of endearment issued from one rock of a man to another.

"Yep. Before we do, I need to discuss something with both of you. Come."

He motioned them both down the hall and into his private study.

"Pierre, stay."

Pierre obeyed and closed the doors behind him.

"How's Florida?" Damian asked, crossing to his desk.

"Good. Looking forward to Christmas."

"Don't expect anything from Jule. He'll never remember Christmas. I already ordered your present."

"That's why I like you better."

"Dusty likes presents," Damian explained, glancing at her.

"Good presents," Dustin clarified. "None of that s.h.i.+t you gave me last year."

"You don't get to pick. A present's a present."

Sofia sat in one of the plush chairs, legs pulled to her chest, and watched their brotherly exchange. Dustin didn't look like the kind of man who would like anything, let alone presents. She glanced towards the door, mind on what she'd learned earlier.

Claire. Darian was silent, his voice almost too hushed to make out.

Damian dropped an envelope on the table in front of her.

"There are traitors on the council," Damian started. "Our European front has been growing progressively weaker the past hundred years. They know what they shouldn't about our capabilities and our weaknesses. Jule's going crazy trying to keep up."

He pulled photos from the envelope as he spoke. Dustin began sorting through them. She didn't want to look, sensing she'd met a source of their issues already.

"Sofia, Han tells me you've gotten quite good at reading people."

She said nothing.

"The quarterly council meeting is tonight. You'll get to meet all my council members."

Dread trickled through her.

"You can tell me who the traitors are."

"Is this what oracles do?" she forced herself to ask.

"Oracles do many things, but this is one of them," Dustin responded. "It's unfortunate you don't have a mentor to show you more about your talents. The ability for you to determine a traitor from a loyalist is one of your most valuable talents. It's also what makes people hate oracles."

"People hate oracles?" she repeated, distraught.

"Let me rephrase - people fear oracles. It's a good thing. The more people fear you, the less they'll f.u.c.k with you."

She rested her chin on her knees, gazing at Damian.

"You'll identify the traitors," Damian continued.

"Then we take them out back and - " Dustin ran his finger across his throat.

Sofia gripped her throat with one hand.

"You kill them?" she whispered, horrified.

"Bad people," Damian said. "People who would kill you. People like Czerno. Dusty takes care of these kinds of people."

"Yep," Dusty agreed.

She shuddered as the distant sensation of burning returned. If any man deserved death, it was Czerno. But did any man deserve death? And if she told Damian who to kill, did that make her worse than them? Her eyes slid to Dustin as she tried to reconcile the executioner with the man who liked presents. She met Damian's gaze.

"Ours is not a pretty world, kiri," he said firmly. "This is what you are."

It wasn't the rea.s.surance she hoped for.

Stop Claire, Darian all but demanded.

Their plan made sense, as ugly as it was. Who better to weed out traitors than the one who could see them for what they were?

"I wanted to see if you're to the point where you don't need human touch," he said, gesturing to the pictures.

She shook her head. She leapt up and closed the door behind her, turmoil in her breast. She didn't belong in the human world anymore, and yet, she couldn't just dump it. Her thoughts darkened and returned to Toby and Jake.

No, she could never become as cold and accepting of death as the men around her, even if they were at war with a monster like Czerno.

But it's my fate.

Damian's gaze lingered on the door after the oracle fled. Something more than Dusty killing bad guys was upsetting her.

"Wanna visit the sector?" he asked, turning his attention to Dusty. "I'll show you what Rainy's guys found."

"Yeah."

He held out his hand, and Dusty clasped his wrist, allowing him to transport them both to Tucson Sector HQ. They appeared in the quiet living room, turning at the startled gasp.

Rainy's Natural, a beautiful woman with mocha skin and blue eyes, leapt up from her seat.

"No worries, Traci," Damian said, seeing her panicked look. She'd been there for about two months, not yet enough time to acclimate to the Guardians.