Read Online Moonlight(Pact Arcanum 3) by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Free Book Online
Authors: Arshad Ahsanuddin
Ads: Link
unreadable expression. “What kind of problem, Speaker Layla?”
“Are you aware that your younger brother and I were in a relationship?” Layla asked as she interlaced her fingers.
“Yes,” Faith replied. “He came by yesterday and told me. He said you broke up. And he told me why.”
“Indeed.” Layla steeled her composure at the obvious challenge. “I have since discovered that I am pregnant.”
Faith gave her a long, measuring look. Then she frowned at Nick. “Is this some kind of joke?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. We’re still trying to figure out how it happened.”
“In the usual way, I imagine,” said Faith. She looked at Layla. “Didn’t the two of you take precautions?”
“No. There was no need,” Layla said. “We are immune to disease, and no vampire mating has been fertile in recorded history.”
Faith narrowed her eyes. “But it wasn’t a vampire mating, was it? It was a vampire/Sentinel mating. Have there been many of those since the start of the Armistice?”
Layla looked at her thoughtfully. “No. There is too much prejudice on either side. Matings between vampires and humans, or Sentinels and humans, are not uncommon, but to the best of my knowledge, there are only three vampire/Sentinel unions in the Armistice. Nicholas and Jeremy, Sean and Takeshi, are the only other cross-species metahuman mates that I know of.”
“What are you thinking, Faith?” Nick asked.
Faith looked at him. “You once said that Daywalkers can’t create new scions. Maybe they were just going about it the wrong way.”
“Be that as it may,” Layla said impatiently. “We wish to know what we can expect from this event, based on human experience.”
Faith focused all of her attention on the Daywalker. “May I ask you a personal question, Layla?”
“You may.”
“Have you told Toby, yet?”
Layla raised her head proudly. “I will tell him when I have complete information. Until then, it is a private matter, and I would have it remain so.”
Faith nodded. “All right. We’ll start with an ultrasound and go from there.”
CHAPTER 8
May 2042; Armistice Security Headquarters, Anchorpoint City, Colorado; Four weeks later
Nick looked down at the crystal chalice, following the runes with his eyes. “I’m impressed, Rory. You do good work. Are you sure the crystal matrix is aligned correctly?”
Rory slumped in his chair, exhausted. “Absolutely. The entire chalice is an unbroken carbon lattice.”
Take’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying that you made it out of diamond?”
Rory shook his head. “Natural diamonds have flaws. I constructed this one atom by atom to have a perfectly complete structure. The technique was lost when the founders slaughtered the Artificers back in the First Age, to prevent any further attempts to invoke the Pact Arcanum.”
“And now we plan to start the whole thing back up again,” Nick said bitterly.
Rory grimaced. “When we’re done here, I will destroy this one, and I’m the only person who still retains the knowledge of how to create them. The secret will be safe with me.”
“Then, we might as well get it over with,” said Nick. He picked up the chalice and set it down on the coffee table. He slashed his wrist with one talon and then directed the flow of blood into the bowl of the chalice until it was half-full. He healed the tear in his wrist and raised the chalice with both hands. Softly, he chanted the words of power he had stolen from Luscian’s memories, working the complex spell forms in his mind. The chalice blazed with multicolored light as he intoned the ancient spell. When he completed the invocation, he lifted the chalice to his lips and drank the mystically charged blood. After draining the chalice, he raised it again over his head, while he felt the spell wrap around him. Quickly but carefully, he recited the final incantation. His muscles went limp as he collapsed, paralyzed. The chalice fell to the floor and rolled
“Are you aware that your younger brother and I were in a relationship?” Layla asked as she interlaced her fingers.
“Yes,” Faith replied. “He came by yesterday and told me. He said you broke up. And he told me why.”
“Indeed.” Layla steeled her composure at the obvious challenge. “I have since discovered that I am pregnant.”
Faith gave her a long, measuring look. Then she frowned at Nick. “Is this some kind of joke?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. We’re still trying to figure out how it happened.”
“In the usual way, I imagine,” said Faith. She looked at Layla. “Didn’t the two of you take precautions?”
“No. There was no need,” Layla said. “We are immune to disease, and no vampire mating has been fertile in recorded history.”
Faith narrowed her eyes. “But it wasn’t a vampire mating, was it? It was a vampire/Sentinel mating. Have there been many of those since the start of the Armistice?”
Layla looked at her thoughtfully. “No. There is too much prejudice on either side. Matings between vampires and humans, or Sentinels and humans, are not uncommon, but to the best of my knowledge, there are only three vampire/Sentinel unions in the Armistice. Nicholas and Jeremy, Sean and Takeshi, are the only other cross-species metahuman mates that I know of.”
“What are you thinking, Faith?” Nick asked.
Faith looked at him. “You once said that Daywalkers can’t create new scions. Maybe they were just going about it the wrong way.”
“Be that as it may,” Layla said impatiently. “We wish to know what we can expect from this event, based on human experience.”
Faith focused all of her attention on the Daywalker. “May I ask you a personal question, Layla?”
“You may.”
“Have you told Toby, yet?”
Layla raised her head proudly. “I will tell him when I have complete information. Until then, it is a private matter, and I would have it remain so.”
Faith nodded. “All right. We’ll start with an ultrasound and go from there.”
CHAPTER 8
May 2042; Armistice Security Headquarters, Anchorpoint City, Colorado; Four weeks later
Nick looked down at the crystal chalice, following the runes with his eyes. “I’m impressed, Rory. You do good work. Are you sure the crystal matrix is aligned correctly?”
Rory slumped in his chair, exhausted. “Absolutely. The entire chalice is an unbroken carbon lattice.”
Take’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying that you made it out of diamond?”
Rory shook his head. “Natural diamonds have flaws. I constructed this one atom by atom to have a perfectly complete structure. The technique was lost when the founders slaughtered the Artificers back in the First Age, to prevent any further attempts to invoke the Pact Arcanum.”
“And now we plan to start the whole thing back up again,” Nick said bitterly.
Rory grimaced. “When we’re done here, I will destroy this one, and I’m the only person who still retains the knowledge of how to create them. The secret will be safe with me.”
“Then, we might as well get it over with,” said Nick. He picked up the chalice and set it down on the coffee table. He slashed his wrist with one talon and then directed the flow of blood into the bowl of the chalice until it was half-full. He healed the tear in his wrist and raised the chalice with both hands. Softly, he chanted the words of power he had stolen from Luscian’s memories, working the complex spell forms in his mind. The chalice blazed with multicolored light as he intoned the ancient spell. When he completed the invocation, he lifted the chalice to his lips and drank the mystically charged blood. After draining the chalice, he raised it again over his head, while he felt the spell wrap around him. Quickly but carefully, he recited the final incantation. His muscles went limp as he collapsed, paralyzed. The chalice fell to the floor and rolled
Similar Books
