Read Online The Last Oracle by Delia Colvin - Free Book Online Page A

guard duty. They are taking the first shift.” Valeria noticed that Camille and Ava had blankets and pillows.
    “And you both are staying?” Valeria smiled.
    Ava put her arm around Camille and said, “Yep. I wanted to bring the popcorn and pizza, and then drink Alex’s wine. But Camille won’t let us.”
    Camille nodded. “As I said before, the bride needs her beauty rest. We have appointments for you all day tomorrow up until the actual wedding. So drink up your one glass, and then you need to get to get some sleep! You’ll find everything you need in the bedroom.”
    “But I’ve been away for so long and so much has happened. I want to spend more time with both of you!”
    “This weekend is about you and Alex. When all this mess with the council finally gets sorted out, we’ll have plenty of time to spend together.”
    Ava raised her glass. “To the Three Musketeers!”
    They clinked their glasses together and chatted for nearly thirty minutes until Camille glanced at her watch and told Ava and Valeria that it was time for the bride to go to bed.
    Valeria went into the bedroom. It had been so long since she had been here with Alex. It was the place where Alex had proposed to her. It was the bed where she would make love to him for the first time. If home was where your heart was—hers was with Alex. The memories of his love were here, in this beautiful cottage. She brushed her fingers over her lips…and realized that yes, his kisses still lingered.
    Out the window, next to the bed, she noticed a shadow that formed the perfect outline of her beautiful ginkgo tree, set against the backdrop of a billion brilliant stars...her tree...where they would be married tomorrow. Perfect, she thought. Then she brushed her teeth and washed her face and went into the walk-in closet. The room lit gently as she entered. She noticed a few items on her side of the closet—no doubt added by Camille, because months before, she had packed all of her clothes and left it empty. There was a cotton nightgown and soft robe. Instead, she pulled one of Alex’s T-shirts from a hanger and changed into it. Pulling the robe around her, she went back to the archway between the bedroom and great room.
    “Where are you two sleeping?”
    Camille smiled. “We tossed a coin and Ava’s sleeping on the floor. I get the couch.”
    Valeria furrowed her brow. “You don’t have to do that! You can sleep in your own beds.”
    Camille shook her head. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
    “What deal?”
    Ava popped her head up. “We knew you would want to be here in the cottage and not up at the main house. But Alex didn’t want you down here alone—and there was no way that Camille was going to permit that.” Camille shook her head sternly. “Alex said that someone had to be in here with you and we both wanted to come. He was going to sleep in his sleeping bag out back. But Camille told the guys that they needed to make sure Alex got some sleep, too.”
    “Don’t you think this is a bit of overkill—the guards at the entrance, an electrical fence, and the infrared? And now you two feel like you have to sleep in here with me, and the guys are sleeping outside?”
       “This has been in the works for a month. We want you safe! And our bride and groom need to be in good shape tomorrow…and especially, tomorrow night!” Camille added. Going to the kitchen, she filled a teapot with filtered water. “I’m going to fix you some Chamomile tea.”
    Ava plopped her feet up on the ottoman. “So you’re stuck with us tonight! Besides, I’m used to being on the catamaran for months at a time. So I’ve missed my air mattress,” Ava said.
    “I’m so glad you could be here, Ava! When did you fly in?”
    Ava’s face became suddenly guarded as she glanced toward Camille. Ava had been searching for years for Camille’s husband Jonah, who had disappeared almost 300 years before.
    Without glancing up, Camille answered matter-of-factly, as she