Page 62 of Rise of the Queen

“No, the black is the one that I can control the most,” she said. She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, they were just as black as they had been at the restaurant. I couldn’t help but laugh at Vitaliy’s shocked expression when he saw them. I walked to her, wrapping my arm around her waist.

“That’s not even the scariest one, Vitaliy. But it is very effective,” I said. She looked up at me and I watched the black fade into the background as the blue took over. I smiled at her, pointing back toward my father. She looked at him and I explained that blue meant she loved me. He stood up to get a closer look.

“Your eyes normally have that blue color, but where are the other two colors?” he asked.

“That’s how it started. The brown took over the other two and turned dark. Then the other two colors started taking over for different emotions. The only one that’s completely different is when she’s scared,” I said. “It’s the only emotion she struggles to contain.”

Vitaliy was clearly impressed. “Battista was completely in awe. He wouldn’t shut up after you left, honestly.” He looked slightlyamused, but also slightly perturbed. “He’ll do anything you need him to do from now on. He just asks that you help him with your unique set of skills when he needs them.”

I could feel Sephie’s slight bit of worry. “How often is he going to need them?”

Vitaliy chuckled. “He won’t take advantage. He’s a very capable businessman in his own right, but he occasionally runs into people he needs help with. That woman being one of them. He said he has more information on the mayor as well. He would like to meet again tomorrow. Only at his house this time.”

“Why his house? Why not the zoo?” Sephie asked, trying to hide her smile.

Vitaliy laughed. “It’s going to be a very interesting discussion, malishka. It’s not meant for everyone to hear.”

We arrived at Battista’s house the following afternoon. We were all somewhat on edge, as we didn’t know quite what to expect from meeting at his house instead of the restaurant, but Vitaliy assured us it would be fine. He still only brought Aleksei with him, just as he had the night before with Stephen’s sisters, which I found odd.

We were shown to a large study. The woman who showed us to the room informed us Battista had gotten a phone call right before we arrived. He was finishing up and would be in shortly. We were all quiet as we waited on him.

He walked in, obviously rushed, a few minutes later. “My apologies. Unexpected phone call, but it pertains to what I’m about to tell you, so I needed to take it,” Battista said, gettingright to business. He looked at me and Sephie, then to Vitaliy, who had a bit of an unreadable smirk on his face. “You still haven’t said a word to them about any of it, have you?” Battista asked Vitaliy.

Vitaliy grunted. “No, I haven’t. You explain it better anyway. You know more than I do.”

I immediately felt Sephie stiffen, as well as saw each one of the guys sit up a little straighter. We did not like surprises.

Battista noticed the shift in mood in the room. He waved his hand flippantly in front of him. “No one is in danger. At least not yet. But this conversation might be difficult to believe,” he said. He looked at me, as he started to explain. “You’re aware your father has very powerful contacts around the world?” he asked. I nodded. He inhaled deeply, contemplating how to phrase what he was about to say. “They’re more powerful than you might think. Some of them are fighting wars that normal people know nothing about. There are dark forces that are vying for the destruction of humanity. There’s a small group of us who are fighting against that. We have a few people, with gifts like your father, who are helping, but I’ve never met so many gifted people in one place until Vitaliy brought you to me.” He looked at all the guys. “I’m aware that you all have gifts as well, but I don’t know specifics. I know she’s trying to keep the focus on her to protect you all, but I saw the subtle signs that you’re helping her.”

“What do you want from us?” I asked. I didn’t have a bad feeling about this, but I still pulled Sephie closer to me after hearing what Battista said.

“It’s not what we want from you. It’s more what we’d like to give you. We want to help. You don’t realize how dangerous Ricardo De Luca is. Or the Colombian,” he snapped his fingers, like he couldn’t remember a name.

“Martin,” Sephie said. Battista pointed to her, silently grateful for the assist. “They’ve both made deals with everlasting consequences, haven’t they?” she asked.

Battista looked at her, wide-eyed. “You know?”

“Not everything. Just that those two are the keys to all of this that’s going on.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sephie

Battista took a deep breath.“There are unseen forces in the world influencing humanity. Think of it like a game, if you will. Your job, in each lifetime, is to figure out how best to defeat the evil forces that prey upon humans. Much like the young women last night. Again, I don’t know details, but I’m fairly certain they’re being controlled by outside forces.” He was looking at me as he was talking. I saw his eyes go wide, which likely meant my eyes had turned dark. He put his hands up in front of him, like he was trying to calm me. “I’m in no way defending them or their actions. It’s only to illustrate my point. People sometimes unconsciously agree to accepting these unseen forces. They give them control because they’re too weak to do it themselves. Once you’ve accepted evil, it’s very difficult to get rid of, unless you’re a very special person. Those women were not, for the record.” He looked from me to the rest of the guys. “You gentlemen, and lady, however, are.”

“How do you know this?” Adrik asked.

“Because we’ve been waiting for you. The powerful people I’m connected to and your father is connected to …” he paused for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. “We’re from very old family lines that have been keeping an eye on humanity fora very long time. We try to stay out of most of it, only stepping in when necessary. But we’re watching everything. We’ve known about Ricardo for years. He made his deal very early in his life. Martin did too, but he’s so much younger that his deal was only recently made.”

“What kind of deal?” Adrik asked. I could feel him starting to get uneasy about the subject. I grabbed his hand, my fingers playing lightly with his. “And what do everlasting consequences mean?”

Battista looked at me, a coy smile on his face. “I’d still like to know how you knew about that, but that’s a conversation for another time.” He took a breath, once again contemplating how to say what needed to be said. “Some people try to game the game, if you will. Rather than working to better themselves or learning the lessons they need to learn, and signed up to learn, let the record reflect, they find demons that are willing to make deals. It sounds great to the person, but the consequences are, well, horrific.”

“Like selling your soul? Is that what you mean? I thought that was just a phrase people said,” Misha said.

“It is, but it’s also a real thing. Like I said, there are unseen forces at work in this world that most people know nothing about. The ones who do, either realize the danger they pose, or are greedy and want to try and use them to their benefit. That never works out well,” Battista said.

Adrik chuckled, his hold on me tightening briefly. I didn’t need to search his eyes to know where his mind went. “Ricardo got a raw deal then. If he was promised greatness, his demon oversold and underdelivered.”