Sorry for not posting a new chapter while I was sleeping. Man, if only I could be awake while I'm sleeping, I could surely get some work done. :-P
Anywho, since I am just so terrified of you LJ (well, maybe he will give the other girl something worse...OR maybe she will give him something...if you get my drift), I am posting a new chapter NOW...
FYI...this is six months or so after Christmas.
Chapter 21
“It’s sad, you know.” Joe and I sat down at a table in Baskin Robins.
“What’s sad?” He had in his hands a cup with four scoops of ice-cream and a sugar cone on top.
“Ice-cream just doesn’t taste as good as it did before.” He pouted, which only served to make me laugh.
“So, why’d you order so much, then?” He shrugged and started eating. That’s when I felt the shift. “Uh-oh. We may have a problem.”
“You felt it too?” Apparently, Joe felt the shift as well. “What does it mean?” He put his spoon down.
“Samar.”
“But I thought she would be…”
“She is supposed to be. She must have gotten out somehow. This cannot happen now. You’re not ready.” I started to panic.
“She got to someone on the council.” We were approached by a tall, thin man with gray hair. I recognized him immediately.
“Jeremiah.” I sighed. Joe looked back and forth between the two of us. “Jeremiah, Joe. Joe, Jeremiah.”
“Hi, I’m…” Joe began. Jeremiah held up a hand.
“I know who and what you are. I am head of the Council.”
“Who did she get to? And why does it feel like the world as we know it is over?” Jeremiah sat down at the table with us.
“It might very well be. She got to Marshal.”
“Great. She just HAD to join forces with the one who practices black magic.” I rolled my eyes.
“Black magic?” Joe jumped in.
“She found out that Joseph has become your Beloved.” I was shocked. Beloveds hadn’t happened since my parents. Thousands of years ago. This had to be impossible.
“But I didn’t turn him. How…”
“You bit him, correct?” I nodded. “And he bit you, did he not?” I nodded again. “And at the exact same time, no less.” Could this really be possible? “I know it seems impossible to you, but I speak the truth.” Holy cow.
“Beloved? Nisha and I are…?” Joe asked.
“Why does Samar care? For that matter, why does Marshal care?”
“She had intentions on making Joseph HER Beloved. Apparently, she plans to…” I cut Jeremiah off.
“Please tell me you’re joking.” Sadly, Jeremiah shook his head. Suddenly, I felt sick. I slumped back in the chair.
“Will SOMEBODY please explain to me what is going on?” Joe jumped in, sounding frustrated.
“Joseph, Samar—Nisha’s sister, planned on making you her Beloved. Her eternal mate.”
“Yeah, I know all about Beloveds.” Joe snapped.
“Well, the council decided she needed to be disciplined for breaking our code where you’re concerned, so she was sentenced to a millennia in purgatory. Nisha was sent to help you. At some point in time, the two of you exchanged blood, and became Beloveds. Samar intends on reclaiming you. This means she will have to eradicate Nisha.”
“Eradicate…as in…”
“She has to kill me, Joe.” I jumped in, probably a little louder than I should have. The lady behind the counter gave us a weird look. I lowered my voice. “In order to reclaim you as her Beloved, she has to do away with your current one. And that is apparently me.”
“She can’t do that.” Joe said angrily. “Can’t the Council do anything?”
“We don’t plan on letting Samar do that, Joseph. But it requires us taking both of you into hiding.” I shook my head.
“Joe can’t do that. He’s got obligations and a very public career.”
“We can always take just you into hiding.” Jeremiah offered.
“And leave Joe to fend for himself against Samar…I think not.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I have to call her out.”
“As in challenge her?” I nodded to Joe’s question. “But you just said she has this guy Marshal who does black magic. You can’t…”
“No, this might work. According to prophesy, the two Beloveds can take on anyone and be victorious.” I shook my head.
“No. It’s me and Samar. Joe’s nowhere near ready to face off ANYONE…”
“You can’t do this by yourself.” Both Joe and Jeremiah butted in. Men.
“The Council can call session, and Marshal will have to go. Then that leaves Samar on her own. I can call her out then.” Jeremiah seemed to contemplate the idea.
“He’s very powerful. There’s no telling what he could do, even from a Council meeting. But this may be the only option.”
“Wait, what? No way in hell are you doing this, Nisha.” Joe said, taking my hand in his. “You can’t do this on your own. I won’t let you.”
“Let me?” I scoffed.
“That’s right, let you. You can’t fight your sister to the death. You cringe when you kill a spider. How are you supposed to face off your own sister?” Hell, I hadn’t thought of that. “See, I can tell you’re already having second thoughts. Let me help you.”
“Joe, you’ve come a long way in just a year. But you’re not ready to fight anyone…not like this…not like I know it will be. I have to do this on my own.”
“Here and now is not the place for this conversation.” Jeremiah said, standing. “We will continue it at a later time. I will find you.” I nodded. Then he left.
“We are not done discussing this.” Joe said, throwing his ice-cream away.
