Afterlight - Elle Jasper [37]
“There are many things in this world of which most mortals haven’t a clue exist,” said Gilles, directly by my side now. “Until it’s too late, of course.”
I turned my gaze on him, unable to do little more than stare. I then took in the room, the Dupré family, my Gullah friends. My brain was in overload and could take not another second more. I turned to Preacher. “I’ve got to get out of here.” He simply kept his gaze trained on me, wordless.
“We thought it may be too much at once,” said Gilles, his hands folded behind his back. The weighty expression on his face didn’t sit so well with me. “But there’s one more thing you should know.”
I looked at him. “What’s that?”
“You’ve a rare blood type, Riley Poe. Only the second mortal I’ve ever encountered with it in my entire existence.”
“I’m O positive,” I replied. “That’s not rare.”
He inclined his head. “Have you given any thought as to why so many of your brethren are with us today?”
Glancing quickly around the room, I shrugged. “Not really.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder, and every single Gullah took a step forward. Gilles smiled. “They’re here to protect you, child. Your blood type is especially rare . . . to us.”
“Gilles, stop scaring the girl,” said Elise, suddenly by his side. She looked at me and spoke freely for the first time. “Your Preacher has masked your blood potency for years,” she said softly. “You’re in no real danger here, chère, and your fellows are here because they love and cherish you. They’re just being cautious, and it is that fierce loyalty which has kept our families and the contract bound for centuries. And it shall remain that way.”
Preacher put his hand against the small of my back. “Your tea dat you drink every mornin’? It keeps your blood masked.”
I looked at him with wide eyes. “You’ve been drugging me?”
The corner of his mouth lifted, ever so slightly, in a smile only I recognized. “For your own good,” he said gently. “We’ve known of your powerful blood since you was a baby, right. Now, listen to him,” he said, inclining his head to Gilles. “Dere’s somethin’ we have to do for now.”
I nodded and gave my full attention to Gilles. “I’m listening.” Although I had a difficult time realizing that I was like a filet mignon to these guys.
Gilles clasped his hands in front of him. “The Arcoses will not be stopped easily. They will be difficult to find—as will your brother and his friends. They hide during the daylight and move through shadows in the darkness.”
I hadn’t thought about that. No wonder Riggs was acting so ridiculous in the shop.
“And I feel they are on more than a hunt. Retaliation in the end, no doubt.” He turned to me and studied my face with intensity. “You see, Victorian and Valerian are youths—all of twenty-one and twenty-two years—although extremely cunning and deadly. Their appearances will fool you—never trust them. Their faces are beautiful and innocent; their souls are damned. We will do everything in our power to lure them out of hiding, and we’ll need your help.”
Again, I nodded, even though everything Gilles was saying felt as though he was saying it to someone else, not me. “What can I do?”
“They’re building an army,” Gilles said gravely. “From our city’s youth—your brother included. It’s what they’d intended a hundred and fifty years ago, and it’s why they were entombed. They will seek out their troops and victims from the darkest dregs of the city. Now, times are more dangerous, and this time they shall be destroyed.” He inclined his head. “You know the