Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [40]
“Why?” Marielle blinked when a bright light flashed.
“It came out well enough, I think.” Robby turned the camera to show them.
She had a glimpse of her startled face next to Gregori’s before he grabbed the camera for a closer look. “Thanks, Marielle. My mom’s gonna love this.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet her.” Marielle sighed. “And I’m truly sorry about your friend Shanna. I hope you know I would never purposely harm anyone.”
Robby gave her a skeptical look. “Ye’re an angel of death. No offense, but I would call that a wee bit of harm.”
“We’re called Deliverers, actually. And we’re not supposed to take someone before their time.”
“How does that work?” Gregori lifted his camera, focusing on her. “I mean, do you just go down a line, saying, ‘Eenie meenie mynie moe, sorry, dude, you gotta go’?”
“Excuse me?” She squinted her eyes as the camera flashed. Tiny lights sparkled in front of her.
“What the hell are ye doing?” Connor’s voice boomed from the back of the cabin.
Her heart warmed at the sound of his voice.
“Oh, now there’s a pretty smile.” Gregori snapped another photo of her.
She shook her head as she glanced toward Connor. Flickering lights danced around him as he walked through the kitchen followed by the priest.
“Hey, we should make a video,” Gregori suggested. “We could put her in a white silk choir robe and call it Visitation by an Angel.” He turned to her, his eyes bright with excitement. “Can you do any sort of supernatural tricks?”
“Bloody hell, she’s no’ a circus performer.” Connor grabbed something off the kitchen counter.
“It would be the hottest thing ever on the Internet,” Gregori announced.
“Ye’re no’ marketing an angel!” Connor took aim and threw.
“Hey!” Gregori jumped to the side. “Would you stop throwing coasters at me? I’m not talking about making money off her.”
“That’s a relief,” Father Andrew said dryly. “I was about to excommunicate you.”
Gregori scoffed. “I’m talking about doing something good for mankind. Imagine how awesome everyone would feel if they knew all that holy stuff was real.”
“Stuff?” Father Andrew muttered. “Four years of giving sermons, and that’s what I get back? Holy stuff ?”
Robby chuckled.
Gregori rolled his eyes. “I meant heaven and God stuff. Don’t you think it would give people some badly needed comfort and reassurance if they saw Marielle?”
“No!” She shook her head. “Please! You mustn’t tell anyone about me.”
“What?” Gregori gave her an incredulous look. “Don’t you want people to believe?”
“It wouldn’t be belief if you make my presence known,” Marielle insisted. “That would ruin everything.”
“She’s right.” Father Andrew strode toward them and stopped on the far side of the couch. “People have to believe by faith. If you prove her existence, then everyone would accept her as fact.”
Marielle nodded. “And they would lose their free will. Our Father wants us to . . . choose.” Her throat constricted with a sudden itchy, desperate feeling. She was the last being on Earth who should lecture about making choices. She’d made the wrong ones, and now she was paying the penalty.
“Are ye all right?” Connor’s eyes narrowed.
She opened her mouth to speak, but choked. She coughed, gasped for air, then coughed some more. And more.
She felt a twinge of panic for she no longer had control over her new body. Tears leaked from her eyes. That was strange. Why did a cough cause her to cry?
Connor pressed a bottle of water into her hand. “Drink.”
She sipped some water, then coughed some more, though not as badly. “I don’t know what happened.” She wiped the tears from her face.
“Don’t worry.” Father Andrew smiled as he sat on the couch. “It happens to everybody.”
She sipped more water. Good heavens, now her nose was leaking.
Connor handed her a white tissue.
She dabbed at her nose, but the leak didn’t stop.
Connor stepped in front of her and whispered, “Ye need to blow.”
Blow? She took a deep breath and blew air toward her nose.
His mouth twitched. He took the tissue from her hand and placed it over her nose. “Blow out yer nose, lass.”