Free Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) by W.J. May Page A

you.”
    “A little.” He
smiled, his eyes flashing.
    “Why do you all
have the exact same eye color?”
    Michael glanced
at the pendant around my neck. “Caleb figures when we die, our
blood loses its oxygen. Blood turns blue without oxygen.”
    Like our veins.
“You don’t age? If you’ve been around for a hundred and forty years
and Caleb’s been around for, like, forever…”
    “You remain the
age you were at the time of your death.”
    “But you and
Grace are so young.”
    “Long story.”
He checked his watch again. “Too long to get into tonight.”
    I planted my
legs and crossed my arms. This was way too fascinating to have him
just tell me a little and say it’s time to go. “I’m not finished. I
have more questions.” I hadn’t even started to scratch the surface.
“What’s with Caleb?”
    Michael began
pushing the logs around in the fire with a cast iron stick, trying
to get it to die down. “He’s an original of the Coven.”
    “Coven?” I
sounded like a parrot. It sounded like some vampire story. Next
he’d be telling me they existed as well.
    “Kind of like
royalty…original bloodlines. That’s another very complicated story.
There are not many of his kind. He’s extremely powerful and much
respected in our world. No one crosses him. He’s monumental to all
of us.” Michael shook his head, his hair falling forward. “We
really need to get back to the house. I didn’t take my phone and
Caleb’s bugging Grace now.”
    “Fine.” I
grabbed my shawl off the couch. “We’ll go, but you’re driving
slowly. I have a million questions.”
    Michael smiled.
“I’ve a feeling they’re never going to end.” He killed the fire and
we left.
    My brain
wouldn’t stop humming as we drove. “If you and Grace were together
when you… when you…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Did Caleb
find you after?”
    Michael focused
on the road, his tanned knuckles white as he squeezed the wheel.
“Sarah found us. We had no idea what was happening, but she knew.”
He was silent for a moment, either concentrating on the stop light,
or reliving what happened. He cleared his throat. “Caleb met Sarah
a bunch of years later, after she’d adopted us. He saw her and
immediately gave her his Siorghra . She did the same without
question. They were simply drawn to each other. Caleb had been
alone before he met her. She was his first.”
    I stared at my
Spartacus sitting so close, but seeming from another world. There
was so much information to sort through. It didn’t scare me, but
rather fascinated me. It was like I’d been waiting all my life for
him. I’d never fit in anywhere and this all made sense, like it was
a part of me or my ancestry. I don’t know why I felt the ties, but
another part of me was horrified at the thought. What I did
understand: I wanted to wear Michael’s Siorghra more than
anything. It also made me wish I had one to give him.
    We pulled into
the driveway and walked silently to the house. Doubt began to fill
my head. What if his family was angry I knew their secret? What
would Caleb say? Michael took my hand and pulled me closer to
him as we reached the front steps.
    Brushing close,
his silk skin touched mine and I groaned. “I need to change. I
can’t talk to your family wearing this.”
    Inside, Michael
led me straight upstairs.
    “I gotta
change, too.” He kissed my forehead and turned toward his room.
“Take your time. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
    I walked into
Grace’s empty room. Changing into a pair of jeans and plain long
sleeve top, I kept Michael’s Siorghra on and slipped it
inside my shirt. Time to head into the lion’s den.
    First, I needed
to pee. I slipped into the bathroom.
    “You okay?”
    I nearly jumped
ten feet when Grace spoke. I switched light on. She sat on the
counter, her bare feet swinging in the air.
    “You scared the
heck out of me!” My heart felt ready to explode, and there she sat,
all chipper and smiley. “Why’re you