Page 54 of Blood Bonds
“It’s our bloodline,” she replied. “We’ve spent too much time around humans.”
“Your son said your line isn’t tied to humanity.”
“Not directly, no. But we’ve spent thousands of years interacting with them.” She lifted her head to gaze at him. “Our ability to conceal our auras marks us as prominent messengers. We are the ones chosen to deliver news and warnings to humans; it’s why humanity commonly refers to us as guardian angels.”
His eyebrows rose. “You warn humans?”
“Of course. At least, those who show promise.” She smiled. “It’s not frequent by any means, but we’ve been known to interfere on occasion. Well, not me or Gabriel specifically, but our ancestors.”
Fascinating. There was still so much Sethios didn’t understand about her kind and their impact on the world. “So Gabriel shares your line and his father’s gift for war, but what about you? What is your second line?”
“My mother has the gift to heal any ailment, but it has never stirred inside of me. That happens sometimes, where bloodlines remain dormant and never prosper.” Her gaze took on a faraway glint.
“The seers predicted I would need it one day,” she continued. “That’s why my mother was chosen to birth me, but I’ve yet to require a need for it. Nor have I ever felt a link to that ability, so they likely prophesied incorrectly, or the reason never came to fruition.”
“Or it has something to do with our future child,” Sethios murmured. “Because it would pass to her, yes?”
Caro considered, her brow furrowing. “Potentially, but with your father’s bloodline running prominently through you, I imagine those gifts will trump mine. Osiris is the Seraphim of Life and Resurrection. He’s considered one of the most powerful beings in our history.”
“What about his gift for persuasion?” Caro kept mentioning resurrection while ignoring the far more lethal ability his father exuded. “Is that from a different line?” He knew nothing about his grandparents, thanks to his maker’s cryptic nature.
Caro blinked at him. “Osiris can resurrect any breathing being—not just humans—and his blood is one of the ancient lines. It’s not about compulsion so much as his will. If he desires something to happen, he can force it.”
Sethios frowned. “Right, but how does that tie to resurrection?”
“He controls life,” she replied. “While he is known for his ability to resurrect, his line controls all facets of the life cycle. As do you.”
She said it so casually, as if that sort of power wasn’t a mind-blowing revelation.
Oh, you control life.
Good to know.
“Does that mean my father can kill a Seraphim?”
“Hypothetically, yes. And there are rumors that he has, which is what provoked his exile. However, I wasn’t alive when the council issued their edict, so it is all conjecture.”
“Knowing what I do about my father, I’d say it’s likely true.”
“I agree,” she murmured.
“So my grandparents must be even more powerful, right? Can they be used to control Osiris?”
She stared at him as if he’d said something completely insane. “Your father is the eldest of his line. There is no one above him, Sethios. He just is.”
Now it was his turn to gape at her. “How was he created?”
“The ancient ones came to be by unknown means, presumably by the gods. Osiris and Gabriel’s father, Adriel, are original Seraphim. There are no beings above them. That’s part of why I believe the council allowed Osiris so much free rein—they do not wish to destroy an ancient being. Or perhaps, they can’t.”
“But Skye prophesied his demise.”
“Through our child,” she replied. “Yes.”
His heart froze as the implications of it all weighed over his spirit and mind. “Your seers seek to use our progeny. That’s why they want you to raise the child among them—so they can control the future.”
Her responding expression didn’t register shock or dismay, suggesting she’d already drawn the same conclusion.
“They plan to use our baby to either defeat Osiris or to prevent some alternate outcome,” he added, his voice thickening with a foreign emotion—the need to protect. “We can’t allow that, Caro. What kind of life would it be?”
