bed. “I still have more in me,” he murmured against her lips. “I’m thinking another decade will suit us just fine.” He kissed her with an intensity that stole her breath, only to growl as someone knocked on the door. “Fuck off,” he said by way of greeting.
She would have chastised him for the rudeness, except she felt similarly.
“The council knows about Elizabeth’s pregnancy,” Ezekiel replied through the door. “And she’s gone missing.”
Sethios froze on top of Caro, causing her to frown. “Who’s Elizabeth?” A jolt zapped her heart. “And why is she pregnant?” She’d felt Sethios’s pain at what his father had done to him, how he’d attempted to coerce him into performing sexually when his body refused to allow it. But what if—
“She’s our daughter’s best friend,” he said, cutting off her concern. “She’s pregnant with Jedrick’s child, not mine.” Those last two words were growled down at her. “Osiris never succeeded. He couldn’t. I’ve always been—and always will be—yours.” He punctuated that statement with a kiss that left her panting upon completion, his smoldering irises holding an intensity that healed her heart immediately.
Until all of his words processed. “Who’s Jedrick?”
“A Hydraian Elder. He actually goes by Jayson now, but I know him as Jedrick.”
She frowned. “And he’s... procreated?”
“Yes, with a genetically engineered Seraphim. My father created her to help him breed my replacement. Apparently, I’ve disappointed him as a son,” Sethios drawled, rolling off of her to open the door. She quickly pulled the sheets up to cover her breasts, but he stood completely nude and uncaring before Ezekiel. “How long has she been missing?”
“About thirty minutes,” Ezekiel replied, unbothered by Sethios’s nudity. Their friendship transcended millennia. Caro doubted many secrets remained between them. “Stark called Leela as soon as Skye predicted the child’s birth. She said the council intends to kill the child.”
Sethios grimaced. “She saw that?”
“No. But she’s a Fate. So if she prophesied the child’s birth, so did the others. And she knows the council will never allow the baby to survive.”
“Wait, back up.” Sethios narrowed his gaze at the male in the doorway. “Skye’s a Fate?”
Caro frowned. “She’s a Seraphim?” She’d never met the female but knew about her ability to see the future and predict destinies. Ezekiel and Gabriel had never mentioned her being a Seraphim. She’d just assumed the woman was an Ichorian, turned by Osiris.
“Yes. The council removed her wings when she refused to cooperate with their guidelines.” Ezekiel went on to explain her punishment and how she’d used it to escape, which was when Osiris had learned of her existence and tasked Ezekiel with tracking her down.
Sethios folded his arms. “And you’ve known this since the beginning?”
His best friend nodded. “She asked me not to say anything. It wasn’t the right time.”
“But now it is,” Caro said before Sethios could reply. “Because we’ve already started to figure out that the Fates are not actually working for the council but against them.”
Both men stared at her.
Their blank expressions told her that maybe that wasn’t right. Or perhaps they hadn’t pieced it together yet.
“The Fates have provided prophecies that they’ve allowed the council to interpret without any sort of direction. Like the prophecy about Astasiya being the one to destroy us all—the High Council of Seraph believes it’s in relation to Osiris’s abominations. But what if it isn’t?” Caro continued, telling them about her escape and her healing power awakening, how that couldn’t be a coincidence.
“The Fates have given us the tools we need to survive,” she concluded. “And I think it’s because they want us to succeed.”
“In what? Taking down the council?” Sethios asked.
“Yes,” Skye said from the hallway. “To provoke change.”
“You couldn’t have provided that information forty minutes ago?” Gabriel’s irritated tone came from behind Ezekiel, the three of them obviously standing in the doorway, but Caro could only see Sethios’s best friend.
“I told you they want change,” Skye replied.
“That’s a broad statement.”
“That is now better defined. You’re welcome.” She sounded so prim and proper, like a queen seated upon a throne accepting the gratitude of her people. “Ezekiel. They need to go now.”
“They need to get dressed first, darling,” Ezekiel replied.
“Where are we going?” Sethios asked, his arms still folded.
“Hydria,” Gabriel replied. “Leela was shot in the head, but the Hydraian healer is helping her recover so she can tell us what happened.”
Caro frowned. “How is she helping? We’re immune to their gifts.” Unless something had changed during her time in the reformation chamber?
“Vera etched a rune into