66

                                    

                                          

BRAN 
"You called for me."
Bran's eyes flitted to the oracle. 
Unlike the last time when she'd just appeared in the room like she owned the fucking place, she walked in this time, her obscenely long gown trailing a long line behind her. 
He turned his eyes to the cup in his hand and shook it, watching the red liquid swirl inside. "I did," he told her and, in a flash, emptied the content of the cup in his mouth and slammed it down on the coffee table in front of him, rising. "Why didn't you tell me that she's my mate?"
The room turned silent. So silent that if a pin were to drop to the ground, they would have been able to hear and locate the exact spot where it fell. It was a loaded silence, filled with unsaid words.
Words that were going to change Bran's life completely. 
If they hadn't already. 
When Bran had woken up that day—after Maria had killed him and miraculously brought him back to life—an alien feeling of power had filled him. It had been almost too much for him to contain and it was like it possessed his body and his movements weren't his own anymore. 
It had forced his eyes open and when they opened, he'd been greeted to the sight of an angel.
White flowing gown that reached her ankles, black long hair, beautiful golden skin and a devastatingly beautiful face with a heartbroken expression on it, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears had hurt him and he'd wanted to do everything he could to get her to stop crying. An angel as lovely as her shouldn't be crying. She deserved to have all the good things in the world. 
There had been a halo of light around her, making her appear brighter and lovelier in his eyes and he'd been so certain that she was an angel. His vampire instincts had suddenly come alive, screaming to him that she was his mate and for the first time in his two-hundred-and-fifty-six years of life, Bran had felt his heart beat a new rhythm in excitement. 
He'd found his mate!
He was pretty sure he'd even whispered it. 
But then the angel had taken a step closer to him and Bran had seen that it was Maria. 
Then the ever welcome hands of unconsciousness had pulled him back in. 
"What would have been the fun in that?" The oracle finally responded, amusement in her voice and words. 
Bran stood with his back to her but on hearing those words, he turned and faced her. There was a small vacant smile stretching her lips, a light of amusement in her eyes. Did she think that it was funny?
She thought that this was a game? 
"You think this is fucking funny?" He snapped. 
Her smile vanished and her eyes flashed. "Watch your tone, Your Majesty," she warned as dark, violent magic swirled around her, giving Bran pause. "Do not raise your voice at me."
Shit.
Shit.
Fucking shit.
"Amelia," Bran hissed, using the oracle's given name, something he didn't usually do. "You must understand why this new discovery has me reeling."
"I do and it's fun to watch." The oracle said breezily, the angry expression on her face disappearing in a flash and giving way to a cunning smile. The woman's mood changed like whiplash and it was impossible to keep up with it if one tried.
Seeing that she was laughing when he was going through crisis, had Bran's anger spiking again and he turned away from her, plowing his fingers through his hair, yanking on them.