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“Hi, Genevieve. I’m Kat. Please have a seat.”
She gestured to the small grassy space in front of her. Her voice was soft but husky.
I took a seat, mirroring her position. To my great dismay, she was even more beautiful up close. Creamy-pale skin with a dusting of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. Dark eyes, the same forbidding shade as Jude’s. However, instead of flecks of gold, the inky color of her irises was broken only by small slivers of moss green. A burning churned in my stomach.
“I’m Genevieve, but I guess you already know that.”
She smiled. “Jude asked me to come, to train you in what I know of the Vessel.”
I frowned. Her part American, part English accent was as lovely as she was. “I thought Jude would train me.”
She laughed, a full throaty sound. “Well, he doesn’t have, shall we say, what it takes to train the gifts of a Vessel. One needs a softer temperament to find that peaceful place.”
She smiled a secretive smile. The burning increased. How long had she known Jude? And in what capacity? Friend? Lover? Like it was any of my business. Still, I couldn’t help but hope they’d never been anything but platonic colleagues.
“So, what do we do?”
“Shall we start with questions? I’m sure you have quite a few.”
Questions? Are you kidding me? Like a billion.
“Wow, um, where should I start?”
I was actually flustered as I gathered my thoughts together.
“How did I become a Vessel? I mean, why me?”
“That I do not know, I’m afraid. We all have our roles to play in this world and the next. This is yours.”
Strike one.
“Okay. How many Vessels are there in the world?”
“At present, I am certain there are a minimum of six, maybe more.”
“Where do they live? Are most in the US or in Europe or where?”
“Actually, none of them live here on earth.”
“Excuse me?”
“They live in their demons’ realm. Not here.” Her voice dropped, a flicker of pain creased her brow before she went on. “The only time they surface is when possessed by their demon host. Now their demons reign over territories here. For instance, though I still don’t know his identity, I know that one high demon rules in New York, where I work.”
“As a Dominus Daemonum.”
“Yes.” She smiled again. “There are others in distant lands. You can bet that wherever there is disorder, chaos and war, a high demon probably rules there with a Vessel, if he has one.”
“But, I still don’t understand what it is a Vessel actually does. Why am I here? Other than being the target of every demon in the world, that is.”
“When a Vessel is fully awakened and has come into all of her power,” she started in a quiet voice, “she can use her gifts to destroy evil. Her visions of Sight can warn Flamma of Light. Her abilities as an empath can influence and manipulate the feelings and actions of others, including those of demons. Even more, she can banish demons to the farthest corners of hell.”
I gasped. “Like you? Like demon hunters?”
She nodded. “Yes, but without some of the drawbacks of our position.”
“Drawbacks such as?”
She flipped her braid and straightened her posture, her expression solemn. “The evil we fight can weigh us down over time.” She glanced away, obviously uncomfortable. “A Vessel would feel none of that.”
