Exaltation (Insight #11)(60)
Raven smirked, lifted her chin. “Is that how it was with you and Berries? You regret him because my dad is perfect for you?”
“Raven, stop turning the conversation around. This is about you.”
“About kissing a boy twice, yeah, but seriously, you and Dad side by side for all this time and the first time we see you guys embrace was when you thought we were in danger? What’s up with that? Why the G rated business.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Must be,” Raven said, as she darted her brows up twice to try and get her to laugh.
No such luck.
“Listen, what I went through and what you will go through will not be the same. You’re not going to date random boys while you figure out who you are. You already know.”
“Do I?” Jokes on you.
“Deep down you do.”
“So you’re going to tell me I’m some kind of special and I should wait for the right boy and right now is not the time to date anyone. I need to control some power I didn’t even know I had, before I cross any more lines and such.” Yada, Yada, Yada…
“You see what I mean? That balance you have? You see things for how they are and you never let it rock your bliss. You’re still a girl, this is just one boy.”
Raven stared into space. “Rydell doesn’t look at me like some girl…he looks at me like I’m a woman.”
Emery looked away. “Raven, this boy is different. But I’m telling you that you need to be careful.”
“Why? My ‘guardians’ think he’s hot, too.”
Emery met her eyes. “This isn’t funny. The twins aren’t meant to tell you what to do, or Soren for that matter. They protect you when danger is present. They won’t strike until they have to. You have free will and you let this boy close to you.”
“He’s broken, Miss Emery. Someone hurt him. I think he just needs a friend.”
Emery let out a long sigh, not surprised Raven had picked up on Rydell’s...circumstance.
“Sounds like you’re becoming more than friends.”
Right then Raven heard someone clear their throat.
Jamison.
“I’m going to make some coffee,” Emery said, as she darted toward the door.
Raven blushed, and was hanging her head as Jamison sat down before her. Like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Think only happy thoughts, not about kissing boys, Pops doesn’t not need a visual… “Dad, please do not mortify me.”
“I don’t need to know the details, Raven. I think you know this is not an ordinary boy if he was able knock down the spells around you. It happened again tonight. Same way, all at once. ”
“What if it wasn’t him? What if it was some kind of evil? Hormones maybe?” Raven asked.
“No jokes.”
“All right fine,” Raven grunted. “What do you want to know?”
Jamison’s gaze moved over her. “What does he talk about with you?”
Raven shrugged. “At school, mostly school. He’s kept Berries off my back so that’s a plus. Tonight. I don’t know, he said he was having family issues, wasn’t sure where he was going. We talked about being happy and such.”
Jamison stared.
“Those are the only details you’re getting,” Raven said with a blush. “I swear it’s innocent between us.”
“Something was odd, though.”
Raven cleared her throat and blushed again. “I can’t control my vim around him. It heats up, then pushes me away, but it pulls me closer first.”
Jamison leaned forward on his knees and hung his head, thought for a second. He had a few theories about where Rydell was right now on his path. Why he was confused. But that didn’t make this any safer. If anything, it could make it harder for Raven to find who was to rise with her. It could make it harder to repair Rydell, ensure he was back where he belonged and with who he belonged.
“I told you that your mother and I were both from a different plane of existence.”
Raven nodded.
“Your energy is very attractive to those from that plane. It has a high vibration, a pull to it, and those from there may mistake it for something it’s not.”
“Like?” Raven asked, with a confused lift to her brow. Reading between the lines, she was sure Rydell was a witch. Apparently a dark one in her father’s eye. But as far as she was concerned, half of that deal was in her. The darkness. Even if it wasn’t, people can change.
“Such as a fever.”
“Like a sickness?”
Jamison shook his head. “That’s what they call love.”
“Dad, I’m trying to follow you, I really am. Love? I got that for everyone. You and Emery are acting like I’m about to run away with this boy. Not even close.”
“To be blunt, Raven, you could very well attract souls from my old life. They may feel a fever, believe it with their entire soul that you belong to them.”
“That’s. Like. Primal.” Kinda hot?
“We all are deep down. You just need to take this nice and slow right now.” Jamison looked over her slowly. “What do you know about him? Has he said anything odd to you or made you feel uncomfortable? Do you have any warning bells going off in your mind about him?”