Exaltation (Insight #11)(61)

Raven smirked. “We call boys like him regrettables, but I don’t know if that’s fair because I really don’t know enough about him to give him that title.”

“Regrettable?”

“Just boys that might be fun for a minute but in the end it will hurt.”

“And you think he will hurt you?”

“Before I talked to him, yeah, now not so much.”

“Can I meet him?”

“Can I at least get to know him first, figure out if I want him around before you put him through some father test?”

“I want to meet him before it gets too serious.”

Raven nodded then cleared her throat. “So, um, you want to tell me how to control my vim so nothing spooky happens if I, um, well…”

“There’s no way to control that. It’s supernatural. And it won’t be that way when you’re with the right one,” he warned, hoping that would cause her to think twice about going too far with him.

Well, guess that means I will not be kissing Rydell in any public places, Raven thought to herself.

“Is anything else going on at school? How’s Newberry’s class?”

“Boring. He’s just a creep. Rydell keeps Berries off my back though, so I can deal.”

“Just be careful around him.”

Raven nodded as she looked over her father’s worried stare. Which kept moving to the kitchen door.

“Dad,” Raven said to get his attention. When he looked her way she went on. “I get this wait for the right one thing you and Emery are telling me about but not really telling me about—you wanna know why?”

He lifted his brow.

Raven waited until she heard Emery moving her way. “Because I’ve seen it. I was raised by two people that are made of one soul.” A smile twitched on her lips. “Seventeen years, Dad, and you still make her blush, you still make her nervous—the good kind of nervous. All parental figures are up in arms right now. That tells me this family needs to be stronger than ever. It tells me that we should be side by side.” Raven looked him up and down. “Both you and Miss Emery were all about telling me to wait for the right person tonight in your own way.” Raven jutted her chin up. “I think you need to lead by example. Because, so far, all the two of you have taught us is how to wait. Not what to do when you find them.”

Jamison’s eyes lifted to the screen door. Raven knew Emery was standing there; the tension in the air alone told her so.

“We already know,” Raven said as she stood. “All of us. No sense in you hiding it—not unless that’s the example you want us to learn from.”

Raven leaned in and kissed her father’s brow then made her way in and hugged Emery before she headed upstairs.

Emery stared at Jamison for a long second then whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“For?” he asked in a ghost of whisper.

Emery looked down. “For being scared.” Her eyes rose to meet his. “I don’t want to hide us anymore.”

Jamison felt his breath leave him. As soon as he had the strength to stand, he did. When he pulled her into his arms he wrapped his vim around her and moved them to her bed, their bed. He wasn’t going to let her hide them anymore. Raven was right. They had to teach the girls what was worth waiting on, show them how soul mates lived their lives.

They had to show their girls how two powerful souls acted when they found each other, so they would know it was worth waiting for.





Chapter Eighteen

Rydell had been pulled directly to Revelin’s springs—long halls, made of water, in his own level of The Realm. From there Revelin could watch each in his line of Escorts, the dimensions below. At times parts of the streams were dim. They were only that way if the Escort was engaged in a sensual moment or in rare cases like Rydell’s, if the Escort had placed a divide between them and their sovereign.

Even though Rydell was in agony from Revelin’s assaults, his brutal pull which had called him there, he was pleased to see that where his faction was across the dimension below was dim in the streams. That blind spot had grown since the last time Rydell had seen the unprecedented impact his bold moves had made.

All Escorts resemble their sovereign in some basic way. They all looked the same age on the surface. The detailed features were different but the hair and eye color were the same. Most Firsts are nearly identical to their sovereign. Myth states that it’s because they are to be their fiercest protectors. That if all else fails, they stand before them and let the enemy assume they’re taking down the sovereign.

Which is more than likely why the Creator set the destruction of the current sovereigns the way he did. It makes sense the First is targeted. That they are the one kill that never varies when it comes to the five the new sovereigns must destroy.

Rydell was different from other Firsts, always had been. Where he had dark hair, Revelin was dark blond. Rydell’s skin tone was darker, as well, but they both carried eyes that were like ice. A sharp color that could make them look playful or lethal. Right now Revelin was trying to look playful, but Rydell could see the malice behind his smile.

“The prodigal son has returned,” Revelin said, as he raised the golden chalice in his hand and took a sip.

“How could I resist such a warm invitation?”