Exaltation (Insight #11)(74)

Rydell nodded once.

“You feel your faction can keep my daughter safe?”

“Honestly, sir, you have been a far greater challenge on your own. We will aid you. I’m already aware of what Benjamin did. We’ll find him, stop him.”

One long, cold stare.

“The spells that are protecting her have been amended to allow you and your friend here within her life. Within her neighborhood. I will warn you that the second you change your intent I will know.”

“I have far too much to understand to change my intent in the near future.”

“About your sovereign?”

Rydell didn’t bother to answer. There was too much fury in Jamison’s tone at the mention of Revelin.

Jamison let his near lethal gaze ease over Rydell.

“I have no doubt you’ve had a long existence. In that time you’ve seen Revelin use illusions to tempt his victims to surrender their emotion.” A sardonic smile. “Have you ever questioned what other illusions he could have created?”

“I’m starting to question everything,” Rydell admitted.

“The first step to recovery.” Jamison smirked, turned, and walked to the door. He halted there and glanced back. “At one time an enemy gave me a precious gift and that gift led me to my true fever. Keep that in mind. The path of the Creator is never clear.” He stepped out. “Raven has to work tomorrow. If you care to see her before Monday, that’s where you’ll find her.” Then he was gone.

Dagen let all the tension in his body release. “This has got to be the most jacked up situation I have ever seen—did he just give you permission to date her? After he figured out we had been hunting her?” he said in an edgy rush.

Rydell stared at the closed door with his brows pulled together, completely perplexed as to why Jamison seemed so familiar to him.

“Must have been one hell of a fight you put up with Benjamin, enough to get that man to trust us.” Rydell folded his arms. “Either that or he knows we’re no longer a threat to her, because he’s discovered the real one.”

“Benjamin?”

“It has to be bigger than him.”

Right then Rydell had a lot to figure out—he wanted to know everything there was to know about Jamison BellaRose’s past, destroy one of his own men, stop the curses he had in play, and protect Raven all at once.





Chapter Twenty-Two

Raven had done exactly what her father told her to do, she ran home. The second she got there she found the twins and Soren camped out in their room with books open wide.

Raven dove across the floor and turned to the page that had the same mark she’d seen on the ghost boy, wanting it to be different, for there to be a reason she could toss those wayward moments in the Veil in the back of her mind. No such luck. The symbol was exactly the same.

How was Raven so sure? Because she could see the boy’s image and remember those few moments with him so clearly they might as well have been playing out in front of her right then. Her entire soul was humming, and it took everything she had to keep herself still, to stop the urge to run back into the Veil and find him. It was as if she was whole at his side and grieving while away from him—the very notion was mind bending to her.

She didn’t even care that evil would be on her heels as she searched the Veil to find him once more. Raven told herself it was because of this mark, it was because she wanted to explain to him she didn’t know him and figure out why he thought he did know her. She wanted to tell him she didn’t deserve the devotion she saw in his eyes.

The lie was an acid her mind would not accept. She knew she wanted to see him again because he did feel like home, like the old man had called him. She felt awakened at his side. That said a lot since she’d always considered herself wide awake, aware, and full of life.

“Are you all right?” Soren asked as he turned her chin so she’d have to look at him.

Raven realized she was crying. She was inconsolable; every horrible emotion that had never touched her soul had invaded her at once.

“What does this mean?” Raven asked with a shaky breath.

“After today, that’s the only question you have?” Soren asked as he glanced at the twins.

“Right,” Raven said, swallowing harshly as she berated herself for acting the way she was, feeling that way. “Where did Benjamin come from and how was Dagen fighting him like that? How did they vanish? What the hell is going on?”

“We were hoping you knew the answers to a few of those,” Ash said. “It felt odd all day, but no prickles, then all at once BOOM it was an all out war. I couldn’t find you guys anywhere!”

“We had to call your dad. No choice,” River said.

“Good thing you did,” Raven said, glancing at Soren.

“I was holding my own. That was just an illusion. Not Berries.”

“Like that made it safer!” Raven snapped. She slung the book away from her, pulled her knees to her chest, and raked her hands through her hair as she hung her head with squinted eyes. All of it, all her dad had said, all her dreams had unlocked, all her odd gut feelings were swarming in her thoughts.

She’d never had or seen a panic attack in her life, but the way her chest was tightening, the way her breath was catching, the race of her heart and the feeling of doom looming—the sensation that her path was not something she could control was ushering her toward such an attack.