“Zeke, why don’t you, Oren, and Zane help me in the kitchen while you three get cleaned up?” She directed the last part to Reverie, Jet, and Nathan, who were still wearing bloodstained clothes from their earlier encounter. “Sly, find some clothes for Jet. You’re the only one with anything that might fit him.”
“I can blink to the academy and grab some clean clothes for us,” Nathan said, starting to teleport out.
“No!” Adelaide yelled, then winced. “Sorry, I don’t want anyone going anywhere alone until we hash this all out. Jesse will get something for you to wear.”
I was the only one to follow Adelaide into the kitchen. Oren and Zane were delayed by Reverie’s fathers, who wanted more information about everything that had taken place, too anxious to wait until after lunch.
“So, Zeke, Reverie tells me you like to cook,” Adelaide inquired, retrieving a large skillet from the cabinet. Trying to keep the conversation light and away from the bomb we just dropped.
“I do. And it helps with the driving need I have to keep my Nexus fed.” I smiled sheepishly, more than willing to play along.
Adelaide pulled out bell peppers, onions, celery, and a large package of chicken breasts from the refrigerator.
“Can you dice these vegetables for me?”
“Yes, ma’am, no problem.” She handed me a knife, and I got started.
Adelaide placed the skillet on the burner over low heat and added a stick of butter along with some olive oil. She thenseasoned the chicken breast and placed it in a large pan, which she put in the oven.
“Do you mind if I ask what you’re making?” I asked curiously.
She smiled at me, and for a second, she resembled her daughter so much that it took me aback.
“I’m making Chicken Creole,” she said. “It’s a favorite of Sly’s. I can’t resist spoiling him after everything he’s been through.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever tried it.” I finished dicing the celery and then started on the bell pepper.
Adelaide walked over and checked my work.
“Good job. Reverie was right. You do know your way around the kitchen.”
“My mother loves to cook, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Zane loved working on anything with a motor, so he was always in the shop with my fathers.” I finished the bell pepper and started on the onion.
Adelaide pulled out a bag of rice and began preparing it, then made a pitcher of sweet tea.
“I can’t wait to meet them. Have you talked to them about your relationship with Reverie?”
“I haven’t told them about our mark. I think we should keep that as quiet as possible for now. But my brother and I asked Reverie to bond with us in a small private ceremony in our hometown.” I wanted the mother of my Nexus to know how much we cherished her daughter.
Adelaide gave an excited squeal, then pulled me into her arms for a hug.
“That would be amazing! I’m going to need your mother’s number before y’all leave. We have so much planning to do.”
Sly rushed into the kitchen and pulled her into his arms.
“Adelaide, is everything all right? I heard you screaming!” He began checking her over, looking for injuries.
She brushed him off, “Sly, our baby is going to have a bonding ceremony with the twins. Isn’t that exciting?”
Sly abruptly straightened.
“No! That would be the perfect opportunity for Selene to get access to Reverie or our family.”
Adelaide’s face fell at his words, and I could see the regret he felt at having to disappoint her.
“Respectfully, sir, we only want a small private ceremony, nothing that would draw attention. The only guests would be our families.” This was truly important to me. I felt that Reverie deserved more than we had given her so far, and I had a driving need to correct that.
“I understand your desire to give my daughter this, and I applaud it, but with the latest attack on the town in Oklahoma, it’s just not safe.” Sly leaned down and kissed the pout that had formed on Adelaide's lips when he vetoed our plans. “That doesn’t mean we can’t arrange a day to go visit. I want to meet all the parents of Reverie’s Faction members. Except for Storm’s.”
