“He’s fine. It’s nice to see my food being enjoyed.” Mom said, glancing over at Dad and smiling gently.
He’d doubled the amount of food Zane had put on his plate and was eating it so fast I thought he might be sick.
The rest of us dug in before Zane and Dad ate it all. There wasn’t much talking because we were all too busy stuffing our faces. After we finished and the table was cleared, Mom brought in the dessert. Staying true to tradition, it was a “homemade” pecan pie from The House of Pies.
“This looks amazing! We’ll have to come over more often if this is the kind of dessert we get.” Zane gazed at the massive pie in wonder.
“You could buy one yourself anytime,” Pop mumbled under his breath, risking his life by commenting.
“Did you say something, Jesse?” Mom asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Not a word, my beautiful Nexus.” He smiled innocently and then winked at me.
“That’s what I thought.” She smiled sweetly and waved her hand in the air. The pie was split into ten pieces and landed perfectly on our dessert plate.
It was wonderful to see my mother utilize her abilities. She had perfect control and made using them look effortless. I could only hope to be so accomplished one day.
Once she finished, Oren stated, “This isn’t the first time that a Nexus has marked her Faction. Queen Lilibet marked hers in much the same way.”
I suppose he thought it was best to rip the Band-Aid right off. My parents exchanged a glance that confused me. It seemed like they already had some knowledge of this.
“We’re aware of that.” Grumpy took a big bite of pie, not offering any further explanation. I guess I was correct in my assumption.
“I feel like there’s something you're not telling us.” Jet, who had remained quiet since we arrived, spoke up.
Pop smirked, “I’m assuming, after everything that’s happened, you’re finally admitting that you’re notjust a friend?”
“I’m not just a friend.” Jet stated but didn’t elaborate. We’d explained what happened in the barn, but I hadn’t included what Kristine had done to Jet before we left. It was his business and nobody else’s, and if he wanted to share the matter, he would.
“What brought on this change of heart?” Dad mumbled, his mouth full, shoveling the pie in at an alarming rate.
“Slow down, Sly. I’m sure Adelaide wouldn’t mind baking another for you later.” Pop grinned as he and Grumpy shared looks of amusement.
“Keep it up, Jesse, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch,” Mom raised her brow, far from amused.
Ignoring them, Jet said, “There were a lot of outside factors that didn’t permit me to act on my feelings. I want to discuss some of those with you later.”
I was proud of Jet, and I thought it was important for him to be honest about his work for the government. He now understood that our people would do everything possible to protect humans from the Dark Factions. Collaborating with us to achieve this would be easier than gathering information undercover.
Dad nodded his head, satisfied with his answer for now.
Hopefully, when they heard his explanation, my fathers wouldn’t kick his ass.
“There are many things we’re not telling you,” Mom told Jet solemnly. “We have to walk a delicate balance between what we can and cannot say. One false move could alter the future of not just our family but of all our people. Reverie is special. There are things we need to discuss before we can share them with you. Just know that we’ll help as much as we’re able.”
I was shocked.
“Were you just pretending to be surprised when I shared everything going on in my life? Did you expect Pantar and my mark?" I felt a bit hurt that they hadn’t confided in me. While intellectually, I grasped the reasons behind their choice, our close bond made me feel excluded.
“No, baby! Even though we knew to expect certain things, seeing them materialize was alarming and still a littleunbelievable,” Mom explained rapidly. “We love you, and with the knowledge we possess, we hope to navigate a path that helps without jeopardizing our future.”
Pop smiled at me reassuringly, “Your mother discovered the reference to Queen Lilibet in a scroll I had strategically relocated from Oren’s father.”
“Stolen,” Zane coughed, then grinned.
Pop grinned in return and shrugged,
“Call it what you will. We needed answers, and I knew the windbag had been hoarding any information he could find about our history.”
