From gaining strength against the meek
A stance must make itself known
A kingdom rises with one on the throne.”
The entire room remained quiet for a long time. I wasn’tsure if I should tell them I already knew this prophecy or not. Michael stumbled into the room, phone in his hands, obviously recording his mom and aunts. His face was pale. This likely was the first time he’d ever heard a prophecy in person. I was thankful for the younger generations who were constantly online. I just hoped he didn’t go live with that. I asked him as much, and he shook his head.
Poe was the first to speak, hands fidgeting in her lap. “This is the first time in millennia we’ve had such a clear prophecy. My sisters and I are going to have to deliberate on this. Michael, can you send that video to everyone here, please?”
“Yes, mom. Hi, aunties.” They got up to give him hugs and talk about how big he’d grown. I smiled to myself at Michael’s discomfort, then noticed the time.
Hopping up, I told the group, “I’m sorry to jump up so quickly after that revelation, but I have a hot date I need to get to. Catch you all soon?” I walked toward the door as I said this, determined not to make this a Midwest Goodbye.
We waved our goodbyes, and I headed out to meet up with Vada, a little less excited than I was an hour before. It was time to learn if I could trust Vada with my biggest secret.
April 16th
The last few weeks, as the new head of the Demon faction, had been grueling and difficult. Trying to catch up with thePax,being quickly forced into leadership, then trying to learn both everyone in the faction and the key players throughout the other groups… it was a lot. I had been wanting to sit down with Adaela and figure things out, but I also knew she needed time and that we were in crisis mode. But what I’d learned in my life was that you had to make time for things that mattered.
I didn’t know where we were going, or what we were doing, other than the fact that we were going to a neighborhood I’d yet to visit. I put on a pair of jeans, a purple and black plaid flannel, and a plain white V-neck tee underneath it. I threw on a pair of gray Chucks and called it a day. I would rather be comfortable than fashionable, after the weeks we’d had.
The ride down to Tower Grove was uneventful. Adaela texted me the address of the place we were meeting up. I donated a little blood to the driver—interestingly enough, a Vampire who had been kind enough to point out some of the local hot spots—and entered what appeared to be a popularbrewery in the Cornucopia area. On the short drive here, the driver told me about how this brewery was owned and operated by Dionysus. I should have known that he’d opened a brewery. I had never met him, but his reputation preceded him.
I walked into an older—at least in American standards—brick building next to a large park. The building was a little worse for wear on the outside, but the inside was immaculate. It was sort of upscale without being overdone.Is that navy damask velvet on the walls?I reevaluated my decision about its ostentatiousness, laughing to myself.
I spotted Adaela sitting at the corner of the bar, her back facing me. She was a thousand miles away, deep in thought, staring at the phone in her hand. I walked up behind her as quietly as I could, leaning in next to her ear.
“What’s a beautiful thing like you doing in a place like this all alone?” I said in the cheesiest, deepest voice I could manage. She jumped a mile in the air, her shadows immediately whipping out to go on the defense.
She sat back down as she caught sight of me, shadows receding, and a cheeky smile on her face. “Oh,moi?I am just a lonely girl sitting here waiting for a pretty lady to come sweep me off my feet,” she snarked back in a fake Mid-Atlantic accent.
Laughing, I leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, then took my seat on the other corner next to her. The wooden bar had an old, classic style with a large mirror behind it. It was a long bar, spanning almost the entirety of the side of the room. There were multiple taps of various beer, cider, and mead spanning the bar side facing us. On the back wall was the largest selection of liquor I’d ever seen. The presentation was cool, honestly. I could hear metal music playing at a lower volume in the background, bringing a sort of upscale punk vibe to the establishment. Adaela seemed to enjoy these types of bars.
As I settled in, I focused on at Adaela, my mate, and I juststopped in my tracks again. I hoped I never lost the feeling of getting kicked in the teeth at how ridiculously attracted to her I was. I almost was annoyed at myself for how much she affected me.
“You’re stunning tonight, sweet girl,” I said, getting comfortable.
She blushed. I hoped that she would never lose that trait as the years went on.Ifthe years went on like that. Her winged eyeliner made her almond-shaped eyes pop. She toyed the ends of her braid as she scanned the menu.
“You, too. I’m glad you texted me to come out tonight,” she finally replied.
“I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I just went for casual tonight. I hope you don’t mind,” I said.
She scoffed. “Baby, you look good in anything you wear. Wear what makes you comfortable. You’ll never hear me complain. Have youseenyourself? Good lord.” She fanned herself.
I smiled, then evaded her compliment by changing the subject. “So, what do you like here?” I asked her.
She proceeded to go on a long rant about Dion’s epic brews he’d perfected over his very long life, and that each week, he had a special he made as a taste test with his food special of the week. She was so excited about it that I just sat there enraptured. When Adaela got excited about something, her entire body lit up, her facial features softened, and she got a twinkle in her eye that was almost as if her magic was responding to the radiance that came from being one of the strongest creatures in the universe. It was compelling, and at this point, we hadn’t even ordered and I was ready to take her out of here. There was nothing sexier to me than passion.
About two-thirds of the way through her excited rant, the bartender, a man who I was pretty sure might be Hozier, cameup and leaned against the back bar, listening in with a smirk on his face. His eyes sparkled with amusement before his posture completely changed when he focused his attention on Adaela. His blue eyes softened as he raised his hand to rub at his bearded chin, genuine adoration radiating off his entire being. Jealousy ripped through me for a moment, before I realized that my magic was responding to Adaela’s passionate speech about her love of everything about this bar, and it had the few people in the brewery stealing glances at Adaela with as much fascination as I had toward her. She took a breath, preparing to tell me about another historical fact before noticing the bartender, then let out a little squeal.
“Dion! Why didn’t you stop me?” she asked, reaching over the bar to give him a hug. I growled under my breath. Dionysus noticed and quickly backed up.
“Hey, Daela. It’s been so long. Who do you have with you here?” he said, those kind baby blues focusing on me.
Her radiant smile bloomed across her face as she turned in her seat to face me. “This, Dion, is Vada. She’s the new head of the Demon Faction of thePaxand is someone very special to me.”
I couldn’t help but dial in on what was missing from that introduction. She didn’t tell him I was her mate. My stomach was in knots. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but I also told her that I would give her all the time she needed to come to terms with that. I made note to ask her about it when Dion wasn’t there.
