Lily frowned and leaned back in her seat. “Is this some caveman bullshit?”
“Who invited Legolas?” Bettina scowled and waved her hand in front of her. “We don’t do that here, buddy.”
“I actually understand that reference,” Riah smirked.
I tried to step around the four boys blocking me but when I stepped, so did they. “Guys.”
Bettina rolled her eyes. She was standing a few feet away from Riah and her hands were solid ice. “Okay, Captain America, but it’s still not okay.”
I huffed and stomped my foot, gold glitter erupting from under me. “But it’s okay for Tennessee, Deacon, or your Jackson?”
Tegan snorted. “Buuuuurn. Let her go, boys, or she’ll cut ya.”
“Let who go?” Easton strolled in holding a bag of chips. “Oh. Ease up, peeps. He’s her soulmate.”
Jackson spun around with wide eyes. “How do you know that?”
Easton shrugged and shoved a chip in his mouth, then held his left arm around to show his VI Mark. “Lovers card. I can sense these things.”
“Where the bloody hell was that rubbish a few months ago, mate?”
Easton scoffed and pointed to Bettina. “Psh, that angel magic was no joke. Even I couldn’t see it ‘til she went all Optimus Prime on us.”
I frowned and looked to Riah. “Angel magic?”
Riah smirked and rocked back on his heels like he was in no rush at all. “Tennessee and Bettina are grandchildren of Michael.”
My eyes widened. “Archangel Michael?”
Riah nodded.
Tennessee scowled. “I can’t say I like that you know that.”
“Same,” Bettina all but growled.
“When did Michael have a child?” I scratched my head. “I thought the last angel bloodline was Uriel with my great-grandfather?”
Bettina gasped. She turned toward me. “Wait, that’s right. You’re my relative. Cousin? Aunt?”
Tennessee cringed. “I don’t know. That hurts my head to think about.”
Deacon nodded his head toward me. “Myrtle didn’t tell you?”
“My real name is Haven Proctor,” Tennessee said, then pointed to Bettina. “This is my sister. Her real name is Hope Proctor. Our mother was the daughter of Michael, but our father Micah Proctor is of your line. Uriel’s line.”
Tegan stole a chip out of Easton’s bag and pointed to Riah with a grin. “But you knew this.”
Riah nodded and shoved his hands in his front pockets. “I was your age when Uriel conceived his son.”
Cooper scowled, glancing back and forth between us. “Is this…legal?”
Riah rolled eyes. “Saraphina is three-hundred-forty-two years old. She may be half my age, but she is plenty old enough to appease your human laws.”
Wait. Half? I looked back at him and frowned. “The night we met, you looked my age – sixteen.”
Riah shrugged one shoulder. “The fae do not age the same way earthlings do. Neither will you, as you will see. We were the same age, relatively speaking. As I was a child in the eyes of my people.”
Tegan sighed. “I like the way he speaks. It’s hot.”
Cooper shook his head. “Tenn is right next to you.”
Tenn pursed his lips. “I think it’s hot too.”
Royce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t tease me like that.”
Willow raised her hand. “So you’re both immortal?”
Riah shook his head. “No. Only Royals are immortal, and those bonded to them.”
There was still so much I didn’t even know about my other half of genetics. I started to walk to Riah but then something clicked so I turned to Tennessee instead. “You come from Cyrus.”
His eyebrows rose. “Who?”
“My little brother Cyrus Proctor.” I smiled as his little baby face flashed in my mind. “Mom married Pierre after I was cursed and had Cyrus. I knew him, and his son, but I had not heard whether the line had continued or not.”
Tennessee and Bettina looked to each other. The others seemed distracted so I stepped around Tennessee to head for Riah when Royce and Cooper jumped in front of me again.
“Guys.”
Cooper shook his head. “Hold up one second here.”
“This ain’t no caveman bullshit,” Royce said softly with his hands raised in surrender. “You know how much we care about you…and we owe you everything, baby girl. But we just spent the last month being told pretty boy here kidnapped you and brought you to Seelie.”
“Not to Seelie, only the interim realm of Prince Thorne and Princess Sage,” Riah said helpfully. He even smiled.
“He’s way too happy about that.” Deacon made a face. “But he’s not trying to hurt her.”
Tennessee cursed and scrubbed his face with his hands, his silver rings twinkling in the candlelight. Then he sighed and put his hands on his hips. “All right, Riah. I hear that you two are soulmates, and I imagine you’d like to be with each other right now…but after what we’ve been through this last month? Well. Explain yourself. Now. I think you owe us that much.”
Riah sighed. “There are things The Coven was not meant yet to know.”
“Riah,” I whispered. When his gold eyes met mine, I smiled. “Please tell them. They’ll understand, as I did. Tell them, for me.”
He licked his lips and nodded. “I am on your side in this war—”
“What war?” Braison, who rarely spoke up, glanced around. “We’re not in a war right now—"
“Yes, you are. You simply are not aware of it yet.” Riah twirled the amethyst ring on his finger. “Or perhaps you think it is not yet upon your door, though it is.”
“Lilith,” Tennessee growled.
Riah nodded.
“The angel of tides…” I heard myself say. When everyone looked to me with wide eyes, I shrugged. “In Salem, Elizabeth Bishop’s spirit spoke to me…she gave me that prophecy and said it is time.”
Tegan cursed. “I knew it. Gadammit.”
“Yes, and no.” Riah grimaced. “The angel of tides has not yet rung his drum, I have been assured of such. However, it is coming. When that happens…war will be imminent. Luckily for you, there are individuals who have been alive since the last war with Lilith and we know.”
Jackson narrowed his eyes. “And you were alive during the One Hundred Years’ War?”
“Yes, Lancaster, I was.” Riah’s eyes met mine. “Ask Saraphina if you do not believe the magic of your runes.”
Jackson gasped. “You seem to know an awful lot about the workings of The Coven. Why?”
Riah shook his head. “I find this hard to say without sounding condescending…but you are children. Infants. Most of you are what, eighteen? I am six hundred and eighteen years old. I was born in the middle of that war. I was there when Uriel chose which bloodline to have his son Edward with. I was there when Henry was crowned both Coven Leader and King. I was there when my own brother sacrificed his life to steal Lilith’s locket so that your Coven could defeat her. I was there when Michael gave Edward his sword. I was there when Edward used that sword to defeat her…and I was there when Henry hid the sword and gave up his line’s magic.”