“Clearly, I got my sense of humor from him, though,” I said, laughing.
“It’s one of my best traits,” my dad said.
“Hers too,” Ivan added.
“Why did you need to see both of us this time?” I asked.
“Well, now that things are happening a little faster and you guys are getting more information, I can finally tell you a little more. I’m here to offer a little clarity about everything. Granted, you’ve all had quite a bit to take in, but you’re all handling it better than we ever could’ve expected,” he said.
“I think it’s because we have each other,” I said, smiling at Ivan. He gave me a wink, his sly grin stretching across his face.
“You’re not wrong there, peanut. You’re all starting to realize how you each fit into this puzzle. That’s why I’m here. Poor Stephen is still unsure about his gift, even with Lena’s explanation. He’s still fighting to believe he’s good enough. You two will be very good for him in the next few weeks. Lena was right. We’ve all been worried about him for a while.”
“Worried about him why?” Ivan asked.
“He almost gave in to his demon. We weren’t sure he was going to be able to hold out long enough to discover his gift. You guys haven’t seen his inner turmoil because he’s so good at hiding everything. He’s been struggling for a very long time. It’s why his bloodlust is comparable to Adrik’s. It’s a release for him. A way to get rid of some of the evil he’s been carrying around with him for so long.”
“But Sephie gave all of that to his sister’s right? Should we still be worried about him?” Ivan asked. I found his concern to be very touching.
“He’s much better now, yes. He’s just struggling to believe he can do it. Because his gift isn’t as obvious as everyone else’s, he still believes Sephie did most of it. It was him, from start to finish. You technically held onto his memories for him, but you were only a battery for him, much like you are for Misha. What you really did was help him package it all up very neatly so he could give it back to them. The guys all helped, as they can send power to you, but not Stephen yet. He knew, without knowing, that he needed you as a power source. The rest of it was him. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Does he need that kind of juice every time?” I asked.
My dad laughed. “No, peanut. Like Misha, he’s going to learn to do it on his own, without you. You just offer clarity for them right now. You’re the calming force they need to be able to concentrate. Just like Ivan and Adrik and that for you.”
I glanced at Ivan, who looked surprised. “I actually just said this to Adrik last right. You two are always the best about taking new things in stride. It helps me do the same.”
Tthink you’re underestimating your role in it, princess. I think you share your ability to go with the flow with the two of us. I think we’re just more connected than the others. At least for now,” Ivan said. “He’s right, peanut. Ivan and Adrik are more connected to you than the others and will always remain so. Although your connection with all of them is only going to grow stronger. But those two are connected to you in ways that the others aren’t.”
Ivan snapped his fingers, pointing at me. “Called it.”
Sephie
My dad laughed at Ivan. He continued, “you’ll always have the deepest connection with Adrik. That’s how you two are able to communicate without words now. That’s going to continue to get stronger the more you practice. But you also have a deeper connection with Ivan than the rest of them. You’ve spent more lifetimes with Ivan than you have with the others. There’s a familiarity with him that you don’t have with the others. It’s what helped you see through his gruff exterior when you first met him. He might’ve made you nervous, but some part of him felt familiar to you. It’s the same for Adrik. He’s felt closer to Ivan faster than the others. Because you three have spent the most time together.”
Ivan chuckled. “I’ve never had a woman see through,me as quickly as she did.”
“It happens to be one of her many gifts, but it’s also because her soul recognized yours. You two have a special bond, made stronger over each lifetime you spend together.” “You told me last time that my eyes are a warning system. Do you know why they swirl? Like they can’t pick a color to stick to?” I asked.
My dad chuckled. “They can’t pick a color because you can’t pick an emotion, peanut. You’ve been right all along that each color coincides with an emotion. The white is the most shocking because you struggle the most with your fear, but you’re slowly learning to get a handle on it, with help from all of them. The newest color is unique and a new way to confirm universal truths. It’s going to come in handy in certain situations. Battista was right about your demon eyes, too. Actually, Stephen was right to name them that to begin with. Your eyes go black because your demon is stepping forward. The difference between you and others, though, is that you control your deman, not the other way around. Essentially, you’ve forced your demon to use its powers for good, which is somewhat hilarious to think about. You garned the demon,” he said, looking down at me, like he would if he were bragging about my scholastic achievements. “So she was being serious when she said the best way to defeat your demons was to make friends with them?” Ivan asked.
“She was serious. She didn’t know she was serious, to be fair, but she was seritus. Battista said he didn’t understand how it worked, because he’s never seen it happen. But Sephie isn’t the only one that can do it. Just like she’s not the only one that can walk between Heaven and Hell,” he said, looking at Ivan with one eyebrow raised.
I grinned at Ivan, knowing he was putting it together in his head. I looked at my dad, knowing he would understand my question. “I was right about Adrik too, then?” He nodded his head. “You’re right about pretty much everything, peanut.”
“Not about Armando. He got past me,” I said.
“He was a special case. His demon was running the show, but it was also smart enough to step back when Armando was around you, which is why you missed it. It’s also what made Armando appear as mo ronic as he did. He wasn’t aware of things that happened when the demon was in control. That’s what you pick up on when watching people, when you get bad feelings about them. It’s their demons you’re detecting. But sometimes if a demon is savvy enough, like in the case of Armando, they can get past you. That’s also partly why he was so savage with you. Armando was scared of you, but his demon was equally as scared of you once he saw your black eyes. Now that you have Stephen, that fear is going to increase on any demon you encounter. Which is why Ivan’s gift evolved to be able to see them at any po not just when they consume the person. Andrei will help with that, too, since he’s the balance. He sees good, Ivan sees evil. You two will figure out whether a person is ruled by good or evil by looking at them, which will confirm what Adrik can learn by touching them. He won’t always be able to touch someone, so you two are backups to that.”
As he explained this to me, it suddenly hit me what needed to happen to Armando. I looked at my dad, who had an amused expression on his face. He pointed to Ivan. “Show him,” he said. “Show him what?” I asked, confused.
“Your eyes.” Ivan stepped closer to see as my dad explained, “Adrik didn’t want to call them purple because he didn’t think she liked that, but as a man who really doesn’t care about the nuances of colors, purple seems accurate to me. It means it’s a universal truth.”
“Andrei is going to be so happy,” Ivan said..
“Shut up. That’s what Adrik said too,” I said, laughing.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.