Exaltation (7 page)

“Here comes the fuck now,” Dagen said, with a nod up the hall.

“Boys,” Berries said to them, as he stiffly nodded for them to go into his class.

“Does he not like living?” Rydell asked Dagen, as they walked into his empty room.

“You have to have a life to live,” Dagen said, not caring if Berries heard him.

“Did you get your class list sorted?” Rydell asked, as he sat in his chair and leaned back with his arms behind his head.

Berries was aggressively erasing his dry erase board and stopped only to sneer at Rydell.

Brave man.
It was all Rydell could do not to snap this guy’s neck with a glance.

“And if I did?”

Rydell nodded to Dagen. He pulled out a file from his backpack.

“Then you will have a list of the known adversaries of the Dominarum coven. Surely someone on that list can lead you to documentation you’re seeking.”

He glanced at the thin folder. “Doesn’t look like a long list.”

“Well it’s not. Jamison BellaRose has class. I dare say the people on this list would agree with me. There was reason behind every infraction—at this time no one seems to be engaging in further malice.”

The list was short for more than the bleak excuse Rydell gave Berries. For one Rydell didn’t like the fucker. He didn’t want him to hurt anyone that wasn’t a threat. The Helco faction killed swiftly and only when it was called for. This ass, he was satanic. Rydell was sure of it.

Secondly, there was something about the name of the coven, the name Jamison that jarred Rydell’s long memory. He couldn’t place it, how he knew of them, why he felt an odd mix of emotions when Dagen showed him the file. That bothered him, but not enough to figure out why. The only way for Rydell to understand his dormant memories was to ask Revelin, and he wasn’t going there,
ever
.

“I must not be on that list,” Berries spouted back. The only reason he agreed to teach at this school, do as he was told, was because he was promised that Rydell and Dagen would give him what he needed to take Jamison down. He knew of a top-secret lab that would drool at the mouth for a chance to ‘study’ the longevity of Jamison’s life—and they were willing to pay a fortune. Duncan only needed tangible proof he was more than ordinary.

At first the deal just sounded like a way for Dagen and Rydell to feed off the man. He would surely feel exaltation when he had his revenge. Rydell changed his mind though. He wasn’t going to let Berries have any of the revenge he wanted. He was going to use him then give him a reason to fear fucking with the unknown.

Dagen didn’t argue with Rydell on that point. Berries was a twisted man who was far too brilliant for his own good.

“No, you’re not,” Rydell said, raising his brow. “You think he would claim you as a foe? I doubt he knew who you were before today, and if he did you’re as troublesome as a fly on the wall.”

“Someone on that list will give me proof he’s immortal?”

Not a chance in all the hells.
“That’s at their discretion. I would advise that you merely ask research questions at first.”

“You do realize that if I succeed in this not only will he be detained for observation and studied, but so will your little girlfriend.”

“I’m single. Too many fish in the sea,” Rydell said with a lazy wink.

Berries let loose a snide smile. “Well then, I’m sure you’ll not be disappointed to hear that daddy dearest ensured that some boy be put in this class side by side with Raven.”

Rydell had heard about a male guardian who was in the mix around Raven but he wasn’t bothered by it. Benjamin was able to get past him, which meant surely Rydell could as well.

Rydell glanced at Dagen and tried not to grin. He was toying with one of the cameras Berries had set up in his classroom.

Berries rushed across the room to turn the light from green to red. Obviously Dagen had figured out how to turn it on, and Berries didn’t want this conversation recorded.

“Did you get all of her classes fixed?” Rydell asked.

Berries motioned for the folder, Rydell nodded to tell Dagen to hand it to him.

Berries thought he was going to be cute and not answer Rydell so Rydell sent a half hearted thought in his direction and the folder started to burn. Berries dropped it and started to stamp out the flame. “Yes! Yes!”

“All right then.”

Berries recovered his file from the floor. “As soon as I figure out this clan I’m coming after your kind—whatever you are—next.”

Rydell stood from his seat and gave him a boyish grin. Berries held his ground as he slowly walked toward him.

There was no doubt Berries saw Rydell as some kid who just had a quirk with his mind power, nothing worth really worrying about. Hell he probably thought he could dabble in BellaRose’s book of shadows and put Rydell in his place by saying a few well-chosen words. He was a fool.

When Rydell reached him he glared down at Berries. “Ah, now Mr.
Berries
, you can’t go from witches to what I am.” Rydell leaned in a little closer. “Witches are nice. Fear karma. Adore balance. Will bring no harm. Ever. My kind? We’re not.” Rydell leaned in a little closer. “You reek of fear right now. Not my cup of tea. I prefer exaltation so you might want to keep your fucking mouth shut and start thinking of the next time I will hand you something that will bring that emotion forward.”

Rydell stepped away from him right as the classroom door opened and students flooded in.

“We’ll be heading out, now. C-ya Monday.”

Chapter Seven

Jamison wasn’t exactly sure how to start this conversation with Raven. Therefore, the first few minutes of their drive was nice and quiet.

His daughter was a free spirit, never liked the weight of the world to rest too heavily on her shoulders. She loved to laugh, dance, and live in the moment. Pure bliss is what she was.

Right now in the passenger seat she was moving her hands to a beat that wasn’t playing in the car. Surely going through the steps of the dance she was to perform tonight in her head.

Right when Raven noticed his glance, that he was watching, her seat dancing stopped. She pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t smile. She was always the daughter who smiled no matter what, even when she was in trouble.

She didn’t really think she was in trouble, but she didn’t know for sure. 

“So. Mr. Newberry,” Jamison said.

Raven didn’t say a word.

“Were you avoiding only him or other classes as well?”

“Seriously, Dad, it was kinda like you said in the meeting, only not really.”

Jamison raised his brow to question her.

“Okay you had it right about us just flipping and such. I just told the girls he was creepy. I pointed him out then Ash wanted to sit in his class. I guess to get full effect of his creepiness. It just spiraled from there. She wanted to stay in the class so we had to move others around, but we were for real still studying and such.”

“So he was the catalyst?” Raven nodded once. “What bothered you about him?”

“Are you kidding? You met him. Someone must tinkle in his cheerios every morning. That guy is saturated in antagonism. I bet he hates life as a whole—not just his job. I heard he had some big hotshot job as a researcher and lost it. So now the poor unsuspecting souls of our school’s upper classmen are stuck with him.”

“You noticed his anger?” Jamison asked as evenly as possible. That was always a fear of his, that his daughter would pick up traits her mother had, would crave the anger emotion as well as exaltation. He wasn’t sure how she could handle those two extremes.

“Oh my God you had to have too, he totally did
not
like you.”

“I’m not asking about him. I’m asking about the anger you noticed. Do you always notice anger?” Jamison pressed.

“No, and if I do I avoid it. Mellow is my game, Dad. No mess, no stress. Inner bliss and all that jazz.”

Jamison laughed.

“I totally think he has a past with Miss Emery. She probably made him look like a fool or something and now I bet he has it in his head that you and Miss Emery are an item.”

Jamison clenched his hands around the steering wheel. He was furious at himself for not taking care of Duncan way back when. Then again, back then he was sure killing the ex of the woman you were in love with was not the best way to go about things. Not with all the other elements that were already against him.

Jamison cleared his throat. He did it to calm himself down, but Raven saw it a differently.

Her eyes went wide. “NO. No way she hooked up with him. He is
so
beneath her and totally not her type.”

“And what is Miss Emery’s type?” Jamison asked, with one brow raised.

Emery was certain the girls had no idea they were together, and was sure they would be mad if they understood the twisted path that brought them together. Jamison didn’t agree. He thought they would understand, that the twins had old souls and if anything they would be more upset it took them as long as it had to tell them the truth.

“Not him,” Raven said with a bright smile. “If I had to guess I would say southern businessmen who were equally brilliant and charming.” She winked at him just in case he didn’t get her hint, which made him laugh.

Silence fell again. A second later he spoke. “So when you skipped lunch today did you eat anything?”

Busted.

“We were running late this morning and made it to school on fumes. We wanted to fill the Jeep up. I doubt we would have been able to sit through the traffic as low as we were.”

“Did you eat?”

“I was going to eat in study hall.”

“Lunch it is,” he said as he signaled to turn.

A block later he turned into one of his favorite diners, which was also an investment of his.

They were seated at a booth in the back that had a window that looked out at the Mississippi. They didn’t even have to order here; the staff always knew exactly what sandwiches they wanted.

“How come you have never asked me about your mom?” he asked Raven in a quiet tone.

He and Emery had told the girls about their witch background just before they covered their memories to hide the trauma in the past. But never once, even in those times when Raven was adamantly aware of her family history, had she ever asked about her mother. He found that odd, but at the same time it backed up what his heart was telling him: Raine was a host and nothing more.

Raven shrugged. “Why would I?”

“I assumed you would be curious.”

Raven honestly never thought about the mother thing. She’d always seen Emery in that role. By the time she was old enough to understand Miss Emery was not her mother, she also realized no one had ever mentioned who her mom was. She was sure they had their reasons, and truthfully Raven didn’t want to know if it was dark and twisted.

“I’m totally not like River, Dad. I don’t have some long lost parent issue or anything.”

“River has that issue?” he asked, as he leaned back in his seat, hoping Raven didn’t see the concern in his eyes.

“I think she might be getting over it. I really don’t ask and she doesn’t talk about it anymore.”

“When did she talk about it?”

Raven let her curious stare linger on him for a moment before she answered. “Remember the girl who called us devil worshippers because her mom wanted to hook up with you and you didn’t?”

Jamison raised his chin and gave her a slight smirk.
Dealt with that.

“Yeah, well, that same girl figured out the twins didn’t have a dad. First they called Miss Emery a cad saying she couldn’t catch a man, then something about how the devil had impregnated her, finally settling on the basic test tube baby chant. I don’t think Ash cared too much but it bothered River. She doesn’t get why Miss Emery did what she did.”

“And what were your thoughts on it?”

Raven shrugged as she took a sip of her tea. “I told her that Miss Emery chose to have her. That meant she was wanted, loved, and sought after. Not all kids can say that. I mean, I would rather be called a test tube baby than an accident.”

Jamison’s eyes danced over Raven, the miracle she was. Not many could think the way she did constantly. “You’re right. Miss Emery wanted a family very badly.”

“Right, well now River wants to figure out who gave her the juice. It bothers her not knowing where half her blood came from.” All at once shock came over Raven’s visage. “Oh my God do
not
tell me it was Mr. Berries! River would never recover from that!”

Jamison just shook his head as he held back a grin.

“Seriously, tell me! Do you know who gave her the juice?”

“Raven, we’re about to eat. Juice? Really?”

“Would you like for me to call it by its medical term? I’m well versed in sex ed, Dad.”

“How well versed?” he asked, as the playfulness left his expression.

“Not that kind of versed. You know what I mean.”

Jamison gave Raven a once over, wanting to believe his daughter was still innocent. “Miss Emery was seeing Mr. Newberry around the time the girls were born but he’s not their father.”

“You know who it is, don’t you?” Raven said with a sly smile.

Nothing.

“All right, but you know something.”

He pursed his lips briefly before he spoke. “Fate had its say when it came to Miss Emery becoming a mother. She searched endlessly for a decision she felt at peace with.”

Raven leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and gave him her most suspicious gaze. “Must have found some good juice. River and Ash are like amazing rock star peeps.”

Jamison shook his head before breaking his stare with her and looking out the window. This was not the topic he wanted her on, not yet.

“Pretty, dark blonde hair,” Raven pushed. “Blue eyes just like mine—just like ice.” She leaned forward. “You know some people call us triplets.”

No engagement.

“Oh come on, Dad! If it was you, spill it. If not, I’m sure I will be aiding and abetting in a B&E somewhere in the future.”

Jamison looked right at her then. “Excuse me?”

She raised her hands to stop the joke. “Just playing. But seriously, River is on the hunt. If it’s you I would come clean.”

He glanced away, and made it seem as if he were watching the distant water just outside the window seat.

“I thought you said she didn’t talk about it much.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s not hunting. She knows her mom went through a ton of names. I think she said close to a thousand. Then she had one set to go and changed her mind the day before. The reason why—unknown.”

“Did she ask Emery about it?”

“She did. Miss Emery told her it was because of prickles but good ones instead of bad ones. That the one she chose felt right, like perfection, and she could feel that all of nature agreed with her—of course she followed with ‘and of course it was the right choice because now I have you.’”

Jamison glanced away and tried to hide a small smile. He was glad that was Emery’s answer. But he wasn’t thrilled she’d had a chance to tell River the truth and not only didn’t tell her, but didn’t tell him she’d avoided the question. He had no idea what it was going to take for her to understand that children or not, he wouldn’t have been able to resist being at her side much longer than he had.

After a moment he spoke again. “Are you avoiding my question about your mom by talking about River?”

“Promise, Dad, it has never crossed my mind. Seriously. I have you. It feels like it was supposed to be you and me and of course aunt Saige and the Sabines. I get I should be curious, that it’s weird I’m not, but I can’t make myself feel anything.”

Silence.

“But I mean, if you want to tell me about her. I’ll listen.”

Nothing.

Raven had been told over and over by River that she should care about this. That it wasn’t natural for her to be so nonchalant. For a hot second Raven did think something was wrong with her when River was giving her that speech, but then she decided she couldn’t change who she was.

“What was she like? Where did you meet her?” Raven assumed those would be the questions she’d ask if she cared.

“A dark and stormy night,” Jamison teased, knowing she didn’t care. Raine was right. Raven would never feel her absence.

Raven rubbed her hands together with a giddy smile. “Oh, was she a foe? Was it one of those
I hate you but want you
kind of things?”

He let out a wicked smile. “Perhaps.”

“What was she like?”

“The opposite of Miss Emery.”

“Must be why it didn’t pan out,” she said with a wayward wink.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because Miss Emery fits you like a glove.”

“You’re changing the subject again.”

“No. I swear I’m not. You two do not crowd each other, but are there when it matters, or at least when we manage to get ourselves into a pickle. She’s stubborn in a sweet way, and you’re mysterious in a fun way.”

After an awkward silence Raven spoke and tried to change the subject back to the point he seemed determined for her to keep. “So my mom wasn’t stubborn, sweet, or mysterious.” 

He let out a sigh. “Would it make you feel bad if I told you I really didn’t know her that well?”

“No, not really. I’m still me.” She smirked. “Good thing I kinda look like you right? That way you don’t get all bothered when you look at me.”

He laughed.

“So where is she?”

“Greater power had its say,” Jamison said quietly as he held her gaze. That’s how he had always explained fate to his girls.

“So was it my birth? Or something else?”

“Raven, the only reason I brought her up is because you’re getting older, more mature, and there may be a few of her traits that might emerge. I want you to be prepared for them. I want you to know that I can help you understand them.”

“Like what?” Raven asked, clearly not liking how dark the conversation seemed to be becoming.

“She was sensitive to the emotion of anger and wrath.”

“Everyone is though.”

“That’s true, but she was sensitive to the point where she wanted to take it away.”

“Oh! So she was like me—she wanted everyone to be mellow so she brought the party or downplayed the drama?”

“No,” he said in a near soundless tone. “In some way that trait of yours comes from me.”