AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Iknowwe do,” Sunny and I said at the same time.
CHAPTER6
Righteous
Iled Perception back to the new Merge and spoke a word of power at the main door, locking it behind us. Not that anyone would come in; the building was off limits until the next night, when the opening ceremony—and supposedly the naming—would take place.The entire realm was at home today, preparing food, drinks, and risqué costumes for the big event.
I stepped behind the bar, grabbing two golden cups and a small keg of beer that Mikhail had made the week before, back when we were working on the furniture.I handed a cup to Perception, who nodded and sat on a bench, but kept his distance. As if he didn’t trust me not to hit him again.
“I shouldn’t have punched you,” I admitted, ashamed of my earlier knee-jerk reaction. Perception was one of my closest friends, and I knew him. He was honorable, a decent man down to his bedrock foundation. “I overreacted. I’m so sorry, Percy.”
“No,” he said, rubbing his face with a hand. “I should have apologized, rather than tell you to merge with a cactus.” It was all I could do not to punch him again when he added, “I’m ashamed of myself. Of what happened with your daughter.”
My hands tightened into fists again, just in case I needed to give him a matching black eye. “Why would you be?”
He glanced up, eyes wild. “No, no! Not for that… Listen, it had been a long day. Adoration had been asking for extra help with Earth history lessons, and Precious had somehow snuck away from Tradition, or finished her lessons early. I’m not sure. She’d been hanging around, leaving glitter all over my office, glaring at Adoration.”
“Did she glare hard enough to burn holes in her?” I asked, joking.
“A couple,” he replied, not joking at all.
Oh shit.I’d need to tell the others to keep Adoration far, far away from Precious for the next few years. Maybe decades. Until she was done with her adolescence.
Percy dropped his gaze to the floor. “I was exhausted at the end of the day. I went to the hot springs, and I wasn’t paying attention.” He laughed humorlessly. “Perception is literally who I am, but I didn’t perceive her presence.”
“She’s good at being quiet when she wants to be. Sneaky, like her mom.”
“True. I was meditating in the pool and drifted off, dreaming. In my dream, I’d found my soulmate.”
“Who?” I asked, wildly curious. Dreams could be portents. Prophecies. More than one Protector had dreamed of their mate here in the Limen, and bonded.
“I couldn’t see her. She shone so bright, though. Made of light, her body almost faceted like a gem. She had her arms around me, her lips on mine. And before I was awake, before I knew what was happening, it was real—but it wasn’t her. It was Precious.” He went silent.
“Perception?” I moved closer as he shuddered. His eyes were brimming. “How long have you been dreaming of your soulmate, friend?”
“Since we left Sanctuary.” His red-rimmed eyes met mine, his words rumbling over each other as he tried to explain. “But I haven’t found her. No one, not even Seraphiel, shines like the woman in my dreams.”
“Don’t give up,” I said earnestly. “Don’t mate with someone else just to protect yourself. We’ll do better. We’ll keep her away—” His harsh laughter cut me off.
“How? If I move any farther away, my house will fall into the void. I’ve spoken with Imriel about somehow getting a Celestial key and going to Earth on a mission.”
“You don’t have to leave, Percy.”
“What else can I do? This realm is so small. I can’t read her mind; none of us can. She’s always there, trying to get my attention. In good and bad ways.” A rueful smile flickered, then died. “She acts tough, but her heart is so tender. So I’ve tried to be subtle. Tried not to embarrass her.” His jaw tightened as if he were in pain. “Do I need to be cruel? Is that it?”
“I don’t recommend it. When I met Feather, I was beyond cruel to her. I was monstrous. And my shame manifested itself on my skin.” I winced, remembering how I’d stewed in my rage until I was almost as dirty as she had been. “I looked like I’d been wrestling pigs.”
“You smelled every bit as bad.”
“You don’t stink, Percy. And you’re as clean as you’ve ever been. You haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t start now. We’ll find a way to keep her away.”
He snorted. “A gate? You’ll need agreatone.”
I punched his arm just hard enough to spill his beer a little. “Too soon, Percy.” We drank in silence for a moment. “If Mik still had a working naming chime, I’m sure he’d use it to build you a Precious-proof security system. He’d probably welcome the challenge.”
Perception blanched. “The chime is broken?” Quickly, I explained what had happened.When I was done, he cursed aloud. “Nothing is safe from her these days, is it? She’s a Celestial wrecking ball.”
“Harsh.” I rose to take our empty cups to the kitchen near the back door. “I know you didn’t mean that, so I’ll forgive you this time. But don’t talk about her like that again.”
