“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.”
Jackson’s eyes widened.
Riah cocked his head to the side. “How was the Lou Carcolh, by the way?”
Jackson gasped and gripped his right arm. “Was that you?”
Riah chuckled. “Oh no, that was entirely your ancestor, but I found it rather entertaining.”
Jackson’s face fell. He turned to his right to Bettina and then pointed his thumb at Riah.
She shook her head. “What the hell kind of Middle Earth bullshit is this?”
“My arm was paralyzed from that thing.”
“Well you weren’t supposed to touch it.”
Lily slammed her hand over Easton’s mouth.
“Weren’t supposed to touch – who the buggery bollocks is this wanker?” Jackson’s voice rose.
Royce threw his hand up. “Don’t make this weird, but can you say that again?”
Henley smacked him in the back of the head.
There was a loud crunch behind me. When I glanced back I found Tegan and Bentley sprawled in their chairs, lounged back and eating chips.
Tegan chewed, swallowed, then licked her lips and pointed her next chip at Riah. “Okay, pretty sure I’ve got most of this but I’d love a few clarifications—”
“What about the rest of us, T?” Cooper arched one eyebrow.
Tegan shrugged.
“This some espionage bullshit, that’s what I smell,” Savannah grumbled. “And I don’t like it. Who’s the spy, Riah?”
His gold gaze met mine across the table over the entire Coven and the few extras. I sighed. They weren’t going to ease up until they got the truth. I understood Riah’s hesitation to reveal it all, this was a long game he’d been playing for centuries…giving it up now before the war even started felt counter intuitive. But he hadn’t planned on me being his soulmate. No one had. That changed things.
And they weren’t going to let us be together until he proved he could be trusted.
I could not fault them for that.
I sighed. “Tell them, Riah. Tell them everything. Tell them about your mom, about Thorne and Sage, and Malachi. Just tell them. I know there was a specific plan in place, but this is where we are now. You’re my soulmate and this is my Coven. I need you to trust each other.”
He nodded, took a deep breath…then told them everything. They listened in riveted silence as he bared the truth. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. There were even a few gasps. But they listened as he put all the details and secrets out on the table.
When he finished the room fell into tense silence.
Then I remembered The World Card had a very special gift…lie detector. Jackson could tell if someone was lying or not, at least by their knowledge. “Ask Jackson.”
Jackson turned to Tennessee and shrugged. “He’s telling the truth, at least as far as he knows it.”
“My job was to protect Saraphina at all costs.”
Tennessee narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “But she was cursed. Where were you then?”
“I was there,” Riah growled. “Not interfering but keeping her safe.”
Cooper frowned, mirroring Tennessee’s pose. “Until when? I never saw you.”
“I did,” Tennessee whispered.
Everyone gasped.
Riah sighed. “You were too young to realize what you were seeing, but after those first few times I made sure to hide when you were around.”
Tegan raised her chip in the air. “I never saw you, or felt you.”