Page 69 of Rise of the Queen

I shrugged my shoulders. “I dunno. When were you gonna tell me you can see demons all the time now?” I asked, trying to fake outrage to make him worry.

“I was gonna tell you, princess. I’m still getting used to it. Do you know how hard it is to keep a straight face when you see some little demon riding around on someone’s shoulder like it’s their pet dragon? I’m trying my best to keep it together right now. You always amplify things too. Maybe I was worried you were going to make me hear them too.” He laughed as he said it. He just wanted to give me a hard time.

“Okay, you can make it up to me,” I said, cutting my eyes over at him like I was irritated with him. He raised an eyebrow at me. “At some point, once I get a handle on how exactly I borrow everyone’s gifts, I’m gonna need to see this for myself,” I said, grinning at him.

“Deal.”

“Now answer my original question. Did you leave your phone playing?”

He shook his head no. “No, I’ve listened to the recordings of you playing so much that they started playing on their own now when I come here. I like it. Makes it nicer,” he said. I couldn’t help my smile. “The bigger question, I think, is why you’re here, princess. Not that I mind, but this is definitely new.”

As soon as he asked the question, the scene in front of us changed. His darkness faded away to reveal the very familiar path, in front of the very familiar house. I smiled at Ivan, taking his hand and leading him to the house. “You’re in for a treat, Squish.”

We walked into the house, hearing the familiar song my dad was playing while he waited for us. Ivan looked down at me skeptically as we walked into the room where my dad was. As the song ended, he said, “I know this is a little strange, Ivan, but I needed to talk to both of you, and this saved me some time. I’ve joined a new aerial acrobatics team, and we have practice later. I’m on a time schedule,” my dad said as he turned to face us.

I laughed as I went to hug him, leaving Ivan still somewhat stunned and slightly confused. I turned to look at Ivan, and as soon as he saw me standing next to my dad, he figured it out. “You’re Sephie’s dad,” he said. “You look like him, princess.”

My dad looked down at me, raising an eyebrow as he studied my face. “I think her mother helped way more than I did onher looks, but I’ll take the compliment anyway. I plan to tell everyone about this, in fact,” he said, grinning at me.

“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 sisters, 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 are that for you.”

I glanced at Ivan, who looked surprised. “I actually just said this to Adrik last night. You two are always the best about taking new things in stride. It helps me do the same.”

“I think 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.”

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 morelifetimes 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 anyone 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.”