Chapter 29
Liri paced to the other side of the room and then almost plowed over Nova when she turned to repeat her steps the other way.
“You are buzzing today. What’s wrong?” Nova motioned to the couch.
Sighing, Liri sat down and flopped back. “I had a talk with Aunt Ama, and it just keeps playing on repeat in my head.”
“Aunt Ama—the queen, okay,” Nova nodded, “about what?”
Liri felt her cheeks heat. “Abraham.”
“Oh.” Nova sat down beside her, “you told her that he’s your other?”
Liri nodded. “I did, and she did not react like I thought she would.”
“How did you expect her to react?”
Liri smirked. “Like Bas did, only less dramatic.”
Nova smirked, shook her head, and sobered again. “What did she say?”
“That she was happy for me, over the moon, I believe, were her words.” She frowned. “I don’t know what that means, but she looked very excited saying it.”
“You expected her to give you the; you have to wait speech?”
“I did.” She sat up and looked at her. “why didn’t she?”
“With Bastian, it can’t be avoided. He has to go over there a lot, and too many others would see it, but I suppose you aren’t in the limelight in the line of succession.”
“There is no way I could sneak that by my parents. They may not be watchers, but all Solrelm people can at least sense souls, so I’m sure they’d know that mine was joined with someone else.”
Nova sucked in a breath and nodded her head slowly. “I don’t have the answer. I haven’t met your parents, so I can’t even advise how to tell them.”
“Tell them?” Liri got up and paced to the other side of the room, “You mean before Abraham and I have even decided…”
“You haven’t decided?”
Liri pulled her hair together and then flipped it back to rest behind her; some days, it felt too heavy on her head. “We want to get to know each other.”
Nova studied her for a moment. “So you’ve both agreed to walk away from your one and only other or mate if that doesn’t go the way you think?”
Liri opened her mouth and snapped it shut for a second, saying. “I don’t know.” She had the sudden urge to shave her head when the hair curtained over her shoulders again.
“I suppose you need to spend some time with him then, figure things out.”
“That’s hard to do,” she motioned in the air, “with everything going on.”
“I know. It’s all so overwhelming at times,” she gave her an understanding look, “which you’re aware of because of your timeline project.”
Liri rubbed her hand across her forehead. “Every time I think we’re going to have an ah-ha moment, something else is added to it that would veer it in another direction.”
“I understand,” Nova tapped her finger against the side of her head, “I have so many memories up here that I don’t know where to start some mornings when I wake up.”
“Do you think it’s like that for Abe too?” She hugged her arms around her waist. “He knows a lot about the circle of stones, the Interealm headquarters. I think his soul has always been a part of this, without knowing where it was going.”
“I think fate has a reason for each part of this as it’s revealed and by whom reveals it.” Nova got up. “Speaking of, I have to go talk to Alona, who knows more about real estate than I ever will.” She glanced around, “Sedric is in the library. You could take him shopping.” She motioned to the kitchen, “I left a list and the cash there.” She grimaced. “Please go. Sending a teen boy to the grocery store alone was not the best choice last time.”
Liri nodded, “I know. The cupboard is packed with snacks.”
“Exactly, I’d like something that looks like real food.”
“Okay. We’ll go grocery shopping.” She didn’t bother to mention that she had no idea how to do that. How hard could it be?
***
“Why are there this many kinds?” Liri looked down to one end of the aisle and then turned and looked back. It seemed excessive to her. Why would it be necessary to make this many kinds? How did people ever decide?
“Cereal is epic.” Sedric nodded, “so many kinds.” He went over, picked up a box, and showed it to her.
“Chocolate for breakfast?”
He blinked. “Chocolate for any time.” He dropped it into the cart. “You pick one, so we have one that’s good for you.” He shrugged. “Nova will like that.”
Liri looked at a few of the boxes. “You feel it too? Keeping Nova happy by any means so we can continue to stay there and avoid our other reality?” How was she supposed to know which ones were good for you? She scowled at the boxes. They all said wholesome or goodness or something. Going closer, she hovered her hand over one kind and then quickly snatched up the one beside it. Dropping it into the cart, she looked down at the list, “crackers are next.”
Sedric laughed, “You thought cereal was hard, wait until you see the cracker aisle.” He grabbed the cart and wheeled it in a reckless way around the corner to the next aisle. “I am never going back to the tunnels. I will clean Nova’s house, all of them, if I have to.”
Liri nodded. She had no wish to go home again. Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed by her parents if she were missing too long.
By the time they reached the cash, Liri decided she was never going grocery shopping again. It was a lot of work and decisions trying to decide on what flavor, brand, size, or, in some cases, color of the item to purchase.
Pushing the cart out of the store, she looked around for a cab. Nova’s wasn’t too far away, but she wasn’t going to try to carry all of this. Ava had explained to her how to take a cab, and she was looking forward to trying it.
Sedric squatted beside the cart, “I don’t feel so hot.”
She looked the other way, wondering how she would recognize a cab. “Oh, did you eat today?” She felt off when she forgot to eat, so could only assume someone with Alterealm, Solrelm, and human DNA would feel the same.
“I don’t have a problem eating since the brothers found me in the tunnels. Stopping eating is a problem now.” He groaned. “My guts hurt, my head is fuzzy, and even my teeth are aching.”
Liri looked down just as he glanced up at her. “Oh dear,” His eyes were red. “Okay, don’t panic, but your eyes are red. I’m calling Bethany right now.”
“Red? No way. I guess that means Alterealm wins. That’s too bad, I was hoping I could be invisible like Bastian.”
Liri smirked, “Only actual watchers can do that.” She had no idea why but knew it was true because she knew she couldn’t do it. She dialed Beth’s number.
“Hey, Liri, we were just…”
“I’m with Sedric. We went shopping. He doesn’t feel well,” she glanced to make sure no one was near them, “and his eyes are red.”
“Oh. Um, where are you?” She heard a door close.
“The grocery store a block from Nova’s.”
“Okay, stay put. Keep people away from him.” She paused, “you keep your distance too, I’m sending Leone for him.”
“Okay. We’ll stay here.” She hung up. “Leone is on the way.”
“Maybe we should move to the end of the building and wait there.” He was watching people going into the store. “I feel weird when I look at them.”
Liri nodded, “good idea, push the cart and lean on it.” She hoped he’d keep those sharper teeth to himself if she gave him something to do.
They just reached the end of the building when Leone and Abe came jogging around the far corner. She was so happy to see them.
“Hey, Sedric.” Leone leaned down and looked at his face, “oh man, yeah,” he looked at Abe, “we’re going back to Alterealm for a bit.” He pulled something out of his pocket, “Put this stabilizer on so we don’t have to worry about you porting.”
Sedric fumbled with it, so Leone helped him get it done up.
“We’ll see you later.” He put his arm around Sedric, and they disappeared.
“Poor kid,” Abe rubbed the back of his neck, “I remember that feeling the first time.”
“It just hit him.”
Abraham nodded, “It does that for, oh, the next fifty years.”
She cringed. “That’s awful.”
“At least he won’t have to figure out how to feed, so it might not be as bad for him.”
She hadn’t considered how someone in Interealm would go about feeding without announcing to the entire realm that they weren’t exactly human. She looked down at the groceries, “I still have to get a cab.”
He looked down at the bags in the cart. “We can get them there faster.” He frowned, “I think.” He blew out a breath. “I’ve been trying to embrace porting,” he shrugged, “it’s the privilege of royal blood, so I might as well use it, right?”
She grinned. “The only privilege mine allows me is I’ve gotten to procrastinate on choosing a partner.”
He studied her for a moment. “Good thing too. It means I don’t have to stab anyone.” He shrugged, picked up the bags in the cart, and lifted one arm. “Hang on.”
Liri skirted under the bags in his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist. She’d never get tired of porting. It was always exhilarating. Well, except for the part to Alterealm, and then her stomach objected loudly.