Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

70. Rob

70

ROB

R ob stood at the edge of the lawn, nursing a glass of champagne as he tried to get over seeing the goddess again. He had initially expected her to be like Toven, regal and refined, and she was all that but also so much more.

Seeing the goddess up close on that podium, her energy radiating and touching everyone around her, was the nearest Rob had ever gotten to a religious experience, and the funny thing was that the Clan Mother did not even claim to be a divinity. She just looked like what he imagined a goddess or an angel would.

Ell-rom, her half-brother, was an impressive dude, but he paled in comparison. Still, the excitement around his arrival was undeniable, contrasting starkly with the melancholy that had been Rob's constant companion since his life had fallen apart, or as his sister insisted, had finally gotten on the right track.

He and Margo had done some catching up at the café before the party, talking mostly about their parents, a topic that filled Rob with equal parts guilt and worry.

"They're concerned about you," Margo had said. "You should call them."

Rob had nodded, promising to do so in a day or two, but the thought of facing the world he'd left behind still filled him with dread. It wasn't just the canceled wedding and the emotional fallout from his break-up with Lynda. There was also the growing realization of what his and Margo's choices meant for their parents.

"What about Mom and Dad?" he'd asked. "When you also move here permanently, they'll be left alone."

Their parents didn't have many friends, and the thought of them rattling around in an empty house, missing their children, weighed heavily on his conscience.

"I know. I've been thinking about that, too. Maybe we can convince the clan to let them move in here as well. They allowed other humans in, like Mia's grandparents."

Margo had promised to talk to Mia and her fiancé about it. The god had a lot of influence in the clan, and he would do anything for Mia, so there was a small chance that he might get Kian to agree.

But that was a worry for another day.

Today, Rob was busy people-watching and trying to get caught up in the celebratory mood.

It was good to see Jasmine laughing with Margo and her other friends, looking radiant and happy. If not for her, he would be standing at the altar with Lynda in a couple of days, making what he now realized would have been the biggest mistake of his life. He owed her for convincing Margo to approach him with her suspicions and for making him face the truth that had been staring him in the face but that he had refused to acknowledge.

Rob was grateful for the twist of fate that had brought him here instead.

Thankfully, his parents had decided to cancel the entire thing rather than use the venue to renew their own vows. Rob was glad, and not just because the venue had refunded half of what he'd paid. The thought of that celebration going on without him and disappointing his parents yet again was too painful, but he just wasn't ready to face that world again.

Not so soon.

"You look like you could use some food." A familiar voice had his heart skip a beat.

Rob turned to see Lusha standing beside him, a knowing smile on her face. "Hi." He smiled back. "What do you have in mind?"

"The buffet. We should head there before there's nothing left."

"Let's go." He fell into step with her. "Where is your guy? Is he on duty?"

She nodded. "He's patrolling. The Guardians are always working at events like this when the Clan Mother is present."

Rob looked around, surprised that he couldn't spot anyone who looked like they were on active duty. The gathering appeared entirely civilian, relaxed, and jubilant. "The Guardians must be very discreet."

"That's the idea," Lusha said. "Come on, let's eat."

At the buffet, they loaded their plates with an assortment of finger foods and then looked for a place to sit, which proved to be a problem because there were no vacant seats.

"Come on." Lusha led him to a shaded spot under a large tree. "We can eat right here."

"Are you sure?" He looked at her khaki pants.

"It's fine." She settled on the ground, balancing her plate on her lap. "The grass is dry."

He sat beside her, and for a few moments, they consumed the contents of their plates. When the food was gone, there was nothing more to occupy their hands and mouths with, and an awkward silence settled over them.

"Did you hear that they found the culprit behind the thefts and sabotage?" Lusha asked.

Rob put the plate on the grass beside him. "No, I didn't. Who was it?"

"Turns out it was Jade's daughter, Drova. She's under house arrest now."

It took him a moment to remember who Jade was. The names and faces of everyone he had met over the last couple of days had become a blur in his mind.

"Remind me who Jade is?"

"The Kra-ell leader." Lusha craned her neck and looked around. "It's the tall skinny lady with the long ponytail and military boots standing behind Ell-rom."

The woman, or rather female, looked too young to have a daughter who had gotten into so much mischief, but that was true of all of these good-looking people who could be centuries old and not show it.

"How old is her daughter?"

'Sixteen or maybe seventeen already." Lusha put her plate on top of his. "She is a lot like her mother. A born fighter with an attitude a mile wide."

Rob smiled. "A teenage rebellion or a way to impress a boy?"

Lusha laughed. "Both, I guess. Drova has her eye on an older guy who thinks of her as a kid, and rightfully so because she is much too young for him. Maybe that was why she did it." Lusha shifted to lean on her side. "Naturally, that wasn't what she had to say in her defense. I wasn't given any details, but I bet that it was something along the lines of the Kra-ell needing to live their 'authentic lives,' hunting, and stuff like they did in Karelia. Only it didn't make them happy then, so it's not going to make them happy now. They need to adapt to modern times and start valuing education over pursuing the lifestyle of their ancestors." She leaned closer to him. "They are savages at heart, and they pride themselves on it. In my opinion, they need to find a new source of pride."

Rob turned to look at Ell-rom, who stood tall and proud beside Annani, greeting people with regal poise and grace. "Do you think their prince might be that new source?"

Lusha shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't made up my mind about him yet."