Exodus by Stewart Kate

Author:Stewart , Kate
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Revenhood Duet, Book Two
Publisher: KLS PRESS LLC
Published: 2020-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

In visions of the dark night

I have dreamed of joy departed—

But a waking dream of life and light

Hath left me broken-hearted.—A Dream, Edgar Allen Poe

Cecelia age 26

Nine hours ago…

“To the Bride and Groom.” Champagne glasses rise around the small restaurant as I clink flutes with Collin. A serene smile graces his handsome face as he squeezes my hand while covered plates are ceremoniously set before us.

When the cloche is lifted, I glance down to see lamb chops with mint sauce and rosemary potatoes. Just as I start to voice my protest, a familiar, masculine scent invades my nose. My breath catches as I inhale deeply while my eyes drift to the sun-drenched forearm in front of me. Beneath the rolled-up sleeve of a crisp white button-down, an unmistakable dark ink pattern lay etched into his golden skin. My gaze lifts to meet recognizable hazel eyes, but the face, it’s all wrong.

“Congratulations,” the waiter drawls, his voice covering me in warmth. My eyes gaze back to the tattoo just as he pulls away. I call out to him, and he hesitates at the kitchen door and turns to me, his muted features becoming more recognizable as the seconds tick past. I know this man, intimately.

“Wait,” I croak out, chest tightening unbearably when the chatter around me drowns out my pleas as he disappears through the service door.

And that’s when I feel him.

Slowly, I stand and take inventory of our guests who all seem to be oblivious to the shadow that’s entered the room, casting a dark hue over the rich, warm light from the dripping chandeliers. I’m thankful they’re all ignorant to it, because if they notice the shift, they’ll be afraid, but I’m not. And I want nothing more than to see the source.

Collin rattles on to my left in conversation, and I know he can’t sense my reaction. I’m safe. My secrets are safe in this cool cocoon. My eyes scan the party. Everyone is here, our coworkers and friends, Mom and Timothy, Christy and her husband, Josh, and their two boys, one of which my mother holds tightly to her while keeping Christy busy in conversation. My attention shifts to the double doors on the other side of the room. Tiny sparks of light flash behind the sheer curtains in a dizzying pattern. I know I should be afraid, but I feel nothing but safe alongside the cool shadow who beckons me, covering me in goosebumps while urging me toward the door, toward him. Anxiously, I scan the room once more for any reaction and am relieved when I find none. These people don’t know. They can never know.

Slowly, so as not to alert anyone, I walk through the division of round tables and the back doors just as a breeze sweeps up the leaves at my feet, creating a wind tunnel that envelops me. I can see the veins running along the center of the foliage as they dance and sway at arms-length, and a giggle bursts from my lips.

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