Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴜᴍ (Bᴏᴏᴋ 1) (editing)

Chapter 9- Never Ending Fantasy (Part 2)

Kalevi smiled a tight smile, "How kind of you both to do that. Thank you."

Revon titled his head only slightly in his direction, "It was our pleasure."

The conversation went to a crashing halt after that. Rayna's eyebrows puckered together in frustration. She turned to Jewel, begging for her to try now.

Jewel looked at her as if to say, What am I supposed to do?

Rayna gave her a look right back, saying, Something!

Jewel rolled her eyes, then turned her attention to Catherina, "Aunt Catherina, did you ever tell Uncle Kalevi about who you ran into town a few months ago?"

Catherina continued looking down at her plate, pushing her food around her plate. "No."

Rayna huffed at the one worded response, "Well, why don't you tell him about it now." She gave her aunt a pointed look.

Catherina glared at her niece, then looked in her husbands' direction. "I ran into Mrs. Tedoom a little while back."

Kalevi scrunched up his nose, "Ew, how awful, what did she say?"

Catherina scoffed, "Ugh, what didn't she say? She commented on my dress, my hair, the cloak I was wearing that day. Ugh, awful woman as always."

Kalevi laughed, "That doesn't surprise me. Whenever we travel through town, I pray she is not out and about."

Revon jumped in on the conversation, a confused look on his face, "Wait, is that the awful woman that was at Rayna's debut as a babe, that commented on how Ella chose the wrong color dress for Rayna?"

Both Kalevi and Catherina laughed, saying, "Yes!"

Rayna and Jewel beamed at one another as the conversation between the three adults continued to flow on its own. The two then looked at the two boys glaring at one another and sighed, realizing they had more work to do.

No matter how the girls tried to bring the two teenage boys into the conversation, they would not budge in conversing with one another. Catherina even tried once or twice herself to engage the two in conversation, but even that didn't work.

The evening went on with ease, besides the obvious. Afterward, they all went on into different rooms for a moment between dinner and dessert. Kalevi and Revon went off to have a private conversation. Andre went upstairs for something unknown to the rest. Jewel went in to help Catherina clean up for dessert. And Rayna cornered her cousin in the den.

"What in the Gods is going on in that head of yours, Cy?" Rayna demanded, tired of the childish games these boys were playing. It was tiresome already, and they had only been around one another twice.

Cyrus looked up at her with false confusion, "What do you mean, Ray?"

She scoffed, "Don't be coy with me. I see right through that act. What is with the glaring at the table between you and Andre? I understand you don't know him, but you are genuinely acting as if you hate him. And this is only the second time you are meeting!"

He scoffed, turning to glare at the crackling fire that sat under the stone cobble fireplace. He huffed under his breath, "It's not an act." Not realizing he said it loud enough for his cousin

Rayna pointed at him, "See! Right there! What is going on?!"

He sighed, running his hands through his hair, pausing for a moment, before spilling his guts to his cousin, "I have no idea, Rayna. I don't know why I just had this instant disliking towards him." He turned to look at her, and she could see the bewilderment in his eyes. "I mean, the first time I met him, he was attacking you, so that wasn't a very good first impression." He held up his hand to stop her from speaking, "I know he wasn't really attacking you, but still. He lost his control during that fight. I felt his anger don't forget that I can feel every emotion of his. And he is no better! He has a strong hatred for me! So mostly, I am just following his lead of hate."