Page 53 of Of Blood and Smoke

FIFTY-THREE

Della

We left Josiah’s parents’ home with promises to return soon. He had to explain a few things to me about why the parent-child relationship between the three of them was so unconventional. The same social constructs that applied to humans did not apply to vampires and demons. Boundaries practically didn’t exist, and it was closer to intimate friendship than adult child and older adult. Also, his mother was extraordinarily free-spirited—as became quickly apparent to me while I was there.

Josiah arranged for someone to pick up the few things I wanted from my apartment once he transitioned us into his manor in upstate New York. The teleportation he and his kind used was referred to as transitioning when they moved between realms. I had a lot of questions, of course, after my experience in the Second Realm.

Before we left, Josiah and his father discussed the upcoming changes due to Josiah’s disturbance of the entire system. He was breaking some curse or enchantment that had blinded him to many of his own abilities and caused all his actions to work in favor of the Ancients. Micah and he guessed it’d been placed early on during their training.

He’d left a gaping hole for the Court, and it was suggested he fill it. He turned it down. He had a company to run and a life to live in the Third Realm, with me. Apparently, there were lots of other Realms, but Josiah said he had no interest in visiting them. I decided to spend some time attempting to convince him, my curiosity stoked.