Adaliah Battle for the Covenant

PART SEVEN: Choice

"Did you ladies have a good time?" Auntie Nettie said to us as we walked through the back door.

I didn't respond, my head was still swimming with everything that had happened between Ravyn and then Luscious. I was so confused as to what was going on. They both had asked me for my consent, and then there was Ravyn's aunt who made the same statement as Luscious. Something was happening. I was not sure as to what yet, but something in me was letting me know that something was going on and I wasn't being privy to all information. Luscious at least did try to approach me and let me know the truth, even though he was speaking in riddles.

"We had a good time Auntie Nettie." Ravyn replied for us.

Her aunt spun around and looked back and forth between the both of us. A wide smile spread across her face. "I see that you did have a good time." She almost whispered. She walked over to both of us and took in a deep breath as if she was smelling something. Then her eyes widened a bit and her face contorted slightly like she just smelled something displeasing. Her eyes darted to the side of my neck. "Adaliah, how was your time at the spring?" she said questioning me.

"It was interesting." Was all that I could muster up to say. I didn't want to lie, but I also didn't want to tell them the encounter that I had, since I wasn't quite sure what it was myself. She just continued to stare at me as if she was waiting for me to provide more information. I held my ground and just stared back. I had gone through too much to continue to be intimidated. I was getting fed up and I needed answers.

"Come on Adaliah lets go get cleaned up so we can eat some of Auntie Nettie's amazing stew." Ravyn interjected our stare down. We walked back to the room and on our way out of the kitchen I could feel Auntie Nettie's eyes boring a hole in my back. It was unnerving.

After we showered and changed into some more comfortable clothes we all sat down at Auntie Netties large dining room table. There were fresh cut flowers in the center and herbs that surrounded it. The smell of the stew, flowers, and herbs intermingling smelled wonderful. Auntie Nettie and Ravyn were having small talk about her work and other goings on. At first, I just listened to the both of them talk, but then I began to tune them out because Luscious once again entered my mind, my insides tightened a little at the thought of him. As the conversation between Nettie and Ravyn became more of a murmur in the background, my mind drifted off to what Luscious had told me about him being a destination, a choice, a purpose; what did that mean? I kept going over our transaction and felt I had missed something, that he told me what I needed to hear but somehow I needed to decipher it myself.

"Adaliah..... yooo hooo!!" Nettie's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I'm sorry what did you say." I said shaking my own thoughts away.

"I asked how you liked the stew?" She responded smiling.

"Oh, it's fantastic." I said honestly. It really was appetizing. "thank you so much for cooking and thank you also for allowing me to stay in your home and the hospitality overall."

"Well, you're welcome." She smiled. "Any friend of Birdie's is welcome anytime."

"All water and no earth." I bluntly and abruptly changed the subject. I needed to get down to the bottom of this.

"I'm sorry?" Nettie said sweetly, but her eyes showed her defensive stance.

"You said that to me earlier. That is the same thing Luscious said to me." I stated

She cleared her throat. Slowly took her napkin and dabbed at her mouth as if she was thinking how she was going to speak her next words. She leaned her chin on her closed fist as it rested on the table and just stared at me.