All Chapters of Renascence : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I ended the phone call with William and I felt much better about the whole situation. He’d had a troubled life as a child as well and Levi had saved him, paid his aunt to sign the adoption papers so he could get William. That’s why Levi’s stinted statement confused me. I only wanted what was best for Sebastian.A few seconds after my phone call, my phone pinged with an incoming message and I saved Denver Thomas’ number on my phone. I had hoped that William would come through for me but somehow I’d known he would without asking too many questions.I headed to my room and switched the shower on. By the time I stood under the water, the bathroom had filled with steam and I was relaxing under the spray of water. Sebastian’s words kept filtering into my mind. ‘You can adopt me.’The house was slowly waking up and I heard the television go on as I got dressed in my dressing room. My clothes were still in my bags and I hadn’t unpacked yet. I looked around my bedroom and noted that Caleb and

Lyric’s unease rose again as I sat deep in thought. None of what Denver said made me feel any better. Somehow she had to get a better job, a place to live and a safe environment for Sebastian. I could feel Gray underneath my skin. He wanted different answers from Denver but I pushed him back.“What do they check for?” I asked him.“Home cleanliness, believe it or not, but it plays a big role, waste disposal, the child’s bedroom condition, safety points like fire hazards, chemicals in the house, open wires, drugs, food, clothes, medical care, outdoor environment. Basically they want to see that you have food, a clean house, a bedroom for the child and lots of love,” he said.‘We can give him all of that,’ Gray said protectively.“Is her age going to count against her?” I asked.“It could. It would help if she wasn’t single. Eighteen’s very young to take responsibility for a child,” he said.“Can you file a motion for them to stay here while we do this?” I asked him.“I can, we’d need t

“She has my card and we need everything for a five-year-old boy’s room,” I said to the salesman. His eyes glistened with the thought of earning commission on this sale.“You’re leaving?” Lyric asked me.“I have to get something for Caleb,” I said and gave her an encouraging smile.Before she could say anything else, I left the store and rounded the corner. I hurried into the jewelry store and when I closed the door behind me, two women immediately smiled. The air felt different in there and you could almost smell the money people spent in there.Their most basic rings started at three thousand dollars but the one I’d seen and liked was a lot more than that. Even if the marriage was a sham, I wanted Lyric to have something nice. I wanted her to wear a ring she could be proud of.I walked over to the display cases and my eyes flitted over the variety of rings. I spotted the one I’d seen online and when I looked up one of the women was standing in front of me, her sales smile plastered o

The tension in the bowling alley rose and the scents of wolves filled my nose. I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but this man wasn’t going to harass and threaten her in public, not while I was there.The waves of alcohol coming from him were almost suffocating and I knew he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a confrontation. Alcohol fueled his anger but if he laid another hand on her, I would physically put him in his place.“Who the hell do you think you are?” He slurred his words as he spoke to me.“Christian Sinclair, don’t forget my name,” I said as I kept my aura in check.He was too drunk to notice it anyway and I nudged him away with my shoulder. I was too aware of the civilians around us to really let my anger loose and I could see that Lyric was rattled by the confrontation.“Stay away from Lyric or you’ll regret it,” I said in passing and stepped away from him.I saw a group of young men, around my age, at the far end of the bowling alley and they nodded their head

Death looked at me with a sad smile, he had seen the emotion cross over my eyes. I wished I could talk to Kiran. I needed his advice, I wanted to know what he would do in my situation. Gray wasn’t completely happy with me and I couldn’t blame him.“Is he doing okay?” I asked him.“He’s Kiran, he’s always okay,” he replied softly.“I miss him,” I said mostly to myself.“He misses you too, but you know Kiran, he’s always busy with Malachi, trying to change shit in the afterlife, he’ll probably succeed too,” he said and I laughed.“What are they up to?” I asked him.Death looked to be lost in thought for a moment and then he sighed loudly. “Malachi was always too smart for his own good. As Jericho’s great-grandfather he’s claimed ancestral rights and now he has a direct line to Odin’s ear.”“I bet you hate that,” I said to him.Death shrugged. “It doesn’t really affect me… that much.”“I’m guessing you came for a reason,” I said as Death looked way too comfortable in my study.“You need