Ascension by S.T. Gibson

After fighting for his position, Rhys is now High Priest in the Secret Society in Boston. He’s happy, believing he has it all. His wife, Moira, is happy to be with him and is still maintaining her side hustle of reading people. Also still in his life is his old nemesis and ex-boyfriend–now-turned-partner, David. The three of them live in comfort, yet no one wants to rely on the other. The Society needs money, but Rhys doesn’t want to take David’s payouts. Moira wants to earn her own money and not rely on the men in her life.

Overall, Rhys is happy, until a strange ritual takes place in Boston and no one knows who started it. Not only that, it leaves his Society open to sabotage and public notice. Rhys wants to fix it all himself, but David and Moira are not happy about this, they want to help. However, they know and love Rhys, and he will not ask for their help or support until it’s almost too late. The pair decide to support him from the sidelines and be there whenever possible.

Because of the problem, Rhys invites other societies in to help, but they say to keep the incident quiet. During that time, one of the other members, Max, comes on to David and David likes it. Moira notices but doesn’t say anything. Rhys is tasked with preparing a statement and a report for the press but is told not to send it until everyone else has looked at it and they decide whether it should be shared publicly.

One night, Moira notices that Rhys leaves bed in the middle of the night. She asks him about it, but he says nothing. Later, he looks at his email, apparently, he sent a news reporter an email that night about the incident, naming David and Moira in it. Rhys doesn’t remember sending it. David calls, angry, because now that his name is public, his clients want a new lawyer—not a lawyer who talks with the dead. Already upset with Rhys, David is even more so now.

With the threat of sabotage still looming, the Society continues its meetings. During one of these, David, as Rhys’s right-hand man, speaks his mind. He outright says that Rhys is doing a terrible job as High Priest and needs to take a step back and let others help. Rhys, pissed that David would say that in front of everyone, bans him from the Society. As David leaves, very upset, he runs into Moira, who had been running because she had a feeling something bad was going to happen. She realizes she’s too late when David tells her they had a big fight and he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Moira then goes to Rhys, and he tells her everything. She gets upset with Rhys, not siding with either man, but says that ever since he took the position, she has felt neglected and not part of the marriage. She leaves in anger and decides to go out dancing with a friend.

Rhys goes to the church and takes time to think about his actions. He decides what needs to be done. That night, when Moira comes back, he asks for her forgiveness. He tells her that when he took the position as High Priest, he promised it would never overpower his duties as a husband; yet he let it happen. He says he will give up the position so that he can be with her as a loving husband.

Moira says no, that Rhys needs to go and fix everything first, including things with David. Then she will forgive him, and they will work on things together. She also demands honesty, so Rhys gives it: he tells her that the demons he summoned are not leaving, and it is making life difficult. At one point, Moira sees the demons as well, and it terrifies her enough that she says Rhys will need help to banish them.

During their fight, David seeks comfort elsewhere and runs into Max. The two end up sleeping together, but their time quickly comes to an end when David is asked to come in and run for interim High Priest since Rhys is not fit at the moment. David goes to the meeting but doesn’t win the spot, which he is grateful for. Moira calls David and asks him to come over and help figure out what is going on with Rhys and his demons.

Rhys and David reconcile and start addressing Rhys’s problem. Max is brought in, and they form a summoning circle to get rid of the demons haunting Rhys. After a fierce fight—and a lot of pushing from Max’s side they are able to banish the demons from Rhys.

Christmas comes around quickly. David, not knowing where he stands with Rhys and Moira, stays home alone—until Rhys calls and tells him to come over and celebrate Christmas Eve with them. Rhys and Moira tell him that just because they are married doesn’t mean they see David as anything different, and that he should be with them when he can. David loves being with his new family during the holidays.

Rhys and Moira prepare for dinner with his family. This is a big moment for Rhys, as he is going to come out as bisexual and reveal that he is seeing someone else, with Moira’s knowledge and support. His parents take it decently well and just ask for some time to understand. Rhys feels much better now that everything is out in the open. Later, as a reward for finally telling his parents, he is offered a threesome with the two people he loves so much.

The book ends with Rhys back teaching his students; David being one of them.