Chapter Thirteen

Now you're a real pizza work!

It wasn't the quickest of showers, but definitely one of the best of her life. Eva made the decision that if her house had survived, she would definitely upgrade her bathroom. Finding a new bottle of vanilla lavender body wash made her not feel quite so far from home. She lingered long after she'd washed the remaining grime and blood away from her body and out of her hair enjoying the comforting scent. She didn't only spend the time basking in the seemingly unending stream of hot water. She carefully examined where she knew wounds had been just days before, while prodding the puckered, scarred bite marks on her calf that looked weeks old and not just days. Thoughts of the promised food kept her from remaining in the shower indefinitely.

After her shower, she found a few simple items folded neatly and waiting for her on the bed. Fresh sheets and blankets had also replaced the ones she'd lain on for the last several days and nights. The soft leggings and tee were clearly not new, but they fit well enough and felt heavenly to pull on after her shower. No shoes but socks, so she wouldn't be forced to parade barefoot before strangers in an unfamiliar place. Dressed in someone else"s clean clothes, Eva left the room to follow the soft murmur of voices down a long hallway with closed doors, before entering a lounge filled with seating and an almost familiar yet still strange grouping.

Slipping quietly into the room, Eva wasn't sure who or what to expect when Oliver said everyone had arrived. She recognized Delta, who was attempting to fit an entire slice of pizza into her mouth while lying half-reclined and barefoot on a sofa. Eva was fairly certain that the two women in coordinating jewel pantsuits near her were related; they looked just similar enough they could all be sisters.

However, they were cutting their pizza into smaller bits, eating it with a fork while perched on the edge of upholstered armchairs with shoes that matched handbags sitting upright next to them. And while Delta's hair fell down in wild, unruly curls, their equally red hair had been pulled into submission to form sleek, matching chignons. They topped off the look with expertly applied makeup. Similar and clearly related, but not quite the same aura floated from them, and definitely not Delta's earthy, free spirit style.

A sense of déjà vu smacked Eva in the face when she spied a dark-haired woman alone on another sofa, bare feet tucked next to her side and a glass of red wine in hand.

Wait! Is that the actress Ravyn Sinclair?

Oliver had said he was doing security for her, but why was she here barefoot and casually dressed? Had she been here before or was that a stress- and injury-induced hallucination? Eva couldn't trust her own memory at this point. Had she spoken to this group of people when Oliver brought her into his home or was that a false memory created to fill in the blanks of this new world she was discovering?

Tipping her wine glass in a small gesture of greeting, Ravyn gave her a faint smile that spoke of knowing exactly what Eva was thinking. Clearly, shoes were optional in Oliver's house, and the women were comfortable enough to slide out of them.

Three men—huge, oversized men in crisp, black suits—stood at various points within the room, their straight backs near the walls but not quite touching them as they also surveyed the room, eyes in motion like animals stalking prey or wary of unseen predators. One of the giants, blond with curly hair, who had tried to pull half of his frazzled mane into man-bun, stood closer to Ravyn and his darting, wary eyes tended to land on her much more often than the others' eyes did.

Eva allowed a lip to curl up, wondering about this relationship. Somehow, even when recovering from being torn apart and impending death, she'd managed to start "shipping" paranormals. Perhaps she'd lost her grasp on reality and now life had begun imitating her art in a crazy twist of events. A bark of a laugh that immediately cut off into a slight cough drew her eyes directly to Oliver. Despite knowing exactly where he was when she'd entered the room, Eva had avoided looking at him.

Sitting in yet another upholstered chair, Oliver owned the space, leaning forward with elbows on spread knees, sucking all the air from the room when she looked at him.

Delicious.

He'd apparently been in the middle of a conversation with the possible Delta relatives and sat frozen with his eyes upon her and a quizzical look across his face. He'd changed from those delicious gray sweatpants into fitted khaki pants, with what in Eva's mind was becoming his signature look, a white button-up with rolled sleeves. Despite the fact that room separated them, Eva began to fear that perhaps she was the prey as Oliver's eyes flared darker and deeper at her, losing the look of amusement. It was his eyes that drew her farther into the room in spite of the fact that she could have happily stood in the doorway and silently observed the group until she could slip away again.

A startled feminine voice broke her trance as Eva watched the room.

"Oh dear, whaaat are youuu?" an unfamiliar woman questioned in long, drawn-out vowels.

"Hungry?" Eva quipped sardonically, wondering how often she could be asked this in a day. Almost before the sarcasm had completely escaped her mouth, Oliver stood next to her with a plate of pizza while simultaneously managing to lead her deeper into the full room. Delta snorted around the pizza in her mouth, giving Eva a thumbs up while somehow still managing to hold onto a second slice.

The elegant woman who had questioned her so abruptly managed to pull her face into a look of embarrassment that Eva doubted was sincere. "I beg your pardon! My own mother would be appalled by my manners. It's just that you're . . . so interesting . . . just as mysterious as my daughter said. She also said you're amusing."

These last words were said in a flat tone and definitely not a compliment—perhaps even an insult—but that wasn't what Eva found most interesting. "Delta's your daughter? I thought you were sisters."

Delta rolled her eyes as the older witch tittered, perhaps finding her more amusing now than with her first impression. "Ugh, don't encourage her. Eva, this is my mother High Priestess Hecate of the Midwest and Greater Northern Coven Regions, Supreme Leader of all within her domain. Mother, this is Eva . . . Well, Eva Nance, adopted granddaughter of another Nance."

A wave of her hand followed the introduction that Eva wasn't quite sure was reverent, but at the same time she couldn't put her finger on how much was the truth and how much wasn't. Funny coming from someone who made a living writing fiction or evil devil lies, as some of the more colorful reviews liked to point out.

"Her mini-me is Athena, next in line for the great High Priestess of the Midwest and Greater Northern Regions, Maiden of the Midwest and Greater Northern Regions. Of course, the greatest title bestowed upon her is elder sister of me, the unexpected and unexplained." Sarcasm and even a hint of disdain followed the latter's introduction, and Eva didn't need a degree or even a course in psychology to see that there was a bit of sibling something going on there. "And ‘maiden' doesn't mean she's a virgin; it"s been a lotta years since that was a problem and not relevant to the maiden title."

With a sigh that showed she couldn't quite ignore her daughter's confusing and possibly irreverent introduction, Hecate nodded regally toward Eva as Eva stumbled out, "Nice to meet you, High Priestesses or, eh, both of you."

"Please, just call me Hecate. Those titles are nothing to you. The pleasure is all mine, and I greet you on behalf of our coven."

"And Athena," the other announced in a shrill, cartoonish voice that didn't quite match the elegant lady before her.

Delta groaned at her, continuing to shove pizza in her mouth even after her sibling gave her a dirty look.

Oliver pressed the plate at Eva. "Sit and eat. They voted on pizza." He lowered his voice, leaning in close to her ear. "And by voted, I mean honestly, Delta threw a tantrum until it was ordered. Don't hesitate to let me know if you want something else. You need to regain your strength."

Smiling at the image and acutely aware of Oliver's soothing coolness against her, Eva took the fine china plate she suspected usually served a much fancier fare. "Pizza is perfect, and I'm starving." Sitting crossed-legged on the only empty space in the loosely gathered furniture grouping, a sofa across from Ravyn, she nodded hello to her, feeling a bit self-conscious eating in front of the glamorous woman who had sat silently, watching the greetings play out around her.

Smiling a toothy grin framed with rosy lips, Ravyn waved her wine glass toward Eva. "Eva, it's really so lovely to see you up and about. When Oliver brought you in a few days ago, we weren't sure how things would end up." Her soft, lilting voice had an accent or combination of accents that Eva couldn't quite pinpoint. "But I really am glad you're doing well." Leaning in toward Eva, hinting at a camaraderie with her, she lowered her tone, although with Oliver's vampire hearing, who was she kidding? "Oliver has been quite beside himself. I don't think I've ever seen him so frazzled, and I've known him a long time." Raising an eyebrow, she once again raised her red wine to her lips, sipping. Waiting?

Eva's mind hadn't played tricks on her; Ravyn had been here when they arrived. Slowly, she chewed her pizza without tasting it. So, Ravyn is surely supernatural too? A vampire? Oliver had said he worked for her, that they were friends, birds of a feather and all that.Swallowing the food in her mouth gave her time to formulate a response, but still all she could come up with was, "It's nice to meet you?" This came out more a question than a statement, because Eva still had no idea why she was here or really where she even was. A few days ago, simply writing, existing, and working a few shifts at the coffee shop had summed up her life. Now it looked very different.

"Ah, yes, it really is. I'm delighted as well. Since Oliver is being so rude, I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Ravyn, dear, beloved friend of Oliver's, and hopefully you and I will be great friends as well. We sort of met earlier when Ollie brought you in. And just to face one of the elephants in the room, I am a vampire as well. Ollie says you're new to our world, and it's understandable that this is all very overwhelming and confusing, but it's important to just begin with honesty. Don't you agree?"

The pizza turned to sawdust in her mouth. Her world had always been small, but Eva was learning that it could be squished even smaller than she could imagine if all of this were true. And unless this was a huge practical joke or mass hysteria, it was, in fact, very true, and the sooner she accepted it as such, the sooner she could move on and go . . . home?

"I agree, fangk you very much." Hell, what was wrong with her? Couldn't for once her mouth just say what it should say and drop unnecessary puns that instead of drawing laughter might cause someone to literally kill her? She hadn't seen much of this world yet, but half of it had tried to kill her, and she definitely needed to be wary if she made it through the next few minutes unscathed.

Thankfully, laughter boomed from Ravyn at the slip of her tongue. "You're a riot and so refreshing. I can see why he's enamored with you."

Who, Oliver? Eva felt her face flood with the heat of embarrassment while her breath hitched, releasing the momentary panic she'd felt at her faux pas. Continuing to eat the tasteless pizza, she casually scanned the room to see who or what surrounded her. She remembered seeing a few members of the unlikely group earlier through her fevered haze. The three huge men still stood on the perimeter despite the numerous seats available in the large sitting area. The blond giant nearest to Ravyn had moved a few steps closer when Eva had sat down, but the others remained bookends to the room.

With a wave of her hand, Ravyn mostly dismissed the men around her. "These are my current bodyguards, hired thugs, protectors, whatever they choose to be called this century. Maybe you remember Thor the Dog, leader of my protection?" She gestured toward the tall, glowering man who rolled his eyes so quickly that if Eva had blinked, she would have missed it.

"I'm so sorry, I don't completely," admitted Eva. "When we arrived, I truly was out of it. I definitely don't recommend getting bitten by a . . . wild animal . . ." She trailed off uncertainly. Oliver had called them dogs or hounds. That was it: hellhounds, some sort of beasts from hell by the sounds of it, and they'd definitely looked the part. Craning her neck upward toward the huge bodyguard, whose bad side she didn't want to be on, she added, "Apologies if I said something, um, weird. I wish I could say it was due to my injuries, but my mouth gets ahead of me sometimes."

"Pfft, I haven't laughed so hard in ages! Ollie told me about your dream. You're nearly prophetic with those things. In all seriousness, though, hellhounds are nasty, nasty creatures. Really, they should all be put down. The only purpose they serve is being assassins for cowards who can't get their own hands dirty."

"They were quite hideous and scary-looking, and that was before all the biting and venom and near dying went down," Eva admitted, thankful that no one in the room would think she was crazy. "I've never seen anything even remotely as terrifying in my entire life."

All the quiet conversation occurring around the room drew to a halt as her words hung in the air. Delta sat with another piece of pizza hanging from her mouth, while her sister posed with a fork midway to her own mouth. Even Oliver looked shocked, and he'd been with her during the entire horrible ordeal.

"What?" Eva asked with confidence draining from her faster than her old tablet's dying battery. "Don't you all find them ugly, or is it different with you? All black and angry snarls with gray smoke seeping off them? Bits of red here and there?" Maybe they were the unicorns of the paranormal world, and their state of attractiveness was relevant to who was looking at them. Dear Lord, had she insulted them all? Ravyn had said they should all be put down, but maybe there was some other unknown rule she'd broken.

Ravyn leaned back onto the sofa after sitting her wine down on the small side table, peering intently at Eva with her dark eyes, tilting her head slightly as her messy, dark bun bobbed. "You . . . you could see the hellhounds?"

"Well, yes. I mean they chased us, bit me. Oliver fought them off. It wasn't for very long, and it happened so fast." Eva flushed at the memory of Oliver roaring as he went into battle with the large, black creatures, flinging them as if they were the size of puppies. Shivering, she hoped to never see their red, glowing eyes, bloody fangs, and sooty, wiry black coats ever again.

Ravyn slowly clapped her hands, smiling in admiration. "This is going to get interesting, my dear, because you shouldn't be able to see hellhounds at all. Humans can't see them. They can see the destruction they cause, they can feel the pain they inflict, but they're blind to the physical manifestation of demons." Gesturing toward the three witches, she continued, "Witches can't see demons." Pausing, she looked at the man she called Thor and questioned, "Can shifters see hellhounds?"

He nodded shortly in affirmation but offered no additional information.

"And dearest Eva, demons see demons." Picking up her glass of wine, Ravyn announced, "I feel I've done my part in determining she's not human and not a witch. We're narrowing this down, people. Now, it's time for some of you to start earning your paycheck."

With a flash of panic, Eva repeated to herself the question that had seemed so odd each time it was asked.

What are you?

Admittedly, the answer might not be as straightforward as she'd once thought. "I'm human though, aren't I? I've never looked like or felt like any sort of demon, or vampire, or shifter. Okay, I don't know much about shifters except from fiction books, but I don't turn into anything else at the full moon or any other time."

Looking around the room, all Eva found were puzzled faces reflecting her own. "I mean, I've always assumed I was human, because that was all there was. My mom, as far as I can remember, was human, and I assuredly was born from her. And Gram claimed to be a witch, but she wasn't blood related to me."

Setting her now empty wine glass down, Ravyn leaned forward, her voice low and almost threatening. "Eva dear, that is only one question in many, many we need answers to." She continued staring gravely at Eva until she set her plate of food down, no longer hungry as the gnaw in her belly turned into something else. "Do you resemble your mother or your father?" This was said casually enough, but Eva wondered if this was truly one of the many questions that apparently needed answering.

"My mother," she answered hesitantly. Honestly, why could that even matter at this point? "But to be honest, I've never even seen a picture of my father—my biological one, that is. So, I really only know part of the story." Shrugging, she tried to let the group know that the story of her origins was unimportant. "I was young when Mom died, and she hadn't said much about him; just that he didn't know about me. Later, way after she died, Gram told me it was a one-night stand and that he didn't . . . couldn't," she amended, "know about me." After losing the only parents she'd ever known, a young Eva had often woken from nightmares in which a mysterious man claimed he was her father and ripped her away from her gram. Gram always assured Eva that nothing would take her away, a fact that held true until death did.

"Could she be like Malthazar?" Oliver asked the group, as if they all knew this Malthazar.

"It's rare, but not impossible, and would explain her being drenched in magic," Delta volunteered from her reclined position, restarting her eating frenzy.

Hecate interjected, "If her mother was truly human, then it perhaps could be her father. But it's still possible that her mother wasn't human. You need to have someone look into that. But it's doubtful that two females would be born from demon lineage. One would be rare, but two with enough undiluted blood to trigger this sort of magic would be statistically impossible."

Ravyn ignored the interruptions and conjectures around them and leaned closer to Eva. Examining Eva's features closely as if seeing her for the first time, she whispered, "When and how did your mother die?"

Oliver started at the brusque line of questioning, but Ravyn waved him off, adding firmly, "This is important and besides, you're being paid for this, lest you forget." Gesturing for Eva to answer, she ignored Oliver's growl of frustration.

Eva looked hesitantly between the two and explained her mother and adoptive father's deaths—as much as she knew, anyhow, and as much as her gram had filled in for her: the rainy night, the car careening down an embankment, being found outside of the car, her coma, her memory loss, and the miracle that was her survival.

Despite Ravyn's intensity, Eva found her easy to open up to and soon forgot about the others in the room.

Ravyn listened intently, never interrupting. She "tsk"ed over certain moments and smiled sadly at Eva's loss, setting a gentle hand on Eva's knee. When Eva finished, she felt heart wrenched, but also strangely invigorated at the same time. Outside of the therapist, she hadn't shared her story with anyone. She always just assumed Jackson knew and, aside from him, she had no friends close enough to ever ask about her past.

"Ohio, you say." Again, this wasn't so much a question as a statement. Ravyn perched on the edge of the sofa, her body quivering in excitement. "By the end of the night, perhaps I will solve all of this mystery, and during my next lifetime I could be an investigator too." Eyes flashing, she zipped next to Eva in the blink of an eye, eliciting a gasp from her as she grasped Eva's hand loosely in her own, flooding her with warmth at the touch. "It looks like my foray into the Midwest didn't go as unnoticed as I'd planned."

"I'm fairly sure you couldn't go anywhere unnoticed," Eva admitted. Why wasn't she pulling her hand away from the vamp? If even a fraction of vampire legends were true, Ravyn was a creature who craved blood and could snap her in half on a whim. Instead, she felt comfort and peace.

Oh, shit, am I being mesmerized or compelled or whatever Oliver called it? I have absolutely zero survival instincts,Eva lamented in her head even as she happily returned Ravyn's gentle smile, as if the two shared a secret.

Delta, who had finally ceased eating, interjected, "Um, why is Eva glowing?"

Eva turned toward her quizzically, realizing that she wasn't compelled if she could do that. This pronouncement had Delta putting her pizza aside and sitting up.

Hecate looked thoughtful as she examined the glowing Eva from across the room. "Interesting. Not a usual half-demon trait, although I'll admit I've not studied the subject, since typically those beasts don't last long on either plane." Her eyes widened guiltily as she uncomfortably fanned herself, seeming to remember that Eva might be such an abomination.

"She glowed when I fed her," Oliver admitted casually, and Eva turned a startled glance at him before looking down at her hands that were, in fact, gently glowing. "Brighter, but the same sort of thing. Malth didn't when I gave him blood."

Who was Malth? Another half-demon? Why was she even entertaining these thoughts? She was nothing special. It had been proved time and time again that she was forgettable, ordinary. Life happened around her, not to her.

"How do you feel, Eva?" Hecate questioned. "Is it pleasant, warm, cool? Anything you can tell me would be helpful."

Without looking at Hecate, Eva explained, "I feel energized, like I could go for a jog. I"m a little tingly, sort of like when your leg goes to sleep, but in a better way."

Hecate nodded. "I think you fed from Ravyn's energy, perhaps her excitement or her emotions. Unusual, but empaths and other creatures can do that." Plucking the air, she grasped things that the others couldn't see and, turning these invisible items in her hands, examined them thoughtfully. Moving closer to Eva, she asked, "May I?" and held out her hands.

Eva slowly nodded yes, assuming wrongly that the elder witch wanted to examine her hands, but instead, Hecate plucked more invisible items from the air, examining them and muttering in an undistinguished language.

Ravyn continued as if the entire interruption hadn't occurred. "As I was saying, I can fill in a few more parts." Noting her empty glass, she held it backward to her bodyguard, who sighed and muttered under his breath before taking it for a refill. "I was there the night of your parents" deaths. Sometimes I go on walk-abouts or hitchhike across the states to break up life. And I remember that night. An unholy storm rose up quickly, and although I can get wet, I just don't like it. It's uncomfortable and unnecessary. So, I walked down a culvert and decided to wait things out perched on a ledge inside."

At her bodyguard"s snort, she took the glass from him. "I've waited in much more uncomfortable places than this, mind you," she retorted haughtily. Sipping daintily, she continued, "I saw the car go off the ledge. It hurled down the side of the embankment like a freight train, or like something had plucked it up and tossed it. I immediately slipped down the hillside, not sure if anyone could even survive. Perhaps I was getting wet for no reason. But despite what I am, I'm no monster."

When she paused, the room remained quiet, waiting. Ravyn's throat pulsated at her memories. She smiled softly and sadly to a shocked Eva. "Your parents were already dead. There was no saving them. The trees, the stones, they were gone. But you, I remember clearly. You were in the back seat, so badly injured. One of the branches bypassed both your parents and went clean through your chest. Here." She pointed to the spot between her own breasts. "You were pinned to the car. Life barely clung to you, but I could see it in you. I thought maybe I could help you. Not turn you. No, that would have been wrong, but you had more life left in you. I was sure of it. So, I fed you my blood. Removed the branch."

Shuddering as she remembered, she went on, "Oh, your screams, poor child, your screams. I fed you more. Then I made you forget it all. No one should remember that. I placed you up by the road and flagged down the first car that passed. I gave them instructions and then made them forget me."

Shuddering as Ravyn's words stirred unformed memories, Eva gaped in shock at Ravyn, then at Oliver, and back to Ravyn. "Is this true?" The words felt familiar, yet the actual memories of the moment still lay unformed, out of reach in her mind.

Ravyn nodded sadly. "I left quickly to search for the cause of the crash. It was no accident. And interesting enough, it was another hellhound that had thrown the car off the road."

For a moment, a memory of darkness flashing as it pounded into the moving car crossed Eva's mind. Was it real or imagined by the scene Ravyn painted as she filled in the gaps of Eva's memory? "Is the hellhound that attacked me"—she pulled a breath that choked off a cry of pain—"is it the same one that killed my parents?"

A blood-thirsty yet satisfied look crossed Ravyn's face. "Child, I assure you, that hellhound is not alive to attack you again. I made sure of that, that very night."

Eva hadn't been mistaken. Ravyn was strong, very strong, if she'd managed to fight off and destroy one of those creatures. "You?" formed on her lips, although she wasn't sure if she planned to cry out or thank her.

Again Hecate interrupted. Had this witch never been taught manners? "Well, that would explain the thread between the two of you. It's one of the oldest and strongest in the bunch. Delta told me you had a mess of them, but I didn't believe it until I saw all of this." She nodded approvingly to her younger daughter, who beamed under her mother's praise.

"And absolutely more proof that Eva is something . . ." As if being human was nothing, Eva thought sardonically. "No human could simply have a thread of this sort tied to a vampire, especially one of Ravyn's age and strength."

Mama Hecate is sucking up now, Eva thought, not just a little bitterly. "So, how are we connected then? What does this connection do?"

Ravyn shrugged, but Oliver interjected softly, "Eva, the Ancient Egyptian goddess Ma'at was depicted as a winged creature. Ravyn is a representation of Ma'at. Throughout her history any winged creature, a bird, a crow, or a raven have been a part of her name.

Ravyn smiled gently at a shocked Eva. "The name given to me when I was taken, but you knew that; you know all of it. You just didn't know it was me. To some, during that lifetime, ravens symbolized death, but also rebirth and starting anew. I am the raven; the raven is me. Over the years, I've needed different names, but I prefer the truth or at least a version of the truth in whatever language that might be in. It always comes back to the raven. Fala was one such name, only my people during that time didn't have a name for ‘raven' and during that time I was the crow. And Ishto means ‘big.' I was simply called a big crow. Translated, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

Like the pieces of a puzzle fitting together, things were snapping into place. "But that was my dreams, just my dreams."

Delta's mouth gaped yet again as she looked between the two of them. "Oh, wow! I did not see that! That's you? And that's you?"

Her sister sat by her side, perplexed, her shrill voice asking, "Who? That's who? Who is?"

Eva knew exactly how she felt!

"So, you're some sort of a dream hijacker? Interesting. Although you know not everything is completely right, I will assume artistic license." Ravyn pondered, "Or is it just my dreams? Is it a different connection than a true dream demon would have?"

Demon? Dream hijacker? Was that what she was doing? Infiltrating Ravyn's dreams and stealing her life to share with others for money? And a demon? Surely, she would know if she were a demon!

Ravyn looked at Oliver. "So this is our little writer, but she's not my threat. There is nothing coming from her at all that even remotely feels threatening. In fact, I feel sort of peaceful and relaxed in her presence." Giving Eva a side eye, Ravyn continued, "Unless of course she"s a black widow, and it's all a ploy to make me feel comfortable before she strikes."

Gasping at the insinuation, Eva opened her mouth to offer reassurances that no ploys were involved, and it was all just chance or circumstance.

Exasperated, Oliver shook his head. "Eva, there are no black widows. She's joking; poorly, but joking."

Hecate, who hadn't spoken to anyone in several moments, just moved around to examine the air around Eva, gestured to Delta to come closer. She pointed to several spots for Delta to examine.

Face furrowed in concentration, Delta examined the areas that were apparently only visible to her mother and her. Communication passed between the two with no words.

"May I?" Hecate reverently asked Ravyn.

"Of course, High Priestess." Despite the invitation to call her Hecate, it didn't seem right. Eva noticed that everyone else in the room, barring Delta, spoke reverently to the woman. The witch began an exam as thorough on Ravyn as they'd conducted on Eva. Eva noticed that tension had formed around Ravyn's eyes. Despite her languished expression and the sipping of her wine, there was concern about what might be discovered.

"I would've died if you hadn't stopped for us," Eva ascertained. "Was the coma because I still had so much healing to do or was it something you did?"

Ravyn smiled sadly. "Yes, you would have died. And I took a huge chance with you so close to death." She plucked at an invisible piece of lint on her silky lounge pants. "But I felt so compelled to help you. I couldn't just leave a child. And for your parents, it was truly too late. I knew at the time that you would face so much sorrow and heartbreak, but still, it was better to live."

"Oh, Mother," Delta cried out in happy surprise, interrupting the reminiscing. "That's amazing!"

Looking pleased with herself, Hecate nodded and half-smiled serenely at her daughter. "My fledgling, you would have found it yourself, I'm certain. Though I'm honored you called for my assistance. She's learning much in your organization, Mr. Patrick." Deflecting the praise, she snapped her fingers at her elder daughter, who smoothly stood. The two of them strolled out with one of the bodyguards following close behind, as if nothing astonishing had occurred or as if no one was waiting for answers.