Chapter 23

Dean

It took a lot for me to walk away from my office. It would have been so easy to take Bailey right there on my desk. That was a vision that I knew would now haunt me until I fulfilled that fantasy.

But we still had work to do.

Until I knew everyone in Ravenden was accounted for and the place was cleansed of the evil attacking us, fun would have to wait.

Before we left though, I called Gracie to check in with the fire station.

"Hey Dean."

"How's it looking out there?"

"We've got most of the affected areas cleaned out. There's a lot of people down, but from what I've heard, it would be a hell of a lot worse if it weren't for you and your little wolf."

I groaned.

"Oh yeah, rumors are flying high about you two. Also, heard you're sporting a wolf bit on your neck now. So you decided to go for it?"

"Yeah, we did," I admitted. Not much sense in denying it now.

It really didn't matter to me what anyone thought about our bond. Bailey was mine to protect and love for the rest of my life. And if there had been any doubts in my mind that I was falling in love with my mate, they were laid to rest today seeing her bravely battle an unknown enemy by my side.

I heard some commotion at Gracie's end.

"What's going on?" I asked her.

Bailey shot me a questioning look, and I just shrugged.

Gracie came back on the line a few minutes later.

"Andrew just checked in. He's got them cornered over in the field near Kim's old place. I think they're targeting the diner."

"Gia! I'm on my way. Meet you there."

I hung up the phone.

"We've got them," I told Bailey.

"Let's go."

We ran out of the building and down the street.

"There's too many people here."

"You don't think they're sitting targets, do you?"

"Maybe."

"We could use their help. What better distraction than a couple hundred ravens?"

"Good thinking."

I jumped up onto the mailbox and tried to get everyone's attention.

"Hey! Listen up."

It was no use. The noise of chatter was too loud.

Suddenly, a loud whistle pierced the area. Everyone stopped and looked around. I glanced down and found Bailey to be the source of the call.

My little wolf was just full of surprises.

"Andrew has the last suspects identified over in the field by my sister's diner. I'm not sure if they've lit a fire there yet or not, but we have to stop them before anyone else gets hurt. Who's with us?"

An angry mob of ravens soon filled the sky.

Bailey couldn't shift fast enough to keep up, and there was no way I was going to leave her behind.

Once she shifted to her wolf form and nodded my way, we took off. I flew low just above her. The two of us were in perfect sync.

When we arrived on scene, there was no smoke. To ensure there wouldn't be, the water witches were drowning out their fire pit. Various powers were being utilized to restrain the perpetrators and there was a celebratory feeling in the air.

With their guards down, one man managed to escape. He took off running while blindly shooting a gun into the air.

Why the hell hadn't they disarmed them immediately?

He came right at me. I flew high into the sky at the last second, but he shot again and clipped my wing. I lost my balance and started falling back towards the ground.

I heard a roar below me and then the snap of the guy's neck as I desperately flailed my wings, trying to slow my momentum.

Bracing for impact, Bailey came out of nowhere. Her muzzle was covered in blood, and there was a wild look in her eyes. She jumped into the air and headed right for me. I could see her sharp teeth as her mouth opened and caught me in midair.

The collective gasp was unmistakable.

I was sure to anyone watching it look as if she had gone wild and was trying to eat me, but her teeth never pierced my skin.

She skidded back across the ground, trying not to jostle me.

An angry mob of ravens was heading our way.

I wiggled out of her mouth. One of my wings was mildly damaged. It hurt, but the pain was bearable.

I hopped across the ground and then managed to fly up just high enough to perch on Bailey's back, showing our unity.

Those around us stopped and watched.

I cried out to let everyone know I was okay. She would never hurt me.

The anger quickly subsided, and I knew we were going to be okay.

"Move out of my way," I heard my mother say.

She pushed her way to the front and then came over to check me over until she was certain I was going to be okay.

"He's fine," she announced.

I gave it a few minutes to give my bird time to heal my wing. I stayed perched on Bailey's wolf the entire time.

"You two have some explaining to do," Mom said.

I finally shifted, and Bailey did too.

"I've heard the rumors."

"To what rumors are you referring, Mother?"

"You know damn well what rumors I'm talking about."

I started to correct her on her use of language, but I really wasn't trying to piss her off.

"You took a mate without even telling me?"

"Did Gia tell you when she mated David? Did Elias when he took Kim as a mate? Hell, did Ryan send out some grand announcement when he and Gracie finally sealed the deal? No, they didn't, so why would you expect that from me?"

"Because you're my baby and you know you can tell me anything. But Dean, she's just a kid."

"Maybe, but she's far more mature than I am. You saw how she kept her cool and took lead during a time of crisis back at the house. She's amazing, Mom."

"She's not a raven."

"No, she's a wolf. And she saved my life just now, and she saved Kim's life earlier. She didn't even know it was Kim, but that's the kind of selfless person she is. I get she's not a raven. She's my little wolf and I couldn't be prouder to be her mate."

Mom started to cry.

Bailey shot me a look.

I hugged my mother.

"I know this isn't ideal for you, but please, try to keep an open mind. I love her."

"You what?" Bailey asked.

"Don't act surprised. You're so easy to fall in love with."

She hugged me. "I love you too."

Mom caught my attention when her arms flew up into the air.

"How am I supposed to be angry about this when the two of you are so lovey-dovey?"

"Being angry didn't help Gia, or Elias, or even Ryan. So why not try to just be happy for a change? Happy because your baby boy found his true mate and the love of his life, despite the fact she's not from Ravenden and isn't a raven. Today was a rough day for all of us, but we made it through because we stuck together. Bailey played a big role in that, not just for me, but for all of us. Can't you at least try to pretend to be a little happy for us?"

Tears pricked my mother's eyes, and then she jerked Bailey from my arms and hugged her. Watching them embrace damn near made me tear up, too.

"Listen up all you bird-brained gossips. This is Bailey, my newest daughter-in-love. She's a Davenport now, and us Davenports stick together. If you don't like it, tough."

"Go Mom," I said.

She pulled me into their hug.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"It's what I should have done for your siblings, too. I guess you could say this old bird is learning from her mistakes."

*****

It's amazing how much life can change in a few weeks' time.

Not that long ago, I was little more than a child living life on a whim with minimal responsibilities. I used people for my own pleasure and entertainment and, in hindsight, I didn't really love living my life that way.

I was a shifter, and I was created for companionship. Who knew that would come in the form of a wolf? My very own little wolf.

Just the thought of her permanently fixed a smile upon my face. I never knew I could be so happy. Sure, I wasn't na?ve enough to believe our life together would be all hearts and chocolate, but I knew it would be a great one, with Bailey by my side. She might not be perfect. Hell, I for sure wasn't, but we were perfect together.

Seeing her rise up and run into battle alongside me to save my kind made me realize that we would always be victorious in whatever life threw our way as long as we faced it together.

"Dean, get in here. Patrick's coming to," Bailey yelled.

I could hear his moans as he slowly awoke. The paralytic agent from the smoke had put them in a comatose state. They'd been out for nearly a week and we were all worried they wouldn't wake up again.

"Patrick?" I said, as he slowly opened his eyes.

He groaned. "Where am I?"

"You're still in Ravenden," Bailey told him. "Do you know who I am?"

"Bailey," he managed to say.

"That's good. What do you remember last?"

"Give him a minute."

"No. In training, he said you need to get a firsthand report the second you can in a situation like this. That way, no one else can contaminate it."

"I'm not sure anyone could have imagined a situation like this."

"True. Patrick, how do you feel?" she asked.

He groaned again. "Head hurts. What happened?"

"Can you tell me what you last remember?"

"Smoke. It was everywhere. Screams. Falling. I think I talked to Dean." His eyes opened wide. "Some sort of airborne tranquilizer."

"That's good, Patrick. Archie has a team of scientists looking into it. He flew home earlier this week, as he wasn't out there with the rest of you."

"The other interns?"

"All accounted for. You're the first to wake, but I suspect the others won't be far behind you."

She was so cool and calm under pressure. It was impressive.

"When you're back on your feet, we'll make arrangements to get you home. I've been in touch with Kyle Westin every day to update him on your progress. He's quite worried, as you can imagine."

"Thanks."

He was getting stronger by the minute and asked for help to sit up and a glass of water. We were happy to oblige.

"Hey, you two are out of quarantine. Did Doc ever figure out what was going on?"

Bailey and I looked at each other. She shook her head.

"Nope," we said at the same time.

"I'm not buying it. What was it?"

"Fine, but only because you were going to find out eventually anyway. We weren't sick at all. We were mating," she blurted out.

"Come again. I don't think I heard that right. I thought you said mating."

"You heard right," she insisted.

"Mating does not equal quarantine. Besides, he's a raven and you're a wolf."

"And Chase is a wolf, but Jenna is a panther. You, of all people, know it's possible," she reminded him.

"True mates? A wolf and a raven?"

"Yup. And Doc is old and a bit kooky. He was convinced that we were like an old mythological prophesy or something," I tried to explain. "And he fabricated the quarantine thing. We're both fine."

"Norse mythology."

"That's it," Bailey confirmed.

"A raven and wolf are seen as an omen for luck in a coming battle."

"Crazy, right?" she said.

"Not when we had a battle, and I'm assuming came out victorious since I'm still here."

Bailey opened her mouth to protest and then shut it again.

How the hell could we argue with that?

"Do we know who was behind the attack?"

"Three Collectors and three scientists. We don't know the connection yet. Bailey and Archie were able to get word out to all your teams around the world."

"Bailey will make a great asset on any of our Westin Force teams. Maybe even Bravo someday."

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Actually, I won't. I would very much like to finish out the internship, but only if I can do it remotely. I feel like there's a lot more I could learn to help out, but I'm staying in Ravenden. I'll be taking online classes through the ARC next semester and working on Ravenden security with Dean. We make a pretty great team and I think they need us here more than you need me there."

"True mates. That's so hard to believe." He considered that for a moment. "Wait a bloody minute. The quarantine was all bullshit, wasn't it?"

Patrick was a little slow, but recovering quickly. We'd already confessed that, yet it seemed to just be fully sinking in.

"Yeah, it was."

"What the fecking hell? Why would you lie about something like that? Wait, don't answer that. Why does mating always seem to strike on missions? I think it's the curse of Westin Force."

"Doesn't feel like such a curse to me," I blurted out, stupidly grinning at my mate.

And who knew? Maybe Doc was on to something. There was no doubt in my mind that Bailey and I were destined to be together. Perhaps there was a special magical bond between wolf and raven. I could shoot lightning bolts from my hands, so who was I to think it was impossible?

What I did know was at the end of the day, we defeated the enemy, saved Ravenden, and I got the girl.