Chapter Twenty-Three

And the gods laughed when the wolf was bound

B ash picked up the bags from the entryway that he assumed were Toby’s. He’d already taken his own bags downstairs packed with everything he owned to take to Missouri with him. It had been years since he’d had a home base of operation. His job dictated that he travel often and lightly, but somehow in the last few months, he’d acquired more than what fit easily in his bags.

“Tobias Franklin, why are your bags still empty?” Naturally, no answer. His injuries had healed, but Toby didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the guilt his uncle felt. He swore he didn’t blame anyone but the wendigo for his injuries, but that didn’t allay the guilt. So now, he freely manipulated it to his advantage, without repercussions. Not being around when he was supposed to was one way.

“Toby? Toby!” he snapped.

No answer. Hadn’t the teenager just been moping around the kitchen complaining there was nothing to eat, apparently forgetting the fact they were emptying out the apartments and were leaving in a few hours to return to the Midwest? Sara was anxiously awaiting the return of her only son and surely ready to chew Bash’s ear off in person for letting injury befall him in the first place. She’d apparently forgotten that she was the one who insisted Toby accompany him out of state, despite the fact that he’d stated time and time again that dangerous things could happen on any mission, no matter how much of a cake walk it might seem.

Toby had called it her “mom amnesia” or “momnesia”—the ability to only remember what she wanted to the point that anything else didn’t exist. The ability seemed hereditary, Bash had told the teen wryly, and gender didn’t appear to be a factor.

Just go. Take him home. Me, this job, it’s done now.

Ravyn only heard him say that he needed to take Toby home before she shut down against him. He wanted and planned to come back, but he hadn’t been able to form the words. Still, he didn’t regret shutting down her words after the heat of battle. Only too soon would she realize that he wasn’t deserving of what she might offer. He hadn’t been there for her.

His tongue sat paralyzed until he uttered the ugly question, “Do you even need me? Do you need anyone?” Even as the words left his mouth, his wolf cringed away internally and Sebastian immediately wished he could swallow the words back up.

Too late. He would never forget the look of pained hurt that crossed Ravyn’s face before she shook it off, pulling her shoulders back and wiping her face clean, and responded just as sharply, “Do you?” Not bothering to wait for his response, she continued working alongside his men in the cleanup operation, determined not to leave until it was finished.

Thank Fenrir, his nephew had mostly recovered; physically anyway. He was still missing two fingers on his hand, as they suspected the shift hadn’t been forced fast enough to change that fate. Despite the potential loss of dexterity, he still managed to kick ass in most of his video games, and his wolf definitely hadn’t let the loss of a couple toes slow him down. Looking for the bright side of things, his nephew had taken the loss with a casual shrug, declaring that chicks loved scars.

Ravyn had laughed in delight when he stated this and gently told him that women loved men willing to stand up to evil, as well as not being called chicks. After she said this, Toby spent the rest of the day wandering about the apartment with a goofy grin on his face. Bash understood too well; she was easy to love.

It was past time to head out—assuming, of course, he could find his nephew, whose stomach could be leading him halfway across town or, Bash thought with a sigh, up a floor to Ravyn’s apartment. Despite the fact that she didn’t eat, Ravyn always managed to have a stocked refrigerator and pantry, which also managed to contain a favorite for anyone who visited, friend or employee. Another dramatic sigh left Bash, then he wanted to hit himself in the face. He sounded like a love-struck teenager. All he needed to do was go upstairs, pick up Toby, tell Ravyn goodbye if she was around, and leave.

With Oliver back stateside for a bit, it seemed like an excellent time to take a well-deserved vacation of his own and in this case, Sebastian simply wanted to go home. Home to Missouri, where his sister-in-law could fuss over Toby and him. Assuming, of course, he was forgiven for putting Toby in harm’s way in the first place. But Missouri wasn’t feeling like home; he only hoped the sentiment would change when he and his wolf got to feel the dirt under their feet and fresh air all around.

He knocked on the door to Ravyn’s penthouse, a bit surprised when no one answered. Tentatively, he pushed the door open; despite all the time he’d spent with Ravyn in her apartment these last several months, today he felt like an intruder. Stepping aside from leading the team and back into his office logistics role was the right thing to do. Aside from the vampires being a little too agreeable with Ravyn, the team was solid, and the threat that caused him to join them had been eliminated. As Delta said and her mother firmly reiterated, Ibis was the witches’ problem to detain and despite his offer to join them, they insisted he wasn’t needed.

A search of Ravyn’s apartment building after the rescue had found the talisman, the culprit that allowed magic to whittle away an entrance into her building. The spelled item that Anya had entered the building with had been hidden by her pure intentions. It had been slid into a couch cushion during her visit, spelled to be forgotten once she’d planted it.

A picture of Anya’s family. That was the culprit, the item that weakened their intent and magical barriers. The item that finally allowed the manuscript to make its way into Ravyn’s home. The item that allowed an insistent voice in Ravyn’s mind to determine that she must meet with Bertrando Roland immediately. The magic that may or may not have made the vamps agree to Ravyn attending the party, although Sebastian admitted to himself that they might not have needed a magical item to agree to her plans.

The picture Anya had held so reverently now belonged to Ravyn, who had refused to throw it away and had traced the small image of her sister’s face over and over again. It had been spelled to nearly the entire building. Bertrando Roland had been sending his script to her offices for weeks before and after they killed his mage, but he hadn’t effectively managed to get it into her hands. The wards in place hadn’t allowed the script to make it through the building’s doorways, recognizing the ill intend even if the rest of them didn’t. Most likely, the script would have been rejected on sight based on a gut feeling or messengers would have “forgotten” to deliver it or a drink would have been spilled on it, destroying it. Magic, oddly enough, worked that way when it deterred harm—a series of forgetfulness and random mishaps.

However, once the script made its way into her hands, the magical photo continued to weaken their intent: Ravyn’s intent to follow the rules and remain safe, the guards’ intent to keep her within the building’s boundaries. A part of Bash wondered if the spell had weakened his resolve to stay away from Ravyn and that letting their inhibitions down was due to the spelled picture. Perhaps this mating bond his wolf was insisting upon was simply a remnant of the attraction he felt for the vampire and the confusion of the spell. Ravyn certainly didn’t act as if she had an uncontrollable attraction to him any longer.

Now the picture was simply a picture, one that Ravyn had placed carefully in a small box with a faded blue lotus carved and painted on the outside. The blue lotus was a sign of the afterlife and rebirth. Ironic that the flower Ravyn loved even in her mortal life nearly foretold her future.

And the crack in the window. Oddly enough, it was simply a crack in the window of a settling building. Birds caught up in the odd reflection continued to hit the window at random points of the day. Ill-timed and ill-placed, but nothing nefarious no matter who looked at it.

“Just get it fixed by a window guy or gal,” Delta had told them after a cursory examination. “Maybe put up one of those fake owls or whatever.”

Duh, building maintenance.

Delta might still be in the city. After returning to Ravyn’s apartment, she stayed one night as a guest and then declared she was heading out. No need for a flight, she said, waving the offer off. This emergency took less time than she’d thought it would. While she was on the coast, she needed to look up someone. Not a friend, she answered sharply when Summer had coyly asked her about it. In fact, if Sebastian remembered correctly, she’d called the person a vile piece of shit who had stolen all of her gear on a recent raid in a game he hadn’t heard of. Something with dragons, hunters, and battle warriors, maybe.

“Oh yeah, high five!” had been Toby’s response. Now Bash wondered if the two played games online as well. Was this the sort of shit he was supposed to be keeping track of the last few months? No wonder he’d failed to keep his nephew safe.

“Off to kick his moronic ass!” Delta responded cheerfully before heading out the door. “Got the company credit card, so I can just spring for first class in a day or two.”

“Is ‘kicking his ass’ code for something?” asked Bash, nearly afraid to hear the answer, but Delta was an adult; she could more than take care of herself.

Tilting her head, Summer considered the question. “No, it’s Delta. She probably really means she’s going to kick someone’s ass.”

Ravyn was no longer stuck in the apartment now that the wendigo was gone. She’d been able to immediately step right into her work and social life with a post about being back from a well-deserved extended vacation. It didn’t matter the reason; her pubic adored her and were delighted to have her back. Meanwhile, Bash’s heart was breaking into a million pieces as he could feel her being pulled away from him despite the fact that he’d done nothing to encourage her to stay near him. She’d seamlessly floated away from him and while the human part of him understood his wolf mourned the loss of the vampire it had decided was his mate.

“Tobias?” he called out softly as he opened the door. The lights were off and the curtains were open, allowing in the filtered sunlight. “Toby?” Bash called again despite knowing that the apartment was empty. “Ravyn?”

Annoyance once again flitted through him. Sure, Ravyn had her own security team to answer to, which technically didn’t include him, but Toby was his nephew, his responsibility, and for her to just leave with him… That was, well, just wrong and irritating. Although admittedly he hadn’t kept track of him well the last few months, they might try to loop him in occasionally.

No longer bothering to be quiet, he stomped angrily from room to room, looking for any clue that might indicate where they’d gone. Hesitating at her bedroom door, he decided to skip it. No chance they were holed up in that particular room not hearing him. Despite having instructed the team lead that he no longer needed to be notified of her every move, his irritation grew as each room proved to be as darkened as the last. His wolf whined long and low at him, matching his mood, and he resisted the urge to snap back at it. This wasn’t the wolf’s fault; it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Ravyn had offered a night to remember, an offer he’d eagerly accepted. Bash had developed feelings and his wolf simply got caught in the crossfires. Understandable that it had confused lust and infatuation with love—or worse, a mating bond.

Distance and time would certainly set things straight, even if the wolf currently didn’t believe him. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t coming right back to work after his quick drop off in Missouri. He planned to return Toby and face his sister-in-law like a man before returning to his office job just a few miles from Ravyn. California was as good as anywhere to set up temporary shop until he was called out again.

Bash sat rigidly on the sofa, arms crossed, facing the doorway he knew they would eventually have to come in through, muttering unhappily to himself at this delay.

His wolf huffed and circled within Bash’s mind before curling up in a corner, choosing to continue ignoring him. It didn’t stop Bash from talking to it even if the conversation was currently one-sided. Sighing, he settled a hand on each of his knees. He refused to call or text the team and mentally berated Toby for not telling him his plans despite the fact that the entire duration of his visit—or prison time, as Toby liked to call it—he hadn’t kept tabs on the teenager. It was a bit late to be angry about that now.

He didn’t have to wait long; not really. The door opened in a swift motion and one of his wolves led the way inside, immediately noticing Sebastian. A laughing Ravyn followed, along with Toby and Kai, all three ladened with shopping bags. The sound of her laughter gripped his heart tightly; it had been days since he’d heard that melody. Another wolf followed close behind, shooting a quick glance both ways down the hall before shutting the door and locking it.

Sebastian grouchily noted that neither security guard weighed themselves down with packages; he was torn between wanting a reason to lash out and snap at the group and pride that they kept themselves at the ready even when he wasn’t there to observe. Too often, security found themselves as overpaid shopping companions, carrying too many parcels to stay at the ready or react to any potential dangers—a pet peeve of his that had apparently been driven home to the teams beneath him. Simply put, the clients carried their own bags and left security free to keep things secure.

Ravyn hadn’t seen him yet, her entire focus on his nephew and the young shaman. “Are you boys hungry? I can fix you up something.”

Bash could see his nephew’s face light up immediately with the offer, his appetite voracious even for a young wolf. Irritated, he snapped, “First, you can’t cook, and second, we can get something on the way.”

Ravyn’s face fell at his words as well as his tone, and Bash’s wolf snarled at him, driving a stabbing pain between his eyes, both causing regret at his sharp tone.

“I may not be able to whip up a gourmet meal, but I’ve lived long enough that I can do more than throw a raw steak on a plate,” she replied, her tone sadder than sharp. “Beef Wellington, it is kids.”

The guilt stabbed into Bash’s stomach, twisting and turning to drive the point home.

“You could just give them leftovers,” he offered dumbly as his wolf begged him to shut his mouth.

Toby ignored his words and his tone. “There’s still plenty of time to get to the airport, like six hours or so. Besides, Uncle Bash, look what we got Kai.” He raised a few bags in his hands, clearly pleased with the impromptu shopping trip.

Kai’s face remained blank. His arms hung loosely at his sides, clutching his bags while his eyes darted between the two of them, probably questioning his decision to leave the forest for a madhouse.

With another internal groan, Bash wanted to punch himself in the face and his wolf happily agreed. First time the damn thing had perked up in days, if he was keeping track.

Kai had been living off the land, camping outside the wendigo’s estate since the death of his father. Quite possibly that had been what the two of them had done in the years before that as well. Kai remained mum about his past.

He needed clothes, of course. Clothes, shoes, hygiene products, and a sense of normalcy. Kai had eagerly agreed to accompany Sebastian and Toby back to the wolf pack in Missouri. He’d been alone for so long and had only heard the stories of the relationship between his tribe and the wolves from long ago. This was his chance to regroup, set down roots, and form relationships like his ancestors had. All the young man had were the clothes on his back, his second set having been ruined by Ravyn during the raid. Borrowing from Toby only worked for so long; he was swimming in the young wolf’s borrowed clothes. Now the outfit he wore looked like it had been tailored to him, just a collared shirt tucked into dark jeans that fit, tapering down to new, hole-free boots.

And he had a haircut; not all cut off but trimmed up and combed straight until it shone black down his back and across his shoulders. With his sharp nose and dark hair, he could be Ravyn’s brother apart from eye color.

Softening his tone, Bash felt his eyes mist. When had he become so emotional? “You look good, Kai,” he admitted as the young man visibly relaxed. After all they’d been through, it was too easy to forget that despite the maturity that had been thrust upon him, Kai was barely older than Toby. He still wore the leather necklace and medallion around his neck from his father.

Ravyn had taken the time to meet Kai’s needs; she just did what Bash should have done when he offered him a place to stay. Despite his heritage, the young man wouldn’t be well received by the pack if he showed up in worn through boots and oversized castoffs. Not that the pack or anyone should judge based on that, but Kai already held his head up higher as confidence in his appearance began to match those of his tracking and hunting abilities.

“Thank you, sir.” Kai nodded appreciation with a small half smile and his cheeks pinked just a bit at the compliment, one he wasn’t used to hearing.

Bash continued beating himself up, so wrapped up in himself he hadn’t thought of the things Kai needed. Kai wanted so badly to stay with them, but Bash knew he struggled with where he fit in among them.

Kai slept outside on his balcony each night with a single blanket on the hard decking but crawled into bed early in the morning to pretend he’d stayed the night in its comfort. Bash piled the youth’s plate full at each meal, knowing that the boy stopped himself from gorging on all the food placed before him. Sometimes he would gobble down a few bites with his hands before catching himself and continuing with a fork, taking the time to chew between each bite. The sounds of the city had the former hermit jumpy and uncomfortable; he often flinched as if the sounds outside were striking him physically. Kai needed the healing of the pack and the openness of the forest. He’d taken on a mantle that he’d been too young for and it had aged him. He needed a chance to be young and carefree again. He needed a chance to make mistakes that wouldn’t get him or others around him killed.

“Thank you for that,” Bash told Ravyn in a low voice. Low enough that Kai couldn’t hear; despite his unusual upbringing, he still was human and didn’t have the excellent hearing that his supernatural counterparts had.

Ravyn’s back stiffened, but she nodded nearly indiscernibly. “It wasn’t for you,” she hissed back equally as low. “I do things because I want to, not because I need to.”

Shame flushed through Sebastian; he didn’t know what he was doing. Fenrir had both blessed him and cursed him.

“Guys, go check the closet in my spare room and get those suitcases I told you about, the rolling ones. And you can start packing his things. Just take off the tags. Wash anything you want to as well.” With a glance at Sebastian, she added dryly, “You have plenty of time.”

They did. The commercial flight wasn’t leaving for hours, and technically being partial owner of the security firm with Oliver, Bash could have taken the company plane. Wherever it was. Had Delta taken it back to the Midwest or had she made other arrangements like she’d talked about? Then he reminded himself that none of this was his responsibility anymore. Delta or Oliver could arrange transportation with the company transport. Currently his only responsibility lay in getting the boys home to the pack.

Laden in purchases, the boys left the room more subdued than they’d entered it, and Bash knew that was entirely his fault. Was this what he was to become? Someone who sucked the joy from the room? From life?

“Ravyn,” he began softly, “I’m so sorry for snapping. And truly, I thank you for taking care of Kai.”

Her back still to him, Ravyn set down the knife she’d been using to chop some vegetables. Despite the fact that most of the team who ate in her apartment were wolves, she insisted that they needed to eat their vegetables and added them to most meals. Her back straightened and her black hair rippling down her back begged him to stroke it.

“Again, I didn’t do it for you. It’s way less than what Kai deserves after everything he has sacrificed and everything he did. The gods have tested him strongly, and he never faltered. Ever.”

The final line hung accusingly in the air between them, heavy with a tinge of bitterness, before she continued, “Clothes that reflect the man he is, is the very least I can do and doesn’t even begin to repay him for what he has given.

“And for the goddess’s sake or Fenrir’s sake”—with her back still to him, she picked the knife up, waving it around a bit as she spoke, before returning to cut up the cucumber—“just take the plane. It’s on stand-by, fueled and ready to go whenever you are. The pilot will update the flight plan as soon as you’re on your way. Besides, then Ollie could have his plane back in his half of the country.”

Dismissed. Bash felt her dismissal. He’d told her he was coming back, hadn’t he? This dismissal sounded final, as if he wasn’t welcome back. The air reeked of sadness… or was it regret? Sniffing the air cautiously, his ire grew. Who was she to feel regret? Did she regret what they’d shared? In the end she still had everything she wanted, while he had…

He had exactly what he came with in addition to a broken heart. His wolf snorted at this, and Sebastian felt the disdain of his pouting beast. It would feel better when they arrived home in Missouri. Surely it would want to run the old trails with the pack. He cajoled his wolf, which ignored him with another huff, turning circles in his mind before curling up into a tight ball and closing its eyes.

“Ravyn,” he whispered, watching her back stiffen at his voice. “You said…”

With her back still toward him, she lowered her chin forward nearly to her chest. “Thor, I know entirely what was said, by the both of us. Words said in the heat of the moment…” This time it was her who trailed off.

In the heat of the moment? The words and promises they’d panted the night before the full moon? Or the words said in anger and frustration? Words could be the truth, a lie, a promise, a pleading. Whatever words that needed to be spoken during that moment would boil out; the emotion would be there and it was up to them to decide which words were truth and which were the result of adrenaline. Which had her words been? And his? He knew what his words meant, but still he was leaving.

“Guys, ready to eat?” Ravyn called out to them before crossing the room with a wave of her hand. “I’m going to rest for a bit,” she explained to the young men as they trampled in with the grace of young bisons, their chattering growing silent as they entered the fog of the room.

Frustrated, Sebastian ran a hand over his hair, removing the hair tie before smoothing it back into place and retying.

Toby gave an accusing stare over the counter at Bash, while deliberately cutting into the beef. Kai awkwardly shifted back and forth on his feet before sliding onto a bar stool and focusing intently on his plate, quietly eating and obviously aware of the uncomfortable feelings clouding the air.