Chapter Twenty-Seven

Under the light of the moon the wolf and the raven shall dance

W ith twigs and leaves enmeshed in both of their hair, Bash and Ravyn, feeling much more content and well loved, returned to the Moldover home.

The previously quiet house now bustled with life as Toby and Kai greeted the two of them, pushing each other out of the way to give Ravyn a hug in greeting. Already the stay had done wonders for Kai. No longer did he hang back in the shadows and Ravyn gave him an extra tight, careful squeeze.

The twins grew quiet when they entered. Frozen in place, they watched Ravyn with large, solemn eyes, not at all how Toby had described the little terrors. Bash had introduced the two solemnly: Penelope and Vincent. Kneeling to their height and a safe arm’s length away from them, Ravyn offered a quiet, friendly greeting, careful not to show too much tooth. A tiny bit of her was saddened that Bash’s niece and nephew were frightened of her. Family was Bash’s reason for living and he needed his family to accept her. Ravyn was determined to show them that vampires might be different, but that didn’t mean they were bad.

The little girl broke first, her tiny, high-pitched voice shaking in awe. “You were in our movie.” Her little hand reached out toward Ravyn’s hair, too shiny and enticing to ignore even with the added forest debris.

Not to be shown up by the bravery of his sister, Vincent added in a louder voice, but just as shrill, “You’re much prettier in real life,” before turning toward his brother and attempting to tackle him with a running leap.

Relief flooded Ravyn. They weren’t scared of Ravyn the vampire; they were in awe of Ravyn the actress. She could work with that.

“Did you play hide-and-seek with Uncle Bash? When we play, my hair gets stuck in the bushes too.” Pen innocently worked free a dead leaf from Ravyn’s less-than-perfect hair. “Mama says if I braided it first it wouldn’t turn into a rat’s nest.”

“And that’s enough questions for our guest,” Sara interjected, drying her hands on a kitchen towel as she examined the two, before nodding. “Food will be on soon,” Looking toward Ravyn, she added lowly, “I don’t know when you late ate, but some subsistence for you is being sent over from the pack house. Or you’re free to wrestle the boys for a rare steak.”

Ravyn smiled her thanks; Bash had told her that his pack were progressive in the ways some weren’t. They were prepared and welcomed any visitors who came through their doors. That’s why they’d known that bringing Kai here was a good idea. Kai’s people at one time had worked side by side with a pack. They were returning him to his roots and giving him a family, a pack, at the same time.

“Are you guys moving back out here then or staying in California?” Looking between the two, Toby asked the question on everyone’s mind as he bit into an apple. Apparently, the fact that they’d made up was clear to all. “Ma said Bash needed some roots somewhere. I hope you guys pick somewhere cool.”

Sara perked up at the question but also managed to flush as her children outed her gossip.

“I don’t…” Ravyn began before looking at Bash.

Bash waved a hand. “Maybe? Maybe both, maybe neither... We both have our work, but we’re committed to figuring it out.”

“I only have a few more years left in Hollywood this go around,” Ravyn admitted. “Claims of plastic surgery and Botox only work so long. And as of late, other things have begun to look more enticing.”

Bash gave her waist a tiny squeeze.

“Nothing has to be decided right away,” he told the nosy group. “We have our entire lives. If she wants to stay in California, I’ll be beside her. If she wants to live or travel elsewhere, I’ll join her.”

“Maybe a combination of both,” Ravyn suggested to Bash as the group’s faces volleyed between the two. “I’m open to cutting back before retirement. I’d wondered if my last offer might be my grand finale, so to speak, and I know Oliver doesn’t require you to be so hands-on with every security job,” she teased, knowing she would kill the next client if that were true.

“Sounds perfect.” Bash kissed her head before adding, “Nothing has to be decided right this moment. Where we live and sleep doesn’t matter as long as we’re together.”

Vincent let out a groan while Penelope giggled at her uncle’s softer side. “Are they always like that?” Vincent demanded answers from Toby while he squeezed his brother’s face tightly between his hands.

With a howl, Toby tickled his little brother. “Oh no,” he whooped, “sometimes they’re much, much worse.”

“We’ve got this, Thor,” Ravyn promised. “We still need to find my sister. She may be helpless for now, but I doubt she’s going to give up hope that I can change her. If she regroups and gains a few witches, she’ll be a danger to our family.”

Our family. That sounded nice. Our pack.

The parts remaining of her sister were still out there. Despite the assurances by the witches that they would find her, Ravyn still felt responsible. Ibis might be powerless on her own, but she’d proven that wouldn’t stop her. The conniving magic user would surely regroup and find other magic users to manipulate but for now, Ravyn could breathe easier.

“Together a pack is strong,” Bash promised her, “and I swear to the Creator himself, that she will not ever get close to my mate again.”

Mate.