Authors: Natalie Kiest
Tags: #Gay & Lesbian, #Demons & Devils, #Witches & Wizards, #Paranormal, #Fiction, #Romance, #Genre Fiction, #Lesbian, #Lesbian Romance, #Literature & Fiction
“I am serious Abby. You were around it, and look where it led you. You followed in their murderous path,” I replied without any hesitation.
“Wow! I help people and so do they. You can’t do this!” Abby raised her voice to me.
“I can, and I am. I love you as if you were my own daughter. I don’t want this life for you. I want you to enjoy life. If you can’t stop, I’m afraid you too will have to leave,” I whispered, on the verge of tears. I could hear the gasps.
“Kara, listen to yourself. This won’t change what Chloe is. She needs others like her around to teach her how to control herself,” Volac chimed in, trying to defend Chloe and Abby.
“I can’t listen to this anymore. Good luck you guys,” Abby stood.
“Abby, don’t do this, Chloe needs you,” I pleaded.
“Does she? She suddenly needs a killer by her side? Fuck you Kara! You better pray that you never need help again, because this killer won’t fuckin fight for you ever again,” Abby said with a calm that would match Ravyn’s. Volac was quick to follow her out.
“Devlin? Please tell me you aren’t leaving too,” I whispered. Too upset to stand, I sank back in the chair waiting for his reply. I could feel the eyes on me but I no longer had the will to meet their glare with my own.
“Kara, you used me to bait Ravyn. I could have killed my best friend because you needed an ally who could provide you with comfort. I would have been there for you anyway Kara, but now I cannot. Even if you were not applying this noose of a rule to us, I would still be leaving.” Devlin’s voice was chock-f of dismay.
Angie didn’t say anything either. She just shook her head while pulling Lokie up to her soon-to-be former room. Nebiros was still at the table with me, watching me as I tried to keep myself together. I wanted to drop to the floor and cry for days.
“I’m going to check on Chloe. If you and Mom don’t want to stay, I understand,” I said before rushing up to Chloe’s room.
“What in the world is going on Kara?” Mom asked.
“Nothing, come on Chloe,” I said, pulling her into my arms. Taking her into Ravyn’s room, I set her on the bed and lay down next to her.
“Mommy, everyone is mad and yelling. Why?” Chloe asked.
“Because it is time for us to have a house to ourselves, baby. Don’t worry, they will still visit. We just can’t live with one another anymore.” My words made her sad enough to end the conversation. It didn’t take long for the two of us to fall asleep while silently crying.
I woke to loud laughter and cheering, and rushed out into the hall to see what was going on. Devlin left quickly, with Angie and Lokie not long after him. Nebiros was on the phone, sounding very happy. So I went to him, he told whoever he was talking to that I was awake, and then he said goodbye to Abby. My heart shattered, and I trucked myself back up to bed, to cry some more.
When I woke the next morning, the house was dead quiet. It was uncomfortably quiet, and I knew everyone had packed up and fled the house of too many rules. I hoped that they were happier than I was, because at the moment I felt a crushing weight on my chest. Chloe was still sleeping so I let her be while I went to investigate the extreme silence.
I went to Devlin’s room, then Angie’s. Both were devoid of all of the personal belongings that once decorated them. My heart felt just as empty. I went downstairs with the sudden urge to check the basement.
I rushed through the living room looking for the secret door handle in the bookshelf. When I couldn’t find it, I used my magic, and the door swiftly opened. I trotted down the long staircase into the basement, pausing when I reached the bottom to look around. The weapons were still on the wall; the library and training room were both still exactly the same.
Did it mean Ravyn would come home? Or that she didn’t want to see me at all? She didn’t come home last night. Maybe she had already disappeared; it was what she did when things didn’t go her way. Nebiros told me she was with Abby last night, but even Abby wouldn’t talk to me. She did share pictures of her swanky new home, but the pictures were for Nebiros and Emma, not me.
I wanted to be there for her and share the excitement. I wanted to take her shopping and be excited with her, but I was overwhelmed with regret and sadness. Abby was taking it harder than anyone, and she was punishing me to no end.
I moved to the training room in the rear of the basement, the place where Ravyn trained Abby to be so strong. The place where she tried to train me. I could still see Abby learning how to master the balance beam, and Ravyn pushing her to perfect it. Ravyn pushed her hard, but she was always there to catch her when she lost her balance.
I wondered if she would ever do anything like that for Chloe. Did I want her to? Ravyn proved she would be there to catch Chloe if she fell. I couldn’t deny that. It didn’t really matter though, since I had essentially driven the family away. I wanted to cry, but I would have plenty of time for that later.
I decided to call Angie. “Hey Angie, how are you doing?”
“Fine, you?”
“Okay. Did you get settled in all right?” I asked.
“Not yet, we’ve been helping Abby with her new place. We were out late last night celebrating too, so we got a bit of a late start today.”
I felt like she was telling me about the celebration and the new place on purpose. Would she do that? No, Angie was my friend, she was just keeping me informed maybe? “Is Ravyn with you guys?” My voice cracked and my eyes instantly watered.
“Yes, she has been helping.”
“Can I talk to her?” I asked.
“She’s busy right now sweetie. Just give her some time, Kara.”
“You’re right. Well, tell everyone I said hi.” I hung up as my tears began to fall.
I couldn’t stop crying. I crawled onto the soft mat by the balance beam and let it all out. I sobbed until my eyes hurt, until all I could do was lay there and stare into nothing.
“Kara?” Nebiros called to me softly.
“I’ll be up in a minute,” I replied, trying to urge myself to give a shit about anything.
“Chloe is asking for you. She can feel how upset you are, so stop crying and come upstairs.”
“I’ll cry if I want to!”
“No!” he roared. “You don’t get to cry about what is happening in this house! This was your decision! You sent your family away. Now stop crying and go take care of your daughter!”
He was right, it was my fault. I wanted to tuck tail and cry some more, but I couldn’t. I had to put on a show of strength for Chloe. I went upstairs and carried on with my motherly duties. When I finally got Chloe to calm down, I left her with Mom so I could get some much-needed house cleaning done.
It helped pass the day away, and before I knew it Chloe was getting ready for bed. As I tucked her in, I felt the slight shift in the air and quickly looked toward her doorway. “You can feel it too?” Chloe asked.
“I can. Do you know what it means?”
She nodded. “It means Ravyn is home.” She smiled.
“She is close. You get some sleep, now. You can see her in the morning, okay?” I kissed her forehead and rushed out of the room. The slight buzz in the air turned to a raging pulse when I reached the stairs, looking down at the open door. “Ravyn?”
She didn’t say anything. Her stare was so intense I had to look away. “Are you here to get your stuff?” I asked in defeat.
As soon as the words left my mouth she was stomping up the stairs, coming straight for me. I backed up until my back hit the wall; I had nowhere else to go. I couldn’t outrun her anyway. I was about to feel the wrath of Ravyn.
She stopped a foot away and took off her coat, folding it then dropped it to the floor next to me. Then she took off her gun belt and shoulder harness, dumping them on top of her coat. After that she untied her boots; taking them off, she placed them carefully on top of the pile. Then she closed the distance between us. Her hands slid over my neck, pulling me closer as her lips passionately claimed mine. Her kiss was hungry, and so was mine.
Before I could get swept away in our passion I pulled away. “Is this what you want?” I asked, understanding what the pile next to me meant.
“No, but I sure as fuck don’t want to lose you,” she replied, tucking my hair behind my ears.
“Does that mean that the big bad Ravyn really does love me?” I teased with a happy giggle.
“I most certainly do. I love you more than anything in this world.”
Her words were like music to my ears. Ravyn was giving up what she loved the most and for me, which meant I was what she loved most. She lifted me up, and I instantly wrapped my legs around her, letting her carry me into our room where our new life was about to begin.
My giddy laughter wouldn’t stop even when she gently laid me on the bed. I was finally getting my happy ending! With Ravyn prowling over my body I knew it would be more like a magical fairy tale ending.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ravyn
Oddly Happy
I was more than happy, and so was Kara. How long our happiness would last was a question I didn’t want to tackle right now. Our tried and tested love had survived to live another day.
What would life hold for our odd love? Only time would tell, but right now some oddly rough make-up sex was in my cards. Odd I know, but happiness just turns out this way sometimes.
About the Author
Natalie is an avid music lover who enjoys writing dark fantasy and paranormal romance, usually in the form of a dual point of view. Writing has always served as a wonderful form of therapy, constantly allowing an escape from the rigors of life. She grew up in Northwest Indiana, but has retired to Lake Ozark, Missouri. When she is not writing you can find her working on a mind boggling jigsaw puzzle or lazing around with the cats. Natalie also has a weird fetish for odd numbers.
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Lost Souls, book three of The Ravyn Series coming October 2014
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