The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set

by Sharon Ricklin Jones

  “Yes, I imagine you are right.”

  “First off, I think she needs her own space. There is an empty suite upstairs from us and it would be perfect for her. Second, she should be allowed to go to the next gathering, regardless of what her mother says. Maybe she can meet someone who will actually be good to her. Thirdly, she wants a puppy.”

  “A puppy?” he asked incredulously. “Why on earth?”

  “Emrys, everyone needs someone, or something to love. I think it might be good for her. It couldn’t hurt. That’s for sure.”

  I could see his mind working. “I suppose a pet would not hurt. I shall speak to Priscilla, to set her straight in regards to Kelsey’s decision making.” He looked thoughtful and added, “Perhaps it is a good idea for her to have her own room as well. It is far too easy to forget that she is a grown woman. We all tend to think of her as a teenager, and you are right – that is not fair at all.” He looked pleased, and gave me a smile. “See? You have already started making positive changes for her, my sweet wife. I knew there was a reason I put you two together!”

  “Oh, I see how it is. Right away you want to take all the credit?” I teased him and took my hand back.

  “No, my dear, the credit is all yours. However, there is one wish we cannot fulfill.”

  “The gathering?” I asked, feeling the anger again. “Why can’t she go?”

  “She is allowed to attend if she chooses to, but she cannot be with another. You remember the rules, Elizabeth, do you not?”

  “That isn’t fair either. Why don’t you change the rules, Emrys? You are the Regent. You must have a say in how things are done around here. That is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of anyway. Whose idea was this, and just how old is the rule? And it’s obvious that not everyone follows them anyway!” I turned on my heel and marched to the refrigerator.

  “I do have a say, but the Elders must agree, at least a majority of them. These rules have helped us maintain a semblance of normalcy, keeping a piece of humanity in our existence from generation to generation. And you are correct: not everyone follows all of the rules, but without them, there would be chaos. And furthermore, if chaos was the rule, eventually there would be no one left to supply us with the life-force we all require.”

  I closed the refrigerator door and turned around to find him hot on my heels. “Oh, did you want a glass of Ambrosia?” I asked with a twinge of sarcasm.

  He glanced down to discover a bowl of grapes in my hand, and said, “No, thank you. But I will take a couple of these.”

  We walked back over to the table and sat down with the bowl between us. I picked a purple grape and popped it into my mouth. I chewed slowly savoring the juicy sweet flavor and then said, “Look, I understand the need for rules. I just think that some of them are very outdated, and you and the board of Elders should re-evaluate things. There is no reason for a fellow Raven to be sad and lonely for the rest of eternity, when the one she once loved gets to do whatever he wishes – with no repercussions at all.”

  “I do see your point.” He popped three grapes into his mouth at once.

  “You ought to. Out of everyone else here, you should understand this even more. After all, your own parents’ lives were ruined because of the idiotic rules.” As soon as the words were out I was sorry. The look of anguish on Emrys’ face made me wish, once again, I had kept my big mouth shut.

  “You do not have a big mouth,” he said shaking his head. “But you are right, and I am amazed at your ability to bring things to light that should be so obvious to me. Maybe it is high time for things around here to change. I shall call for a general meeting of the Elders as soon as possible. Thank you, Elizabeth. Sibelle was right.”

  Before I could ask him what she was right about, there was a knock at the door. Emrys grabbed a handful of grapes and went to the foyer. I heard the door open and then close again, happy voices, and footsteps approaching.

  “It’s Fiona and Rufus!” he announced as they all entered the room.

  Fiona came to me, and we hugged. “I thought we should make a formal appearance before you forgot your best friend!” she said laughing.

  “That could never happen! How have you been?” I asked, watching her take a seat across from me at the table.

  “We’ve been keeping busy,” Fiona said aloud. Then she leaned forward and whispered, “Though I still have not seen much more than the inside of our suite!” She raised an eyebrow and grinned as she put her hand on mine. “How about you two?”

  I had to chuckle. Fiona looked absolutely radiant; her face glowed when she smiled, waiting for my answer.

  “We had a great honeymoon. Prince Edward Island was beautiful. The colors of the leaves were at their peak; the air was so fresh and clean. I can’t wait to go back!” I glanced at Emrys as he went to get everyone a drink of Ambrosia. He just gave me one of his sweet grins.

  Rufus sat on the sofa near the window, and Emrys first handed him a glass, then came toward the table with two more glasses. Catching my eye again, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Yes, we did have a great time. Here you go ladies.” He set the glasses down in front of us and grabbed a couple more grapes.

  “Would you like some grapes, Rufus?”

  “No, thank you. Fiona and I were wondering if you two would care to join us in a game of tennis.” Rufus ran his fingers through his red hair as he spoke. I now understood why he wore a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt.

  Emrys glanced back at me with a look of uncertainty, and then he read my mind. A moment later he turned to Rufus and said, “I would love a match. But I think my wife prefers to catch up with her lady friend in private whilst we play.”

  Fiona laughed out loud. “I told him we needed some girl time!” She pointed a thumb toward her husband. “Rufus didn’t think Emrys would understand.” She leaned in again and whispered to me, “He just doesn’t like us being apart, though.” Her constant grin revealed how happy she really was.

  Emrys downed his drink and as he left the room he called out to me, “I must go change, my love.” He paused, turning toward the sofa and added, “I shall return in a moment, Rufus, and I plan to give you a run for your money!”

  Rufus laughed and said, “We shall see about that, sir!”

  Fiona got up, strolled over to the sofa, and stood in front of Rufus. “See how easy that was? I told you Emrys would get it.” She kissed him on the top of his head and then ruffled his bright red hair. She made a quick about-face and rejoined me at the table.

  “I think they probably need some male bonding time too, but they won’t admit it.” She winked at me as she scooped up a handful of grapes. Rufus picked up a newspaper and began to page through it, apparently giving us girls the time he now understood we needed.

  I turned when Emrys called out, “Ready!” He came through the doorway and paused, giving me a phony grin. Damn his mind reading!

  I had all I could do to maintain my composure, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. He was wearing a pair of blue shorts, white tennis shoes and a bright red t-shirt. He had pulled his long hair back into a ponytail, and he stood there looking like he had just popped out of an All-American sports magazine; his racquet in one hand and his sunglasses in the other.

  He was a completely different person dressed like this. I had no idea he could look so normal, and I didn’t like it one bit. His grin turned into a frown as he came closer to the table.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, my dear. But I cannot play with my hair flying all over the place, now can I?”

  I jumped up and hugged him. “Emrys, I’m so sorry. You just surprised me. That’s all. You know how I feel about your hair, and you know I love you. I’m just not used to seeing it pulled back. It looks so…different, and so short!” I leaned into his chest for a moment and smelled his spicy-sweet, musky scent and then glanced up at him. In my mind, I reiterated my undying love for him, which I was sure he could also see in my eyes.

  “No worries. I un
derstand.” He shook his head as he patted my back.

  I knew he was hurt by my thoughts, but there wasn’t anything more I could say. He gave me a quick peck on my forehead, and then they left.

  “What was that all about?” Fiona asked as I sat back down across from her again.

  “Don’t you remember? He can read my thoughts. All of them. It was such a shock when he first came out. He looked silly,” I whispered, “so normal. I’m used to him looking so dark and mysterious. He almost always wears black, and suddenly he comes sauntering out all red, white, and blue and with a ponytail! When I first saw him I actually had to bite my tongue to keep from giggling. I’m pretty sure I hurt his feelings.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Fiona raised an eyebrow. “I guess I’m glad no one can read my mind. I have way too many weird things going through my brain; I think they’d probably lock me up and throw away the key!”

  We both laughed. It was great to see Fiona so happy, and I told her so.

  “I am happy, Lizzy, happier than I’ve ever been. Rufus is the best thing that ever happened to me, and this place is unbelievable! The food is always great, and the company isn’t bad either! Especially, now that you guys are here. I mean, you know I love your sister and all, but I really missed you.” Her green eyes flashed as she spoke.

  “I missed you too. And one of these days we should make a point of all three of us hanging out. It’s been a while.” I thought back to the last time we did that, and how much had changed since then.

  “That reminds me, who is this Barbara Lee you had to meet the other day?”

  “Oh. Remember ‘Random Steve’? Well, the two of them are a couple now, and she’s been showing me around the place and filling me in on lots of gossip. Her brother is one of the gate- keepers so he sees who comes and goes around here. His name is Royal, or something equally weird. He’s not been turned yet. He’s waiting until he’s twenty-one, and according to Barbara Lee, Royal has his eye on one of the Ravens, but whoever she is, she doesn’t even know he exists, so he’s keeping it a big secret. He won’t even tell his own sister who she is! Oh, and speaking of turning, I guess Barbara Lee’s going to turn Steve this weekend. He wanted to come and check things out first, and now he’s decided that we all have a good thing going here. Not to mention, Barbara Lee’s not a bad catch for him.” She then lowered her voice, even though we were completely alone. “Did you notice his face? He must have had a terrible case of acne as a kid. He has a ton of scars.” She shook her head slightly.

  “I remember Random Steve. He’s the one who originally asked you to come to the gathering. I wonder who invited him. Do you think it was Barbara Lee?”

  “No, they first met on the night of the gathering. Emrys not only invited Steve to the party, but I heard that he was the one who suggested inviting me! Not exactly protocol, but I guess Emrys gets away with all sorts of things since he is the Regent, right?”

  She arched an eyebrow at me apologetically and her nervous nod set her red curls to bouncing.

  Fiona went on to tell me everything that happened the day she was turned, including a little more information than I needed to know about their wedding night. She talked about their flight to England, her first week at Ravenswynd, and all the people she had met. After a while, I could barely concentrate on what she was saying. My mind raced toward fury as I thought more about Emrys’ unthinkable rule bending. All his endless talk of rules and regulations, and to find out that he didn’t even follow them! I wasn’t sure if I was angrier about the fact that he hadn’t told me, or the fact that he didn’t practice what he preached. I nodded my head at the appropriate times while Fiona went on, but when she stopped speaking, I realized how far my mind had wandered after missing her last comment.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Are you even listening to me?” Fiona looked upset, her mouth turned downward and she squinted her eyes at me.

  “Yes, I am!” Then I sighed and hung my head, “No, I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking about what you said earlier, Fiona. How could Emrys hold everyone else accountable to the hard, cold rules, when he himself doesn’t follow them? That infuriates me!”

  She shook her finger at me. “Oh no! Don’t you dare tell him I told you! Now he’s going to be mad at me!” She nervously tapped her nails on the tabletop.

  I started to reassure her saying, “I won’t tell him you told me,” until I remembered the obvious problem. “Flaming hell! That won’t work, he’ll read my mind! This is so unfair. I wish I could figure out how to prevent him from hearing my thoughts.” I sighed and said, “I guess you won’t be able to trust me with your secrets any more, Fiona.” I rested my chin on my hand and looked into her green eyes. “No more juicy tales for me!”

  Then a bold new look came over Fiona, one I had never seen before. She raised her head up, straightened her neck, put her shoulders back and said with a self-assured tone, “I guess I really don’t care what Emrys thinks of me, or if he gets mad. He’ll get over it. After all, he’s not perfect either!” She grinned and added with emphasis, “Obviously!”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I mean, he is perfect for me! We were definitely supposed to meet. You know: The Veinvedia. I suppose no matter how it all came about, we would have ended up together sooner or later anyway, right?” I amazed myself; one minute I’m so angry at the guy that I’m seeing red, and the next I’m defending him.

  “True. Just like Rufus and me. Who knows, maybe he was supposed to ask Steve to ask me. Who am I to question any of this Signatus stuff? Let’s just forget about it. What’s done is done.” Fiona slapped her hand down on the table. “Now tell me all about your honeymoon. And what is up with all these rumors going around? I’ve been hearing about some guy named Rohan?”

  I realized we had a lot of catching up to do. I suggested we sit on the sofa where we’d be more comfortable; we were in for a long girl-friend session.

  During most of my story Fiona sat on the edge of the seat as she listened intently, and when I got to the part about Rohan’s physical attack on me, she cried out, “Wow, what a slime-ball! And now you find out he was actually involved with Kelsey? He was her mate? That’s raw. He really sounds like a disgusting animal.” She flopped herself back into the sofa shaking her head, a look of outrage creasing her face.

  “Yeah, I never should have had that first drink with him. I should have listened to my gut feeling after running into him when he was dressed like an evil clown. Although at that point, I was just another after-dinner-drink to him. Once he found out that Emrys and I were together, I became an even bigger conquest. Evidently he’s trying to get to Emrys through me. He hates the whole family.”

  “From the things I’ve been hearing, I’m getting the feeling he hates everyone. According to one of the cleaning ladies - I think her name is Gertie - she ran into Rohan in town last week, and when he realized she’d recognized him, he threatened her with violence if she dared to rat him out to anyone in the family. Ever since that time, no one goes to town alone, especially the women.” Fiona leaned forward again, too agitated by our conversation to stay relaxed.

  “Well, this just keeps getting better and better. I suppose Emrys kept all the details from me so that I wouldn’t worry. I bet he never thought you’d be telling me all about it though,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Sorry. I guess my gossiping has followed me right into this new life.” She tilted her head to the side. “I can’t help it. I’ve never kept anything from you, Lizzy, and I’m not about to start now!”

  “Don’t worry about it, Fiona. Besides, it’s not exactly gossip. It’s a fact. Rohan is evil, he hates all of us, he won’t stop until he gets even with Emrys, and he is after me.” A cold, icy shiver shot through me as I thought about Rohan being so close by.

  The door rattled open and Rufus and Emrys walked in, laughing and joking about their match, both sweaty and still breathing hard. When they saw us they stopped in their tracks and stared: Rufus, because he
had noticed the sudden change in Emrys’ demeanor; Emrys, because he caught the terrible thoughts going through my mind about Rohan. He came right over to the couch and knelt in front of me.

  “Elizabeth, you must stop dwelling on this. You need to relax and try to have some fun. After my shower, I want to take you out; we need to get your mind off of that bastard.”

  “Out where?” I asked, remembering the woman who had seen Rohan in town.

  “To London, why?” he asked.

  “I just don’t want to run into that bastard!” I crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s all.”

  Rufus cleared his throat as he went to his wife. He took Fiona by the hand and said, “Come sweetness, I need you to draw me a bath.”

  Fiona stood and smiled at me, waving her hand, “He’s only kidding. He’ll draw his own bath...as a matter of fact, he’ll take a shower. He’s such a comedian.” She winked at me again, but I could tell she was worried for me. “We’ll see you two later. Have fun tonight!” Before they left, Fiona hugged me and whispered in my ear, “Seriously, Lizzy, listen to your husband. Go out and have a good time.”

  “Thanks, Fiona. I’ll try. See you later.”

  Emrys followed them to the door and I heard the lock click and the deadbolt latch. When he returned he said, “You know, for someone who cannot stop thinking and talking about being afraid, it is quite surprising to me that you left the door unlocked when we left earlier. Perhaps you really are not all that worried?”

  “I forgot to lock the door? Oh my God, I can’t believe I did that! Emrys, I’m so stupid.”

  I’m such an airhead!

  Emrys came back to the sofa and sat beside me. “No, you are not stupid, and I do not believe for a minute you are an air-head. But you need to be more careful. I do not think I should have to remind you every time I leave the room, but if that is what it takes; then I shall.” He put his hand on my knee, but I didn’t respond.