The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set

by Sharon Ricklin Jones

  Lindy didn’t answer me right away, and I could tell she had something on her mind. But at first, she just gazed at me with an intense look and then began to stroll along again, her arm still woven through mine. After a long silence, she finally asked, “Lizzy, have you had any visions of me recently? I know you had the one when I... died, but you’ve never said a word about any others. Why do you suppose that is?”

  I assumed she had to be referring to the time I’d visualized her lying on the bed just before Gavin drained her, and then changed her into a vampire. I had never spoken to her about the other one, the one that I knew she would love to hear.

  I wanted to tell her - to give her hope, yet I was afraid it might only end up being false hope. I wasn’t quite good enough at this talent yet. Our Prophetess, Sibelle had said it sometimes took decades for these visions to be clear and distinct enough to actually help anyone.

  “Not really,” I said half-lying and glanced away. I couldn’t look her in the eye; she knew me too well.

  “Elizabeth!” She stopped walking, which in turn brought me to an abrupt halt. “What do you mean, not really? So you have had a vision, haven’t you?” Her voice trilled an octave higher.

  “It was a long time ago, not long after I was turned. I just wanted to wait until I was sure.”

  “What do you mean?” She gave me a wary frown and her face took on a glow from the setting sun, a deep shade of bronze. “That was a long time ago. When will you be sure?”

  I took her hand in mine, shook my head, and shrugged, saying, “I’m sorry, Lindy, I just don’t know.”

  “Fine.” She pulled away and began to walk back toward the gardens. Even though I’d heard the deep disappointment in her voice, I could see that she was determined to keep herself from arguing. This was new for Lindy: the ability to control herself no matter what was going on around her, and it made me feel even more guilty.

  I turned and caught up to her in an instant. “Wait, Melinda.” I grabbed her arm and stopped her. Her blue eyes looked teary, but the expression she emitted was one of self-preservation and determination as she forced herself to blink back the tears.

  “If you’re not sure,” Melinda said as she clasped her hands together at her waist, “then don’t say anything. I guess I’d rather not know than hear only half of the story anyway. You are good at that - getting only a glimpse of something, aren’t you?”

  Coming from anyone else I could have taken this as a put-down, but her tone was not mean at all. She actually sounded like she felt sorry for me. As we strolled closer to the patio, I wondered if I should just go ahead and tell her about my vision.

  We sat down together at the patio set and gazed out toward the yard. In the distance I could see that someone had left one of the chairs from this very set out in the middle of the green grass, facing away from us. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but then I realized it stood in the very spot where I had seen Lindy sitting in that vision: the one of her and the children.

  I thought about the conversation I’d had with Sibelle, and wondered if what she had told me could actually work. The idea seemed so weird to me, yet it certainly couldn’t hurt.

  “Come here, Lindy. Let me try something,” I said, standing back up and taking Melinda’s hand.

  “What?” she said, frowning. I could see her confusion as she resisted.

  “Please, Lindy,” I pleaded. “I want to try something. I’d rather try this on you than anyone else. I know you won’t make fun of me if I fail.”

  She hesitated only a moment longer, sighed, and then stood slowly and followed me out into the yard.

  “Sit here on this chair,” I stated, not so much an order, but a request.

  She obliged me, and I stood behind her and placed my hands on both of her shoulders.

  Speaking quietly, I explained, “Sibelle told me that, if I wanted to, I could actually force myself to see things. I’ve never had enough self-confidence to try it, and ever since that last incident, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know the future. But I’ve got to try sometime. Like I said earlier, what’s the point of having a gift if you can’t use it?”

  I felt Melinda relax while I quickly told her my plan. Closing my eyes, I just concentrated and listened. I wasn’t sure how to force myself to see anything, but remembered Sibelle saying that I needed to be calm and focus and just let it happen, and that sometimes touching people brought things out. I took a deep breath and waited.

  First I concentrated on nothing but my senses. The gentle evening breeze blew softly through my hair. I felt Lindy’s slow, steady breathing as her body moved the air in and out of her lungs, her shoulders rising up as she inhaled. Birds were calling in the distance and the crickets began to chirp as the day slowly began to ebb into night. I could smell the grass under our feet, the flowers over my left shoulder, and the chocolate still curling invitingly through the air. I then tried to close out all the noises and senses, keeping my eyes shut tightly and forced myself to keep my mind centered on that earlier vision. In my mind’s eye, I saw Lindy sitting right here with three children running around her in circles, laughing and giggling. Behind her, Gavin and another man sat at the patio table sipping from tall glasses, lost in their own conversation. And then - it happened. This memory of an old vision slowly turned into a brand new vision.

  The two little girls with curly blonde hair clasped their hands together in unison as their sandy-brown haired brother ducked underneath their raised arms. They were playing London Bridge. I heard them singing the song along with Lindy. Her voice came soft and gentle, and both her eyes and her smile were as bright as can be. When the girls caught their brother and rocked him back and forth he began to look sad, though not as much from being caught, as from the words of the song, and his little boy voice squealed out: “I am not a fair lady!” This made both the girls giggle all the more - their blonde curls bouncing back and forth.

  “Mommy!” he cried. “Addie and Allie are calling me a lady. Tell them to stop it.” He plunked himself down on the grass and pouted. The girls began to run around the chair again, giggling loudly.

  “Ari is a lady, Ari is a lady,” the girls chanted out in unison.

  “Girls! You stop it this instant!” Melinda said quietly but unwavering. “You know you are not supposed to tease your brother! How many times have I told you that two against one is not fair? You should protect one another, always.”

  “Mommy,” the little boy sniffed.

  He stood up and went to the chair, tears in his eyes, and with a sad, lost look on his face; he raised his arms upward toward Melinda.

  “There, honey,” Melinda said, picking him up. She brushed off his little pink face and held him to her chest running her fingers through his brown hair. “It’s okay. You must learn to ignore your sisters when they get like this.” Her voice became firm then, and she added, “Adeline, Alyssa, tell your brother that you’re sorry. Remember what mommy said about teasing? You all must play together nicely or we will go inside and take a nap. Do you hear me?”

  The girls came and stood in front of Melinda’s knees at once and, again in unison, they told their brother they were sorry. “We’re sorry Ari!” Their voices sounded like little angels singing.

  “There, Armand, now go and play. You’ll be fine.” Melinda placed the boy back down on the ground and patted his backside.

  The three children began to run in circles around Melinda and her chair again as if nothing had just happened. A bright smile erupted on her face as she watched with joy and began to sing along with them, this time: Ring Around the Rosie. Melinda stood up then and took two of the little pudgy hands joining in their circle, skipping around and around. After they all fell to the ground in a heap of giggles and curls, she hugged each one of them and kissed their rosy cheeks.

  “Hi Daddy!” One of the blonde-haired girls waved toward the patio and called out, “Are you watching us play with Mommy?”

  Gavin turned his head and waved at the
four shining faces and said, “Yes, sweetheart. I am watching all of you!”

  The man in the tweed suit grinned and nodded his head toward Melinda and the children.

  Melinda turned and waved. She smiled sweetly at Gavin, and he caught her eye and smiled back. Then she turned back to the children.

  “Let Daddy finish up with his visit, children. After his guest leaves we’ll go in and have a snack, okay?”

  All the children’s heads bobbed up and down at once and they laughed and clapped and cheered.

  And then my eyes popped open, and the top of Melinda’s head came back into view. It was absolutely amazing. No one had interrupted me, I believed for the first time ever, and the vision ended all on its own. Blinking back into the here and the now, I glanced down at Lindy - her black hair gleamed in the dim twilight. I came around the chair and knelt down in front of my sister as the overwhelming feeling of happiness engulfed me. I finally believed that Melinda really was going to get her wish! I could barely breath, and feeling the tears welling up in my eyes, had to take a moment before I could explain this to her. I put my head on her knee, and she gently stroked my hair.

  “It’s ok, Lizzy,” she said softly, assuming I’d failed. “Some things you just can’t force to happen. Don’t feel bad.”

  “Oh, Lindy,” I said, looking up at her with hot tears streaming down my face. “It’s not what you think. Not at all.” The words caught in my throat.

  “What is it? Is it something bad?” Her voice suddenly wrenched into a frightened whisper.

  I sniffed and quickly wiped my tears away. “Oh, no, not at all. It is something very very good.”

  “It’s about me? About Gavin? Tell me!” Her patience was all but gone now.

  Just then I looked up behind the chair that she was sitting on and saw Emrys and Gavin standing near the patio table with the very same man I had just seen in the vision! My heart leapt in my chest. The stranger wore a tweed business suit and held a brief case in his hand, and Gavin motioned for him to have a seat. Lindy noticed that I was watching something behind her and turned her head in the same direction.

  “We weren’t expecting company, were we?” she asked, even more confused.

  As she spoke, both of our husbands began to walk toward us. There was a business-as-usual look on Emrys’ face and a small anxious smile on Gavin’s.

  “I have a feeling you are about to get the surprise of your life, sis,” I said excitedly as I stood up quickly and brushed myself off. This was incredible! I had a feeling that my vision was about to come true right before my eyes! Or, at least the prelude to the vision.

  “Elizabeth, did you have a vision about ...this?” she asked, touching my arm and looking directly into my eyes. She held up her pinky finger to me. “Swear it will be alright? Everything is alright?”

  “I swear - it is good,” I said. As I had done millions of times through our lives, I hooked my pinky finger together with hers, and went on saying, “And yes, I do believe this visit has to do with my vision. I’d bet my life on it.”

  Melinda stood up unlocking our fingers and turned to Gavin as he approached.

  “It’s a wonderful story, and I have a feeling you are about to hear the very first chapter,” I whispered quickly. I could barely contain my excitement now.

  Gavin’s smile grew wider as he hurried across the deep green grass toward us. His white hair shimmered brightly as the evening sunset sent out its last rays of light, but my eyes were drawn to my husband and our eyes locked. Emrys’ smile was warm, and his mesmerizing gaze bore into me as usual. I gave him an understanding grin.

  Hello, my husband.

  “What is this about, Lizzy?” Melinda whispered as she grabbed my hand nervously. Her grip grew stronger as Gavin’s steps drew closer. “Quick, tell me!”

  “There’s no time. You’ll find out soon enough,” I whispered back, and smiled up at Emrys as he came and stood beside me.

  “Come, Melinda.” Gavin reached out for his wife. “I have a very interesting proposition for you.”

  She frowned at me with a question on her face and then took his hand and stepped closer to him.

  “Elizabeth just had a vision of us!” she blurted out suddenly. “This is it, isn’t it?” Her eyes darted back and forth from Gavin to me.

  I nodded and smiled, and then looked back into Emrys’ eyes as he put an arm around me.

  “Elizabeth,” Emrys whispered lightly. Bending closer he brushed his lips across my cheek and breathed into my ear, sending sweet electrical goose bumps all over my neck. “You have not told her yet?” he asked. By the look on his face I could see that he had caught my most recent vision and understood that I was finally ready to tell her about it.

  “We ran out of time,” I said quickly, and not wanting to miss anything going on, I added, “Shh!”

  I turned back to hear Gavin’s proposition. Emrys moved behind me, his arms wound around my middle and his chin rested on my shoulder. It was quite obvious that he had other things on his mind besides Gavin and Melinda. He turned his head and nuzzled closer still, causing his lips to sweep lightly over my neck. Electrical goose bumps traveled down my spine.

  “It is a shame we have this baby business to deal with right now,” he whispered softly in my ear, knowing full well he was driving me dizzy with desire. “You look so lovely tonight. And I would love to kiss…”

  “Shh,” I giggled, stopping him mid-sentence. Glancing again at the stranger waiting on the patio, I wondered if he was human - or vampire, like us, but couldn’t pick up his scent from this far away. The only thing I knew for sure about the man, was that this would not be his last visit to Ravenswynd. I had just seen him in my futuristic vision and knew he was here about the three little angels. Putting everything into perspective, I figured that had to be why he was here now.

  “Let me guess,” I said, eying Gavin as he stood facing his wife. Pointing a quick finger toward the patio, I asked, “Is that man an attorney?”

  I flipped my long black hair back over my shoulder and glanced at Melinda, who now looked ashen. Gazing past her again, I watched the stranger rummaging through his brief case. He was even wearing the same tweed suit.

  Gavin realized that I understood what was happening here. I could see it in his face. He had to know about my ability to have these futuristic visions. And why wouldn’t he? After all, Gavin and Emrys had been close for decades, and even if they hadn’t talked about it, Lindy must have mentioned it to him by now. I twisted my head back over my shoulder, and saw that Emrys’ smile confirmed my current musings. He kept his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. Sometimes his ability to read my mind came in so handy.

  Gavin nodded slightly, affirming my question, but kept his attention on his wife. Still holding Melinda’s hands, he took a deep breath. I’d never seen him looking this anxious before. I leaned back onto Emrys and put a hand over my mouth, stifling my giggle; quickly composed myself, and refocused on my sister and her husband. They were so cute together. Gavin’s stark white hair flowed to his shoulders, and Melinda’s long black hair almost to her waist. Ebony and ivory.

  Gavin cleared his throat, but Lindy couldn’t hold her questions.

  “Gavin, why would you have an attorney come to our home?” Melinda looked expectantly at him. “What’s going on?”

  Suddenly it was as if a light went on, and her mouth opened but at first nothing came out. Gavin nodded slowly as his smile grew larger.

  “Oh!” Her sapphire eyes became wide with excitement as she gazed hopefully at her husband and said it again. “Oh!” She nodded, getting even more excited.

  “You always said you wanted children,” he said softly. He glanced at me quickly and I figured he had to be thinking the same thing as I was. That we had no choice the night he turned her, forever altering her ability to bear children, and a part of him still felt as guilty as I did. Although it was not anyone’s fault; turning her had saved her from death, and for that, I was so very gratefu
l. No one could understand why all female vampires were barren, when the males seemed to have no problem with their human mates.

  “Yes?” Melinda’s face lit up anticipating his next words, and the excitement in her voice brought me back to reality.

  “Mr. Feldspar is an attorney, and he knows of a young woman who is pregnant but is in no position to raise a child.” He paused to take a breath. “She has already signed the legal papers for adoption, but there is one rather unusual stipulation.”

  “What’s the catch?” Melinda’s face fell flat and she frowned as she seemed to hold her breath.

  Gavin took another deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that I was practically jumping up and down and biting my tongue. I didn’t want to spill the beans before he was ready, but he was taking so damn long.

  No wonder you’re holding me so tight, my love!

  Emrys gave me a gentle squeeze, as though to rein me in.

  “It’s not bad. It’s just a little more than you may be prepared for.” He let out his breath slowly and hesitated a moment.

  I realized then that they had previously discussed this option, which was a good thing. It was enough of a surprise just having Mr. Feldspar show up like this, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine Lindy’s shock at what was coming next, had they not talked about adoption at all.

  “She’s having more than one baby,” Gavin began, wide eyed, his glance darting to me for only a second. “And she is determined that they must not, under any circumstances, be separated from one another.”

  I let out a small chuckle. Lindy and I had determined to never be separated from one another a long time ago too. Her blue eyes now flickered to mine for a second when she realized what he was saying.

  I understood Gavin’s hesitance. After all, it had been a long time since any of the Ravens had any human babies around the estate. And he had no idea how detailed my vision had been, or how Lindy would react to this news. That was obvious now. But I knew my sister. And I had already seen how great this would all turn out to be in the end. I could barely contain my own excitement as I put my hand on Lindy’s arm. She gave me her happiest smile confirming my sentiments.