I just stared at her, feeling absolutely dumbstruck. There could only be one reason they’d be called Hunters. And I certainly didn’t like the sound of it and what it meant.
“I didn’t get a lot of information out of Rufus. As a matter of fact, he would barely talk about it.”
I shook my head and closed my eyes. With a loud sigh, I said, “Why doesn’t that surprise me? This is the first I’m hearing about them at all. I’ll have to ask Emrys about it when I get home.” Inside I was wondering why he’d never mentioned this to me, but I didn’t share my disappointment with Fiona. After another sigh, I said, “I have to go now, Fiona. Thanks for the heads up – I guess.” I rolled my eyes trying not to look upset.
“So you’re not upset with me?” she asked as we both stood.
“No, Fiona. You’re just the messenger. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Well, good luck with that. I get the feeling no one around here cares to talk about them. Whoever they are.” She shrugged, but I could see the worry in her eyes. “Rufus never said a word about them until he heard that the babies were somewhere in the States. And then I could tell he regretted saying anything once I started asking questions. Just be careful, Lizzy. Okay?”
“I will,” I said, nodding. “Thanks.”
After we said our goodbyes, I headed back to our suite and feeling heavy-hearted, didn’t even stop to see what Emrys was doing. I went straight into the bathroom and stripped off all of my clothes.
I didn’t know if I should be angry with him for keeping this information from me, or glad that he spared me even more worry. God knows, I had enough on my mind while dealing with Rohan. My mind went back and forth several times. A part of me even wished that Fiona hadn’t said anything. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
While standing in the shower letting the hot water flow over me, thinking of how to bring this new and worrisome subject up to Emrys without getting into an argument, with my eyes closed tightly - I had another vision. This particular vision was quite vivid, and strangely enough, in slow motion. I knew beyond any doubt that what I was seeing would definitely happen. And I knew it would be soon.
We were just stepping off an elevator, in what appeared to be a hospital - the four of us - heading toward the glass doors to the limo waiting outside. People were staring at the unlikely quartet. Three of us carried newborns in our arms, and Emrys balanced the diaper bags and extra blankets. He was a sight most would not soon forget - surely not the typical look of someone leaving a hospital: long black hair drifting behind him almost to the waist, black slacks, and a short-sleeved t-shirt revealing miscellaneous tattoos on his arms, and completely weighed down in pastel baby paraphernalia. Melinda glanced behind us two times before we made it to the glass doors, and I was sure she feared Mr. Feldspar or his secretary would appear at any moment to say there had been a huge mistake. She held her new son in her arms, gently wrapped in a powder blue blanket, and although she didn’t know it yet, I already knew she would name him Armand. I was carrying either Alyssa or Adeline wrapped in a pastel pink blanket. What a sight we were: Gavin with his stark white hair carrying another tiny pink bundle, walking with the two dark haired twins and my immortal beloved. No wonder they stared. Even the limo driver seemed taken aback as we fastened the babies into their car seats. Heading to the hotel, all three newborns were sound asleep and Melinda simply glowed as the vehicle sped farther away from the hospital. No one spoke, but there was definitely a feeling of change in the air. Our lives would never be the same again. Emrys appeared to be deep in thought as he stared out the window, and suddenly I got the distinct feeling there was something more going on than the obvious.
When I heard the click of the latch my eyes popped open and my vision evaporated just like the steam that escaped the open door of my shower. Emrys stood grinning, and wearing nothing but his medallion. It caught the light just right and the raven’s eye glinted deep red. I gazed into my husband’s eyes and sighed, though not even minutely upset at his auspicious interruption.
Somewhere in the far recesses of my mind I decided to ask him about the Hunters later. And if he intercepted that fleeting thought at all, he did a fantastic job of ignoring it.
“I thought I would join you since it appears that you are spending the whole night in here anyway,” he said. He stepped into the shower and gazed down at me. As always, his dark eyes instantly melted me, drawing me in and making me weak with anticipation.
I gave him a small grin.
“It is a good thing I came to rescue you; you are beginning to prune up like an old raisin.” He laughed heartily as he took one of my hands and said, “Look! Raisin fingers.” He raised my hand to his mouth and kissed each finger, slowly and deliberately. As he pulled me into his wet embrace, my whole body jolted in response to his electrified touch and I gasped, feeling breathless.
“So, I hear it is very hot this time of year in Arizona,” he mused, holding me tight, pressing himself up against me.
“Well, it is a desert, my love,” I said, leaning into him. “But I bet it’s not any hotter there than it is in here right now!” My voice came off rather sultry as I noted his rising heat.
“Right,” he said with a quiet moan. His grin put a sparkle in his eyes, and he added, “But they say the desert is a dry heat.” His hands slid down and he began to explore other regions, instantly making me moan. “And you, my sweet wife - are always quite the contrary.” His face was inches from mine; his breath sweet and warm. Suddenly grinding himself into me - crushing me up against the shower wall, he said hoarsely, “God almighty, I love you so much, Elizabeth.”
My arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and I whispered into his ear, “For all eternity?”
With an obvious shudder, he breathed, “Yes! I will love you until the sands of the desert grow cold.”
I pulled my head back, facing him, waiting for his next move.
He took my chin in his hand and gently tilted my head up, gazed lovingly into my eyes and whispered softly, “I would love to kiss you.”
End of Book Three
RAVENSWYND DESTINIES
Book Four
By
SHARON RICKLIN JONES
Copyright © 2013 Sharon Ricklin Jones
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission from the author.
Ravenswynd Destinies Cover creation and design by
Martina L Avery-Perry at http://unmerwe.deviantart.com/
Stock Images from Lorie Davison, RockStocks, Aethergoggles, Wyldraven, Vanessyca71 and Lady-Moriendistock
Models - Sofia Sousa and Eliezer Pereira, Photography by Blue Angel
This book is dedicated to all of my children…
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author’s profound gratitude to…
My awesome editor: Barbara Secklin
My fantastic beta-readers: Laurel Johnson and Lisa McFerren
I will be forever grateful to my small, but enthusiastic group of fans who cheer me on with their rave and colorful reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and Facebook. You guys rock!
And lastly, to my husband - without whose constant support would have made this endeavor nearly impossible.
I love you all.
A special thanks to Martina Avery-Perry for her beautiful artwork.
“Please, Lizzy. Don’t go in there.” She planted herself in front of me; blocking the door and holding her arms out wide. I wanted to slap her silly and scream – “only my friends called me Lizzy!” But instead, all I did was glare at her. It struck me as quite suspicious when she began to look downright panicky.
What the flaming hell is her problem?
Rolling my eyes and trying to maintain a calm tone, I said, “I just want to see them for a minute; I won’t wake them. And even if I do, I’m perfectly capable of getting t
hem back to sleep. I help Lindy with them almost every day. Come on, step aside.”
“But…it’s just that…” she stammered and then licked her lips again, still not moving.
I was completely out of patience, and now in a raised voice I said, “Get the bloody hell out of my way. Or, perhaps you’d prefer it if I removed you myself?” I bared my fangs. There was no way she was going to pull this crap on me. Who did she think she was, anyway?
Her lower lip quivered. “I’m so sorry, Lizzy,” she whispered, now breathless and starting to cry. “I never wanted this to happen.” Her voice cracked, and as she nearly collapsed in fear, my heart began to hammer. I reached for the doorknob and she sobbed, “He told me they’d kill everyone if I didn’t cooperate.”
My fingernails dug deep into the skin of her neck as I clutched it tight, but I didn’t stop to ask her who she was talking about. I flipped her aside like an old, raggedy stuffed animal, and her head slammed into the stone hearth with a heavy thud. I noticed the scent of blood long before it began to pool under her head.
CHAPTER 1
SMELL THE COFFEE
Finding the dining room empty was quite a surprise. Apparently I had gotten up even earlier than I thought, but luckily there was always a fresh pot of coffee on the sideboard table, along with hot water for tea. I still wasn’t used to the ways of those in merry old England – who drinks tea in the morning? All I needed was coffee, and it smelled especially good this morning. I poured myself a cup, took my seat at the bare dining table, and took a sip. Sadly, once again, the coffee was a little stronger than I liked. Priscilla was a wonderful cook, but I wondered just how long it would take her to learn how to make a decent pot. Hopefully, a splash of extra cream and sugar would even things out a bit. Reaching for the sugar bowl, I heard a commotion in the kitchen and looked up just as the door pushed open.
“Och - no! You may consider me a twit, but I’m not anywhere near as dodgy as ye think!” Priscilla snickered. “Now run along and mind your business! Cheerio!” She gently pushed her daughter, Kelsey, through the doorway. When Priscilla caught my eye she gasped, either surprised or embarrassed by my presence, I wasn’t sure which.
“Oh, good mornin’ Miss Elizabeth! I did not hear ye come in.” As she turned back into the kitchen I heard her mumble under her breath, “Sod it!”
Kelsey came and sat across from me and heaved a big sigh.
“Lizzy, you’re up early!” She looked slightly embarrassed, though she tried to hide it with a big grin.
She was right. Most days Emrys and I didn’t come down to breakfast until everyone else was halfway finished eating. Not that we didn’t enjoy eating with our family and friends - we usually spent mornings with my fencing lessons. Lately, however, we were too caught up in planning our trip to the States and shopping for baby things with Melinda and Gavin, and we were just too busy for the fine art of sword fighting. Since their adoption process seemed to be all wrapped up tightly, we had decided these things needed to be done first. And somehow after only three shopping sprees we had even managed to get nearly everything necessary for the three babies.
Triplets took a lot of planning, and Melinda was beside herself with worry. I simply had no other choice but to help her. After all, I still felt like it was my fault she had accompanied me to the gathering in the first place...my fault she ended up a vampire - even though they had told me I had no other choice but to allow Gavin to turn her as she lay near death. And since my decision had sealed her fate forever - making her barren, the very least I could do was make sure that everything went smoothly for her now, and help her to get those babies home safely.
As far as the fencing lessons went: well – apparently I had learned enough to take out the rogue vampire. Missing a few lessons now didn’t seem all that important. I really didn’t mind practicing, but it was so time-consuming and I felt we needed to better spend our time helping Melinda and Gavin. The lessons could wait, at least until the new family was well settled and Lindy felt comfortable with her new routine.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” I said, glancing at Kelsey. I finished stirring my coffee and placed the teaspoon onto the saucer making a sharp clink. “I thought I’d have a bit of coffee before we leave for London.” I covered my mouth and yawned.
“Why do you suppose that is, Lizzy?” Kelsey looked a little nervous as she shook her head and brushed her soft brown hair behind her ear.
“Oh, I suppose it could be due to the fact that we’ve been running in circles getting the nursery ready and shopping three days in a row!”
Kelsey cleared her throat. “I bet your sister is getting excited, isn’t she?”
“Oh we all are.” I nodded, feeling joyful. “I’m going to be an auntie!”
Before Kelsey had a chance to respond I asked, “What was that all about with your mother? She sounds like she’s in a bit of a mood.”
“No, she’s fine. I asked her if I could help in the kitchen today. It’s too wet to spend any time in my gardens and I thought she’d enjoy my company.” She raised her eyebrows and added, “I already finished the laundry, if you’re wondering.”
Originally appointed as my very own mistress by my dear husband, I still could not get it into Kelsey’s head that she was firstly my friend, and then my assistant.
“I hadn’t even thought of it.” I took another sip of my coffee. “But why did she nudge you out of the kitchen?” I asked off-handedly.
“Oh, that. Well, I guess I was asking her too many questions and she got a bit cheesed off.” Kelsey’s soft brown eyes were wide. “I’m sure by now you’ve heard the rumors.” She rolled her eyes then, attempting to make me think the rumors didn’t matter to her. She did not pull it off well; I could see she was concerned.
I shook my head slowly. “Nope. I’ve spent so much energy keeping my own secrets, I haven’t heard a thing! What’s up?”
“Well, apparently the adoption attorney, Mr. Feldspar, has come to visit Mum once or twice even before his meeting with Mr. Emrys or Gavin. I can’t get her to say anything about it though. She just grins from ear to ear when I ask her.”
I recalled my conversation several nights back with Fiona. She was beside herself - wondering what was going on with the attorney and Priscilla. I had too many other things on my mind to let that morsel of information get under my skin.
“Hmm. I wonder what that’s all about,” I mused, reminded now about the vision I’d had. Even though this particular vision seemed plain enough - showing me a visit to Ravenswynd by Mr. Feldspar, it still gnawed at me, and I went over it again in my mind: Mr. Feldspar was about to be dropped off at our own front door, just after he had made a quick stop at the gate and chatted with the gatekeeper. The limo-driver opened the passenger door to let him out, and they spoke briefly before he took his place back behind the wheel. Mr. Feldspar’s driver had seemed so familiar to me, and it had bothered me on and off ever since. It never once occurred to me to ask the attorney about his driver when I first met him.
“Maybe our good attorney’s got a thing for your mom, huh?” I chuckled under my breath.
Kelsey giggled at what seemed like a ridiculous speculation. Mr. Feldspar seemed like such an old fuddy-duddy. A bit dull, even. But this was almost to be expected of an attorney who still looked to be from the 1800’s. I had been surprised that Gavin hired him to oversee the adoption in the first place, but I suppose we had to stick to our own kind. Most likely there weren’t too many vampires around who practiced law.
“Well, stranger things have happened!” I added, noting the concerned look on Kelsey’s face.
“Yes, I suppose anything’s possible.” Kelsey rolled her eyes, but then became more serious, and said, “So, speaking of deep dark secrets. What secrets are you keeping these days?” She raised an eyebrow.
Not all that long ago, she wouldn’t have had the guts to speak so boldly to me. She had been so used to being a lowly servant, and here she was, blossoming into a lovely - and
very much unafraid to speak her mind - young lady. Well, vampire-lady. I still wasn’t used to what we really were. We worked so hard at appearing human and blending in, that sometimes I’d forget. That is, until the deep craving gnawed at me like hunger pangs, and if I waited too long before quenching my thirst, my sharp fangs would remind me with their unwelcomed appearance.
I leaned closer now, worried that someone - namely my twin, would walk in and hear me tell Kelsey my secret.
“Melinda and Gavin will be raising two daughters - and a son!” I whispered low, and smiled as I watched Kelsey’s eyes grow wide with curiosity.
“How do you know this? I thought the baby wasn’t due for a few weeks yet,” Kelsey whispered, leaning forward.
“I’ve had several visions of the children; one as newborns, and two when they are about three years old or so. In the visions of them at three, I even saw Mr. Feldspar sitting at our patio. And this was before I ever met him!” I was quite proud of myself. “I even know what their names will be! But, I’m keeping that to myself for now. It feels so fantastic when a vision comes true; you have no idea, Kelsey!”
“Wow, Lizzy!” She gave me a genuine smile. “How simply smashing!” Kelsey no longer spoke quietly, she was far too excited.
Of course, at that exact moment Melinda and Gavin came into the dining room. Lindy eyed Kelsey and then turned to me.
“What’s so smashing, Sis?” Melinda pushed her long black hair behind her shoulder as she sat down next to me. Except for the curls at the very bottom, she was still my carbon copy. Her deep blue eyes sparkled and her whole face beamed as she anticipated motherhood. It struck me as a little odd, but I noticed Melinda was wearing a baggy pink blouse with a collar. Most often she dressed in tight fitting and sometimes seriously revealing clothing. This new look was quite telling.
The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set Page 73
