The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set

by Sharon Ricklin Jones

  “Wait!” Veronica yelled. “Those papers have me listed as your escort. You can’t just walk out of here! You promised!” Veronica ran to the table, stumbling over the prone Hunter. “Look!” she said, holding up the document for Emrys.

  He sighed. “You may join us, but there will be a donor contract to see how well you fit in with the family first.”

  “Okay,” she nodded, excitement lighting up her eyes.

  And where is my cell?” Emrys asked, ignoring her fervor.

  Veronica dug into the large envelope and pulled out his phone. Their fingers touched for a second when she handed it to him, and she pulled back feeling the electrical shock. “So that was you earlier. I thought it was just my imagination.”

  “Yes, it was me,” he said, already dialing. “And for the record, I did not promise you anything.”

  Gavin guessed that Emrys was making arrangements for a special flight attendant. After this much commotion and a long day of travel, they’d need a drink. He took note of the woman’s cheek. The blood was clotted, but he had detected her alluring scent the minute she bled. He had already decided that she would make a mighty tasty donor.

  “Won’t anyone tell me what’s going on here?” The young Hunter mumbled from the floor, feeling anxious and confused. “Am I next on your kill list?”

  “Shut up,” Veronica whispered. “Can’t you see that gorgeous man is on the phone?”

  Gavin rolled his eyes and answered, “No, Hunter. Just lie still, quit talking, and no one else will get hurt.” He’d noticed how the woman gawked at his Regent and he snickered to himself. He pictured this whole situation turning into a three-ring circus in no time at all - with Elizabeth as the raging ringmaster.

  The Hunter laid his head back down on the cool ceramic tile. He had no clue how he could begin to explain this mess to the authorities, much less the Venators, and started thinking that perhaps he was in the wrong business after all. These vampires made him far too nervous. And as much as he disliked his co-worker who’d managed to get himself killed, he imagined that telling the guy’s brother would be dreadful. Sage was an even bigger hothead than the dumb-ass Duke was, now dead as a doornail, next to him in a crumpled heap. He craned his head up and studied the woman for a moment, wondering what her deal was, then closed his eyes and hoped it would all be over soon.

  Emrys closed his phone and said, “Are we quite ready?”

  “I have some extra clothes in my locker. You know, for when I want to go out right after work, or sometimes I go to the gym on my way home.”

  “Good god, woman. You do not have to explain every detail. I am sure we do not care.” As Gavin grew thirstier, his agitation intensified. Watching the way Veronica continued to eye Emrys, he wondered if this whole arrangement might be a huge mistake. And, he felt like they needed to get moving before someone walked in on them.

  Emrys just shook his head. “Go get your things. After taking a quick look at the tickets, he said, “The flight leaves in thirty minutes. I will not miss our flight!”

  Veronica ran down the hall and into the employee room. She jerked the door open, yanked out her duffle bag, and emptied her locker. She was glad she had all those toiletries for the gym and the extra clothes and shoes. She wouldn’t miss her job, or her stupid life. Racing back through the hallway, when she turned a corner, she nearly ran into the heavy-set guard.

  “Leaving so soon, Ronnie?”

  “Yeah. Gotta run, sorry - emergency at home,” she said, breathlessly. Lying had always come easy to her for situations like this. Turning back, she watched the guard slip into the locker room and then she continued to the door which promised her a real future. It was the first time in her life that she had a reason to live.

  It surprised her to see Emrys handing the prone Hunter a cup of water. What was this guy, a saint? She laughed to herself. Saint Emrys the patron vampire. Excitement filled her mind; she couldn’t wait for him to turn her.

  Emrys and Gavin followed her down the hallway. “Now remember,” she said in a sweet tone. “Let me do all the talking. We’ll be on the plane in no time at all.”

  CHAPTER 6

  STARRY EYED SURPRISE

  “Flaming hell!” I grumbled, gritting my teeth. “I can’t believe I missed his call.”

  I had turned my ringer down so it wouldn’t wake the babies, thinking I’d still hear it. I listened to the message Emrys had left me - nearly an hour earlier. While he spoke, I became aware of the talking in the background: someone carried on a loud conversation in the same vicinity as my dear husband. I was relieved to hear his voice, but distracted by the chattering female. I flipped my phone shut and dropped it back into my purse.

  “They’re meeting us in Minneapolis,” I said, feeling rather agitated. “Gavin sends his love, and Emrys said they have a surprise in store for us.”

  “Really? I wonder what it could be,” Melinda mused. Well, I’m just glad they’re both all right. I never want to feel that afraid for my children’s safety again.” Lindy patted both of the sleeping babies on her lap.

  “Yes.” I nodded, gazing out of the window. “That was far too close for comfort, Sis.”

  “What’s wrong, Lizzy?” Lindy asked quietly. “Something’s troubling you.”

  “I don’t know. It’s just a weird feeling I have about their surprise.” I turned back and studied Lindy’s eyes. After all these years, it still amazed me whenever either of us experienced that twin-connection we had. “Maybe it’s nothing. I should just be happy we’ll be seeing them again in a few hours, right?”

  “Well, yes. But what set you off, Lizzy? Did you hear something in his voice?” Lindy crinkled her eyebrows into a slight frown. “They’re both okay, aren’t they?”

  “Yes. It’s just that he didn’t sound all that excited about their surprise. It’s almost as though he was warning me – but without really saying what it was.”

  “It’ll be okay, Sis,” Lindy said with a reassuring smile as she continued patting her two tiny bundles. The love pouring out from her eyes was beautiful.

  “I wonder if they killed any Venators,” I whispered softly, leaning closer to my sister’s ear. The thought gave me a slight shudder.

  “I don’t even want to know any of the details,” Lindy said, shaking her head. “I just want to get home and get my little loves settled in as soon as possible.”

  The look cascading over Lindy’s face reminded me of my vision of her playing out in the yard with the triplets, and smiling, I said, “You’re going to be such a great mom, Lindy!”

  “Thanks, Lizzy,” she said, looking surprised. “But where did that come from?”

  “I’ve seen you playing with them and teaching them to get along, and the patience emanating from you is a beautiful sight to behold. They’re going to love you so much, Sis!”

  “Wow!” Lindy said, misty eyed and smiling again. “That makes me feel so much more confident. I have no clue how to go about being a mommy, and yet, this is all I ever really wanted to do.”

  “I can see it in you already. It’s like you were made just for these kids.” I gazed down at the blue bundle on my lap. “They are so lucky to have you.”

  “I think they’re pretty lucky to have such a sweet auntie too!” she chuckled. “We always were a great team, weren’t we?”

  I reached across the empty seat and touched Melinda’s hand where it rested on the back of one of the girls and said, “You know it!”

  The captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker announcing that we’d be landing in less than fifteen minutes. My heart skipped a beat and Lindy and I smiled at one another. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Emrys.

  Diana went beyond what any other flight attendant ever had, at least to my knowledge. She had arranged it so there’d be someone waiting to help with all the baby baggage. All Lindy and I had to carry were the babies and our purses. The attendant piled everything onto a pushcart and we followed him to our connecting gate. It was a great relief once w
e arrived - intact and on time. The young man unloaded our things near the row of seats we’d chosen, and after I gave him a generous tip, he pushed the cart away with a wide grin.

  Lindy and I took turns using the ladies room and freshening up, and one by one the babies woke up and we fed and changed them yet again. Keeping so busy made the time go faster, and ended up being a good diversion. Not only was our connecting flight running late, we still had not seen nor heard from our husbands.

  I had just rocked the second baby girl to sleep and placed her into the car seat right next to her sister. Lindy sat to my left, cradling Armand and humming softly as she stared down into his adorable pink face. We sat facing a huge wall of windows, and I watched the thick white clouds drift by as the planes taxied in and out in the foreground when, all at once, I recognized the most beautiful scent on the planet. My pulse quickened; I jumped up and whirled around, noticing a flicker of surprise on Lindy’s face. She turned her head, following my gaze, and saw Emrys and Gavin about thirty feet away, strolling toward us.

  “How the hell did you know?” Lindy asked, puzzled, but excited.

  “My nose knows,” I said with a grin. I quickly edged around the row of seats, and ran toward them at nearly full force. I had to concentrate on not moving too fast in public, and it was no easy feat. Moments later I was in his arms.

  Emrys held me tight and I kept my head buried in his chest for a few minutes. My throat was thick and I had to bite back the tears of joy. My legs felt weak and I was light headed. Up until that moment, I hadn’t realized exactly how distressed I’d been all this time apart from him, and now that he was here it hit me – like a kick in the stomach. I had been downplaying my fear and desperately trying to keep my emotions in check in order to be strong for Melinda and her children. I was flooded with relief, now that the burden of responsibility was lifted. Of course I would always be there for Lindy and the babies, but being Gavin’s stand-in was a heavy load, and I was nearly as excited to see him as my own husband.

  “I missed you too, my wife,” Emrys said taking my chin and lifting my head. “And oh, how I would love to kiss you.” And then he did, softly, possessively, and lingering longer than one would expect in a public setting.

  “Emrys,” I sighed, as he pulled his head back. “I missed you so much.”

  Already finished greeting his wife by the time Emrys and I turned around; Gavin cradled one of the girls, and planted kisses on her tiny forehead.

  We joined them and sat together holding hands. It would be hard to let him out of my sight now that he was back, and I couldn’t stop smiling. The warm currents flowed through my hand and up to my arm, reminding me of several other private times to come later. Emrys chuckled and squeezed my hand.

  “But it will be a long flight home, my lovely one.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, whispering into my ear everything he had planned to do to me after our return.

  His warm, sweet breath sent goose bumps down my neck and I giggled like a schoolgirl. Closing my eyes and imagining all sorts of steamy scenarios, I didn’t have to say anything out loud; he could see everything I had been imagining, and he squeezed my hand tighter. But then, all of a sudden, I felt him stiffen and sit up straight. For one brief moment I was flooded with adrenalin and thought the worst: the Venators had caught up with us again!

  I opened my eyes and saw an attractive blonde woman standing in front of the big window holding a tray of food and drinks. At first I was relieved, but then filled with questions when the look on her face registered her indignation. She stepped forward and forced a smile.

  “I thought you could use a snack,” she said, cocking her head to the side, her eyes fastened on Emrys. “But I guess you’re busy.” I thought I noted a tone of sarcasm.

  Emrys stood up, letting go of my hand. “Here, let me take that,” he said. He relieved her of the tray and set it down on an empty chair. Turning back to me, he said, “Elizabeth, I would like to introduce you to Veronica. Veronica, this is my wife, Elizabeth.”

  When I stood up and shook her hand, she wasn’t able to hide her flinch when she felt the electricity coming from my touch. “Hello,” she said curtly.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Veronica.” I said, forcing my tone to be pleasant. “You brought us sandwiches; how sweet of you.”

  Who the flaming hell is she? And could she BE any skinnier?

  “Veronica was instrumental in getting us out of Phoenix, and onto this flight.” Emrys announced. “She is also the surprise I mentioned in the message I left you earlier. You did get it, did you not?” He looked uneasy as he flipped back his hair and fidgeted with his medallion.

  I glared at him and gave him a frown.

  Why are you acting so weird?

  I eyed the woman closely as she put her hands into her jean pockets, which just happened to cause the waistband to dip downward revealing her belly button ring. Her hair was straight and parted down the middle and would have come to her collar - if she had one. As it was, the tiny white tank top she wore left little to the imagination, and made her deeply tanned skin take on a warm bronze hue. She had pretty hazel eyes and her shiny pink lips curled up at the corners as she watched my reaction. It appeared that she was enjoying herself – at my expense?

  No wonder you sounded so weird on the phone.

  I nodded. “Yes, I got your message. But what do you mean by surprise?” I asked, looking sharp into his eyes. Suddenly my stomach fell, and my gut feeling said that Veronica was definitely not someone who had simply brought us some sandwiches. I sensed an immediate rivalry in her attitude. I gave Melinda a fleeting glance. She was now all ears; and scrutinizing Gavin, waiting for an explanation.

  Gavin jumped up and said, “Melinda, this is Veronica. She will be joining us in Ravenswynd - as a new employee.”

  Oh, really?

  Veronica’s face fell the second she heard the word: employee. It was so very obvious she had other intentions. But she was slick, and she managed to pull off her mostly insincere greeting to Melinda with a quick smile and a bit of small talk about the triplets. As she handed out sandwiches to everyone, it became even more clear to me exactly what her other intentions included. She was particularly attentive to Emrys, and barely took her eyes off him. She became positively starry-eyed each time he looked at her.

  Give me a break!

  Every now and then I’d catch Emrys glancing at me with a slight frown as he listened to my inner dialog.

  There’s no way you can be this blind!

  Surely he realized what she was after and I even wondered, for a moment, if he wasn’t enjoying all this extra attention. I would never question Emrys in public, and he knew it. But I wondered how Melinda and Gavin would react to this new turn of events. I ate my sandwich in silence, observing them closely.

  Gavin looked like he felt sorry for me as his eyes darted back and forth between Veronica and me. He began to fuss over the babies and ask Lindy questions about our flight, seemingly in an attempt to tune out the tension in the air.

  Oh yeah, he knew.

  Melinda engaged in conversation with him, but her troubled eyes continued to glance my way every now and then. She raised a speculative eyebrow at me when no one else was looking. I knew she’d been thinking the same thing as I was.

  We will discuss this later!

  Veronica remained oblivious to the myriad of emotions flying through the air since she averted her eyes from all of us and kept her focus on Emrys. She had handed him his sandwich last and lingered near him even after I returned to my seat.

  She definitely had ulterior motives. And I’m pretty sure I already hate her.

  “Do you need a napkin, Emrys?” she asked with a sticky-sweet tone, and then added, “I don’t mind running back to the restaurant if you...or anyone, would like something else.”

  Since Emrys was the only one she looked at, he answered for us all. “I believe we are all set, Veronica.”

  He was quite fortunate that he came and sat nex
t to me again when he did, and I was glad he was the only one who could read my mind now. The Bronze Bimbo sat directly across from us with the window to her back. She made it impossible for me to continue gazing out at the blue sky or watch the planes taking off or landing. I was too distracted by her flirtatious body language - which was clearly aimed at my husband. After every bite of her sandwich, she’d brush off invisible crumbs from her chest, and several times she’d cross and uncross her legs. The way she toyed with her straw was almost obscene. I was furious, and wanted to claw her eyes out.

  Who the flaming hell does she think she is?

  I swallowed my last bite, and took a drink from my water bottle, all the while staring at Veronica with a raised eyebrow. If she could interpret facial expressions at all, she’d understand my sentiments exactly. When her eyes finally fixed on mine, I reached over and took Emrys’ hand, still glaring at her. Oh yes indeed - IT WAS ON! We laced our fingers together, and I squeezed - hard. I dug my nails into his flesh and pressed into his thumb ring.

  He flinched and then gave me a gentle squeeze to let me know I had his undivided attention. As he studied me, he grimaced. I saw it in his eyes then. He knew damn well what was going on here. I didn’t say anything out loud, but I was positive by the way he sighed; he had been picking up all my thoughts - quite clearly.

  Leaning sideways in my seat I smiled at Emrys, still maintaining possession of his hand. I raised my face and gave him my come-hither look. He knew I wanted a kiss. His grin was sheepish, knowing that Veronica was watching, but he also knew he didn’t dare refrain from giving me precisely what I needed at this exact moment in time. He acquiesced and leaned forward; his lips were cherry-flavored, and all mine. With my free hand, I reached up and latched onto his hair. I didn’t want to let go. Right now, my mind was at war with my heart.

  You are mine. Anyone around should know this fact.

  The kiss went on longer than it probably should have, being in such a public place. But there was no way I was going to be the first to pull back. The first time he began to lean away from me, I yanked harder on his hair and gave a quick, soft moan.