Deanna Kinney - Raven's Rose

“Have you had the ice cream yet?”

“Um, no, not yet.”

He turned to Wesley. “Well man, what are you waiting for? Get this young lady a cone of the best ice cream in the state.” He laughed, slapping Wesley on the back in a brotherly manner. This surprised me. For some reason I thought that maybe they were still enemies. I guessed that something must’ve happened recently to change that, and I was glad for it.

“Um, so, Josh,” I said, “How are Charity and the new babies doing?”

“Oh man! Those are the cutest kids ever! You should come over and see them sometime. Charity loves to make new friends. As a matter of fact, she’ll be here in a few minutes. They were right behind us.”

“The babies, too?” I asked.

“Oh no. Levi’s mom is keeping them so Levi and Charity can get out for a bit.”

I was disappointed for a moment, but then I got excited about the possibility of meeting Charity. She was like a celebrity at the Mason House. We had heard all of the stories about her rescuing the werewolves from battles, killing a vampire bride, and even influencing a vampire to change sides. Her beauty was rumored to beat out all others. This was a girl I just had to meet.

Wesley must’ve sensed my anxiousness and sat down beside me. “Are you okay?”

I glanced up and our eyes locked. I stared deep into those dark orbs and felt myself getting swimmy headed. I broke eye contact, shaking my head slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? I sense something coming from you.”

“Honestly, I’m excited to meet Charity. I’ve heard so many stories. Is she really as beautiful as they say?”

He smiled. “She is beautiful, but not as beautiful as you.”

I peered up at him then, my jaw going slack in surprise. His face mimicked mine. I guess he was as surprised at what he said as I was. I actually laughed at his expression.

“I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that.” He fidgeted with his fingers, looking lost and confused.

I touched his hand to stop him and smirked. “It’s okay. You know, even though I’m a redhead, I still like compliments.”

He looked at me for a second, letting the sentence absorb, and then he burst into roaring laughter. This drew the attention from the others who were now all gathered around us.

“What’s so funny, Wes?” Andrew asked.

He caught his breath and answered, “Hope is a funny girl.”

I didn’t think it was all that funny, but I began laughing too, along with the others. It seemed we didn’t really need anything to be funny to laugh at each other. It was nice for a change. Everything was always so serious at the Mason House. Sergeant Mason, my dad, was more strict and stiff than anything else. It felt good to laugh—very good in fact. I stopped short when I heard the doorbell ring again, alerting us to new traffic. Was this Charity , I wondered, peering around the guys to get a good look.

A tall and very handsome man entered first, holding the door for the others. He must be Levi, but then another man who looked just like him also entered. This was the Drake twins. Suddenly, I caught sight of the red streak in the one’s hair and knew it was Eli. With him was a small woman with black hair. She was very pretty and she marveled at everything she saw and touched. I was instantly curious as to what part of this puzzle I was missing. Charity entered then. And I knew this because, not only was she breathtakingly beautiful with long flowing dark hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, but Levi practically knocked Eli over to get to her. He took her hand and led her through the maze of pack members that were still gathered around our table.

Wesley and Levi greeted each other in a friendly enough manner and then he ushered them over to meet me. I was in awe as the introductions were made. I’m sure I stumbled over my words as I greeted them. My fantasies about them were true. They were an amazing couple. Anyone could see that. And Levi couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She had recently had triplets and she was as beautiful as I had imagined she could be. She sat down beside me, pulling two other women down with her. They were introduced to me as Ashley, Josh’s wife and Destiny, Eli’s new bride.

The four of us sat together eating our ice cream cones while the guys sat in the booth behind us. It was amazing to me how friendly they were to me. It was as if I had been a friend for a very long time. I felt an instant bond with all the girls and we laughed as we licked. They told me that a couple would soon be joining us that weren’t pack and didn’t know about us. That was my cue to keep all things werewolf a secret. A few minutes later, another adorable couple entered and the girl bounced over to join us. Her name was Kitty and her guy’s name was Reed.

I really liked my new friends, especially Charity and Ashley. They made me feel so welcomed. Occasionally, I found myself peering over at Wesley. He was doing the same. This did not go unnoticed by Charity. She gave me an all-knowing smile. She seemed to be suddenly very happy about something. What was I missing here , I wondered? Something told me I wouldn’t find out so soon. But that was okay. This night was too wonderful to ruin, or so I thought.

I squeezed out of our booth and made my way out the door and to the back of the parking lot to the car to retrieve my pocket book. I needed it so I could write down all the numbers of my new friends. Knowing I wouldn’t need it, I had left it in the car when we arrived. This really bugged me because had my controlling father not taken my phone from me I would’ve already had the numbers programmed by now.

I was shutting the door when someone whistled. I spun to see three guys approaching. They looked pretty rough and I instantly felt unease. “Well, hello there, cutie. Lookin’ for some company?” The one that spoke had slicked back hair and a very big mouth. I could sense he was looking for trouble. Too bad that was my nickname of late. He glanced around to make sure I was alone.

I was shaking. I knew this wasn’t good. “Um, I’m here with someone,” I threatened, taking a step back. I was not prepared for this .

“Well, I don’t see him.” He grabbed me around the waist then and pulled me against him. The others gathered around us. His hands roamed my body, landing on my butt as he kissed my neck and ear. “Let’s have some fun, red.”

“Let me go!” I yelled, trying to push him off me.

“Get your hands off of my girl.” I heard a controlled voice say. I knew that voice anywhere. Normally I was the one he had to control his anger against.

“Oh yeah?” the one holding me said, slinging me into the arms of his friend. “Hold her for me, Dave, while I take care of this guy.”

Wesley’s eyes did a quick rake over my body to make sure I wasn’t hurt. Then he stretched to his full height, his eyes shifting yellow and a snarl dripped from his lips. He was pissed. His hands clenched into tight fists. The other pack guys poured out of the ice cream parlor to investigate, but they weren’t needed. In less than five seconds all three of the guys threatening me were curled up in the gravel groaning in pain. And I never saw Wesley move, but then I was in his arms and he was pressing my face against his chest protectively.

“Tell me he didn’t hurt you, Hope,” he said, pulling away just enough to see my face. His eyes were full of concern as they took another rake over my body, searching for injuries.

“I’m fine, Wesley. I promise. They didn’t hurt me. They just scared me, that’s all. But thank you for saving me.” And then I remembered his words, ‘Take your hands off of my girl’. Was I his girl? I smiled up at him and there was tenderness in his eyes. I had never seen it nor imagined it coming from him, but there it was. We stayed like that for a moment longer, our eyes locked together as if in a trance. What was happening to me? Gone was the overbearing jerk who, like my father, tried to control and manipulate me; replaced with a gentle, protective man giving me a small glimpse of his vulnerability. Oh boy .