CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The party afterward was focused on Josh and Deena, as it should be, but Evie was gratified by the number of folks who came by to offer their good wishes to her and Ray, as well. And the new respect she saw in her Pack members’ eyes for Ray, Josh, and even Duncan, was good to see. A few of the braver men asked Ray about being a Knight, and Evie loved the fact that he could hold his head up and let them all see what made him so special.
Of course, they should’ve trusted her instincts all those years ago on that score, but Evie was coming to believe that they’d been under an evil influence. They were so different now from the way they’d been those last few weeks while she’d still been at home. There had definitely been some kind of dark cloud over her Pack back then. It was good to see them back to the way things should have been all along. It was just a shame it had taken so long to get to this point.
“This is a party,” a musical female voice said from right beside Evie. “No place for deep thoughts.” Startled, Evie discovered the High Priestess had somehow snuck up on her.
“Caught me.” Evie shook her head. “Thanks for what you did for me and Ray.”
“No thanks necessary,” Bettina said, gesturing with her hand in a finishing motion. “Ray was right to ask for the recognition of your mating, and I’m glad I could be the one to do it. You’ve raised a fine son, who has now joined your line to mine, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m thrilled on all counts. Deena is a beautiful soul, and she’s good for Josh,” Evie agreed, watching the newlyweds holding court a few yards away. Everyone was happy, and food and drink were flowing from the house out into the backyard party for the heartier souls and those whose inner magic kept them warm. “We’re going to get a house nearby so Ray can be around to teach Josh about his new calling,” Evie told Bettina.
“That’s good. Josh will need his father as never before now that he’s a Knight. You raised him well, and he’s a strong, pure-hearted man, but he needs skills only his father can teach him. I think he’d like to have you around too, though.” Bettina grinned as she said the words. “Men don’t like to admit it, but even when they’re grown, they still need their mothers from time to time. Even if they have a mate.”
Evie laughed. “He won’t hear it from me, but I think you’re right.”
Ray returned to her side at that moment, having stepped away to refresh their drinks and get a plate of snacks. He handed Evie her glass and offered his politely to Bettina, but the High Priestess declined. She did take one of the cookies that were on the plate, though, biting into it with a comically greedy expression.
“Don’t mind me, but I absolutely adore these cookies that Gladys makes. They’re half the reason I attend as many family gatherings as I can manage.”
“What’s the other half?” Evie asked, half-joking and half-curious.
Bettina sobered, her eyes going soft as she looked around at her family. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, it’s good to reinforce the connections with the living family I have left. It’s too easy to dwell on those who have moved on. And those who I am unable to commune with here in the mortal realm.”
“You lost your mate,” Evie realized, though it was the only thing that made sense. Bettina had relatives, but no mate. She must’ve lost her husband long ago.
“He wasn’t my mate in the sense that your people understand,” Bettina told her candidly. “But I did love him. Leyland was a human mage of great power and a handsome devil to boot. We came together only briefly centuries before the great war. I was spending time between realms, and my daughter, Larissa, was born and raised mostly in faerie, though she was half-human. She eventually found a mate here in the mortal realm, and I decided to spend more time here to be with her and watch over her family as it grew. Then, the Destroyer raised her ugly head, and Larissa and her mate were killed in the fighting. I protected their children as best I could until we were able to defeat Elspeth. Ever since that time, I’ve watched over Larissa’s children’s children, and watched the line ebb and flow.”
Evie’s heart went out to the High Priestess, realizing, for perhaps the first time, that Bettina had to have seen a lot of loss over her many years. What a sad existence. Evie dared greatly, reaching out to put her arm around Bettina’s shoulders.
“Your granddaughter will be safe with my son. Or, at least as safe as it’s possible to be with the renewed tensions in the world today.”
Bettina accepted the comfort Evie offered, and they stood together for a moment, Bettina’s hand rising to touch Evie’s hand that was on her shoulder. It was a moment of connection between two Alpha females who cared greatly for their children.
“It’s good that you realize our times will not be easy from here on out,” Bettina told her as the moment ended and Evie moved away. “All the signs I’m seeing point to the fact that you and your mate, along with the many other newly-formed inter-species matings and hybrid children, will have a role to play if the Destroyer returns. Your job now it to prepare as best you can.”
Evie looked deep into Bettina’s serious eyes. “I’ll do all in my power to do so and to help the rest of the family do the same. We’re all connected now,” Evie reminded the High Priestess. “I’ll do my best by your blood as I would my own.”
“That’s all I can ask, and more than I’d hoped for,” Bettina replied, smiling softly as she put her hands on Evie’s shoulders, as if in benediction.
Ray had been occupied during this conversation, talking with Duncan, who stood at his side. Bettina left Evie a few moments later and made the rounds, talking to everyone for a minute or two before she quietly left, heading back to the stone circle. When she ported out of Pennsylvania, nobody noticed, except maybe those who already missed her comforting presence.
It was a few hours later when Ray and Evie were sitting together, under the stars. Neither of them were affected that badly by the cold, and the night was crisp and clear. Millions of stars twinkled down on them, and most of the wolf Pack had claimed comfy spots around the backyard. A few of the Deena’s younger relatives had built a fire in the barbeque pit and were toasting marshmallows and telling stories.
The party was winding down a bit for the moment, though the wolves would be running over the fields later that night, for sure. Josh and Evie would be running with them while Ray and Deena held down the fort—or, rather, the farm.
For now, though, everyone was enjoying a few quiet moments after eating the huge meal Deena’s mother and aunt had organized. The food had been plentiful and delicious, and the sister priestesses were heaped with praise for their part in a lovely evening.
Seeing how happy Josh and Deena were together was a blessing. Evie couldn’t help smiling every time she caught them gazing at each other with that tender expression on both their faces. Young love was beautiful to behold.
More seasoned love wasn’t bad either, she thought, feeling Ray’s arms come around her as he shifted to sit behind her on the blanket he’d spread over the grass for her comfort. Then again, she felt a bit like a newlywed. They hadn’t seen each other for twenty years, and before that, they’d only been together as mates for a few months. So, maybe they were getting a second chance at a honeymoon.
“When do you want to start looking at houses?” Evie asked Ray out of the blue.
He didn’t miss a beat. “How about tomorrow afternoon? I picked up a newspaper during one of the shopping runs and circled a few likely ads for real estate agents.”
She turned to smile up at him. “I love that about you. Always thinking a few steps ahead.”
“I have to if I’m going to keep up with my quick-witted, sexy werewolf mate.” He leaned in and nipped her ear playfully. “Are you sure you don’t mind moving?”
“I love you, Ray. And I want to build a home with you, wherever makes the most sense to be. Right now, that seems to be here, near Josh and Deena. My wolf likes being near enough to keep an eye on them. The maternal instinct doesn’t go away just because your baby grows up.”
“I’ll have to work on my paternal instincts,” Ray confided. “I never got to see Josh as a boy, so I’m starting fresh here with the young man he’s become.”
“I’m glad you got the chance,” she told him, stroking his arm with gentle fingers. “And I’m glad you came back to me. I missed you.” She couldn’t say any more without sobbing, so she stopped there.
But Ray seemed to sense her mood, and he snuggled closer. His head bent down next to hers as he spoke near her ear. These words were just for the two of them.
“Each minute away from you was agony. I will never voluntarily leave your side again, my love. This is our time. For as long as we have together, I will cherish each moment, each breath, each sigh. You are my beloved and my one and only. Tonight, we start again. We’ve been wed in front of your people and mine. We have a new beginning.”
Each of his words fell on her heart like a promise. The strength of his arms around her gave her strength of will and clarity of vision. How she loved this man. This fey. This Knight.
Tears fell from her lashes, but they were tears of joy as she made a promise to him with her words. “You’re right. We’ve been given a great gift—to start all over again. Let’s make the most of it.”
They kissed, and if magic swirled around them, it was easily contained by all the other mages present who had their backs. This moment was too significant to worry about anything other than the two of them. Together. Now…and forever.