Raven (32 page)

“
It
would have happened one way or another, Lilly. At least Jo is
alive, in a manner of speaking. And this, this is something that
she would have eventually wanted. She would have asked Carmelo to
do it. Don't blame yourself, Lilly. Don't do that.”

I heard
noises from the other side of the door, and then it opened and
Carmelo walked out, closing it behind him. He looked sad. My
stomach twisted, fearing the worst.

“
Jo is
going to be fine,” he said. “Lilly, I'm so sorry. I hope that one
day you will find it in your heart to forgive me.”

I stood
up and stepped towards him. I put my arms around him and hugged him
tightly, “Carmelo, there is nothing to forgive. You saved Jo. That
is what matters. I just wish I hadn't wanted to speak to Vivian.
This may never have happened otherwise,” I whispered.

“
Lilly!” shouted a voice from the other side of the door.
Although it sounded like Jo, the voice was slightly different,
smoother somehow but in pain. “Lilly!” she yelled again.

Gabriel
looked concerned, “Is it safe Carmelo? Surely not so soon?” he
asked.

Carmelo
explained that when somebody becomes a vampire, they usually need
weeks, sometimes months or more, to adjust to the transformation.
They have a thirst for blood that cannot be quenched until they
have mastered the art of control.

“
So at
this stage, Gabriel, no, it is not safe,” he added.

“
But
she wants to see me, and I want to see her,” I said, stepping
forward and putting my hand on the key to unlock it.

“
No!”
Gabriel yelled, “No, Lilly. I will not lose you,” and he tried to
stand up. He was very weak though and he struggled.

“
Gabriel, please. If Carmelo comes in with me, and perhaps
Ursula, I'll be safe. I need to see her. I'll be safe,” and he
nodded his head and gave in. Tabitha knelt by his side and took his
hand in hers tightly and they sat and waited patiently while I
turned, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Jo was
lying on a bed, handcuffed. I was sure though that if she really
became desperate she could easily break them off her wrists. I'd
heard how strong vampires could be.

I
stepped further in and whispered her name.

She
turned to look at me, “Lilly,” she cried. She looked as if she was
in a lot of pain and it hurt me to see her like that.

Even in
pain, she looked absolutely stunning. The combination of vampire,
woman and raven had an extraordinary effect on her. She was
beautiful before, but now everything about her beauty was increased
a hundred fold. Her black hair had grown longer and even darker, if
that was at all possible. Her blue eyes had turned so deep in
colour that even though they continued to be blue, they were almost
black. Her pale skin sparkled and her nails had become like
talons.

“
Jo...
I'm so sorry,” I whispered.

Jo shook
her head, “Lilly, eventually, this is what I would have wanted. I
wanted to be with Carmelo and this would have been the only way. It
was just sooner than I thought it would be, that's all,” and she
squirmed and winced again. “Vivian is dead now. That's what really
matters. When I can, I will come home, okay?” and I nodded as the
tears rolled again. “Lilly... thank you. Tell my family I love them
and that I will be home when I can. Please tell them the truth.
Tell them they can't come here until I have control, okay? I love
you Lilly and I will see you soon,” and she tried to wink at me.
“Now go... please go,” she said as she pulled uncontrollably on the
handcuffs, while Carmelo and Ursula held her down.

“
I
love you too Jo. I will see you soon,” and I tried to smile as
Ursula moved towards the door and opened it, ushering me out as I
attempted to hold back the tears.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

I had
been home for just over three weeks. It was strange living in the
house without Gabriel, but I had accepted the fact that he was
meant to be with the Elders and I would see him again soon. Sammy
and I had decided that once Jo was strong enough to come back to
see us all, we would return with her to visit the Elders, Gabriel
in particular.

I had
hoped that when Vivian had died, her curse on Sammy would be
lifted. Even the witches with the Elders had said that the curse
should disappear but when I finally returned home, Sammy was still
the same. A man with two big black beautiful wings. Wings to be
proud of, I told him. We were all confused why the curse had not
disappeared, but nobody had the answer.

The
curse on Charlie, however, had vanished and he was now a free man.
Carmelo saw to it that he had found his way back to London safely.
I had seen his return home on the news on TV. He maintained that he
had absolutely no idea what had happened to him or where he had
been.

His
family were shocked and amazed when he came home safe and well and
I was happy for him. Truly. Vivian was responsible, not
him.

I was
adjusting to life without Gabriel at home. It was a strange time in
my life, especially considering that Sammy and I were now living
with two others. Tabitha and Zoltan had moved in, making it an
unusual household – a changeling, a werewolf, part raven part human
and a potential changeling in the making! Although we were an odd
combination of people, we got on tremendously well
together.

Rose had
been ecstatic to see me when I came back. I'd decided not to
mention my momentous discovery until Tabitha was there with me. I
knew she would arrive a day later so Rose and I just enjoyed some
time together, just the two of us. We spoke about Gabriel, Jo and
Carmelo and of Vivian's death. When I left her that night, I was so
excited about what would happen the next day.

I had
knocked on Rose's front door later the following day and greeted
her with a hug before she noticed I wasn't alone.

“
I've
brought someone to meet you, Rose,” and Tabitha stepped forward
with the biggest grin on her face. Rose's face changed immediately
and she had to sit down, “Oh my goodness,” she said, knowing
immediately that she had a strong connection with this young
girl.

“
This
is Tabitha... your grand-daughter.”

Rose let
out a gasp, both her hands moving to her cheeks.

“
My...
grand-daughter? You are Lori's child?” she whispered and Tabitha
nodded. Crying, Rose stood up, steadied herself and took her in her
arms. “Lori is alive?” she asked and again, Tabitha nodded and
smiled. “I have a picture of her,” and she put her hands in her
coat pocket and pulled out a small wallet. Opening it, she revealed
the face of a woman smiling happily and Rose began to cry tears of
joy as she hugged her long lost grand-daughter for what seemed like
ages.

We spent
hours and hours talking about our lives, Tabitha explaining to Rose
what had happened to Walter and to Lori and how she had come to be
in Canada again. When we finally called it a night, we had left
Rose looking more peaceful and happy than she had ever looked
before, eager to get to know the grand-daughter she never even knew
existed. And ecstatic that she would finally get her daughter back
after all these years. The daughter that she had never given up
hope on, and the daughter she had never stopped loving.

A few
days later I visited the graves of my mother and sister. It was my
first visit there and, although Tabitha had driven me there, I had
wanted to be alone by their graveside. As I bent to place a single
red rose on each of their tombstones, I thought about my
father.

Although
I had still not discovered what had happened to him, I was one step
closer. I knew that he had not died at the hands of Vivian. There
was still a chance that he was alive and I knew that one day, I
would find out the truth.

Read on for an excerpt of Book II in

THE RAVEN SAGA: DECEMBER MOON

AVAILABLE NOW!

CHAPTER ONE

December
Moon had no idea that she was a witch.

She had
never given it a single thought. Why would she?

Well,
she hadn't given it a single thought until the day before her
fifteenth birthday when she had silently wished that the gymnasium
would flood. She was sick of humiliating herself with her rather
serious lack of elegance on the floor... pointed out, rather
loudly, by her fellow gymnasts. The other girls looked impressive,
as they fluttered about the room like brightly coloured
butterflies, full of elegance and composure. December, on the other
hand, thought herself more akin to Alice in Wonderland's
caterpillar.

Imagine
December's surprise when she began to hear the gentle whooshing
sound that usually accompanies an overflowing bathtub. A noise that
slowly became louder and louder, until water literally began
pouring into the gymnasium from all directions. And it wasn't even
raining.

“
What the...?” Miss Finnegan screeched.

“
Everybody form an orderly line and exit the gymnasium as soon
as you can!” she yelled in her posh English accent to her students,
after turning puce from blowing so hard on the red whistle that
always hung around her taut, blotchy neck.

December
knew something wasn't quite right with the whole scenario,
considering the gymnasium had never posed a flood threat before and
the fact that there was no plumbing anywhere near the building. The
changing rooms were situated at the far end of the school... a
design she had never quite understood.

As all the girls and boys panicked and flocked to the exit in
one mad rush, December slowly took her time. It was only water,
after all, and a little bit of water never hurt anyone.
Well, it had never hurt me
, she thought. Exactly at that moment, the water that had
begun seeping into her black plimsolls and wetting her feet,
receded, leaving her feet and ankles entirely, and strangely,
dry.

Eyes
wide in amazement, December surveyed the scene around her as one
last student ran across the large mat in the centre of the room, it
squelching beneath her feet. She was the last to leave. Even Miss
Finnegan hadn't waited to make sure all her students had escaped
unharmed and dry.

The
water continued to pour in from each corner of the room, large
droplets plopping around her from the ceiling and walls. Bits of
green painted plaster broke away from the wall and fell down,
bobbing up and down in the ankle high water below. December looked
down at the floor and noticed that water was everywhere except
within a small circular area surrounding her feet. As she moved,
the dry circular area moved with her, like a bouncing
bubble.

Before
she could work out what was happening, gymnasium equipment began to
fall and crash to the floor with the force of the running
water.

How can this be?
She thought. Then
she remembered her silent wish, s
urely
not? No, there had to be a rational explanation to all of this. I
couldn't possibly be responsible.
But the
dry bubble around her told her a very different story.

As much
as December wanted to hang around and enjoy watching the gym fill
up with water, abruptly putting an end to her least favourite
subject, she knew Miss Finnegan would eventually notice she was
missing. So she skipped from the flooded room and out into the
unusually bright sunlight of the October English
afternoon.

#

It had
been nearly a year since her best friend, Lilly, had left her
behind in England and moved to Canada. It had proved to be a long
and lonely year for December.

After
Lilly's parents had completely vanished, she had moved to the other
side of the world to a town called Powell River in the province of
British Columbia. December had been so sad that her friend had to
go, but she was also really pleased for her. They had stayed in
touch and Lilly had sent numerous emails telling her all about the
beauty that surrounded her and the wonderful loving family that had
welcomed her with open arms over there.

December
suspected that there was more to Lilly's new found happiness. She
suspected there was something her friend wasn't telling her. After
a few years of being the very best of friends, December knew Lilly
too well to not know when something was going on, but she hadn't
asked her about it. She knew that Lilly would tell her, whatever
'it' was, when the time was right.

For now,
December had her own boring life to worry about. Since Lilly's
departure, her life had returned to the same awful day-to-day
experiences of having to stay out of her Aunt Penelope's way and
dodge the cruel comments by some of her more horrible classmates.
She secretly daydreamed about the day that her own mother would
return to take her home, to rescue her from her only other family
member; the rich aunt, who had only agreed to look after her
because her late brother, December's father, had requested
it.

That and the fact that there was probably money
involved
, she thought later that day, when
her chauffeur arrived to collect her from the school that was just
across the road from Lilly's apartment. The apartment from where
her parents had disappeared.