Raven sat at the counter, busy on the laptop, searching for the name Crowe.
"Hey, busy with homework?" Aunt Mel questioned, taking a seat next to her.
"I am actually looking for someone with the last name Crowe, and it seems there is no one. "Someone with the name Crowe has it," she told him, crumbling the dead leaves in her hand.
"I know a Crowe," Aunt Mel told her; Raven's eyes snapped to her aunt's.
"You do," she questioned.
"Yeah, Ophelia Crowe, she lives here but mostly lives on the other side of the mountain."
Bobby's eyes snapped to Raven closing her laptop. "Birdy!" he called out to her, Raven's eyes.
"I can help you with that," Bobby said. "You know Ophelia Crowe?" Raven questioned him. "I can do you one better; I can take you to her," Bobby said, turning around, leaving the diner and stopping by his yellow truck waiting for her. Raven quickly grabbed her stuff, kissing her aunt on the cheek before scurrying into the car. Bobby drove them through the woods, stopping in front of the house. Getting out of the car, Raven stepped closer to Bobby. "It's okay, I will be quick; wait here." Raven stood in front of the house. Studying her surroundings, she spotted a couple of other houses close by, but this house was much bigger than the rest.
"She finally came," a familiar voice said, only to appear at the front door of the house along with Bobby and a couple of other people she did not know. "It has been you the whole time," Raven breathed out in shock, staring at the woman she had met weeks ago who had warned her. Ophelia nodded her head. "You even warned me when I first moved here."
"I did," Ophelia nodded her head, tears pricking at her eyes.
"You knew my parents," Raven questioned her as everybody who was once there had gone off somewhere.
"Come sit," Ophelia offered to the outdoor chairs in front of the house. They sat down, and Raven stared at Ophelia expectantly.
"We were great friends."
***
Bobby spots Dorian standing a couple of feet away, heading straight for the house where the woman is.
"Dorian, no, give them some time. She needs this, okay?" Bobby stepped up to him, holding his hand out to stop him.
Dorian looked at Raven as she engaged in a serious conversation.
"Fine"
***
"The last time I visited your mother was nearly seven months ago when she had asked me to keep something safe for her. She had given me the book to look after, and I had since kept it safe and hidden. Most beings know that this territory is already taken; some have wandered onto the property but quickly figured out it was claimed. The wolves will let them know," Ophelia told her. The wolves had kept her from entering their territory all along.
"I know you may have had a run-in with them," Ophelia laughed at her.
"Yes," Raven blushed, looking down at her hands where her fingers pressed into her thumbs.
"But most importantly, your mother did not want that magic to continue. She had always believed that that kind of magic should never have existed."
***
"I smell a witch here."
"There is a witch here; she came to see Ophelia," Bobby stepped out of the house, a mug in his hand as he took a large gulp.
"You don't get to make decisions that include the whole pack, Bobby," Zane spat.
"I am doing it because the pack owes her."
"For what? They know the rules, and that means instant death," Zane continued unhappily.
"She is the witch that saved Eden's life and, on top of that, the baby's life; therefore, we owe her."
"How?" Zane asked.
"A witch who possesses healing abilities."
"Or she used magic to heal her." Another one called out.
"She had not shown any signs of familiarity with magic at that time; you saw the paste on the wound yourself. If she used magic, why use the paste to help?" Bobby told them. "She is the graverose witch, and if she had suddenly shown up, that means the last living graverose witch; that means he has come for her," Eve said, staring at the girl sitting with Ophelia on the porch.
"She is not going to make it out of here alive, then." Zane
"Be quiet, boy," Eve spat, glaring at him. "He had already, and by the looks of it, the two of them had been getting along."
"No," Eve said, shockingly. "He had been taking care of her," Bobby explained, his eyes moving to where Dorian stood, Bodhi talking with him. "Let's leave them since we do owe her for saving their lives."
***
"Here," Ophelia reappeared from her house holding out a worn letter book. Smiling at Ophelia, she took the book in her hands. "Thank you for looking after it for me."
"You are most welcome."
Dorian walked to them, eyes fully focused on Ophelia. Raven quickly stepped in front of her.
"Dorian," she said warningly. His nose flared, eyes staring into the blue depths. "My mother asked for her help," she told him softly, stepping away from Ophelia. Dorian glared at Ophelia, but Ophelia looked unbothered. Raven flipped open the book. "It's blank; there is nothing inside it," he said out loud. Raven peeked from the side at the book in his hand. Staring at the book before narrowing her eyes at Dorian in confusion.
"What are you talking about? It is not blank," she told him, reaching for the book in his hand, letting her take it from him. "It's right there," she told him, staring down at the page. Ophelia looked at Dorian.
"What were you going to do with the book if you could not read it?" Ophelia told him, offering him a smile. "You should visit us, Raven," Ophelia smiled before leaving them alone. "I will," she called out behind the woman. Her gaze drifted to Dorian. "You needed me to read the book anyway."
"You have grown much more comfortable around me," he told her coldly. "Would you rather have me scared of everything you do?" she questioned him, pulling the book closer to her. She stood looking into his gray and burgundy eyes. "Let's go; we have training to do," he told her. "Hey," a voice called out. Halting their movement. A young woman with a swollen belly waddled towards her.
"I never got the chance to thank you, and when Hayes and Clyde went to thank you, it did not turn out how we had hoped," she said, her belly swollen heavily.
"It was you," she recalled, smiling at the woman. "And when the vampire came for me, the wolves?" Raven questioned Eden, looking around for the ones who could have been the wolves. Two guys emerged out of nowhere.
"Aah, there they are. Raven, this is Hayes and Clyde," Eden introduced them, staring at her. Raven offered a smile, stretching out his hand. Raven, no longer afraid of her magic, placed her hand in his, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you, and I'm glad to see that you are doing well," his eyes pierced into her.
"Well, you protected someone very important to us," Hayes said, offering a smile.
"I am glad that they are okay," she said. "You are unaware of your power," Bobby told her as everybody suddenly stared at her. "What do you mean?" she questioned. He was not aware of anything. "You are the first in centuries to have activated the dormant healing gene."
"I can heal."