Talkeetna, Alaska

July, 1987


When the plane landed in Anchorage, Victoria was kicked back into fleeing mode.

Because it was summer in Alaska, she was able to forgo stealing a vehicle. She was thankful for this, as running was much faster. A vehicle would only make it harder for her to protect Raven should James show up.

Victoria could feel that he was close as she ran through the thick forests of the Alaskan wilderness. Her gift begged for her to move faster and zig zag through the trees. It warned her that something dangerous was near. She was almost there. She just had to keep running.

Raven clung to her back, confused. She could tell that her vampire was acting differently. She was running faster than she ever had before, and it was very strange. She began to get scared.

Victoria could smell the little girl's fear, but there was not much she could do. Her mind was running solely on instinct. The beast inside her was at the forefront and it desired nothing more than for Raven to get to safety.

The sound of leaves crunching behind her, caused her to look back.

She instantly regretted it.

The look on James' face was one of absolute hatred and all encompassing hunger. His black eyes glinted with hatred as he bolted after them. His legs pumped with purpose, as if he was on autopilot. She felt fear consume her, making her gift kick into overdrive.

"Hold on tight and do not let go," Victoria said in a growling voice.

Before Raven could turn to see what she had seen, Victoria was jumping from tree to tree and zig zagging through the trees at top speed. It was so jarring that she had to close her eyes and hide her face in the vampire's thick mane of hair.

Victoria allowed her gift to take over her entire body. She twisted to and fro, and took sharp turns to lose him without having to think about it. Her gift was so much more powerful than it ever had been. Eventually, she couldn't hear James chasing after them.

The moment they crossed over into the Denali Coven's territory, she could smell it. The scent of them permeated the area enough to make her hackles rise. That was the desired effect, of course. It was supposed to make her turn around and flee, but she continued forward.

"Victoria," James called sweetly. Dark laughter echoed through the forest behind her.

She ignored him and continued forward, thankful that Raven could not hear him. They were almost there. Just a few more miles. The scents of the coven were getting even stronger.

"How dare you steal from me, you bitch? Give me the girl!" he roared in fury. The sound should have shaken the entire earth.

Victoria had never heard him so angry in their century of being together. She had seen him angry, furious even, but nothing compared to this. Not much scared her, but this did.

In the distance, she heard many feet running towards them swiftly. She breathed a sigh of relief. The Denali's had heard him and they were on their way.

"Fuck," James growled, hearing the stampede in the distance as well. He debated whether or not to continue

When the ancient vampires came into his line of sight, he ground his teeth and begrudgingly turned around. There was no way he could win against all of them. One thought ran through his mind as he escaped.

Victoria would die for this.


The Denali Coven surrounded Victoria causing her to go on the defensive. She crouched low in front of Raven as they circled her. Her first thought being to protect her.

"Why are you trespassing on our territory," the coven leader growled loudly.

Tanya looked at the red haired vampire curiously. They had met before, many years ago. Over three centuries ago, in fact. She had not been very nice back then. She immediately assumed the human was to be her meal.

"And why the hell do you have a human child?" Kate asked in annoyance, throat burning fiercely. The child had the most delectable scent she had the pleasure of inhaling in centuries.

Raven tried to peek around Victoria's shoulder and she gently nudged the child. It was not yet safe for her.

"It is not what you think. I saved this child, Raven, three years ago from the man I thought was my mate. She is his singer. I've taken care of her alongside James, my former mate, and my other coven mate, Laurent. But, James wants to kill her. I've come here to ask for your help," Victoria subvoiced. She did not want to frighten Raven.

The coven looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation. All of them couldn't believe what they were hearing, but they could tell she was speaking the truth. The child smelled healthy and clean. She even clung to Victoria willingly.

Tanya gave her coven the signal to stand down and leveled Victoria with a warning look.

"You and your...Raven are welcome to come inside and discuss these matters further. If you try anything at all," she trailed off, seeing that the other woman understood her completely.

"Great, Irina is gonna kill us when she smells that scent," Kate grumbled quietly, earning scolding looks from Carmen and Eleazor.


Once inside, Carmen immediately began cooking for Raven while Victoria told the coven the entire story in detail. It was as if she had been waiting for the chance to cook human food for centuries.

Carmen and Eleazor talked to Raven enthusiastically, keeping the girl entirely occupied. Victoria was extremely thankful for them in that moment.

"So, you're telling me that you, a human drinker, has been taking care of this human child for three years and she smells like that," Kate said, completely shocked and awed. Victoria simply nodded.

"You're my new hero."

Tanya rolled her eyes. Her mate could be one track minded sometimes.

"I must say, your situation is very complicated. I am willing to help, and I know my coven is as well. Especially Carmen and Eleazor, it seems. However, you would have to change your diet," she explained carefully.

Victoria looked away from her and back to Raven. The girl was happily eating a home cooked meal and laughing with Carmen and Eleazor. Her eyes watered with venom tears that would never fall.

"I...I won't be staying. I have to kill James. He won't stop until we're both dead," Victoria choked.

Her voice was filled with unbridled emotion and the Denali's could hear it loud and clear, though she tried to hide it.

The atmosphere in the cabin became somber. It was obvious that this situation was going to be difficult to navigate. Tanya just hoped that Raven would be able to handle what was about to happen.

"Vic, guess what!" Raven said, running to her vampire excitedly. Victoria smiled tearfully as she hopped onto her lap.

"Carmen and Ele-Eleazor, said they're gonna teach me how to speak Spanish!"

"That is so exciting! I bet you're going to be a natural just like you were with French," Victoria encouraged her.

The Denali Coven watched with forlorn expressions. It was abundantly clear the two were extremely close. They could tell Victoria loved the little girl and Raven loved her just as much. They felt horrible for them both.

"I need to talk to you about something really important, Raven. This might be hard for you to understand right now, but someday you will," Victoria began, unable to look at her.

"What do you mean," Raven asked in confusion. The smell of fear emanated off of her.

Tanya winced. This was not going to pretty.

"Rip it off like a bandaid," Kate said quietly.

Victoria pursed her lips, finding it hard to let the words out that would break Raven's heart. This was not a bandaid. Raven would need stitches after this. This wouldn't heal quickly and she would not be there to help her.

She knew because she hadn't even spoken the words and yet she felt as if she was cutting off a limb. She felt like half of her soul was missing.

"I have to leave and take care of some things, but the Denali's are going to take good care of you," Victoria's voice wavered as she spoke, unable to keep her emotions in check.

Raven looked at her with wide eyes. She couldn't understand what she was hearing. What did that mean? Why did she have to leave? Would she come back?

"Why can't I go with you," Raven asked, beginning to tear up. The sight made the vampire's heart break.

"I would love for you to come with me, sweetheart, but it would be much too dangerous for you. Believe me, I don't want to go anywhere without you but I have to do this on my own. Trust me. I will come back."

"But you said you wouldn't ever leave me. You said that you would always be here for me," Raven cried, clinging to her tightly.

The child could not comprehend what she was talking about. What was so important that she had to leave her? She had promised and now she was breaking that promise. It went against everything she thought she knew about her vampire. Was she even her vampire?

Victoria looked to the Denali coven for help. She didn't feel she could keep it together for much longer. Her stone cold heart was splintering and breaking apart in her chest as her little one clung to her and refused to let go. She hugged her tightly for a few moments before Carmen and Eleazor pried her away.

"I...I love you so much, Raven."

"No! Vic, you can't leave! You said you wouldn't leave me," Raven screamed through her tears. She fought in vain against the arms that held her.

"You lied to me! You're a liar!"

Tanya and Kate basically had to drag Victoria out of the cabin. The woman was nearly catatonic. She felt as if her body would not allow her to walk away from Raven. All that allowed her to be a conscious being rebelled against it.

Victoria could still hear Raven crying out her name. She could hear her little heart beating furiously as if it were clawing it's way out to come and drag her back.

In the distance, she heard the last words she would hear Raven speak for a long time.

"But, I loved her."

The further away she got from Raven, the more painful it became. Until, she simply was pain and longing. She allowed it to consume her. It was simply what she was and all she would ever be until she managed to return.

If she ever did.

They walked her into the forest a few miles, until they could no longer hear Raven. They allowed her to take her time and gather her wits. She was quiet for a long time, simply staring into the trees as if she were in shock.

"I am so sorry for what you're going through and I'm sad to say that it's only going to get harder," Tanya said empathetically. Victoria was silent.

"We will protect Raven. You don't have to worry about that. She will be safe, healthy, and happy eventually. We give you our oath," Kate vowed in a rare moment of seriousness. Tanya gave her mate an appreciative look.

"Thank you. I don't know what else to say, but thank you. Make sure she understands that I...I love her and I will come back when I can," Victoria muttered quietly, looking toward the direction of their cabin.

The sound of Raven's cries echoed in the fathomless depths of her tattered soul and she closed her eyes as if that would silence it.

"Of course we will. I must say that there is something we haven't brought up yet. That being the issue of Raven's humanity," Tanya said carefully as to not anger her.

Victoria nodded solemnly and reached into her hoodie. She handed Tanya a massive titanium syringe filled with her venom without even batting an eye. Kate and Tanya looked at her with raised brows.

"As soon as I told Raven what I was, I knew I would have to change her. If I should...fail to return by the time she's of age, change her with my venom please. That should be more than enough to do the job," Victoria said in a dead voice, before walking away at a human pace.

Tanya shared a look with Kate. They had been thinking something else was going on here from the beginning, but now they were certain.

There was only one reason for many of the things they had witnessed today. One reason Victoria could handle Raven's scent, and desired for her to be changed with only her venom. One reason Raven clung to her with absolutely no fear at all, and why she was completely hysterical at the loss of her. One reason the Denali Coven would take in a human child so willingly.

Raven was her mate.

The signs were all there but the vibe they got from Victoria told them she either did not know, or she was in denial. Both options were equally heartbreaking, but the women had a feeling it was the latter.

"Victoria," Tanya called after her.

The woman turned around with the most pained look on her face. The Denali's winced, knowing the pain that must be tearing her chest opened.

"When she's older, do you want us to tell her about...do you want her to know..."

Victoria cut her off with one raised hand and shook her head.

"No."

That one word was spoken so simply, but so adamantly that there was no room to say any more. The hard gaze she leveled them with was bold and steady. They knew if they told Raven, she would be livid. This made them feel even worse for her.

She did not accept the bond.

Before they could talk sense into her, she was gone. They had wanted to tell her that finding a mate while they were still a child was okay. They wanted to tell her that Raven deserved to know. There was so much that needed to be said, but she had faded back into the forest.

Kate placed her hand in her mate's and gave it a soft squeeze. She blinked rapidly, thinking about what they had just experienced.

"We have a child now, just like you've always wanted," she chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. Tanya kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad you're being positive about this situation, but we both know Irina is going to murder us."

Kate blanched, thinking about the scent that now permeated their home. She could already hear Irina ranting about it.

"Yeah, we should dig our graves now."