"...you're my mate, Raven."
Silence enveloped their surroundings.
Silence overtook the deepest reaches of Raven Hastings' mind as she sat in utter disbelief.
The teen forgot how to breathe as she processed the words that came out of Victoria's perfect mouth so reluctantly. At first, she believed she misheard her. However, the terrified look on the vampire's face told her she certainly did not.
Victoria watched the teen's breathing grow ragged as the implications of her statement became apparent. The mix of absolute joy and pain on her face worried her. She wanted nothing more than to take Raven into her arms and soothe her. However, she already looked completely overwhelmed.
"Say something, please," Victoria said so quietly the waterfall nearly drowned out her melodic voice.
Wide, hazel eyes flicked over to the woman.
"Give me a sec. I'm not done freaking out."
Raven took in the absolute beauty of the vampire unabashedly, emboldened by the revelation that Victoria was, indeed, her's. Relief flooded her as she realized that the feelings inside her were not wrong in the slightest. They were destined to be together. They were ordained by the gods.
A familiar voice echoed in her mind.
"I didn't believe in soul mates until I met you. No one else could tolerate your stubborn ass," Eden teased, causing Raven to laugh hysterically.
"Hey! You love my stubborn ass though."
"I do."
Victoria frowned as a look of pain passed over Raven's face. This was what she feared.
The teen noticed her distress and grabbed her hand tightly. Her thumb caressed her palm, leaving behind trails of warmth. She smiled as a pleasant tingling sensation ran up her arm.
"I am the luckiest person on this planet to have you as a mate, Victoria," Raven murmured adamantly. They locked eyes and the vampire could see the truth of her words.
"I just wish I could have known before..."
Victoria sighed, feeling guilt seep in.
If she had told Raven before, her relationship with Eden wouldn't have occurred. She would never know what it felt like to fall in love and be young and wild with another human being. The teen wouldn't be hurting over her. So many things could have been different, but she couldn't bring herself to regret her decision to wait.
Because Raven got to make those decisions on her own.
"I apologize for not telling you, but I felt it was the right thing to do. The most important thing to me was that you were free to be with whomever you pleased. You do not belong to me. Okay?" Victoria said, looking into her eyes intensely.
Raven gazed at her softly, placing her hand on the vampire's cool cheek. She watched her golden eyes flutter closed, in wonder at how easily she reacted to her touch. Victoria leaned into the warmth like a feline. Her mate's bold affection was new and shocking, but very welcome.
"For the first time, you're dead wrong," Raven whispered, glancing toward her lips unabashedly.
"I could never be anyone else's."
Victoria watched, panicking, as the younger girl licked her lips and leaned toward her slowly.
She hadn't imagined this would be happening before Raven was turned, and now she was at a loss for what to do.
She never kissed a human in her undead life without it leading to their immediate death. Gentleness was never a part of intimacy for her, but her mate was very fragile. Her mind raced with thoughts of everything that could go wrong.
If her heart were beating, it would have stopped. Her amber eyes faded to black as Raven's mint and honey scent filled her nostrils. The fragrance of her pheromones clouded the vampire's mind, making the beast within her claw it's way to the surface. It begged to give it's mate what it desired.
For the first time, Victoria questioned her self control with Raven, and it had absolutely nothing to do with her blood.
A strong, cold hand pressed against Raven's chest, stopping her mere inches away from the thick, rose-colored lips that had been calling her for months. The vampire's vanilla scented breath mixed with her's as she panted, making her bite her lip hard.
Raven sighed in frustration. The hurt look on the human's face would have been comical in any other circumstances. Her pout was adorable.
"I'm sorry. I can't..." Victoria whispered hoarsely as if they weren't alone. Hazel eyes dissappeared behind long eyelashes, and she swallowed back venom.
The last thing she wanted to do was push Raven away from her, but she needed to nip the teen's bold advances in the bud before they got out of hand. It was much too soon.
Not just for Raven, but for herself. She didn't trust herself enough take that step with her on a whim. Human and vampire intimacy was brand new territory to Victoria and she did not want to risk hurting her human.
"We're mated. That means you feel the same way, right," Raven's question trailed off as she stared at her searchingly.
Victoria carefully calculated her response. "I love you deeply, but you're still very young. You also just ended a relationship that meant a lot to you."
Raven wanted to object, but closed her mouth tightly. There was no way to rebuke her argument. Her heart was still broken by the way her relationship with Eden ended. She still felt guilt and pain over it every day.
"You're my mate, Raven, and I love you unconditionally. But, I think we need to take things very slowly. So that you know exactly what kind of relationship you want from me, and we can both work towards that together. Is that okay with you?" Victoria asked, looking at her sympathetically.
Raven closed her eyes and nodded. She couldn't act as though she didn't understand where Victoria was coming from. It was best not to try and jump into something. She still had a lot of healing and growing to do. Which she knew made her vampire wary of her decision making skills
That didn't stop her from imagining ways to convince her she was more than ready.
"Are you...attracted to me though?" Raven asked quietly, obviously embarrassed. She sounded as if she would blow away in the wind.
"You know what, don't answer that! It's just that your eyes are black and Kate said that means you're either thirsty or-"
Victoria placed a cool finger beneath her chin and lifted those hazel eyes to her own black orbs. The teen blushed heavily as her mate pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to her cheek. The vampire's expression was soft, her eyes filled with adoration and a tinge of hunger as she smiled.
Raven felt less impatient in that moment. She would happily wait forever if Victoria looked at her like that every day.
"Well...I'm definitely not thirsty."
Denali Home, Alaska
July, 1992
After dropping Raven off at her job, Victoria decided to speak with her coven mates about something that'd been on her mind for the last month.
The Denali's listened, lips curved upward, as Victoria hesitantly asked them for advice.
The confident and sexy nomad was uncharacteristically embarrassed as she described the fear she felt when Raven attempted to kiss her. The three ancients shared surprised looks. Kate seemed way too proud of their youngest coven mate.
"Wow, I didn't know Raven had it in her," she drawled with a pleased smirk. The other three woman threw her an annoyed look and she shrugged.
"I'm glad you came to us about this. There is no need to be embarrassed. You're our sister and we are more than happy to help you," Tanya said kindly, taking pity on the younger vampire.
Victoria looked at the three women gratefully. They could have easily sent her and Raven away when she came seeking asylum. They could have gotten rid of her mate when the Volturi stepped in. Yet, they stood by her and claimed her as their coven mate, and now their sister.
"This may come as a surprise to you, but I was human for eight years after my family found me. They didn't turn me until I was twenty-two," Irina stated, shocking the redhead.
"She was a slave to an innkeeper we came across in what is now Hungary," Tanya explained further, seeing the interest in her eyes.
"We instantly knew she was ours, but Sasha took some convincing. She didn't know three vampires, let alone three women, could be mated. She grew to love her immensely despite her misgivings."
Victoria wondered how overwhelming that must have been for Irina to learn she was mated to two vampires. It took Raven some time to completely comprehend their mating bond.
Kate rolled her eyes at her mates. "She doesn't want to know about our awesome love story. She wants to know how to get sexy with a human without evisorating them."
Tanya and Irina both smacked her arms, and she feigned an injury. Victoria laughed, silently admiring their relationship. They balanced each other out well.
"For us, it was difficult in the beginning. We were human drinkers and I'm sure you can imagine how that would affect us during sex," Kate said, finally becoming serious. Victoria nodded, remembering the intense lust human blood evoked in her.
"We let Irina know that when our eyes turned black, our beasts came to the forefront. That meant she needed to give us space. And when we told her we were in control, only then could we continue."
Victoria nodded, understanding why they would set those boundaries. When Raven tried to kiss her, she felt her beast wanting to come out. Her obvious desire made the predator within want to claim it's willing mate. The problem was not knowing if she could control her strength should she give in to what Raven wanted.
"They only allowed positions that would not crush me should they lose control for a split second," Irina chimed in, going on to list a myriad of them.
Victoria listened, cringing as they discussed the merits of each one. She and Raven were not even close to taking that step. At all. She wanted to say as much, but she didn't want to interrupt. They looked completely absorbed in this line of thought.
"My apologies, we got a bit carried away. I'm sure you don't need that information yet." Tanya looked thoroughly ashamed, but her mates were still arguing about their favorite positions.
"When it comes to kissing Raven, the most important thing to remember is that she is your mate and you do not want to hurt her no matter how pleasurable your beast might think it will be. Be present in the moment and do not allow your instincts to overrule your better judgment," she continued, giving her a sympathetic look.
Irina nodded in agreement. "Also, try not to put your hands on her face or neck. You know what, just don't put your hands on her at all. That could end badly."
Victoria's brows rose incredulously, making Kate laugh aloud. The ancient felt bad for her sister, but she'd been there and done that. This was almost like a rite of passage.
"Look, what we're basically saying is, just let Ray take control. She obviously doesn't have a problem being the top," Kate said, smirking at the appalled look on her face.
Victoria rolled her eyes. "I'll never hear the end of this."
"Just think about the way we'll maim you if you hurt her, that should work!"
She thanked her sisters and went to hunt. She felt very overwhelmed by the information she just received. Not only that, but the new feelings that Raven's actions invoked in her were strong.
Seeing the blatant desire on her face and watching her about to inact that desire awakened something primal within Victoria that had been dormant for a long time. It was scary to feel attracted to her mate after so many years of platonic love. She spent years locking away that aspect of herself, even though it used to be a massive part of her life.
In only a few seconds, that primal side of her was freed and wreaking havoc.
It shocked her how much control Raven had over her. A fact that she would never divulge.
Talkeetna, Alaska
Nagley's Corner Store
"You have a nice night and be careful, Mrs. Garsden," Raven said smiling at the older lady.
It was a usual night at her new job. She had been there for a little over a month and she already had a good grasp of things. To be fair, the store wasn't very busy at all.
It was actually very boring.
The regulars always came in at their usual times to buy the same items they bought each evening. It was like clockwork. Living in a tiny town like Talkeetna didn't allow for large volumes of people at the store. It was rare that they recieved tourists due to the town's remote location, hard to navigate terrain.
So when people she didn't recognize walked through the door, Raven was highly alarmed.
She watched as the two strangers slowly navigated the aisles, touching random items and conversing with each other quietly. Something about them unsettled her. Maybe it was their weird, black cloaks, or their pale complexions.
Her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of their crimson eyes.
The sound of the door alarm ringing caught Raven's attention and she turned to see a very familiar, freckled face. Her expression changed from alarmed to absolutely terrified.
Eden noticed her distress, and eyed the two creepy people as they spoke quietly amongst themselves. To her, they looked like they were up to no good.
"What are you doing here," Raven blurted out, instantly regretting it when the girl rose an arched, auburn eyebrow at her.
"I'm leaving for college on Monday and, against my better judgment, I decided to say goodbye. Looks like I shouldn't have," Eden said sarcastically, turning to leave.
Raven wanted her to leave, especially when two red eyed vampires were lurking around so close to her, but she also wanted to save their friendship. She just needed to make it quick.
"Wait, Eden! I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on right now. I really missed you and I'm sorry about the way we left things between us. I don't want to lose you," she called out to her, eyes flicking towards the strangers as they snickered.
Eden leaned over the counter with an incredulous expression. She smirked, tracing her finger over the back of the other girl's hand.
"What? Are things not working out with your supermodel best friend? You trying to get back together? Cause it's not happening, asshole."
Raven balked. "No? What? That's not-"
She went silent as the two vampires stalked up to the register. Raven finally got a good look at their faces. Their eyes were black now.
They leveled her with predatory glares and she forced herself to remain calm. Fear gripped her heart and she glanced toward Eden frantically, but she couldn't let any of them see that she was afraid. She didn't need Eden asking questions and she didn't want to look weak in front of the vampires.
"Is there anything I can do for you," Raven asked firmly, staring them down.
"You've grown quite alot. Raven, was it?" the short blonde said with a bored tone. The tall brunette rolled her haunting eyes, grinning.
"Jane, how could you forget such an interesting specimen? What was it you said last time I saw you? Oh, yes! You called me pretty? How offensive."
Eden looked at Raven with wide eyes, wondering how she knew these two gorgeous women. She frowned at the brunnette's words. Had Raven been flirting with her while they were together? She glared at her former girlfriend.
Jane, she mused. Raven remembered that name. Her visit to Volterra came rushing back to her in an instant. The brunette was Heidi. It had to be, judging by the familiar cloudiness in her brain when she looked at her. It was as if her perfect face made every thought flee from her brain.
"Why the hell are y'all here? I don't think my family would take too kindly to you guys stalking me," Raven said, crossing her arms over her chest. The two vampire's admired her gall.
Stalking? Eden thought to herself. Why would these two gorgeous women be stalking Raven? Now that she thought about it, her friend's entire circle was nothing but ethereal looking humans. More than she'd ever seen in her life.
These two women looked a lot like Raven's family. Strange.
"We were in the area and caught your scent. It is quite...unforgettable," Heidi purred, licking her lips hungrily. She blanched as black eyes blatantly devoured her.
"We trust that my dear sister, Victoria, is still adhering to her agreement? You only have four years left, piccolo."
Raven found it hard to keep up her bravado with Heidi staring at her so intensely. All she could do was nod her head, mouth slightly ajar. If her vampire were here, she would be absolutely livid. The thought of a protective Victoria excited her.
"What the hell are you weirdos talking about? Four years for what? Wait, you're Victoria's sister?" Eden demanded, arms crossed over her chest.
"Can you shut up with your incessant ramblings," Jane growled at the girl in annoyance.
"Who the fuck are you to tell me to shut up, shortie," Eden shot back, undeterred by the inhuman sound that came out of the vampire chest.
The two vampires growled, turning toward her in a threatening manner.
Raven fixed her lips to tell Eden to leave, to get the fuck out of there as fast as she could. The deadly look on Jane's face told her she was about to do that weird pain thing she did to Victoria. Even worse, she looked extremely thirsty.
However, before she could warn her, several strange things happened at once. All of them, completely unexpected.
A look of absolute shock and relief fell upon Jane's face, confusing both Heidi and Raven equally. When they glanced at Eden, it all made sense.
"Oh, wow. You're...beautiful," she whispered, green eyes wide and bright as she stared at Jane Volturi in a painfully familiar way.
Eden felt like a weight dropped from her chest the moment she looked into the black orbs of the short, blonde girl. The pain she felt from her break up was a distant memory. As if it happened in another life, another reality.
She needed to be around this woman. She needed to know everything about her.
Raven's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach as Jane's lips twitched into a smile. She couldn't believe her eyes. How could this be happening right now? It couldn't be.
"This isn't happening. I'm dreaming," she laughed, turning away from them.
"A human? That's unfortunate," Heidi muttered, causing Jane to sneer at her.
Without warning, the door slammed open as Victoria and the rest of the Denali Coven entered the store at a speed that was absolutely inhuman. Raven didn't have time to register their presence. Within seconds, Victoria was in front of her, growling in warning.
"Oh hey, Tori. You look...great," Heidi said weakly, looking very disturbed by the fact that they were outnumbered.
"What is the meaning of this," Tanya demanded, glaring at the two Volturi women.
Raven didn't know whether to be thankful or annoyed at how interesting her evening was becoming.
She pondered which vampire she would have delete the surveillance footage.
