"My love, our young one has arrived," Rosemarie announced, beaming ear to ear.

They locked gazes.

"My beautiful, baby girl."

Étienne Boudreax was an intimidating, goliath of a man.

His long, light brown dreadlocks reminded her of a lion's mane. A thick beard covered his tan face, which held several jagged scars. His muscles bulged against his suit jacket.

As Raven stood before her father, she stared up at him with wide eyes. He smiled down at her softly. His crimson eyes were filled with venom tears.

"You were such a small baby. I was afraid to hold you," Étienne said, his deep voice filled with emotion. "Now, look at you."

"I guess I get my height from you," Raven chuckled nervously, blushing. "You're a giant."

They were quiet for a moment, simply studying one another. She chuckled to herself when she remembered what her mother said. She definitely did have her father's nose. The shape of his lips was more similar to her's as well.

Being able to look at other people and see her own features was new and oddly comforting. Her guard was down, but it didn't make her uncomfortable. She felt at ease with her parents.

"May I hug you," he asked tentatively in Creole.

It was comical how soft the massive man was being, and it warmed her heart.

Raven grinned. "Of course. You're my dad."

Étienne's face lit up at the title.

Instinctively, Raven tensed when he wrapped his massive arms around her. She breathed deeply, reminding herself that this was her real father. He loved her and would never harm her. Soon, she was being surrounded completely by the love he was emanating.

Raven had multiple mother figures in her childhood, but the only father figure she truly had was a monster. Eleazar and Carlisle were father figures, but she never allowed herself to look at them that way. Never had she felt so safe around a man.

It was in that moment that she realized how much she'd needed her father.

Étienne hugged her closer against his chest as he felt her begin to shake. "I am here, my angel. I understand. Let it out."

Tears welled in Rosemarie's eyes as she watched Raven break down sobbing in her father's arms. As she left the room to give them privacy, her heart was full of love and relief.

Étienne pulled away to wipe his daughter's tear streaked face and she held onto him tightly. He stroked her hair gently as she weeped.

"When you were a baby, you were always a daddy's girl," Étienne said, wistfully. "At first, it upset Marie how much you cried for me. But, your mother didn't have a father. When she realized how fortunate you were to have what she did not, she encouraged it."

Raven's tears slowed as he spoke, recounting memories of her brief childhood with them. Soon, she was laughing and grinning with him.

"I met my mate, Hélène, when you were eight months old. She was only here for a month and she'd already taught you how to walk. Marie was livid," he recalled fondly.

"She didn't like Hélène," Raven asked, surprised. She frowned. "Wait. Hélène is your mate, not Rosemarie's?"

Étienne shook his head. "No, she was mated to a vampire, but he died long before I met her. I am Rosemarie's bondmate, and Hélène is my mate."

"They're both very headstrong, and they weren't happy about sharing me. However, after you were taken from us, Hélène put aside her pride to be there for both of us, Marie, especially. And slowly, the two of them fell in love."

The teen smiled to herself. At least something good came out of that situation.

"How did you and mom meet?"

Raven's lips twitched into a small smile as her bear of a father all but blushed at her question. A wide smile split his face.

"It was 1963. She was vacationing in New Orleans, the French Quarter. I had just started work as a milk delivery driver. I was delivering milk to her home one day and she just so happened to be watering her garden," Étienne began, becoming lost in the memories.

"She was a dream. As soon as we looked into each other's eyes, the connection was instant. If I'm honest, I was like a fish out of water in her presence. She took control of the situation. She was so confident and beautiful. All I could do was smile and nod as she explained everything to me. We've never been apart since that day."

Raven chuckled, thinking about her tiny mother sweeping this intimidating man off his feet.

"Shortly after Marie found out she was pregnant, I found out I had a deadly case of lung cancer. She had just outlawed succubi from achieving immortality, effectively damning herself to death as well. Even still, she did not want me to die. She did not want you to grow up without a father. The only way I would be able to live long enough to watch you grow up was to be turned into a vampire."

"She...doesn't want immortality?"

Étienne smiled sadly as his mind wandered to his wife's decisions. "No, she proudly professes her boredom with immortality and the issues with how your kind achieve it. That is one thing Hélène and I wish we could change about your mother. For our own selfish reasons, of course."

Raven frowned. She'd just reunited with her mother and the thought of her dying one day really irked her. The thought made her chest ache. It felt wrong to imagine.

"Is your family going to turn you," he asked.

She nodded. "My mate is a vampire. I can't imagine not being turned."

"You are her mate, but have you found your bondmate yet? They may be human."

An uneasy feeling came over her. She didn't like her relationship with Victoria being questioned. She was uncomfortable with the idea that their relationship was incomplete in some way.

"I didn't mean to offend," her father said, feeling her chi expand. "I apologize. I should have known that conversation was better to have with your mother."

"It's okay, dad. I just need time to accept that I could meet someone that makes me feel the same way that Victoria does. Except, Vic won't be apart of that bond."

Raven took deep breaths to calm herself down. She realized she was becoming hungry from all of this emotional turmoil she was going through.

"Tell me about your family, cherie," her father abruptly changed the topic.

"Smooth transition," she chuckled, grabbing his hand.

Étienne smiled and squeezed it gently, happy with how comfortable she was with him.

As she began talking animatedly, he listened intently. The world could have been ending outside their little bubble of happiness and he would ignore it just to continue listening to his daughter talk.

"I'm grateful you found such a wonderful family," he said sincerely.

"I love them, but it would have been nice to have a human sister or brother. Someone who could really relate," she chuckled.

Étienne smiled, realizing she didn't know.

"Now that you're home, you can meet your younger sister. Her name is Celeste."

Raven's jaw dropped, flabbergasted.

"How old is she? Why isn't she here?"

Étienne pursed his lips. "Celeste is seventeen. She's visiting a friend of the family. Because we don't know if she has the gene, she doesn't know anything about vampires. So, we wanted to let all of you know before she arrives."

Raven frowned. "Even though you two are her parents and she's apart of the clan."

"Yes. Once she turns eighteen, we will discover if she has the gene. Otherwise, we will send her off to college and make sure she is set for life. Only succubi are allowed to remain in the clan," Étienne explained. somberly. "The thought saddens Rosemarie. She wants an heir. Someone to take over after she...passes on."

She nodded slowly, coming to a deeper understanding. "That was supposed to be me."

"It still is you. You're the oldest," Étienne corrected her coyly. "However, if you're turned into a vampire, you're no longer eligible."

"Leaving Clan Laveau without an heir, unless Celeste is a succubus."

Raven released a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. That revelation was extremely troubling. There was so much she was learning in so little time.

She didn't expect this, and it was both surprising and saddening. Her little sister wasn't allowed to know everything about the supernatural and could be bound to a mortal life, just like their mother. Her choice of immortality was going to affect other people, not just herself. She could very well be the end of her clan's reign.

Raven didn't think she could handle having another mate. In fact, she didn't even know how to be a big sister, much less the leader of thousands of succubi.

There was so much to ponder.


After asking a few questions, Rosemarie glanced sideways at the redheaded vampire beside her as they strolled through her ornate garden.

Hearing the atrocious circumstances of how Victoria found her daughter brought tears to her eyes. She decided to change the topic, lest she become enraged.

"How long have you been a vampire," she asked.

"Approximately, three hundred years. I was never one for keeping count," Victoria said honestly.

"How did that come to pass? Were you turned by choice or by force?"

The vampire hummed. "That is a bit of a long story."

"I don't mind."

Victoria took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"My family was poor, so my sister and I were loaned out to a weathly family as indentured servants. After realizing we weren't making enough money, my older sister, Anne, decided to work at a brothel. Knowing how dangerous that could be, I couldn't let her go alone."

Rosemarie listened, intrigued.

"Being naive and young, we ended up being robbed by the older girls that we trusted. They took our money behind our backs and then offered to loan us some, effectively putting us in debt to them. They stopped doing their jobs in favor of us working extra hard to pay off our never-ending debt.

After a few months of that, we met Hilda, the woman who would be Anne's mate and sire. She took my sister and turned her, leaving me alone in the brothel. Even though Anne was just a newborn, she came back to turn me as well.

Looking back, no. I wasn't turned against my will. I would have rather died, than to stay at that brothel. I'll always be grateful to my sister for coming back for me," Victoria finished, smiling.

Seeing the other woman's curiosity, she continued. "Our coven wasn't discreet enough with our killing sprees. Anne and Hilda were executed by the Volturi. I narrowly managed to escape them."

"I'm sorry. I know how it feels to lose a sister." Rosemarie frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I miss her very much, but I accepted her death many years ago."

Inwardly, she was proud to know her daughter's mate was wise and even older than she. In truth, she genuinely liked Victoria.

However, her guard was still up.

Not because of anything the woman did, but because she found it difficult to see anyone as good enough for her child. She decided to gauge her character.

"How will you handle Raven finding her bondmate," Rosemarie asked, watching her intently.

"Bondmate? I'm not familiar with the term," Victoria replied, stopping to look at the other woman.

"Our kind are capable of having two mates. You mated to her before she awakened, but now that she has awakened, she will find and recognize her bondmate. That bond will be independent from what you share with her."

Victoria nodded, taking in the information.

"Interesting."

Instead of jealousy rising at the thought of Raven meeting her bondmate, she felt excitement.

She wanted to be there to see the look on her mate's face. She wanted to know what the person would look like. She wanted to make them feel comfortable in the knowledge that she would never try to come between them. It was thrilling to imagine seeing the love of her life fall in love again.

Rosemarie curiously watched Victoria fail to keep a smile off her face. Her heart warmed in her chest as a new respect came over her for the vampire. The woman didn't need to say a word. Her expression spoke volumes. The love emanating from her was palpable.

"Your heart is pure," the older woman murmured, her expression unreadable.

The redhead shook her head. "No...I've committed atrocities and I still fight my primal urges to kill every day."

"So do I. Why else would I outlaw immortality for my kind? I know very well how easy it is to succumb to evil. Only after finding Étienne did it become apparent. The love within redeems us. It is clear in how much you care for my daughter. I can feel how pure your love is."

Victoria couldn't argue that.

"You are much better than I was. My love was tainted. I was jealous when Étienne found Hélène," Rosemarie said quietly. The shame was evident in her tone. "After losing my first mate, I felt like I was losing him as well in a different way."

"Jealousy is only natural. I'm sure when she meets them I will have my moments," Victoria assured her.

"Non, I don't think you will."

The Mistress smiled fondly as the vampire's head whipped around. She could feel her daughter's aura, just as well as the vampire could smell her coming.

As Raven strode toward them by her father's side, she watched her daughter smile affectionately at the vampire. It was adorable how smitten the teen was.

"Thank you for saving my child," she whispered, offering her a hand. "I can never repay you, but if you ever need anything...Clan Laveau is at your service."

Victoria took it and bowed deeply. "No, thank you for bringing her into the world."

Rosemarie wiped a tear away from her eye.

"Welcome to our family."

Raven sighed and threw an arm around the redhead, leaning into her side. She blushed when the vampire placed a cold, chaste kiss on her forehead. She chuckled when she saw her mother and father in the exact same position.

"I know you two would like to run off and frolic in the bayou, but it is Étienne's turn to interrogate Victoria," Rosemarie said, a slow smirk pulling at her lips.

Raven groaned, holding her tighter.

"But, I'm hungry. Spiritually and physically."

"Good. Hélène is making her famous jambalaya. You will eat and then I will take you out for a feeding session. You need to learn how to feed from a human without killing them."

"I'm down for jambalaya, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that second part," she said, eyes wide.

The matriach scoffed. "You're a Laveau. You're ready."

Étienne stifled a laugh as Rosemarie carefully coaxed Raven away from her mate. He and Victoria shared an amused look.

When the two dissappeared, they turned to each other.

"I think you can guess what I'm going to say."

Étienne crossed his arms and stood up straight. The redhead fought to quell a grin from forming as he tried to look serious. He reminded her of Emmett.

"What are your intentions with my daughter," he started off in a serious tone and descended into laughter.

Victoria chuckled with him. She could see the happiness and light in his face after reuniting with his child. She guessed it was his dream to interrogate his first child's partner.

"I had to say it," he laughed. His jovial expression slowly faded and he continued more seriously.

"But, really. I want to know."