Raven

By A.L. Roberts

Micah waited indefinitely for Alura, raising their children with the help of his mother. Every ounce of energy that his family had was spent searching for her; leaving them only with heartache and loss. They never seemed to catch a break, yet he still hoped for her to show up again. One day, he senses her, and the news of her rebirth is delivered. He can't help being nervous, but also, there is this faint glimmer of hope that somehow, someway, she will remember him this time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.L. Roberts
• Release date: Aug 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463810170

A.L. Roberts

Mother of two children, two dogs, a cat, and 5 rabbits. Misty finds herself writing in her spare time. Mostly, the story ideas are born from dreams and nightmares, but the more interesting books are the ones spurred on by conversations with friends, family, and aquaintances. Misty is always keeping an ear open, asking for people's perceptions on different situation. She tries to lace her comedic and creative personality into the books that she writes. Each new idea for a book brings so many exciting possibilities. Misty just can't wait to explore them all.

Book preview

Raven

A Life, Death, and Eternity Novel

Misty McBride

DEDICATION:

To those who have seen me struggle,

To those who have seen me weak,

My life without you is not worth speaking,

For it would be incomplete.

CHAPTER 1

I slammed the cast iron skillet onto the stovetop. All I wanted was some bacon. Was it so hard to ask for some oil or butter? Opening and slamming the myriad of cupboard doors surrounding the stove I finally happened upon a glass bottle of what appeared to be the liquid gold I was searching for. Turning the label toward me I rolled my eyes…of course…it just had to be EXTRA virgin olive oil. Whoever said that being immortal meant you didn’t have to worry about exercising or how you ate didn’t have daughters and a doctor for a son.

I huffed, upending the bottle over the pan. Good Lord, the thing hardly spit a drop a half inch wide. Shaking and twirling it I finally got what seemed to be a decent coating and could hear the bubbling of it heating up. Setting the bottle down, I was finally ready for the piece de resistance and pulled apart the strips of bacon from each other, reveling in the sizzle as I aptly set each delicious strip of freshly butchered pig on the pan.

Da! the horrified shriek of Genevieve, my oldest daughter, made me jump.

Heaven sakes girl, you almost made me drop my bacon! I hollered at her, adjusting the pan back over the burner. I wasn’t too bothered by her surprising me. Truthfully I thought she would have been in here earlier, but I was still miffed that there wasn’t regular butter to be found and she was fun to pick on.

Gen placed both of her fists on her hips, her proud brow creased in a frown in a look that matched her bountiful red hair, I would rather you dropped that filth than drown that bacon in all that oil! What’s the point of having healthy food around here when you treat it in such excess that it counteracts the good it’ll do ya?

Now listen here girl, I shook the fork at her that I was using to turn the bacon, I have been alive for a considerable good many years and I’ve never needed the healthy foods to keep me going. I want myself some bacon and you’re not nearly progressed enough in age to stop me.

Da, it really would be better for you if you’d listen to Kassi, Xander and I, Gen sighed crossing her arms and leaning up against the counter opposite me.

Why Gen? I motioned to myself, Do I look like I’m that bad off? We are vampires. We don’t need to do all this healthy smealthy stuff.

She shook her head, Well no Da of course not, but you wouldn’t want to end up like Jameson now would you?

I smirked when I thought of Jameson, a very broad fellow who after he changed became even broader. It was amazing to me that he could take in more calories than his vampire metabolism could spend, but he did it and apparently was very good at it. You honestly don’t think that I would ever end up like Jameson? I raised an eyebrow at her crossing my arms over my chest. I had stopped aging at the appearance of 35 years of age, slightly over 6 foot 5 in height, and had worked out enough to define almost every muscle with chiseled precision. Needless to say my body’s condition was not a concern.

Well, no, but that’s not the point, she blushed, getting more flustered. I had her exactly where I wanted her.

Aha, you see! You really don’t have a point with this do you? I laughed turning back to my bacon and pulling it off the stove.

I do too! She flounced, stomping her foot on the floor like a little girl.

I turned and touched her nose lightly with my finger, Gen, now don’t start getting out of hand here. You know I have every right to eat how I want and I only eat your way to please you kids. Let me have what I want every once in a while huh?

She instantly relaxed, the sparkle re-entering her eyes once again, Alright Daddy, but only once in a while ok?

Sure hon, I said taking a bite out of a slice of bacon that had cooled enough for me to eat it. Gen shoved off of the counter and walked out of the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at the taste burgeoning in my mouth, Mmm, that’s pretty good.

Ha! Gen laughed with success pointing at me from around the door frame, I told you!

I coughed into my hand when my laughter caused me to choke slightly, Girl, I thought you just accused me of drowning it?

Well, yes, but it was still the healthy oil, so we’ll call it a tie, she beamed with a toothy grin, traipsing back into the other room like her feet were on springs.

I shook my head chomping down on another bite of bacon as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

She’s your daughter, my Mother said walking into the kitchen tying her apron around her waist.

Good morning Ma, I greeted her, getting a kiss on the cheek.

You enjoy teasing that child way too much, Connie chided grabbing the empty skillet off the counter to clean the bacon grease out of it.

You noticed that, huh? I said innocently pouring her a cup of coffee.

I sure did, she said, pulling a drawer out next to the stove and reaching behind the spices in the front to some covered cans in the back. Procuring the desired can she pulled off the cheesecloth that was tied over the top of it and poured the leftover bacon grease from the pan into it.

You mean you have been hiding that grease there all along and you never told me, I hissed.

Not so loud, she smacked my arm with her elbow, I’m not likely to use that pitiful oil any more than you are, but I’m sure not going to get caught using this. So quiet down or we won’t have it at all anymore!

I chuckled as I took a sip of coffee. Well, we wouldn’t want that would we?

She glared a warning at me as she quickly covered the can with the cheesecloth and stashed it at the back of the drawer. Footsteps alerted us of the approach of Gen, so Mom hurriedly closed the drawer and started scrubbing on the skillet.

What are you two doing in here? Gen asked looking at us suspiciously.

I shrugged as Mom answered, Nothing dear, I’m just cleaning up after your inconsiderate father smeared grease all over everything.

I tossed her a glare as I filled my coffee mug again.

Yeah, tell me about it, Gen laughed, turning on her heel. I’m setting the table Gran.

Alright dear! Mom called after her then mumbling something to me which I couldn’t catch.

My senses were clogged with the vision of sunlight glinting off of black hair with the background of sparkling water amid a laugh that was so clear and beautiful that it made my heart leap. I breathed deeper to take in the scent of heather and lavender, her scent. Captured by a vision of the depth of hazel eyes that drew me in with every heartbeat I drifted further and further away from where I stood and was drawn to where she was.

Collin…Collin! Mother yelled as I dropped my mug on the floor, the ceramic shattering against the tile floor at my feet as I was yanked back from the vision I yearned to return to instantly. Don’t worry, I’ll get it, Mother grumbled, grabbing the dustpan to pick up the big ceramic shards off the floor.

Oh…I’m sorry Mother.

Sorry! Where in heaven’s name were you I’d like to know? she grunted, grabbing a dishcloth out of her apron pocket to wipe the floor.

Where was I? I asked, more of myself than of her, raking my hand through my hair.

Yes! she said looking directly at me, Where. Were. You? It’s not like you to just disappear like that and not answer a word I’m saying, she gazed deeper into my eyes, In fact I’d say you still aren’t quite back, she snapped her fingers in front of my face.

I pushed her hand down, Knock it off Mam. I am well aware of what you’re doing now, I brushed past her, stepping up to the kitchen sink and turning on the cold water.

Well, she grumbled, You may be aware, but you are sure acting strange. What manner of beast has gotten a hold of you now?

I splashed the water on my face feeling the coolness of it dripping over my skin. Running my hands down over my eyes I tried to see the vision I had just a few moments ago. The hair, the eyes, the smell, and that laugh, there was no doubt at all what had happened. I saw her Mam, I whispered under my breath.

What did you say Collin?

I turned to her, making full eye contact, I saw Laura. She’s back.

CHAPTER 2

Are you sure Collin? It was such a short vision, can you be absolutely certain it was her? Mom asked, bustling after me as I moved toward my study.

Yes Mother, I’m sure. There’s no mistaking it, I said through clenched teeth as I began searching through my files.

But Collin, it’s so soon, she faltered as her lip quivered, it’s only been…

I looked up from the file in my hand, laying it down on the desk in front of me, I know Mom. It’s only been 29 years since she left us this last time. It’s the shortest amount of time that she has been gone. But, I know it’s her! I turned to the portrait on the wall which beheld an amazingly accurate representation of the love of my life. Laura has always presented herself in the same way to me when she returns, when she is old enough and begins to display some of her powers again.

I’m sorry Collin, my Mother said muffled as she wiped her eyes with her apron, it was just so hard losing her this last time that it frightens me of what is to come.

I know Mother, I said quietly, but I will not give up the chance to meet her again. Even if I can only see her for a little while, I stroked my fingers down Laura’s cheek in the painting, even if it is only as a friend. I must find her.

Mother sniffed, I know. But this time I think we must take some more precautions.

I nodded curtly, knowing that she was right, but still not wanting to acquiesce. The soul that was in my Laura and I had been together since the beginning of time. We were first created as Aura and Raven, beings of opposites meant to keep balance within the world. I was the dark to her light, the fight to her peace, the sun to her moon. Her powers were connected to the moon, air, and water while mine were connected to the sun, fire, and earth. But Aura was more, so much more. She had the ability to draw upon my powers, thus gaining control of all the elements at once. She could manipulate minds, drain energy to supply her own, and disperse the energy where she saw fit. Aura and I were created to be the beginning of the pure blood vampire line. We were the first vampires and the only ones that could reproduce. Other vampires were created by the bite and the venom that coursed through their veins, but we alone had the gift to keep the vampire line strong. Unfortunately Aura and I were broken apart before we had the chance to have children, cursed to roam the centuries searching for one another. As a part of our curse I remained mostly immortal, very rarely wounded, and nearly impossible to kill while Aura was fragile as a human, having to die and be reborn with no memory of her prior lives. I died once after Aura’s second passing only to be reborn with all the memories I had before. I started out as any normal child, not remembering much of anything. Gradually I began remembering everything, regaining all of my memories by the age of 18.

Our longest connection was in Aura’s third lifetime when she was born as Laura. In that life Laura lived to be 29. We had an amazing life together with three beautiful children. When Laura died protecting the children from an attack meant to separate us again, Aura’s soul was shattered.

For some reason it seemed that Aura’s spirit did not wish to remember our life together. In her fourth life she began remembering bits and pieces of her past as a teenager. When I met her in 1780 at 16 she was hardly recognizable, a completely different bodily form than I had witnessed in prior lives. This girl, Mary, saw me from a distance and began screaming like I was a ghost standing before her. I tried to settle her, but she would not be calmed. The attempt was made to make contact as a friend of the family, but after a few more visits with outbursts worsening my visits quickly ceased. I didn’t want to cause her pain, but it was obvious that was exactly what I was doing. Her family decided to send her away to an asylum in Paris where she was pumped with medications and tied down when she got out of hand. Her life was literally torn apart and taped back together repetitively. I tried to find any way I could to ease her suffering, but in the end I found the best thing I could do was stay out of her life. She passed away in the asylum when she was only 25 years old due to the conditions that permeated her place of residence.

It was over a hundred years later in 1896 when I sensed her again in a small town in America. She was 20, a beautiful blonde attending college to become a teacher who would remind me every once in a while of Laura in how she laughed. When I sensed her I applied to the same college so that I may get to know her better. She and I became fast friends over the short time that I knew her often studying together for the exams. Every once in a while the distance from her family would get to her and she would come to me for support. It felt good to know that she felt she could come to me when she needed someone. One dark and foreboding day there was a horrid rainstorm that was making all the students run for cover. I had just entered the door of my apartment when there was a banging on the door. Flinging the door open wide I gasped at the sight before me. It was her, Maura, drenched to the bone, her makeup running down over her cheeks. She had been crying after having run away from a boy that had been too forward in his advances. I clenched my hand on the doorknob trying to hide my emotions. Pulling her inside I marveled at how soaked she had become. She was sniffing pitifully so I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and offered it to her. The cloth slipped slightly when she reached out her hand and our fingers touched. Although it was only momentarily, it was enough for an electric charge to ripple through us bringing with it a surge of memories until I jerked my hand away. For a moment I had hope that she would be ok, but my heart was crushed when the light disappeared from her eyes turning them dull and lackluster. She began yelling at me, accusing me of somehow putting thoughts into her head. She pressed on her temples, screeching that her head felt as if it would explode as she named memory after memory that was rushing back to her in a colossal wave bigger than the waters that course over Niagara Falls. I was frantic, attempting to figure out something that would help her, but it was all to no avail. She panicked, backing into the wall to try and escape the memories. I pleaded with her to sit down and let me explain, but