Raven and the Dragon

Fire Dance

Raven

“Raven, we have discussed this before,” Mom begins. “It’s not safe for you to travel,” She states and glances at Dad, who presses his lips together.

“No, Mom, we didn’t discuss it. You made the decision, and I have to follow it,” I counter. “Right, Dad?”

He looks between Mom and me with his mouth in an o shape, “Raven-“

“See? You go with whatever she f*****g says,” I raise my voice.

“Language,” Mom admonishes me.

“Mom!” I yell. “I am a f*****g adult. I’m traveling whether you want me to or not,” I huff and storm out of the kitchen.

“Raven,” Mom shouts. “Raven Lenore Starsky, get back here,” She stands in the kitchen doorway with her hands on her hips.

I ignore her and run up the stairs to my room. I slam the door behind me and flop face first on the bed. Tears escape me, and I sob into my pillow.

“Raven?” Adrian calls while knocking on the door. I hear it creek open and roll over to look at my brother. He is wearing just a pair of sweatpants, and I cringe slightly, looking at his muscular chest. One moment he was a scrawny kid, then he blossomed into an alpha male. “Raven, are you okay?” He asks gently while walking towards me.

Out of my siblings, I am closest to Adrian. He always seemed to be the one to comfort me when I was sad or upset. He sits on the edge of my bed, and I sit up. I wipe the tears from my eyes.

“I’m fine, Adrian,” I mumble.

“You don’t sound fine,” He reaches over and touches my hand. “Mom still won’t let you leave?”

“I’m leaving whether she lets me or not,” I state.

He frowns, “I don’t want you to leave. I want you here when I take over as alpha.”

I chuckle, “I won’t be gone forever, and You won’t be taking over for at least five more years, Adrian. And in that time, I want to see the world and find myself. It’s clear I don’t have a place in this pack.”

“You are my sister. You will always have a place,” He mentions.

“I love you, Adrian. I love Wren and Merlyn too, but I have to do this,” I explain to him.

Adrian presses his lips together, “I guess you are tired of being made fun of.”

“It’s more than that,” I respond.

“I wish I could escape too,” He mentions and turns away from me. “I hear the comments everyone makes about me being my Dad’s clone,” He says sadly.

I know my little brother hates being compared to his biological father. Gideon Kreel was a monster that tortured my mother and tried to sell me to the enemy. I hear the pack’s comments about him. Many of the older ones who lived through Gideon’s reign think that Adrian will be just like him. But I know my brother is kind-hearted and gentle. Even his wolf, Artax, is a big puppy. However, they can be formidable when pushed.

“You are Adrian, not Gideon,” I remind him. “You are the kindest person I know.”

Adrian half-smiles, “If you say so.” He sighs and scratches his nose, “You’ll call me, right? When you are out on the road. I want to know about everything you do,” He smiles at me.

I throw my arms around him and hug him. I kiss his cheek, “Of course, I’ll call you.” I let go of him, and he wipes off his cheek, “Hey!”

He smirks and says, “I am going to bed now.”

“Okay, goodnight,” I say as he walks out of my room. I go into my bathroom and do my bedtime routine. As I am getting ready to lie down, my dad knocks on the door.

“Are you alright?” He asks.

I shrug, “I’m leaving whether she wants me to or not,” I say to him.

“I know,” He nods.

“I can’t stay here anymore, Dad. I feel trapped.”

“I know.”

“I have to see the world, Dad.”

“I know, Raven,” He nods.

“Dad,” I complain.

“What?” He shrugs, “I agree with you. You are a Starsky. We are not meant to stay in one place for long. Why do you think your grandfather has so many homes all over the world?”

“Because he has a lot of enemies and has to stay ahead of them,” I respond.

Dad laughs, “Well, that too. But we have a lust for wandering. It’s in your blood.”

“You are saying that because I am the only one without a wolf,” I huff.

“Yes and no,” He sighs. “You have to do what you feel in your heart, Raven. Not I or your mother can stop you. You are old enough to make your own decisions. Personally, I am proud of you. I love your mother with everything I have, but I am on your side. I fully support you traveling.”

“How come you have never said anything to her about it?” I argue.

“I have,” He laughs. “Temperance and I have gone around in circles about it since you first brought it up.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I mumble.

He laughs again and taps on my foot, “Have a goodnight, sweetie.”

“Goodnight, Dad,” I respond. He walks out of my room, shutting the door behind him. I settle into my bed and play on my phone for an hour before finally going to sleep. The next morning I wake up early because I have an early shift at the diner. I shower and throw on my uniform before rushing downstairs. The house is quiet as I grab a muffin and juice from the kitchen and run out of the house. I nibble on my muffin while walking. It’s a nice morning, and there aren’t too many pack members up except for omegas. I wave at a few as I walk down the street.

“Good morning, Raven,” Pam, the diner owner, greets me as I walk in.

“Morning,” I respond to her. I put my purse away and then clock in to start my day. I see Cooper Shane in a booth with two other warriors. “Good morning, fellas,” I greet them while placing menus in front of them.

Cooper grins at me, “Raven. You are looking nice this morning.”

I lift an eyebrow at him, “Don’t let Bethy catch you being nice to me.”

“She doesn’t control me,” He snarls.

The other two are Aidan Lando and Jason Richards, and we grew up together. Aidan and Jason were actually friendly to me. “So, you guys want coffee to start with?”

“You know it,” Aidan grins.

“I just want orange juice,” Jason responds.

“Cooper?” I look at him and notice him looking me up and down. He doesn’t respond, “Cooper?”

He shakes his head and lets out a startled growl, “What?”

“Do you want coffee?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” He mumbles.

I nod and walk away from the table. I get their drinks and then take their food order. After getting a couple more orders, I stand at the window waiting for the food. Sid, the cook, is whistling while working. He is a fifty-year-old omega who seems to be the happiest person I have ever met.

He sets the food on the window, “What a glorious day, wouldn’t you say, Ravy?” He grins.

“It’s always a glorious day with you, Sid,” I respond with a laugh while grabbing the plates. I take them to the table and then run about getting ketchup and jelly for the guys. “Is that all?” I ask them.

“We are good,” Aidan responds.

I nod and walk away. I run around cleaning and restocking the service station. I yelp when Cooper suddenly appears in front of me. “Damn, Coop.”

“Can we talk?” He asks.

“I’m working, Cooper,” I reply.

“Just real quick, Raven,” He presses.

I huff and fold my arms, “Make it quick.”

“Can we go on a date tonight?” He mentions.

“Are you f*****g nuts?” I say too loud, eliciting a stare from Pam, who is leaning against a counter talking to another server.

Cooper looks around and sighs, “Probably. I always wanted to be with you, Raven, but I got stuck with Bethy.”

“She is your mate,” I state.

“I know, but I don’t want her to be,” He argues. “I always wanted you.”

I shake my head and notice Pam staring at me, “I have to get back to work, Cooper,” I brush past him.

“Raven,” He tries to grab me.

“I’ll think about it,” I conclude.

I work for six hours and then decide to walk to the packhouse. It sits in the center of the pack lands. I want to talk to my mother and know she is probably in her office.

“Hey, Raven,” I am greeted by my Uncle Hayden, the pack gamma.

“Hi, Uncle Hayden,” I respond to him. He towers over me at six foot four with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. “Is my Mom in her office?” I ask.

“I think so,” He replies and pats my upper arm before walking away.

I hurry into the house and go to my Mom’s office. Uncle Ted is standing in the doorway, talking to her as I walk up.

“Hey, Raves,” Uncle Ted, the pack’s alpha, greets me. “Just getting off work?”

I nod, “Yeah,” I reply.

“Make good tips?” He inquires.

“About sixty dollars,” I reply.

“Good,” He nods.

I look at my mother, who is sitting behind her desk. She looks at me with narrowed green eyes, “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No, we were done, right Temperance?” Uncle Ted glances at my mother.

“Yeah,” Mom grumbles.

Ted squeezes my shoulder, “See you, Raves. Tempe,” He nods at my mother and walks away.

I stand in the doorway for a moment.

“Did you need something, Raven?” Mom asks in her serious tone.

I step into the office, “Mom-“

“If this is about you leaving, Raven. I don’t want you to leave,” She starts.

“It's no longer your decision, Mom. I am twenty-one years old.”

“I know,” She agrees. “It’s not my decision.”

I open my mouth to argue before letting what she said settle in, “So, you are letting me go?”

“I’m not letting you, Raven. You are the one making the decision,” She sighs. “I don’t want to let you go, but I understand why. When I was younger, I just wanted to play in my band and travel the world.”

“And you did it. Even though your parents forbade it,” I remind her.

She laughs, “You sound like your father. He pointed that out to me last night.” She stands up and walks over to me. I stare into her eye, “Everyone says you are my clone because we look alike,” She is the same height as I am. I have her red hair and sparkling emerald-like green eyes. She brushes a strand of hair from my eyes, “But you are your father’s daughter.”

I shift my weight and look at the ground.

“You have to do this, Raven,” She grasps my shoulders. “And I can’t stop you.”

Tears well up in my eyes, and I hug her, “Thanks, Mom.”

She hugs me back and kisses my cheek, “I love you, Raven. Please be careful.” The phone rings, and she releases me. “I’m sorry, honey,” She walks over to her desk. “I’ll see you later at home, alright.”

“Okay, Mom,” I nod and leave the office. I whistle as I walk out of the packhouse and towards home. My grandfather is supposed to be here today, and I wanted to bake some cookies for him.

“Look at the whistling freak,” I hear Bethany Wells say to someone. She walks with Hilda Campos and Sheila Everett, two of her high school cronies. All three of them are mated to warriors.

I glare at Bethany but say nothing and keep walking.

“She looks so quaint in her servant's uniform,” Hilda snickers.

“Well, a loser has to look the part,” Bethany snarks.

I turn to her, “f**k off, Beth.”

“Such gross language coming from Luna’s daughter,” Bethany feigns offense.

“Well, gross begets gross, Bethany,” I smirk.

She steps towards me, “You will never be more than a loser, Raven.”

“I may be a loser, but at least I’m not a hateful t**t whose own mate doesn’t want,” I retort.

“What?” Bethany scoffs.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” I laugh. “Cooper doesn’t want to be you mate. Not that I blame him. I wouldn't want your hallway-sized t**t, either. I mean, I can practically smell the fish odor from here,” I state while Hilda and Sheila look on in shock.

“You b***h!” Bethany screeches and pushes me.

I push her back, and she tries grabbing my hair. I slap her hard across the face, and she stumbles back. I may not be a wolf, but I trained and learned to fight.

Bethany screams and lunges at me. She pushes me hard enough that I fall. I am quick to get to my feet to push her back. “You are a f*****g freak that everyone here hates!”

I summon a little firepower and let the flames dance on my hand, “You think you are beloved?” I laugh. I launch the fire at her and hear her scream as it sets her shirt on fire. She flails about while Hilda and Sheila help her extinguish it.

“What’s going on out here?” Uncle Pete jogs up to us. He is Uncle Ted’s mate and the pack’s beta.

“That b***h set me on fire,” Bethany screeches.

Uncle Pete looks at me, “Raven?”

“She started it,” I argue.

“You're both too old to act like this,” Uncle Pete huffs. “Why don’t you go on home, Raven.”

“Uncle Pete,” I whine.

“Raven,” He looks at me with a bit of empathy. “I know you didn't start it, but you can’t use your powers on pack members.”

Bethany sticks her tongue out at me with a sneer.

“And I know you aren’t innocent in the matter, Ms. Wells. It's time to grow up and leave Raven alone,” Uncle Pete explains.

“But Beta,” Bethany whines.

“Leave Raven alone, Bethany,” Pete orders her. “Both of you go on home.”

“Fine,” I scowl and walk away.

“b***h,” Bethany mumbles.

I ignore her and hurry home. I get to the house and cringe when I see Claude Moonstone sitting on the front steps. “This day is just going to suck, isn’t it?” I scoff as I stare at him.

“That’s no way to greet your beloved,” He grins at me and stands up. I hate that he looks good today. He is wearing khaki pants, white linen shirt, and his light brown hair is slicked back.

“Go away,” I grumble and brush past him.

He grabs my arm, “Raven, I demand we talk.”

I pull away from him, “I have nothing to say to you,” I glare at him.

“Raven, I would hate to force you to be with me, but-“

“Are you threatening my granddaughter, Mr. Moonstone?” I hear my grandfather say.

I turn to see him standing a few inches from Claude’s face. “Grandpa,” I smile at him.

A large colorful eagle lands beside my grandfather and transforms into a thin black man, “Ravy,” He claps.

“Papi,” I squeal and run over to hug him.

Papi hugs me tight with a kiss on my cheek, “My darling, Ravy girl.”

“I am just here to talk to my beloved, Merlyn,” Claude responds to my grandfather.

“Well, she doesn’t want to talk,” Grandpa snarls at Claude. “So bugger off.”

“You can’t make me do anything, Starsky,” Claude snorts.

“Oh, I can make you do a lot of things, Claude,” Grandpa gets in his face.

“Dad,” My dad says from the porch. “Can you not start a war on my front lawn?”

“I am just protecting my granddaughter, Jeffery,” Grandpa says while keeping his eyes on Claude.

“Claude?” Dad steps toward us. “What did I say about just showing up here? I know Raven is your beloved, but she has made her feelings very clear to you.”

“I won’t give up,” Claude glares at my father and grandfather. “She is mine, and I will win her heart,” He bellows and then tosses something on the ground. Smoke explodes, and Claude disappears.

“How like a Moonstone to disappear like a magician,” Grandpa scoffs.

“Thanks, Grandpa,” I hug him. I bury my face in his thick black velvet cloak and thick white beard. It smells like sage and a plethora of other herbs.

“I would do it again,” He hugs me tight.

“Let’s go inside,” Dad interrupts us.

I let go of my grandfather and looked at my father. He and Grandpa look a lot alike, but Dad’s beard is less thick, and he has hazel eyes. We go into the house and gather in the kitchen while Dad fixes tea for Grandpa and Papi.

“So, what is new with you, Ravy?” Papi asks me while sitting on Grandpa’s lap. He is an eagle shifter and is married to my grandfather.

“I am going on a trip,” I respond.