The Raven Saga Box Set

Chapter 23

“So he accepted that it was a part of who you are?” I asked eagerly, thinking that perhaps Oliver would do the same.

“I was very lucky,” she nodded before slowly adding, “but his parents weren't killed by wildcats.”

The excitement that had been building within me was ripped out of me, and I slumped back in the chair, closing my eyes and fighting back the tears that threatened to break loose.

“Lilly, Oliver and Ben have been through a lot over the years. They have had to come to terms with the fact that both their mother and father were killed by two wild mountain lions. If you told them now that you may well be an animal of the feline variety, they could see you as a huge threat. It's very risky,” she said gently. “You're still very young, Lilly. Oliver is your first boyfriend. Are you absolutely certain that he is the one? Because if he's not... and he finds out about this family, all hell could break loose. There are so many things you need to think about, to take into consideration. Ultimately though, it's up to you. We can't tell you what you should be doing with your life. That's for you to decide.”

Of course, I knew what she said was true and, although it hurt in the pit of my stomach, I had gone to Rose for a reason. I trusted her, and so I knew I had to think long and hard about my decision.

There was so much going on in my life and perhaps stringing Oliver along was the worst thing I could do. The problem was that my feelings for him were getting stronger. They were strengthened every time I saw him.

But on the other hand, I had to think of him, and I did know that he would undoubtedly be safer not knowing the truth. But how could he continue to be such a big part of my life and not know? I felt so confused.

As I watched Rose continue to prune her beloved flowers, I couldn't help but think what a remarkable woman she was. She had been through so much, losing her true love and their daughter – and had never known what had happened to them – and yet she had remained clear-headed and, well, normal. She had continued to be a strong and loving woman in spite of it all.

It was then that I thought about how Vivian had taken my father and me away from our family, and I wondered whether someone like Vivian could have been responsible for Walter's disappearance too. I didn't mention it though; I had already drudged up enough heartbreaking memories. I didn't want to cause any more grief. As I left Rose's house a little while later, I thought that perhaps it was something I could talk about with Gabriel.

Walking back down the pathway through the trees, I decided to take the scenic route home, stopping along the shoreline to watch a single fisherman catch a small fish off in the distance. I began to think about Oliver and decided that I ought to ask Gabriel for his advice too.

He was pleased that I wanted his opinion on the matter because he had practically raised the two boys himself and knew how difficult it was to keep the truth from them.

“But I am a strong believer in fate, Lilly, and if Oliver is meant to be in your life, then he will be.”

“But how can he be and not know the truth. Surely he needs to know who I really am. Who we really are. Doesn't he, and Ben, deserve to know the truth about the family that raised them?” I asked, almost wishing for him to just say 'yes, let's tell them the truth'.

But he shook his head and reiterated that what will be, will be.

As the afternoon turned into evening, the sky slowly became darker, and my family members began to arrive. My worries about Oliver moved towards the back of my mind as I began to feel excited about seeing Sammy again. I was eager for him to be welcomed into the family after all these years. At least that's what I hoped would happen.

The six of us assembled just beyond the opening to the forest, where I'd followed my mother's ghost the night before, and stood huddled together for warmth as we awaited Sammy's arrival.

Soon we could hear the soft flapping of wings from above. It wasn't a frightening sound, just like a rather large bird flying down from the sky. Only this bird was a man.

As he swooped down quite a few metres from us, he came to a gentle halt, before walking very slowly towards us.

I rushed forward with open arms, and as I approached him, I could almost feel the tension from behind me, but I ignored it completely, hugging Sammy like the long lost brother that he was.

“Sammy,” I whispered, “don't worry. I've explained the truth. They know what happened now and they have nothing against you... but it's been such a long time, and it might take a little while for them to accept you and to come to terms with everything. Please bear with them.”

His face belied his body language, which was cool and confident. I could see in his eyes that he was nervous. Scared, even.

I took his hand in mine, and together we turned to face my family. We walked towards them and waited.

“Sammy... oh dear Sammy,” cried Rose, “we're so sorry”, and she rushed forward and took him into a big hug, sobbing. I could see that she wasn't the only one crying. As I looked closely at all their faces, all were wet with tears, and I smiled as they rolled down my own cheeks too.

This is what my mother and Neleh had wanted. They had wanted the truth to be known. They had wanted me to find Sammy and bring him home.

Gabriel took his hand in both of his own then and smiled. He didn't say a word, he just stood looking at the man he had once held responsible for the death of two beloved family members. He now knew that he had been so wrong.

Jo later told me that she had been a little afraid at first. Although she knew of the amazing things our family could do, she had never actually seen anything like him before and had hovered in the background waiting to be introduced, nervously.

Of course, as soon as I'd done so, her nerves had melted, and she was won over by Sammy's gentle soul.

As we huddled together for warmth, we walked back towards the house, checking that there was nobody out and about before we quickly rushed indoors, cautiously hiding that magnificent set of wings. It was the first time that Sammy had set foot indoors in so many years and the simple act led him to break down in tears as he looked around and saw that everything was pretty much as it had been all those years before.

Meredith patted him on his back before quickly jerking her arm away for fear of hurting him. It broke the ice instantly, and he laughed at her reaction, “It's okay”, he said, “they won't break. They're pretty strong,” as he wiped away the tears from his cheeks.

“Come, Sammy, come and sit down with us. Let's make some hot coffee or tea?” Gabriel asked. We all wondered what he must have survived on all these years, and Sammy smiled, “It's been a long time since I had coffee,” he smiled.

“Coffee it is then,” said Gabriel standing quickly.

“No, Gabriel, I'll do it. You've all got a lot of catching up to do. Let me do it,” said Jo as I walked with her into the kitchen, leaving them to reminisce about the happy times and get to know each other all over again.

Later that evening, it was decided that Sammy would move in with us. Gabriel's house was close enough to the forest and had easy access should Sammy need more space. And of course, should he need to hide from anybody.

Sammy shed plenty of tears that night, as all of us did. As I had hoped, he was welcomed back into the family with open arms. All was as it should have been. But there were still so many questions that needed to be answered. Things we needed to figure out together. A future to plan. A father, a son and a brother to find and bring home.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

The next few weeks were fairly uneventful and seemed to go by quickly. Sammy was a joy to be around, and he and Gabriel were developing a close bond. He had even been introduced to the rest of the family after they had suspected something pretty major was going on. Gabriel knew that it was wrong to keep it from them.

Meredith's husband John and their son Cormac as well as Wyatt's wife, Sonya, were told of his existence prior to them coming over to our house. They were told that a discovery had been made that proved, contrary to popular belief, that Sammy Morton was innocent. That he had nothing to do with Neleh's murder or Serena's 'suicide'. They weren't told, however, about the shocking curse that had been placed upon him until the small group arrived at the house.

Because they were aware of the strange creatures that already inhabited our world, they weren't as shocked as I thought they would be. Cormac, however, nearly fell off his chair when Sammy walked in with his huge wings in full view. After a few minutes, though, he declared it to be 'cool' and wanted to know if he could see him fly. Again, the ice was broken, and Sammy no longer needed to be hidden from the rest of the family. Who he did need to be hidden from, however, were two men who had been a big part of the family for many years... Ben and Oliver.

Although it was discussed at length, we all felt the same. With their parents killed by wild animals, they needed to be shielded from the truth. So during those few weeks, I had to prevent Oliver from coming to the house. I knew eventually he would become suspicious, but until then, I would go on as normal.

Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned.

It was an evening in early March. Gabriel had gone out to celebrate an old friend's birthday, and Sammy and I were enjoying an evening in, alone. We had eaten pizza and were watching an old film on television. Ever since Sammy had moved in, we had just clicked. After all, we did have a lot in common. We had both spent many lonely years forced to live without so many things. Although I'd had a few creature comforts, there had been none for Sammy.

We had gone without things like TV and pizza, so whenever we had the chance, we would savour every moment.

That night we were being silly and giggling away when there was a knock on the door. Sammy became nervous.

“Hide,” I whispered, giving him a few moments to slip away somewhere in the house.

“Who is it?” I yelled through the door, and as I slowly opened it, there was a beaming Oliver.

“Happy Valentine's Day,” he said with a beaming smile.

“But it's not Valentine's Day,” I answered hoping that Sammy had managed to hide himself well.

He grinned again and produced from behind his back a single rose. Handing it to me, he said, “I know, but as we haven't been able to do much together lately, and we couldn't celebrate Valentine's Day, I thought I'd surprise you tonight. I know Gabriel is at a birthday party so I figured you'd be alone.”

He bent down and kissed me softly on the lips. My concern for Sammy, however, meant that I didn't respond the way I should have.

He pulled back and looked at me strangely, “Is everything all right, Lilly?” he asked.

I nodded, but I knew I had never been a very good liar.

“What is it?” he asked.

I smiled, trying to think of something to say when we both heard a noise from indoors.

It dawned on Oliver that I was not alone. He knew I was hiding something, and I had no explanation. I was mortified.