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Raven stands, having spotted me, and tiptoes behind him, so we move forward until we reach her.
She spins, leaning into me as she pulls the sleeves of her hoodie to her mouth.
She watches Maddoc through tender eyes. “Last night...” She shakes her head. “I’ve never seen him act that way. He was terrified, fully. Completely.” She glances between us, and I’d swear her eyes gloss over, but it’s hard to tell, they’re already so light. “I think, for the first time, he realized there’s gonna be situations where he’ll be completely powerless.”
She looks back to Maddoc, who lays his hands in Zoey’s as she places her palms out for him, not taking his eyes off his niece for a second.
“He hadn’t spoken a word all day. Not one.” Her lips twitch and she meets my gaze. “Not until she came charging into the kitchen, blew past me and Rolland, and walked right up to him, asking if he wanted to go play.”
I blow out a long, heavy breath, a light chuckle following.
“It’s like she knew what he needed,” Raven mimics my thoughts exactly.
She’s intuitive.
Zoey latches her thumb around the edge of Maddoc’s hands and stands, only to let them go so she can grab his face between her hands.
She smiles as she leans in, rubbing the tip of her nose to his.
Eskimo kisses...
A glare takes over and I look away, officially brought back to the issue at hand.
Victoria.
“Daddy!” My head snaps forward again, Maddoc’s having now jerked our way, but he doesn’t move. Doesn’t tense or draw away from her.
In fact, when she climbs over his legs, he looks about ready to reach for her.
That has me smiling again.
“Daddy!” Zoey bounds forward. “Uncle D says I’m a wolf!”
I laugh, bending down to pick her up. Her eyes are a little tired, but she’s got some color back. I kiss her cheek, checking her head as I say, “You tell Uncle D you’re no wolf, you’re a raven.”
She gasps, smiling and kicks her feet to be let down, running right back to Maddoc. “Daddy said I’m a raven!”
In time, Zoey will grow to understand what that means.
The raven will lead her wolves.
Maddoc chuckles and waits for Zoey to run back to him, but she spots our dad coming around the opposite side and darts passed.
“Papa, I’m a raven!” she yells as she goes.
Royce chuckles beside me, wrapping an arm around Raven and kissing her temple only to let go and move toward Maddoc.
He doesn’t bother standing, so we lower beside him, Raven gripping his bicep as she drops into the grass, only to be moved onto his lap.
Maddoc looks from Royce to me and the switch is flipped. “What is it?”
“The videos from last night.”
Maddoc’s frown mirrors Raven’s.
“It was her, she recorded them.”
“What the fuck?” Raven snaps.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I nod, looking between them, explaining how I figured it out, and they jump up, ready to watch the video for themselves, so I nod at my dad across the yard and he lifts his hand, letting me know he’s got Zoey.
We make our way to my room and I play it back for them.
They sit there, glaring at the screen.
“That’s the one and only mistake I was able to find on all hundred plus videos,” I tell them when they finally focus on me.
Raven’s brows jump. “Hundred plus?”
I nod.
“How far back do these go, Cap?” Maddoc asks, his tone dark and low.
“Sophomore year,” I tell them.
Maddoc and Royce jump up.
“Hold on, back the fuck up.” Royce lifts his hands, shaking his head. “Sophomore year.” He dips his head forward slightly. “Sophomore fucking year?”
“Zoey was a newborn...” Raven trails off.
I pull my lips in, looking to my brothers.
“I want her,” I throw out without pause. Sure.
“We know, brother.” Maddoc eyes me.
“What do I do?”
“We’re not real good at leaps of faith.” Royce licks his lips, pulling his bottom one into his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter.” Raven shakes her head. “Look what’s in front of us, what we have seen. What we do know,” she stresses. “I mean, shit, you guys, why would she do this and never ask for a fucking thing? Never use it to get paid or blackmail or any other reason?”
A tremor shoots across my shoulders and I look to the door, right as she appears, saying exactly what I need to hear.
“Because I didn’t do it for me.”
The others’ heads snap toward the door, heavy, hard glares in place.
She doesn’t cower but slips inside. When she licks her lips, I force my eyes away a moment.
“The fuck should we believe that?” Royce crosses his arms, unable to hold back his protective nature.
She lifts a single shoulder, letting it fall back to her side. “I don’t expect you to, but it is what it is.”
I move toward her, and her head tips with my advance.
