Raven leaned over and hugged her tight. "Mica was right. He knew you’d understand and guide me."
He quickly ended the hug and stood up, walking around the room, fiddling with his hair. "This was more a home to me than any place I lived, even more so than Castello. It will always be home to me. But California suits me. I fit in there. I feel comfortable there. Grazie for supporting me, I knew you’d understand that without Mica, I’m lost. He hates that I must go to the feeders, and it doesn’t satisfy me either. I want to be his totally. I know you understand that more than anyone I know."
Kate bit her lip. "With all my heart, Raven, I totally understand. And Shade knows of your feelings for Mica. He sent you there because he knew that is where your heart called you to be."
Raven looked at his heavy boots against the warm tones of the plush rug beneath his feet. "He always did seem to know me better than I knew myself. I’ll set up a meeting with him. Mica and I want to be together when we see him, so if you have anything you need from the inn, I can make sure Mica brings it along. I’ll let you get back to Prince Lorenzo. I know he’s probably a handful."
Kate laughed. "Lorenzo is more than a handful, and he keeps us all on our toes. Tell Mica I'm fine, he and Reynaldo do a great job of keeping me up to date on the inn, so I don’t need anything. But before you leave, there’s one thing. Whenever you visit, Poe comes around, and he seems very happy, very high energy, and after you leave, he disappears for a few days. Aegis says Poe has attached himself to you after the Battle of Bel Rosso. But since my gift of animalism bonds him to me, he’ll never leave me, unless I release him to do so. That crazy bird came to me in the Council in Florence, and then showed up here. But I think his place is in California with you. What do you think?"
Looking down at his feet, he chuckled. "Poe is like my spirit animal. He attacked Max, he saved me. Poe kicks ass in battle. And I miss him too. I can almost feel him sometimes.”
Walking to her, he went down on one knee and took her hand. "I know it won’t be easy to let go of your warrior, but I’d be honored to have him with me. He’s fast, like me. He’s dark, like me. And you know you love me."
Kate kissed the top of his head. "How could I not? And I want Poe to be happy. There are other ravens here, he was just the first. And it's not like he won't still be part of the family." Kate laughed. "I hope Mica knows what he's getting into."
"Hey, he’s taking me on for eternity. He knows I bring the whole family with me. He gets the whole package." Standing up, he hugged her again. "I know I’m not supposed to say this, but..." his voice cracked a bit, and he was almost whispering when he spoke, “I love you, thank you for everything you’ve done for me." He released her and walked for the door. "I’ll talk to boss-man, and set up a meeting, I hope I see you then, Lady Kate."
Kate followed him to the door. As they stood in the doorway, Kate summoned Poe who swooped down and landed on Raven's shoulder, pecking at his long black hair.
"Poe, I release you from your service to me, and assign you to Raven. You belong to him now. I expect you to take care of him, protect him, as you have protected me." She leaned in close and whispered in Raven's ear, "Because I love you too. Now go home and be happy."
Raven smiled down at her. "I promise. Come on Poe, time for your crazy ass to meet Mica and see your new home. No shitting on the guest’s fancy cars, and no pecking at the windows. Mica will have you de-feathered, and Reynaldo will serve you up for dinner covered in some fancy sauce."
Poe took off, making a racket of loud and raucous caws, as the bird followed behind Raven. Raven knew she was the greatest queen to reign over Medici, and once again, she had just proved why.
7
Shade waited in his office for the arrival of Mica and Raven. Raven had asked him for a private meeting at Bel Rosso with the three of them, claiming it to be a personal matter. He knew the two of them were happy together, it was one of the reasons he’d sent Raven to California, but he wasn’t quite sure what this meeting was about. He hoped nothing had happened that either of them wanted a change of assignment, but with Raven, you never knew what the hell was going on.
He kept in regular contact with him, but their conversations revolved around business. Raven was growing into a great warrior and was a lot more mature now he was around Mica.
As Gi announced their arrival, Shade stood as they both entered. He responded to Raven’s fist bump and shook hands with Mica. Gi poured them all a round of Midnight and disappeared quietly as they settled down in their respective seats. Shade looked at them both, complete damn opposites in every aspect, and he couldn’t fathom how in the world the two of them got along so well. But then, who’d have ever guessed he’d have fallen head over heels for a mortal. He smiled to himself, acknowledging that love defied all logic.
"Good to see you both. Although, I must admit, I am concerned about what this meeting is about. Raven tells me this is a personal matter. So, you have my full and undivided attention.” Taking a sip of his Midnight, he looked over the rim of his glass at the two of them, waiting to see who would speak first.
Raven left the Midnight on the side table, as he and Mica sat facing boss-man at his desk. His dreams had all come true once before sitting in this office, and he could only hope history would repeat itself.
"It’s good to see you too, boss-man. Place is looking in top shape. Saw the new warriors out on the grounds when we teleported in. Hell of a lot of them, this time! Word is spreading."
Raven took a deep breath. He’d thought this over in his head, how he’d approach it, what he’d say, and had decided the best approach was just to spit it out. Master didn’t play ring-around-the-rosy. He liked knowing the facts up front.
Shade watched Raven, and could tell he was stalling, making small talk. His body language gave him away, telling him Raven was more than a little nervous. What in the hell was going on? He’d play along, but not for long.
"Marcello is kicking their asses into shape, and I am happy with the caliber of warrior applying to the camp now. We have rebuilt our numbers, and we turn away a lot more than we take in. So, stop stalling and spit it out, Raven, I have work to do and so do the both of you."
Raven nodded and knew he needed to say what he’d come here to say. "I’ve been in California for a while now. I want to stay there. I have… we both need to make a move in our personal lives, together. I wanted to ask your permission, your approval of mating with Mica."
He watched as the boss-man set down his glass and steepled his fingers. Raven recognized the move. It meant he was thinking through the options. Before Shade could respond, Raven continued.
"I’d never do this without your approval. It changes nothing about what I am and how I do my job. This is who I’ve always been, and I know Mica is where my eternity lies."
Shade looked at Raven, his eyes never leaving him. He listened to his words, felt him deep, and knew he loved Mica. "Before we go any further, I want Kate in on this meeting, Raven. She’s your queen. I make no decisions about our coven without her." Raven nodded at him as Shade telepathically let Kate know Raven and Mica were in his office, and would she please join them immediately.