Ravyn shook his head at her. They didn't need a cheesy headline. What they needed now was one hell of a miracle.
And a cavalry.
Unfortunately, said cavalry had walked up the stairs and most likely out of the city.
But at any rate, one way or another, this was about to be over.
At least for him.
As they made their way upstairs, Ravyn paused as he came face-to-face with his father and Phoenix.
"Leaving?" his father sneered. "Dare I hope this is permanent?"
He didn't respond as he pushed his way past them.
Susan paused as she watched Ravyn leave the room. Unable to stand it, she turned on his father. "You are such a rank bastard."
"How dare you!"
"Oh go ahead," she goaded. "Hit me, kill me. I really don't care. But how can you stand there so sanctimonious and judge him when he didn't do anything except try to find someone to love? How could you hate your own son for that?"
She turned her gaze to Phoenix. "Your own brother? My God, you killed him. And instead of hating you people for what you've done to him, he's forgiven you. Why can't you do the same? Don't you think he hurt too? That every morning when he goes to sleep, he sees that night just as the rest of you do? I've listened to him talk about his mother and his sister, I've held him when the nightmares racked him, and I know how much he misses them. I've lost everyone who's ever meant anything to me, and I don't know how Ravyn has stood it all this time alone. He's going out right now probably to die. I'm sure that means nothing to you, but it means something to me. You should be proud of the son you fathered. He's more of a man than anyone I've ever known."
"What do you know, human?"
Susan shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't stand the thought of Ravyn getting hurt. Of what might very well befall him in the next few hours. She'd already lost too much in this battle. "I don't know anything, really. I just know that if I had a son... a brother, I would fight heaven and hell to keep him safe, and I would be damned grateful that, having lost so many in my family, I still had one more. Be damned if I'd lose him, too." Curling her lip at them, she followed after Ravyn.
Gareth narrowed his eyes as he watched the human leave. "Stupid, human."
"No, Dad," Dorian said behind him as he stepped out of the shadows. "I think she's smarter than all of us put together."
Susan took a deep breath as they headed for the chief's house on 18th Avenue South, not far from South Lucille Street. This time of night, it was totally peaceful as the moonlight dusted each house with becoming shadows.
"It's hard to believe how tragic the world can be when it's like this, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Ravyn agreed. "It's why I don't mind being a Dark-Hunter. There's something about the serenity of night that soothes the soul."
Susan gave him an amused smile. "I thought you didn't have a soul."
He cut his eyes toward her as he drove. "I was speaking metaphorically."
"Ooo, there's a big word for you."
By his face she could tell he enjoyed her teasing. "Be nice to me, or I might leave you here alone."
"Considering how close we are to dawn, I don't think you should be antagonizing me, do you?"
He gave her a feigned sullen look that was positively gorgeous. She really liked the fact that he could take a joke and see her humor for what it was. Too many people mistook her sarcasm for scorn. But it was her defense mechanism. Ravyn not only understood that, he seemed to actually enjoy it.
Before she could say anything more, he stopped the car a block over from the house and turned the engine off. "I don't think we should give them any warning."
Susan couldn't agree more. Personally, she still didn't even think they should be there. She glanced around the silent, dark upper-middle-class neighborhood. There wasn't a single light on in any house. No movement. Nothing to say that she and Ravyn weren't the last two people alive on earth.
It was a bit eerie.
"You think they're home yet?" she asked.
"I don't know. It'll be dawn shortly. I'm sure the chief has to work, so if they're not, I'm sure they're not far away."