I rubbed my arm, feeling a bit silly that I’d brought it up. Now that I'd admitted it, it felt like I was blowing it out of proportion.
"I saw one back at the cabin, too," I said.
"Aren't there mute ravens around here?"
I grimaced, mostly because I suddenly felt like I was being dramatic. "There are."
Orpheus smiled gently. "Then what's the problem?"
That smile melted the top half of my worries away. It wasn't like I'd never seen a raven before. They were all over the wildlife reserve. Was I only noticing them now because of my relationship with Orpheus? That would make sense. I realized my cognition had changed in a similar way after meeting a few other members of the pack, like Len and Morgan. I couldn't see the blur of a rabbit or the antlers of a deer without thinking about them.
Orpheus abandoned his spoons, much to my envious delight, and wrapped both his arms around me, holding me close. The warmth of his body instantly eased my worries. When we stood like this, it felt like nothing else mattered. I shut my eyes and took in a deep breath.
"I know what you must be thinking," he said. "But I doubt anyone from my past would've followed us here. I never told them where I was going, and I spent a long time flying away from them. They don't know where I am. Whereweare."
I tried not to let my mouth curve into a frown of disbelief. I'd seen it happen before. Jealousy and vengeance were a bitch. But Orpheus sounded so confident that it was difficult to keep stressing.
If he said everything was okay, then it must be.
I sighed. "Fine, I believe you. Mostly."
He chuckled and tucked a long strand of red hair behind my ear. "What would it take to make you believe me completely?"
"Getting proved wrong."
The thrill of competition lit up in his eyes. "Okay. Then I just gotta make sure that it never happens." He threw his head back and yelled, "If anyone's spying on us, then get the fuck out of here!"
It was so over the top that it made me burst out laughing, and I forgot my concerns.
16
Orpheus
It was a beautiful,sunny day. The cool breeze was pleasant combined with the warmth of the air. The edge of the forest clearing was beautiful and silent, except for the part where me and my mate were bickering.
"Absolutely not,” Red stated.
"Why?" I countered.
Red stared at me with enough force to kill a man. "I don't care that you thought it was a cool word back when you were a teenager harassing humans. Tonka is not an acceptable name for my child."
"But it's so unique! No one else will have a name like them."
Red was firm in his decision. "Next. And no other names of trucks or cars or whatever vehicles humans drive in."
I collapsed against the grass with an exasperated sigh. This baby naming business was a lot harder than I thought. It was taking a lot out of me. "How about you come up with a name, then? Since you hated all of mine so much."
Red crossed his arms and furrowed his brow in thought. Even though we were bickering, he looked so damn cute like that. "How about Storm? A nice, neutral nature name, and it's the thing that brought the two of us together."
I couldn't help but grin. "That's kinda cute. I never took you to be so sentimental."
He huffed. "Well, it's your fault."
"Storm is nice, but I think it's too close to Starry," I pointed out.
"Ugh, that's true."
Red joined me in collapsing against the grass. We stared up at the blue sky together from beneath the swaying rustle of leaves.
