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</span>​</div><span style="font-family: 'Didact Gothic', 'sans-serif'">"Raelyn!" A defined, older voice called through the rather lavish home. Somehow, it was loud enough to echo through most of the nearby rooms. The dark haired woman rose her head upon hearing her name, she had been busy burying her nose into some police reports she'd managed to get her hands on. It was rather handy to be a witch, humans were open to so much persuasion it was embarrassing, for them. The woman flipped her folder shut before rising from the comfortable leather armchair she'd eased toward a cherry wood desk. It all seemed rather old and antique, and as much as she wished to change it, Grace refused to accept. Since Grace was still the leader, Raelyn had to obey her choices. The whole estate had remained in the way they'd arrived, it was just another home on the long list of property belonging to the coven.<br/>
<br/>
The female eased out from the study, dressed in her usual attire of well fitted dark jeans, a simple and slightly baggy t-shirt coupled with a pair of reasonably high booted heels. Raelyn always looked as if she put effort into her looks. Long dark curls brushed along her back down toward her elbows, glistening and full of volume. Her shapely figure was usually on display in one form or another, and that had earned her a rather alluring reputation, as had her attitude. Most covens seemed to attempt to meet with Grace alone, to avoid the pit bull of the Wrathbane coven. Dealing with Raelyn was akin to being stabbed multiple times, especially if it involved investigation. It wasn't always that way, before she had met the struggle of dealing with the expectations and the pressure of becoming a leader. Raelyn wanted to be free more than anything, but her life would never be that way. Time for freedom was over.<br/>
<br/>
"So, do we have a situation?" Grace was in her sixties, not that she looked it. The woman dyed her hair to cover the grey, she kept in shape as well as dressing appropriately for her figure. The coven head sat in a living room, it was decorated with dark crimson wallpaper that seemed to be a Victorian style. There were leather couches placed around a large rug that was a few different shades of red. They seemed to be positioned perfectly to align with the large marble fireplace that still functioned perfectly well. The crackle of wood burning was one of Raelyn's favorite sounds, ironically. There were only a few lamps in the room, and they barely lit the space enough to see her aunt fully. <br/>
<br/>
"Well..." The younger witch made her way to one of the couches, dropping down onto it with a mild huff. "From what I see, there's definitely something going on. Witness reports across the two cities all seem to be exactly the same story, something that was planted in their mind. It sounds like mind control to me; they're trying to throw the police onto a cult killing, which would be smart if they hadn't made the story almost exactly the same. I'm pretty certain they did that so we'd know what they are doing. I believe it's a declaration of war." Grace seemed to remain in silence as she thought, taking in the information that Raelyn had discovered. "It's almost dinner time, why don't you go cook. We'll discuss this later." <br/>
<br/>
Raelyn was seething as she left the living room. It wasn't the effort she'd put in to research or even hunting down the officer who could provide the case files, it was the fact that Grace still treated her like just another coven member. Surely by now Grace should've been looking at Raelyn like an equal, but the woman still kept her at an arms length. The frustration of the situation continued to grow as she began to prepare dinner, but thankfully dicing up some unsuspecting vegetables seemed to give some relief. Much like the rest of her coven, her sister Anna was out working. They had been focusing on getting their funds back up, which meant they had to pool together and get jobs. Over the past ten years, since they'd moved, they'd made a handsome amount. It was the way of their kind, after all. Merge with humans and live a good life.<br/>
<br/>
After some hours, the coven had returned home to a freshly made beef stew with home made rolls. They sat, drank wine and indulged in the hearty meal Raelyn had cooked too many times to count. Joyful conversation and pleasant chit chat filled the room; it was truly as if they'd found their home. It had taken some work to repair some damage from the weather as well as a few tired appliances, but in that moment they all seemed content with their work. Dinner time was always Raelyn's favorite; the girls would drink and chat, and it genuinely felt like family, even though most weren't blood related. They were bound by something far stronger than that, a magical bond. <br/>
<br/>
Once dinner was done and the washing up had been taken care of, most of the coven set off to bed. Raelyn took the rest of the red wine and made her way up to her bedroom that had a connected bathroom that she shared with Anna. It was a luxurious bathroom, accommodating a shower and a large claw foot tub. The hot water glistened with lavender oil, a signature scent she'd always had due to her love of using oils to bathe in. For the next hour, she drank wine and relaxed in the warm, relaxing bath. She did bring a book to read, but she ended up just day dreaming and truly relaxing for the first time in a few weeks. She thought of how she grew up, the pack they'd helped.. Lyfe. A gentle sigh escaped her as she contemplated the way she left, as she always did. It was a part of her life she'd rather forget, it wasn't an easy thing to do but she had to do it. He was most likely happily moving in life with his own family. <br/>
<br/>
By the time she stepped out of the tub, the household seemed to be asleep. Grace was most likely still in the living room reading some of the files that Raelyn had found. It didn't take Raelyn long to change for bed, some could debate it was dressing in hope that she would have company for the night. The more she'd matured, the more Raelyn took herself seriously as a woman, so she started dressing to reflect that. Lace, silk, satin, it was all fitting. That night, she'd picked just basic black <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F41%2F88%2F25%2F4188252e0b91e08a58cda8ee84acfd58.jpg&amp;hash=1b50c84966632064b5494884de7a74bb" href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/88/25/4188252e0b91e08a58cda8ee84acfd58.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">underwear</a>, along with a rather fancy robe she'd picked up a few days before. There was no denying her curved feminine figure. <br/>
<br/>
It had been an hour since she'd gone to bed, tossing and turning at the thoughts of awkward and regrettable moments in her life when she heard voices echoing from the lower floor. A soft grunt escaped her lips as she slipped from the soft linen sheets, grabbing her robe in the process. Grace must have been awake, and it was time she got some rest. It wasn't the first time Raelyn had to drag her aunt from work to rest. As she descended the stairs, the witch paused. There was a scent in the home, one she remembered. It smelled a little like forests, and a lot like dog. Confusion rippled over her features as she heard her aunt talking as if she was speaking to someone. Light footfalls echoed over the old wooden floorboards as Rae approached the large living room through the long hallway. Instead of simply listening, the female opened the double doors to take a few steps inside, "It stinks like dog in here, Grace," only to realize a pack of wolves sat over the leather sofas. The female paused for a moment. There was a face she remembered all too well.<br/>
<br/>
"Raelyn..." Grace gazed toward her niece with a familiar look; go make yourself scarce. "One of these days Grace, you're going to treat me like an equal." Despite standing there in very little clothing, the female wasn't going to be deterred from making her point. "Damnit, if I'm going to be the head of the coven I deserve to know when a pack of wolves is going to turn up in the middle of the night." The brunette gave a huff before turning on her heel and marching out of the room. She didn't even bother to reach for the doors. Somehow, she'd managed to avoid Lyfe's gaze, even though she'd been thinking about it the entire time she'd been in the room. It was daunting. She'd left without a word, and he was sitting in her home. Surely he didn't even care if she was there or not, right? <br/>
<br/>
Soon enough, she made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whisky from the cabinet before pouring a double into a tumbler and taking a long, desperately needed gulp. The sting of the alcohol caused her to hiss softly before shaking her head. How could he of all people turn up? What the hell were they there for? A soft sigh escaped her as she filled the glass a bit more. The kitchen was rustic and welcoming, despite her current feelings. Black marble topped the dark wood counters that almost matched the slate like floor. A large table sat in the middle of the spacious room, it was made from a lighter wood, as were the benches they sat on. Raelyn leaned back against the counter as she continued to nurse her drink. How on earth was she going to get through this?</span>