Winston walked into Gabriel's office and cleared his throat, the vampire looked up from the paperwork he was studying.

“A letter for you Sir.” The butler presented the letter to him on a silver tray.

“Leave it on the desk please Winston.” Replied Gabriel as he went straight back to his paperwork. The dwarf placed the letter on the desk in front of the eldest brother and left his office as quietly as he’d entered it. Gabriel reached over and picked it up absentmindedly, opening the envelope, and extracting the note he held it folded as he continued to read the papers in front of him.

After a while, he remembered the paper in his hand and opened the note, a brief glance at it had him sitting up straighter and reading it properly. Putting it down he picked it back up again and read it again before putting it down yet again. Grabbing a piece of paper he wrote a letter of his own and put it in another envelope, scrawled a name across the front before quickly lighting a red candle and dripping some of the wax onto the back. Removing the signet ring from his index finger he stamped the image of Zeus’ eagle into the still-warm wax.

“Winston?” he bellowed as he leapt up from his desk and grabbing the first letter, ran from his office. “Winston?”

“Sir?” Enquired the dwarf as the vampire nearly knocked him over in his rush to catch up to him on the landing. The Vampire barely seemed to notice the collision as he righted the dwarf and pressed his replying letter in his hands.

“I need this sent back to her. We have her, we’ve found her.”

“Who Sir?” He took the letter and read the hastily written name on the front. “Very good Sir I will get it dispatched immediately.” Gabriel watched the dwarf walk off then read the letter in his hand again as if he thought the words would change. He couldn’t make it sink in, even knowing it was possible, seeing it there in black and white in front of his eyes, he knew it was possible, but the confirmation in black and white before his eyes wouldn’t sink in. He had to find his brothers. Telling them might make it sink in.

Rouge walked unsteadily, holding onto Raphael's arm.

“I can carry you,” he said earnestly.

“No thank you.” They walked slowly across the lawn as she leant heavily on him. She was tired of being cooped up in the hospital after days of laying on her back. Her arms were starting to heal and she was feeling stronger again. The sun felt good on her aching body as she walked slowly holding onto her vampire.

Reaching the gazebo by the lake and Amaranth’s tree, Raphael helped her to sit on one of the benches inside and sat beside her.

“It's nice out here, the fresh air is making me feel alive again.” She took a deep breath. “But it's not as nice as our cabin in our clearing.” He smiled at her.

“Our cabin? You used to call it my cabin.” She shrugged and rubbed the stubble on her head.”

“It just became home at some point in the last couple of years.” Azura landed on the bench next to her and cawed. Smiling, she petted the bird.

“Once you're all healed and well again we’ll go back to the Hidden Isle.” He watched her wanting to ask her but unsure how. So he just sat quietly watching her fuss over the bird.

“There's something you're not saying.” She looked up at him and cocked her head.

“How do you do that?”

“I’d say it's because I’m a witch, but I'd be lying. You always just stare at me quietly when there's something on your mind that you don't know how to bring up.”

“I want to ask you something.”

“What?” He rubbed his face and looked down at the bird as it looked up at him with her head cocked to one side.

“I know I never wanted to before, but if I’d marked you would have felt it when you were taken from this dimension.”  She put her hand up to her throat and felt where her mirror and ribbon used to be.

“We found it near your father's home.” Reaching into his trouser pocket he pulled free the ribbon with her mirror pendant on it. She smiled as he leaned over and gently tied it around her neck. She caressed the mirror with her fingertips as she gazed at him lovingly.

“It was never me that didn't want your mark. You never wanted to mark me.”

“I had to put it on a new ribbon, the old one was slashed. It was never that I didn't want to, I was afraid to, I didn’t want to hurt you or disgust you.”

“You could never disgust me.” They sat in silence for a moment just gazing at each other.

"You didn't see me when I killed all those creatures to get to you. I was an animal. What's inside me is an animal." Rouge put her hand on his and was about to say something when another voice cut over hers.

“Mind if we join you?” Cassiel grinned at them as he escorted Kaia into the gazebo and helped her to a seat. She was dressed in a long white dress, a large floppy straw hat and a pair of dark lensed glasses but none of it hid how skeletal the poor hind was.

"Kaia?" Rouge sat forward as she spoke and peered under the wide-brimmed hat.

"Yes." Smiled, the girl from under the huge brim.

"It's nice to finally see you. Well sort of laughed, the witch.

"My eyes can't handle the light yet. So silly hat it is for me." Laughed the doe.

"I still cannot believe I am here and not in that hole. I keep thinking I will wake up back there."
"It must be so strange after so much time."

"It is strange and wonderful. So many new things to learn in this world. The bath, what an amazing thing, a pool of hot water in a house. Oh and cake. Have you eaten cake? Cake is amazing." Both Rouge and Raphael laughed.

"You're helping her get a balanced diet then Cas." The witch winked at the hybrid. "Yeah cake is pretty good. You should try chocolate cake and ice cream." Raphael looked down at Rouge

"You like chocolate cake and ice cream?"

"I'd live on it if it was an option."

"Why didn't I know that?"

"There's no chocolate on the Isle or ice cream for that matter." He raised his eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully. 

"Can I have some of this chocolate cake and ice cream? Is it something we can get?" Kaia asked Cassiel. He laughed and winked at her.

"I have never in my life disappointed a lady. If your heart desires chocolate cake and ice cream I shall provide chocolate cake and ice cream." The four laughed and chattered about nothing in particular for a while. 

"What will you do now you are free?" Raphael hugged Rouge as she asked.

"I do not know. My sisters are gone and Marie tells me my home in Ceryneia is no more. I cannot just freely roam the woodland any longer as man has changed and will hunt me." She looked lost and alone dwarfed by the hat and ill-fitting dress she suddenly looked like a lost child.

“Not that you have not all been wonderful. I just feel a little lost in this new world. I don’t know where I fit anymore. I prayed to Artemis, I hope she may answer me.”

"If we speak to Duncan I am sure he would ask his father if you would be welcome on the Hidden Isle where we have a home. There's woodland there and no humans. Just the wolf pack and us."

"He won't mind, they took an ugly arse vampire in, they will take a pretty hind." They all looked round to see the huge wolf with his arm draped around the shoulders of his petite mate.

"That's so nice of you, you've all done so much for me and don't even know me." Marie and Duncan took a seat in the gazebo with the others.

“Gabriel is trying to establish a strong chapter of the Olympian army here in his family's home. Helping people is a big part of what he does.” Said Marie as she smiled at the doe.

“Gabriel? I have heard this name many times now.”

“My eldest brother, you’ll meet him soon enough. You’ll know him when you do. He’s always very composed and proper, like Winston, only more annoying.” Cassiel laughed as Raphael nudged him with his foot.

“I wouldn’t have my Red back if it hadn't been for him.” For the first time in his life, Raphael saw Gabriel for what he really was. A man just trying to right a few wrongs that he never committed. "Well him and your friend."

***

Gabriel raced across the lawn looking for any of his brothers to tell his news to, usually, he was tripping over brothers but now he wanted one and they had all disappeared. He saw Duncan and Marie strolling casually towards the gazebo and jogged after them to tell them the news. Spying Cassiel and Raphael with Rouge and what must be the Ceryneian Hind who he'd yet to meet he jogged a bit faster towards them that odd cinnamon smell vaguely catching his attention again but he was too excited to really register it.

"I've found her. I know where she is. It’s really her." He called out as he drew closer to the group blurting out his news like an over-excited child. 

"Who?" Called back Cassiel "is she a looker? I’ll consider a good personality and sparkling wit." Everyone rolled their eyes at the young Casanova. As Gabriel reached the gazebo, he grabbed one of its uprights and grinned ear to ear.

"I've found….." His grin faded as his eyes turned black, and his fangs lengthened, the full force of her cinnamon scent hit him like a tornado waking his demon with a vengeance.

“Who?” Asked Cassiel again as Raphael frowned at his older brother's sudden change of demeanour, he placed a protective arm around his bride as he took in his brother's eyes turning black and his fangs lengthening.

"My bride…."