Ravenswood

Chapter Thirty-Five

Paxton looked at the invitation and was wrecked with emotions. There she was smiling brightly in a yellow dress he had never seen her in. The funeral was tomorrow. It seemed so fast. But Andersen said the Devereux witches had specifics in relation to their deaths. "I can't be here." Paxton whispered as he put the invitation down and made his way for the front door.

Before he could reach the handle, Petra was in front of him. He could tell by her puffy eyes that she had been crying. "Where do you think you're going?" Paxton didn't have time for his twin at the moment. "Get out of my way, Petra." She shook her head no. "You're not doing this right now, Pax. You can't run away. You have to be there tomorrow."

Paxton shook with emotion. "What for? She's already gone, Petra! The love of my life is dead, because of me! Because of our fucked up family! So, please tell me why I have to be there." Petra reached for her brother's hand and squeezed. "Cause you promised her you'd take care of her family."

The image of Isla covered in her own blood begging them to take care of her family flashed in his mind. He had promised. But it was a promise he couldn't keep. "I can't do this, Petra." Paxton moved her out of the way, but she was quick to get back in front of him.

"Paxton, you just –" With a flick of his wrist, Paxton snapped his sister's neck. She was going to be royally pissed when she woke up, but he didn't need her twin interference. He grabbed some blood bags and hyper sped his way to Austin, Texas.

Grey made his way to Paxton's around noon and found Petra on the ground rubbing her neck. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned. "I'm going to kill my brother that's for sure!" Grey looked at her confused. "He snapped my neck." "Wait! What? Why?" Petra shook her head as he helped her up. "Because Paxton doesn't handle grief well. He's running like he always does." Grey didn't like the sound of this. They needed to be a united front for the Devereux family. They should've been over there by now to see if they needed anything.

"Can you tell me where your brother went?" Grey asked while standing in the living room of Petra and Paxton's home. Petra sighed and took a seat on the sofa. "He went to Texas." Grey scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "Our mother is buried there." Grey understood. He was grieving. "Can you tell me where your mom's grave is exactly?" Grey smiled softly. "I'm going to bring our boy home."

Riel was much bigger since the mating process so using him as a means of transportation in broad daylight was no longer an option. He settled for the 3 hour flight to Austin and made his way by rental car to his destination.

Grey walked through the cemetery and made his way to the hunched over figure sitting down. Amelia Grace Solano-Pavlov was printed on the tombstone. "What are you doing here?" Paxton asked not looking up to see Grey. "We need you back home, Pax. Isla's family needs you." At the sound of his mate's name, Paxton was flooded with guilt and pain.

He knew he should be there for them, for her. He missed her so desperately. He was so afraid that this was his punishment. He was afraid he didn't deserve her, so fate took her from him. "I can't do that." Paxton sighed. "What do you mean? She was your mate for goodness sake. You can't just abandon her family during their time of need, especially after a promise you made."

"That I can't keep!" Paxton growled back looking into his eyes. "My family is the reason she is dead. My family is the reason her father was kidnapped. I'm a monster just like them." He whispered the last part as he shook his head, but Grey heard him. Grey sat beside Paxton and took a deep breath. "You are nothing like your family, Paxton. Trust me, as someone who has spent a majority of his life trying to be his father I know when someone is doing the polar opposite." He gave Paxton a sad smile. "You love and care for others more than you do yourself and that is something that I'm sure you inherited from her not your dad," Grey motioned to Amelia's tombstone.

Paxton nodded. "My mother was light personified. She always smiled and laughed unless my father was involved. He had the distinct power to suck all joy and life out of any and everything." Grey understood. "Good thing you take after your mother. You don't have anything to be afraid of. You could've never hurt Isla, because you would've never wanted to and I would've never let you." Paxton smiled at him.

"You also don't have to be afraid to love and be there for her family. She wouldn't blame you for what your grandfather and father did." This was what he needed to hear, Grey was sure of it. "Thank you, Grey." The two stood up brushing their pants off. "Now can we speed back to Massachusetts. We have a mate's family to support."