Laurie Sorensen

I would like to welcome you to Ravenwood:  Night's Salvation.  Ravenwood is the masterpiece of my minds eye, a story so steeped in history, love and intrigue that this site can only give you a glimpse into the book itself, to experience Ravenwood in its entirety, You'll have to slink into a bookstore and get it...I wish you many happy page turnings in the reading of Night and Satine's beautiful Love story.

An excerpt from…       

Ravenwood:

Night’s Salvation

by

Laurie Sorensen

      Night looked up into the sky; then sun was almost directly overhead.  It was just about midday.  “Time for a rest old boy,” Night said, patting Dumas’ neck; thought he was reasonably certain that his horse didn’t need a rest as much as he did.  Looking around, Night saw a small stream.  Trotting over to it, he was pleased there would be water to give Dumas.  As his horse drank, Night sat himself beneath the largest, gnarly oak tree he had ever seen.  It reminded him of the oak tree from his childhood. The happy memory brought a small, fleeting smile.  This oak, as had the one from his childhood, shaded him as he ate his noontime meal. Absently he looked over at Dumas, who was quite happily munching on the lush grass around him.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a horse? No worries, no title and no marriage to a girl I don’t know. Well duty is what duty is. He got up, took the reins and slipping the apple out of his pocket, gave it to a very appreciative Dumas.

      “So be it,” Night said, lightly touching Dumas’ nose. “Marriage and title, neither one wanted, but both a duty.”  He hoisted himself back into the saddle and set Dumas to a trot.  His mind wandered to his ship and the little boy who had signed on as crew just before he came home. Have I done the right thing by allowing him to stay aboard?

      Jones; yes that was his name. He had not yet gotten a posting address for the little imp.  Night knew that he would likely see him at the wedding, knowing Damon’s untrusting nature.  He would bring the boy with him when he returned for the wedding. I will ask him once again for his posting when they arrive for the ceremony. Marriage! I am only four and twenty, why should I have to wed now? And who is it I’m to marry? Probably some simpering little fool who’s been scared senseless into thinking that sex is strictly to procreate children.  Damn Jason’s eyes for dying on me.  What right had he to die, leaving me to fulfill his destiny? This isn’t what I wanted. I’m a second son, a nobody, of no account, of no use to anyone. Except now I must be something I’m not, something I never wanted to be. Damnation! Why am I so honorable?

      Dumas must have felt Night’s agitation; he started to move erratically, letting his master know he wasn’t pleased.  Without warning, he came to a dead stop, throwing Night into a small pond. Shock seeped through Night, just as the water did through his clothes. He looked at his damned horse, who appeared very smug indeed. Instead of cursing him as he started to do, Night laughed. A deep hearty laugh; one that went all the way through him. He sat in the pond, laughing and shaking his head. Finally able to pull himself together, he waded through the pond to the edge, looked Dumas in the eye and proceeded to pat his neck. “I know, I was brooding and you didn’t like it. You certainly put me in my place, now didn’t you?” Night said. As if understanding every word, Dumas whinnied and butted his shoulder.

An excerpt from…

Ravenwood:

Night’s Salvation

by

Laurie Sorensen

     Upon waking the next morning, early as usual, Night found himself alone on the mattress. He rose up looking around, finding Satine in the water of the pond. She had waded in up to her buttocks, but he still had a lovely view of them. She was singing in a soft voice.  He got out of the bed and as silently as possible, came up behind her in the water. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lifted her up and nuzzled her neck.

     Satine leaned back against him, tilting her head to give him better access to her neck. After he kissed her there, he released her and she turned towards him. His hair was all tousled and he looked like a rogue that had spent the night with his lover and left in a hurry to be gone in the morn.  She smiled up at him.

     “What was the smile for?”

     “You look like a rogue, my rogue,” she said as she rose up on tiptoes to kiss his mouth. She lost her balance and as she swayed into him, he wound his arms about her body, kissing her passionately.

     “Can you swim?” he asked her.

     “Of course I can.”                                       

     At that, he picked her up in his arms and carried her into deeper water. Once there, he let go of her long enough for her to go completely under. When she came back up sputtering water, he took hold of her in front of him.

     “That was a cruel thing to do, sir,” Satine said.

     “How else was I to have you at my mercy?” Night replied, smiling like a devil as he kissed her. “You are much too tender to do what I wish to do this morning.  So I will be the gentleman I am, and just take you home.”

     He carried her to the shore, kissing her once more before letting her down. Looking around he noticed that someone had brought them towels and food for breakfast.  How had he not heard them come and go? He was bemused at how Satine was already changing the way he was.

     He was the first to be dressed. He gathered things up into one area so that whoever came here later to retrieve their belongings wouldn’t have to spend too much time doing so.

     Satine was struggling into her gown, as she had no ladies maid to help her.  She was on the edge of asking Night for assistance, when she felt his fingers deftly doing up the fastenings. She turned to look at him and had to laugh. He has his tongue slightly out of his mouth as he concentrated on doing it properly.

     “Stop giggling, it makes it harder to do these tiny things up.”

     “I can’t help it; you look so cute doing that.”

     Once they were both completely dressed again, Night went to fetch the horses only to discover that they were gone. They were nowhere in sight. He felt a moment of slight panic as the sailor in him thought they had been taken to get Satine and him alone. Then he thought that maybe they had just gone back to the stable, being tired of waiting got them to come back.

     Satine came up behind him. “They took the horses back with them this morning, there should be a carriage just outside the trees,” she said as she started walking through the trees.

     She had done it again, she’d read his thoughts.  How and why did she do that? “Do you do that on purpose? Night asked her.

     She stopped walking and turned towards him. “Do what on purpose?”

     “Read my thoughts. Know what I am thinking or what I am going to say.”

      “I was not aware I was doing such a thing. Why do you say I was?”

     Incredulous, Night stared at her. “I was just standing here wondering about Dumas and Stryker, and all of a sudden you say they had been taken back to the manor house, as if you had been in my head, listening to my thoughts. It’s unsettling.”

     Satine just stood there and blinked at him. “You think I did it on purpose?”

     “Well it isn’t the first time you have done it.  It fascinates me; everything about you does.”   

     “I certainly didn’t mean to read your thoughts, I was just drawing the natural conclusion about what you might be thinking since I knew what had happened to the horses and you didn’t.”

     Night felt the need to hold her, so he walked forward and took her in his arms. “Please don’t ever change. You will always surprise me, I’m sure of it.”