There were a couple small windows around the Seth and Alex Knight home that could be unlatched from the outside with a beak and a little ingenuity. On his way home, Seth focused on getting to the window in the master bath with a singular drive that shaved fifteen minutes off of the normal route. Even as a raven, Seth was determined to not look back.
It didn't take very long to shift back, or to get dressed in a sweater and some jeans, or to tidy the bedroom that Seth did not have time to mess. He started the coffee machine and then dumped it out and started a new batch when he realized how late it was, and then he dumped out that batch too and started a more caffeinated one again because he realized that if Alex did come back tonight, tonight was probably not going to end early.
Seth thought about the best ways to tell Allie certain things if she asked about them. He found different excuses to look at the clock, and in case she decided to go to Cassie's for the night, or to go somewhere else, Seth made sure that none of them were about his wife. He could have started getting ready for bed, or gone over his work for the coming Monday, but Seth wasn't thinking about work, and he'd decided to go to bed later that night. If he decided to sit in the kitchen, it was because he was waiting on the coffee machine. That the kitchen door was nearest to the garage was a coincidence.
He sat on the stool by the island counter nearest to the door and studied the clock. Since he'd returned to human form, some time had passed, but Seth's expression hadn't changed. He stayed focused on the clock but pretending he wasn't focused. He didn't know how long he was going to wait, but he knew he could have waited a lot longer when his ears suddenly picked up the sound of tires reaching the start of the long concrete driveway that lead up to the main house. Seth straightened and held his breath.
When he heard the car door slam, Seth smiled.
Depending on the route she chose, Alex could have gone through the kitchen or gone through the front. Seth guessed wrong, even though, in retrospect, he should have guessed right. Someone who wanted to be a guest instead of a resident was more likely to use the front. If she broke the front door, Seth wondered if she'd make him charge her. He could hear the force in each one of her determined footsteps. Seth knew she'd find him in a moment, so he stayed where he was.
Her eyes came into view a few seconds later. Alex's hair had more static and Seth didn't think he'd ever seen her look that angry. They were off plan now. Seth hadn't thought this far ahead. Every instinct told Seth to either get ready to meet the challenge or get away. She looked like she wanted to make him shift just so she could tear his wings off. This was not a time that Seth should have been happy to see his wife. But in that moment, right before she grabbed his face, Seth was.