Chapter 166
Elowen's POV
I stared at Raven. His red eyes glowed in the dark cathedral. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears.
"Your daughter," he repeated. His voice echoed off the stone walls. "That's what I want."
My hand flew to my stomach. A day ago, I didn't even know I was pregnant. I didn't know she was a girl. How could he know?
"Not happening." Cassian's voice cut through the air. Cold. Final.
I felt him through our bond. Rage. Pure rage. It burned through my veins like fire.
Casper stepped forward. His jaw tight. Muscles tense. "Take something else. Anything else."
Raven smiled. That terrible smile that made my skin crawl. He sat on the altar like it was a throne. His legs crossed. Casual. Like we were discussing the weather.
"I want your daughter not just because she'll be powerful." He paused. Let the words sink in. "There's another important reason."
My stomach dropped.
"I will be your daughter's fated mate!"
The world stopped.
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My knees felt weak.
"What?" The word barely came out.
"You heard me, sweetheart." Raven leaned forward. His elbows on his knees. "Your little girl? She's mine. Fated. Destined. Written in the stars or whatever bullshit the Moon Goddess calls it."
"No." I shook my head. "No, that's not—that can't be—"
"It's true." His smile widened. "I felt it the moment I sensed her. That pull. That connection. She's meant for me."
I looked at Cassian. Then Casper. Their faces showed the same shock I felt. The same horror.
"Impossible," Cassian said through gritted teeth.
"Nothing's impossible, pup." Raven stood up. Stretched like a cat. "Especially not for someone like me."
Casper's hands curled into fists. "You can't have her."
"I'm not joking around." Raven's voice suddenly filled my head. Only I could hear it. "Maybe you should pray to God instead. Because I need this to happen!"
I remembered how easily he'd thrown Ronan around earlier. Like he was nothing. Like a doll.
My eyes found Ronan on the floor. Still unconscious. His chest moved up and down. At least he was breathing.
"No." I grabbed Casper's arm before he could move. "Don't—"
Too late.
Cassian yanked Raven off the altar. His hands fisted in Raven's expensive shirt. Casper's fist connected with Raven's jaw. Hard. The sound echoed through the church.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Blood splattered on the stone floor. But Raven's eyes stayed calm. Almost bored.
He was letting them do this.
"Stop!" I screamed. My voice cracked. "Both of you, stop it!"
They didn't listen. Cassian held Raven while Casper kept hitting him. Each punch landed with a sick thud.
But Raven just smiled through the blood.
I reached for our mental link. The three-way bond that connected us.
"Listen to me!" My voice rang through their minds. Desperate. "If he really is our daughter's mate, we can make her reject him!"
Cassian's fist paused mid-swing.
"We can teach her." My words rushed out. Fast. Panicked. "We can show her what he really is. The evil inside him. We can guide her. Help her make the right choice!"
Cassian looked at me. His ice-blue eyes conflicted. Torn. Then he turned back to Raven and punched him again.
"She will be allowed to choose." Raven's voice stayed calm in my head. Like we were having tea. Not like he was getting beaten up. "I only ask that when the time comes, you let her decide. Don't block her path."
Cold ran down my spine. Every single vertebra. My hand pressed against my stomach. Protected what was inside.
Our daughter. My baby girl.
Raven flicked his wrist.
Cassian and Casper flew backward. Their bodies slammed against the cathedral wall. Hard enough to crack stone. They stuck there. Like magnets. Their arms spread wide. Their feet dangling off the ground.
Like Jesus on the cross.
"Let them go!" I rushed toward them.
Raven appeared in front of me. I didn't see him move. He was just... there. Blocking my way.
"Elowen, sweetheart." He sighed. Long and heavy. Almost sad. "Haven't you considered that I'm drawn to darkness too? Your daughter and I... we'd be perfect together."
Something tugged inside me. A pull I didn't understand. It blurred everything. Made me dizzy.
"You're insane!" Spit flew from my mouth. Landed on his perfect black suit.
He grinned. "Yes. Probably."
I looked at Casper and Cassian. Still pinned to the wall. Their muscles straining. Fighting against invisible chains. Their silent struggle felt like the only hope left in this dark place.
My jaw set. My spine straightened.
"No." I said it clearly. Firmly. "The answer is no."
Raven tilted his head. Studied me. Like I was a puzzle he couldn't solve.
"Think carefully," he whispered. Stepped closer. "Think about what you're giving up."
"I don't care." My voice didn't shake this time. "You can't have her. You can't have any of them."