Chapter 232
Elowen's POV
Raven's eyebrow arched, that infuriating smirk playing at his lips. "You know I can hear your thoughts, sweetheart."
My breath caught. Of course he could. Fucking demon.
"You're terrified," he continued, his voice almost gentle. "Not of me. Not of losing them." He gestured lazily toward Casper and Cassian. "You're afraid that whatever game the Moon Goddess wants to play will take too long. That you won't be able to stomach watching them parade Sarah around. That you'll break before we even get started."
I sucked in a breath, hating how exposed I felt. How seen.
"Am I close?" Raven tilted his head, studying me like I was some fascinating puzzle.
Too fucking close, Juno growled in my mind.
"That's not—" I started, but the words died in my throat.
Because he was right. Partially.
"That's not all of it," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Raven's expression shifted, something almost like curiosity flickering in those red eyes. "Then enlighten me."
I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite Casper's warmth beside me. "What if... what if during all of this, they realize they're not actually my destined mates? What if they find their second-chance mates? Or what if they actually fall for Sarah and choose her?"
My voice cracked on the last word. I hated how pathetic I sounded, but I couldn't stop the words from spilling out.
"What if I lose them for real?"
My lips trembled. Tears burned at the edges of my vision, threatening to spill over.
My hand drifted to my stomach, pressing against the barely-there swell. I nodded slowly, not trusting my voice.
Because it wasn't just about losing them. It was about the consequences.
"It's not just losing them I'm afraid of," I whispered. "It's... it's the aftermath."
Casper's hand found mine, squeezing gently. Through our bond, I felt his confusion, his concern.
"Who's going to protect them?" The words burst out of me. "Who's going to protect our children from Ethan? From Sarah? From—" My voice broke. "From their own parents, if Cassian and Casper decide I'm not worth it after all?"
Grimm, who'd been lying quietly at Raven's feet, suddenly stood. The massive hellhound padded over, his huge body inserting itself between me and where Raven knelt. His head pressed against my thigh, warm and solid and real.
Raven's gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw something in his eyes that looked almost like... decency.
"No one," he said, his voice low and serious in a way I'd never heard before, "and I mean no one—not Ethan, not Sarah, not even the Moon Goddess herself—will harm your children. Or you. Or take what's yours."
The certainty in his voice made my heart stutter.
"I promise you that, Elowen Hartley."
Grimm let out a low howl, as if seconding the statement. His head remained pressed against my leg, a warm weight of solidarity.
Can we trust him? I asked Juno silently. Is it wrong to believe a demon?
She didn't answer. Which was answer enough.
I looked at my mates—at Cassian's ice-blue eyes filled with pain, at Casper's amber gaze burning with barely controlled fury. I thought about our children, growing inside me. About the impossible choice Selene had given us.
I licked my lips. Nodded.
"Okay."
Because really, what other choice did I have?
Cassian moved then, his movements stiff and controlled. He approached Raven, and I could see the effort it took him not to attack the demon.
"Is there..." His voice was rough, thick with emotion. "Is there a way to make her remember? To let her know we love her more than we ever thought possible?" He swallowed hard, his hands clenched into fists. "Is there a way to make it hurt less for her?"
Oh, Cassian.
My gaze snapped to Raven, hope fluttering in my chest like a caged bird.
The demon's silence stretched out, heavy and suffocating. He looked... anxious. Like he was turning something over in his mind, weighing options I couldn't see.
Everyone held their breath. Even Grimm went still.
Finally, Raven spoke.
"Maybe." He paused. "But it's risky."
Casper let out a breath that sounded like a wounded animal. "Then we do it." His voice cracked. "I can't—I can't stand the thought of her hating us."
He looked at Cassian, and something passed between them. Some wordless communication that only twins could share.
They both nodded.
Then their eyes found me, and my heart fucking clenched at what I saw there.
Love. Fear. Desperation. Devotion.
"I know it's selfish," Casper added, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "But I need you to remember how much we love you."
I bit my lip, nodding. Unable to speak because if I did, I'd start crying and never stop.
But I agreed. God help me, I agreed.
Because this might be a risk, but we had to take it.
We had no other choice.
Raven's grin widened, sharp and dangerous. "Well then. We've already taken enough risks, haven't we?" He rose from his crouch, standing to his full height. "What's one more?"
He extended his hand toward me, palm up. An invitation. A threat.
"I need you to trust me."
"But—" I started.
"Not you."
His eyes pinned me in place, and I felt my blood run cold.
What?
I felt Juno stir beneath my surface, pushing forward. Curious. Wary. She moved to press against the back of my eyes, wanting to see. Wanting to understand.
Her entire presence trembled with trepidation, and through our connection, I knew.
He wasn't talking to me.
He was talking to her.
"Juno," Raven said, his voice taking on a different quality. Coaxing. Almost... respectful? "I know you're listening. I know you don't trust me much, and I understand why. But I also know that this plan working means everything to me."
There was something in his voice. Something raw and real that I hadn't heard before.
A flicker of genuine emotion.
I felt Juno surge forward then, just like she had in the bedroom yesterday. Taking control. Pushing me aside as she commandeered my thoughts, my body, my connection to both men.
Juno? I called out, but my own voice felt distant. Muffled.
I was a passenger in my own body.
"I know you have the gift of foresight," Raven continued, his gaze never leaving—well, leaving my eyes, but I knew he was looking at Juno. "Let me show you why this means everything to me. Maybe then you'll understand. Maybe then you'll trust me enough to help."
He paused, and I felt Juno's attention sharpen.
"Because to do what they want—to ease her pain even a little—I need your help."
Foresight? My thoughts spun, confused and disoriented. What the hell is he talking about?
Through the purple tint that now colored my vision—Juno's eyes, I realized with a start, they're purple—I watched Raven extend his hand further.
Toward me.
Toward her.
His eyes flickered with hellfire, deep crimson and burning.
"Juno?" I whispered, my voice not quite my own.
My gaze darted around the cathedral, searching for my mates.
Casper was moving forward slowly, his movements catching Grimm's attention. The hellhound's ears perked up, suddenly alert. Cautious.
Cassian stood still, his eyes locked on me—on us—with an intensity that was somehow comforting despite everything.