CHAPTER 18
I sat curled up on the couch, just staring into the fire that Raven had lit up earlier. I have been thinking about last night, and my nerves haven’t settled since I felt Raven’s soft lips against mine. I don’t remember much apart from what he told me, but I haven’t been able to even ask him why he kissed me, I didn’t want.
A part of me feared that if I asked him, he might get angry or lash out at me. I stared at him as he lay on the floor staring at the roof and realized how lucky I am that he has been here this whole time helping me.
My mind got interrupted from the dirty thoughts when I heard the faint hum of engines outside; the calmness around the forest was gone. Raven’s head snapped toward the sound before I could even stand. His body tensed, muscles flexing beneath his black shirt as his eyes darkened. “Stay here,” he muttered, voice sharp but low.
I swallowed. “Who is it?”He didn’t answer, only pulled the curtain slightly to peek outside. A stream of headlights flooded the front yard. Five black SUVs rolled to a stop, their engines cutting off in perfect unison.
The silence that followed was agonizing; you could hear even the crunch of a branch under someone’s weight.
Raven’s jaw tightened. “Damn it,” he hissed under his breath. He turned and looked at me with a stern look on his face.“Aine, I need you to look for a place to hide, a good one.”
My heart stilled, and I looked at him, confused and fearful. “Hide? What’s going on?”
“Do as I say, don’t come out no matter what happens.” He turned, his tone clipped, eyes hard and cold in a way I hadn’t seen before. “Raven, who are these people?”
“They’re a mafia gang, very dangerous people.
That’s why I need you to hide.” I looked at him, my mouth hanging open. What does he mean by mafia? Before I could move, a deep voice boomed from outside.
“Raven Cross! We have been looking for you! We’re only here to collect what’s ours!”Raven cursed again, grabbed a gun from the drawer near the fireplace, and motioned toward the hallway.
“Go, hide. Don’t make a sound.” But I couldn’t move. Fear had my legs frozen right on the spot. “What do they want from you?” He looked at me, pain flickering across his face for a second before disappearing to a cold, unreadable expression.
“They are looking for something, and they think I have it. Go, Aine. Please.” I realized how serious the situation is and quickly snapped out of the shock state I was in and forced myself to move. My feet barely touched the floor as I ran, but I didn’t make it to the study before the front door exploded open.
Gunfire erupted, and the loud, violent sounds tore through the air. I screamed in fear and dropped to the ground.
Raven spun and fired back, his movements sharp and precise, like he had been doing this for a long time. I turned to look at him, and for a split second, I realized I am surrounded by people who are capable of anything; his dangerous side is clear as daylight. I have also done some bad things, carried a gun, but he looked different now, scary.
“Go!” he shouted again, ducking behind a column as bullets tore into the walls. I crawled across the floor, trembling so hard I could barely keep my hands steady. My ears rang; every shot fired was like thunder in my chest.
I felt someone grab my arm and yanking me to the side, I screamed and yanked my arm, but it was Raven. “We have to move.”
“There’s a tunnel under the cellar, and we can escape through that.” I started moving towards the basement, so many questions running through my mind, regretting everything I had chosen to do with my life, what if I die today, what will I say I accomplished in life?
We reached the cellar door just as Kai appeared from below, holding another gun, his expression unreadable. “Alpha, the east wall’s gone!”
“Have you called for backup? ” Raven asked, Kai nodded, then turned and ran toward the noise, firing as he went toward them.
My stomach twisted. “Where the fuck is he going? They're going to kill him if he's alone." Raven grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.“He won’t be alone for long, go.” He kicked open the door, and we stumbled down into the darkness.
The air was damp and cold, the only light coming from the small flashlight Raven had clipped to his belt. My breath came out in sharp bursts as we reached the bottom.
Raven stopped at the far wall and kicked at a loose section of bricks. A metal hatch clanged open. “In here.”
“What is this?”
“Stop asking so many fucking questions, just go,” he said shortly. “Now.” I rolled my eyes and crawled into the small tunnel, my hands shaking in fear of confined spaces. The space was narrow as my shoulders brushed the wall, and it smelled like old, musty water.
Raven followed right behind me, closing the hatch above us just as another round of bullets hit the ceiling. The sound faded slowly as we crawled deeper. My palms were slick with sweat, and I could hear the rasp of Raven’s breathing close behind.
“Why are they after you?” I asked after a few minutes of silence, I wasn't able to keep quiet and not ask him. If they shoot me and I die, I need to know what I died for.
He hesitated. “Because I used to work with them.” I froze. “You what?”
“It was before I became Alpha,” he said, his voice tight. “I did things I’m not proud of. They don’t forgive debts easily.” The words felt heavy in the confined space. I didn’t know what to say to him that won't upset him or make him feel bad.
I wanted to shout at him and ask him why he didn't tie the loose ends. If he betrayed them, why didn't he kill them to avoid being followed and endangering lives? But all I could do was crawl forward, terrified and shaking.
When we finally reached the tunnel’s end, I pushed open another hatch and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the cool night air rushed in. I climbed out, stumbling onto the wet grass.
Raven emerged behind me, closing the hatch and catching his breath. His shirt was torn, smudged with dirt and smoke. There was a thin cut along his temple. I stared at him, heart pounding. “You could’ve told me,” I said quietly.
He met my gaze, jaw tight. “I didn’t want you dragged into this.”
“Too late for that.” He exhaled, rubbing his face. “Yeah.” We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us staring out into the forest. I sat there and wondered if this is what my life has come to. Running every day?
My hands were still trembling. I could feel tears burning behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
“What now?” I whispered. Raven glanced at the trees. “We stay here until Kai arrives; we can't leave without him.” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the shaking. My body still felt cold from the adrenaline.
“They wanted to kill you, or take you with them,” he said softly, staring out into the dark forest. My heart skipped a beat, taken aback by his words. “Me? Why?” He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.
“Because they know what you are, Aine. And they know what your blood can do.” I took a step back, fear rising again. “You said they wanted you.”
“I thought they did,” he admitted. “But if that vampire told them about you…” His words trailed off, leaving me cold.
“What are you talking about? What does the mafia gang and the vampire have to do with anything?” I asked, my voice trembling.
He looked at me sharply. “They do actually connect; these kinds of people work together all the time." I shook my head, stepping away. "This is your fault, and now you're trying to pin this on me?" Pain flickered across his face unguarded. “That’s not what I meant—”
“I don’t care what you meant!” My voice cracked, louder than I intended. “I don't even know what it is that you want from me. You said it was never going to work, remember? You said a witch and an Alpha don’t mix!” He winced.
“I said it because I thought it would keep you safe. I didn’t think they’d come for you, too.” The anger drained from me all at once, leaving exhaustion and fear. I dropped to the ground, hugging my knees.
Raven crouched in front of me, his voice softer now. “Please forgive me for involving you in this, but I will make sure that they never get to you.” I looked up at him, unable to tell if that was a promise or a lie. A faint sound or voice interrupted our bonding. Raven’s head snapped up. He grabbed my hand again, pulling me to my feet. “We have to move.”