Chapter 107: Hundred and seven

RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV

"I can't believe this is happening. This is all my fault Riven. If Lena weren't my friend, none of this would be happening to her." Hazel got out, her voice laced with agitation. She clutched at her hair, then looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes. "Why does this keep happening, Riven? Why do I bring so much suffering to anyone close to me?"

I shook my head, hating that she would even think that she brought anything but joy to those around her. She was literally the only color in my bleak, horrid existence; if she hadn't come into my life, I would have lost myself.

"Hey, hey, hey" I whispered, approaching her carefully. "None of what is happening is your fault," I said firmly. "Don't ever say that again. How long have you been friends with Lena, huh? How many good things happened to her because you were in her life? Don't only focus on the negative things, try to think about the positives too!"

She shook her head, evading my touch. "How can you tell me to focus on anything positive. Raphael is being held hostage by a deranged lunatic—The same guy you told me Julian hired to kill my parents. What if he hurts Raphael—" she said, her words cutting off, her eyes widening in horror. "What if he's... What if he's already dead..."

I grabbed her by the shoulder, my gaze pinning her wild ones. "Enough Hazel! Raphael is alive and I am going to do everything in my power to get him back. I won't let that bastard kill him, got it!" I gritted out, shaking her gently to get her to focus.

She sucked in a sharp breath and then let it out. "What are you going to do, Riven?" she asked, biting down on her trembling lips. The anxiety I saw on her face made my chest ache.

"I am going to make that bastard regret his decision to mess with us," I said, my gaze hardening.

Ksar was the reason Hazel could hardly breathe right now and it made me see red. Everything was going so well, so how dare he ruin it? He'd dared to come after Hazel and I was going to make him pay for it.

My fingers twitched and I knew exactly how Ksar was going to end up tonight. I was going to squeeze the life out of him until he turned blue and his blood vessels burst.

I reached for Hazel's face, and this time, she let me touch her. "And I'll make sure to get Raphael back to Lena. That is a promise."

She let out a breath at my touch, her eyes closing for a second, and then she blinked, her glassy eyes staring into mine.

"How are you going to do that? From what you told me before, Ksar is very dangerous, right? What if he already knows that Lena is going to betray him," she asked, her eyes shaking in their socket.

I held her gaze, leaning forward, my hands gripping the back of her neck. "Do you trust me, little rabbit?"

Her gaze dropped, her throat moving as she swallowed. "It's not that I don't trust that you can take care of this," she got out, then looked up at me. "I'm just afraid that something could go wrong. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't think I'll be able to—" Mph!" she gasped as I cut her words off with a bruising kiss, my thumb pressing against her pulse point, the steady beat of it making the blood in my veins heat up.

Our lips moved, my tongue tangling with hers. Spark shot down my spine as her body slowly melted against mine, her hand inching up and gripping at my arms the longer we kissed.

My heart burned in my chest, the euphoric feeling she evoked in me overwhelming my senses.

I pulled back as her hand pushed against my heated flesh, my gaze searching her as she struggled to catch her breath.

She panted hard, her head dropping forward to rest against my chest.

I stroked her hair gently, loving the feel of the silky smooth strands against my fingertips

"I'll never let anything go wrong, Hazel. I promise not to get hurt. No matter what happens, I'll always come back to you," I said, and she glanced up at me.

"Swear it! Not even a scratch, Riven"

"I swear it," I said, and she let out a shaky breath, her hands reaching up to caress my face.

"Okay," she said, her gaze becoming determined. Her hands dropped to her side. "So what are you going to do about Raphael. How are you going to rescue him? I don't want him to die."

I smirked, then gripped her jaw, my eyes boring into hers. "It makes me very jealous when you care about another man, little rabbit."

Her brows dipped, her eyes flaring a bit. "What? Why would you be jealous? Raphael is not even a competition. He's just like a little brother to me."

My eyes narrowed. Even if she viewed him that way, the same couldn't be said for him.

The boy was clearly in love with her, and I bet if he weren't such a coward, he would have fought me for her.

I knew it was bad to want to wring the life out of him for how he looked at Hazel in the past before all of this happened, but I couldn't help it. The only thing stopping me was Hazel. If I hurt the little brat, she was going to hate me for it, and having Hazel hate me was the same as dying.

I tilted forward, my gaze pinning hers. "Don't worry, I'll get your little brother back. He'd better keep his hand to himself this time, though, or we're going to have a problem."

She let out a sigh, then gripped my arms. "Stop being a jealous psycho and tell me what to do."

"I'll talk with Gabriel and then we'll come up with something. For now, just sit here and wait for me," I said, and she nodded.

I could tell she was still anxious.

"It'll all be over soon. I promise" I assured her, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"What do you think, boss? If we break into groups, it would be easier to find Raphael while dealing with Ksar at the same time."

I nodded. It was the same plan I had. "We'll break into groups of four. Arrange our men. I'll brief them on what their task would be," I ordered, and Gabriel nodded, then he met my gaze.

"Are you really going to kill him?" He asked, his gaze probing into mine. "If you go against your father and kill Ksar, Victor might come for you."

I smirked, turning away from him. "He won't. He doesn't have the balls to go against me. Besides, I have dirt on him that could put him away for life."

"Do not underestimate him Riven. We are talking about blood here. Victor will make sure to find his son's killer no matter what. He knows he can't attack you, but he will do everything he can to get back at you," Gabriel cut in, his jaw clenching. "I think you should just teach Ksar a lesson and let him go."

Just the suggestion alone had my blood boiling. "If I let him leave and he does something to harm Hazel, I will never forgive myself. A deranged lunatic like Ksar is not going to stop, no, he's only going to get bolder, especially once he senses fear. I am Riven Blackwood. I fear no one."

Gabriel nodded, then straightened. "What do you want me to do, boss"

"Gather the men. We are going to pretend to give that bastard what he wants. He's going to fall into my trap before he realizes, and then it'll all be over," I said, picturing it in my head.

And if Victor dared to come after me, he was going to die too.