The Broken Raven - A Paradox Of Two Worlds Series Book 1

Chapter 39 - Clay

I was flexin', showing her what she was missing. I was anticipating her reaction. I didn't realise that I would hurt just as much as I hurt her. After she left, I got in my car and drove around in circles, trying to find her. I head over to her apartment, hoping she is there so I can apologise, but Brie tells me she didn't come home. I enter, take a seat on the couch, and wait.

I've been sitting here listening to Brie and Logan lecture me on what an asshole I am.

"I know!" I scream at them. Where is she? She hasn't responded to any of my calls or Brie's. I feel like a massive idiot. How do I fix a heart that I let down? Logan and I decide to drive around town again to search for her, but before we leave, a sense of fear catches my attention.

I know something is wrong because I can sense her fear and terror. I jump at the sound of the doorknob turning, and we all turn to see Raven, who is standing there with her face drenched in tears. She trembles as she runs into my arms, which surprises me. I hold her tightly to let her know I'm there, and she begins to pull away.

"Are you okay?" Brie asks. She shakes her head. "Look what you did, Clay?" Brie yells at me.

"It wasn't Clay." Logan interrupts, "Something else happened. I can hear the fear running through her veins." She looks over at Logan, about to respond to him, when she collapses. I catch her before she hits the floor and pick her up.

"Bring her to her bed now!" Brie demands. I lay her down while Brie gets a wet cloth and water. "What just happened?" Logan asks.

"I don't know; all I know is that it was bad if she was this scared." I lean against the wall by her bedside, hands in my hair; I slide down the wall. While Logan sits at her desk, I can feel his eyes on me.

"She wouldn't have gone out alone if I hadn't pulled that stupid stunt today, therefore, I'm completely to blame. If she had been with me, she would have been safe." I close my eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"You can't blame yourself for this; we don't know what happened," Logan says, trying to reassure me. Brie walks in, places the cup at her bedside, and puts the cloth on her forehead. Her tattoos glow bright blue as her hand touches Raven's head, and a gust of wind pushes Brie away.

"What the hell was that?" I'm so confused. I had never seen anything like that before.

"Her magic is keeping her safe." She steps toward Raven. "It's okay, Ray, it's just me." She places her hand on her head again. Raven's chest rises, and her body relaxes.

"Why did she collapse?" Logan asks softly.

"The only thing I can think of is that she exerted herself using too much power. She is powerful, but her body isn't used to it." Brie puts her head down and says, "Please wake up."

⁂

She eventually opens her eyes after what seems like hours. I feel like a complete asshole, my face is pale, and I look up at this lovely girl, not knowing how to solve this, as Brie hands her the water. She is still trembling. She glances around and turns her attention to me.

"Are you able to tell us what happened?" Logan asks her softly; she nods and explains everything—she was in danger, and I wasn't there. My heart breaks at what she went through. I can't express how much of an asshole I feel right now for doing what I did.

"I'm going to kill them!" I can already feel my fangs coming out, and my eyes are blazing. My hands clench into fists. I'm ready to kill those guys just for touching her. "So am I." Logan agrees and stands up.

"Sloane knows," Raven says quietly. We all turn to look at her, our expressions a mix of shock and horror.

"Are you sure?" Brie practically freaks out.

"I wasn't sure before, but she does now; Alec said she had thought something different about me; after today, I'm pretty sure she knows." Looking right at me. "She hates me already because of you. She won't stop until I'm dead if she knows who I am."

Since she entered my life, this girl has only experienced grief and pain, and her words have left me speechless and unable to breathe. Logan notices when I gaze at him and urges Brie to give us some space. When the door closes, Raven gets up, walks over, grabs her t-shirt and sweats, and goes to the restroom. "Clay?" she shouts for my name.

I walk into the bathroom and see blood trickling down her back. "I gotcha," I tell her, and I grab a wet cloth to clean the cut on her back.

⁂

Once finished, I leave her alone as I leave the room. She emerges ten minutes later. She seems worn out. She crosses her legs as she sits on the bed and picks at her fingernails. After crying and placing her hands on her face, she stares at me with tears streaming down her cheeks. I take my thumb and wipe them away as I sit next to her.

"I'm sorry," I stammer. I'm astonished since I didn't think that she would lean in and kiss me without saying anything. She draws away and only says, "Sorry." With a swift motion, I seize her delicate wrist just as she readies to walk away, drawing her back towards me with a firm grip. She stands before me, diminutive in stature, barely reaching above my seated position. I draw her in tightly between my legs. I press my lips against hers and tenderly cradle her face in my hands. She appears to be custom-made for me, as she fits flawlessly in my grasp. Enveloping her in my embrace, I gently guide her onto the bed, my vigilant gaze never leaving her. I fix my gaze on her eyes.

"I'm sorry for being an asshole," I kiss her, "I love you. Please forgive me," I beg.

"I love you, Clay." And she kisses me. I feel like I'm dying inside for the pain I have put her through. I stop and hold her. God knows I want her, but now is not the time.

"So before the whole thing with Alec and Alessandro, I went and talked to Mr. Michaels," she says.

"About what?" I ask, tucking her hair behind her ear. "About the other night, when you fed off me," she says as she intertwines her fingers with mine.

"Oh?" I'm interested to know what he said and why this happened. "What did he say?" I lay there listening to her. She talks about a girl named Celeste and a guy named Abel and everything that happened between them. I remember reading about them in Vamp sociology, but they never mentioned Abel feeding off Celeste. That seems to be one thing they hid from us, but why? Mr. Michaels believes we can restore order if we genuinely love each other.

"Do you?" I ask her. "Do I what?" I can sense her watching me.

"Do you truly love me?" I ask, looking up at the ceiling; she straddles me, forcing me to look at her.

"After everything, I'm still here. The love I have for you keeps getting stronger by the day." She puts her head down. "Do you?" I prop myself on my elbows to be a little closer to her.

I tell her, "You don't know how special you are to me; you have no idea what you've done to my heart. This, between you and me, feels just right. I didn't believe in love until you; one touch was all it took, and every kiss gets a little sweeter. I want to yell at the world and tell them you're mine, I love you so much that nothing can change the way I feel about you." She kisses me again, and I let any doubt I had in my head go. I know that this is where I belong.