Blood & Divinity

Chapter Nine

We leave the Heavens, not a single word spoken between the two of us. Ronan holds me in his arms, stroking my hair lovingly.

Any other time I would've come up with something sarcastic.

But right now I was far too tired to do so.

My eyes drift closed on the way to the castle.

When I open them again, we're walking through the halls.

There's hardly a single guard insight.

"It's deserted." I say.

"The castles on lockdown." I remember him saying something about that.

We enter a chamber far bogger than the last one I'd been in.

And far more empty. It's so... so plain in here. So dark and black.

Ronan places me on the bed that practically swallows me whole.

I look around. There's not a single color, not a single portrait insight.

"It's my chambers." He says, watching me intently. I frown. "It's awful."

"I don't bring anyone in here to impress." A pause. "You're the first."

My heart swells with pride and... and possessiveness.

Strange. Ronan sits on the bed beside me. He's far bigger than I am. He opens his palms and I see the broken Raven he'd given me.

"Sorry." I rush out, shaking my head. "I was frustrated and I thought I was going to-"

"You're not. Not now, not then, and not ever. That I promise you." His promises meant a lot.

They were important to me and I didn't even know why.

"And anyways, why worry about the fake thing when you can have the real?"

Huh? He twirls his hands around the center of his palmd and I see smoke and shadow along with a bright gold light form.

I scoot away from it.

Ronan glances up at me. He blows into his palm and I jump as a bird (an actual bird!) fly's into the air.

Ronan holds out his arm and the bird perks on it.

It's much like the toy Raven he gave me. Only this... this is real.

The bird looks dead at me with the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen.

Ronan grabs my hand. "Here. She's yours. That way, you'll be protected when I'm gone."

I stare at him wide eyed. "I'm terrified of birds." And I was.

They never seemed like the most friendliest creatures.

"You can't be scared of something that belongs to you. She's yours, Raven. She wants to serve you."

Well, when he put it that way... hesitantly, I extend my arm and the Raven jumps from Ronan to me.

The God smiles. "What are you going to name her?"

Now, I'd like to just go with Raven. But something tells me she's unique.

And she requires something different.

I've got just the perfect name."Raina." The raven caws.

"I think she likes it." Ronan chuckles. Grinning, I meet his gaze.

He's watching me in the most silent way ever. "Are you okay?" I nod.

Because I was and I wasn't at the same time. But with all I've been through, with all that goes on in my life, I didn't think that "okay" would ever be a word to describe me.