An Oath In Blood (Book #3)

Chapter 38: An Empty Grave

WARREN HALE

Corvina's gaze softened, moisture glinting in those grey eyes that seemed to haunt me ever since I saw them a few months ago. Her fingers tightened around my hand and her lips parted. My heart thundered as I dared to lean forward, to close the painful inches separating our lips. But before I could kiss her, find out if she tasted as deadly as she looked, Corvina pulled back.

I paused, disappointment churning my gut but I didn't dare to show it on my face. "I-I am not ready yet." She shook her head. "I don't think–" She paused, pulling her hand out of mine and running it through her hair. "I just–"

"Hey," I whispered, straightening. "It's alright. I understand." Her eyes landed on mine finally and some of the panic left her face.

"I have never kissed a man before. I have never felt for a man before." She sighed. "I-I need time to come to terms with my feelings, to figure out what it is that I am feeling." She added.

"That's okay." I put a hand on her knee, my thumb stroking it gently. "You can take all the time you need, Raven. I am not going anywhere." I promised her.

"Thank you." Her hand covered mine and she squeezed it. "You're a good man, Hale," she added, earning a small smile from me.

"About time you agree." A laugh burst forth from her lips, making my smile grow.

"I'm sorry it took me so much time. I haven't met many men like you in my life." Shadows licked at the contours of her face, the laugh disappearing. Once again, I wondered what demons Corvina Hawke had encountered in her life, what Hell she had seen.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to find you earlier." I knew it wasn't my fault that she had been to the Academy, had her childhood ripped from her. But sometimes, it felt like it. Whenever I had remembered Raven in the past, I had thought of her with bitterness and hurt.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You found me before I lost myself. If it weren't for you, perhaps, I would have lost every ounce of humanity in my heart." She shrugged, fixing her gaze on a spot on the mattress. "That night I met you for the first time became my comfort for the next thirteen years. Every time I felt like I was going to go insane, I thought about you, about your kind eyes, your warm smile, your playful words. I wouldn't have survived the Academy without you, Warren."

My throat closed up at her words, the urge to protect her from her own thoughts taking over me. If only I could save her from her nightmares. If only I could protect her from her memories.

"I used to talk to you for hours on end in my cell." She went on, making me glance at her. She seemed to have slipped into a trance. But I didn't try to break it, try to bring her back. I had a feeling she needed this. "You sat right there, by the wall, cross-legged, hearing me talk. I don't remember my rants. All I remember is your presence letting me know that I would be fine, that once I got out of the Academy, I could still rely on the kindness of some people in this world. I was wrong. Because by the time I left the Academy, my heart had died, my childish need for kindness, for love had disappeared."

I shifted closer to her, hand still on her knee. Perhaps I wanted to make sure she didn't slip too deep into her memories. Perhaps I wanted to make sure that I could pull her out if she gave me a sign that she needed out.

"I became so numb to pain, so immune to kindness, I didn't think twice when the Big Guy assigned me to...kill you." Her throat worked but she didn't cry. After the breakdown in her penthouse back in New York, I hadn't seen the woman cry again. "But in my heart of hearts, Warren, I hoped it wasn't you. I hoped that it was a different man I had been asked to assassinate. For the first time in years, I felt my heart. And once again, you were the one who revived it." Her eyes were red when she tore her gaze away from the mattress and looked at me. But the tears remained captive in them. They didn't escape. Perhaps they couldn't. "Corvina Hawke, who had been dead to the world and herself, woke up the day I found your name and picture waiting for me at the Academy. It was an assignment that brought me back from the dead."