Page 51 of Raven

Raven makes me feel alive. With him, I don’t need to hide who I am, watch every move and curate my behavior so as not to come off brazen or too confident. I feel more like my former self. And I miss being Milena.

I go to the bathroom, intentionally striding past Kai and Raven without acknowledging him. I need a moment to recoup. I adjust my outfit, cursing at the fact that I didn’t change into something sexier. I check myself in the mirror, fix my stubbornly frizzy hair, and leave the bathroom.

In the kitchen, waiters hustle to arrange drinks. I once had this luxury, too—staff and servers and drivers, throwing money around like it was confetti. It’s an achingly familiar feeling, especially after two years on the Eastside fending for myself.

I’m tipsy, very tipsy, and I don’t want to get carried away. So I go for the fridge, trying to find water, when I hear the click of a camera.

I turn around. Several servers cleaning and dropping off dishes are not looking at me. But I heard it, distinctively.

I study their hands, but everyone seems preoccupied, so I shake off the uneasy feeling and blame the paranoia on being tipsy. But when I round the corner, there’s that same waiter-boy. “Excuse me,” he blurts out and walks hurriedly past me.

I swear, he took a picture of me. Maybe I should tell Raven. He is supposed to protect me, right? Maybe I should actually talk to Archer and Kat.

There are so many maybes, and I just want to stop thinking about it for one day.

I straighten my shoulders and walk onto the pool deck, past Kai and Raven still talking.

Siena, on the opposite side of the pool, still doesn’t seem to notice Raven. But just her presence here is irritating. It fucking bothers me.

But I can’t think of that. Raven and I are not an item.

Still, bitterness pecks at my brain.

I see QiShan lying on a sunbed, sunglasses perched on his head, his swim shorts dangerously low on his hips. He is rolling what looks like a joint.

Perfect.

I walk straight toward him, take a seat beside him, and lean on my hand to bring my face close to his. “Care to share?”

He looks at me with interest, a smile spreading on his lips. “Yeah, babe. Wanna hit something better?”

Since moving to the Westside, I’ve hung out with QiShan a couple of times. He is a party head, a lady’s man, and, by all definitions, hot.

I know Raven is watching me, always is. So, I lean close to QiShan and whisper, “Sure.”

He laughs. “I like you, Maddy. You are such a mystery.” He puts the joint between his lips and lights it.

My phone dings with a message notification.

Surprise-surprise, it’s from Raven.

Raven: Don’t play games, Maddy.

I suppress a smile, toss my phone aside, and take the joint out of QiShan’s hand.

Raven can watch. He can get angry. In fact, I want him angry, want to see what he does, how his mood swings. You can tell a lot about a man by how he handles his rage.

I completely ignore everything and everyone as I chat with QiShan and even let him put his hand on my back.

When my phone dings with another notification, I expect it to be another warning from Raven.

Instead, it’s an unknown number.

Unknown: I have my eyes on you.

I frown. There are no “unknown number” identifications on Zion, considering Zion has its own network. Unless someone who knows what they are doing messes with me on purpose.

Is it Raven? Is it his way of intimidating me?

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