Page 32 of The Broken Queen

It had been a long time since I’d seen a man get so worked up over nonsense. This fucker thrived on control and if he didn’t have it, he’d lose his fucking mind. He glanced at Raven and then stormed out of the room like he had somewhere to be. My guess, he was going to tell the King everything Lewis said, which meant that Lewis wasn’t out of the woods.

I stepped out from behind the curtain. The doctor was almost done patching up Raven, and she was still out of it. My heart clenched and I couldn’t figure out why. Seeing Raven utterly defenseless gave me every right to make a move, but there was a part of me, a small part that couldn’t bear her being in pain. I tried to close the doors and shut that part down. I didn’t need to feel a connection with her again. That would fuck up everything.

I came to stand by Lewis, who still had a scowl on his face when the doctor turned towards us. “Raven will be fine. She’ll probably come to shortly. I’m assuming she passed out because of exhaustion, not the wound. The cut isn’t deep enough to cause severe damage, but she needs to be kept an eye on. There are previous marks on her arm along the vein, and if something like this happens again, it will cause severe damage. Make sure she is keeping up with her fluids and make sure she gets rest.”

Previous marks on her arms?I never noticed that before.How often was she hurting herself? Did she get off on pain? Was she punishing herself for something?

“Thanks Jenn,” Lewis whispered and escorted her out of the room.

I stood still, eyes roaming over Raven, looking for more injuries that could be lingering. Her arm was wrapped up in bandages and gauze, and it was elevated on a pillow. Her breathing was steady, her eyes closed and lips parted. If I hadn’t witnessed what I did earlier, it would’ve looked like she was sound asleep.

“We should probably let her get some rest. What way did you sneak in here?” He came to stand beside me again, and his eyes were looking around the room to make sure nothing was out of place.

“The window, and I’m not leaving.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.” I wasn’t going anywhere and while I respected the old man, he wouldn’t force me. I would remain out of sight, but I wasn’t leaving. I needed to be here to get my plan to work.

Lewis groaned, “Fine. But if you get caught, I’m not helping you. I’ll go check on Julianna and make sure she leaves Raven alone for now.”

I nodded as he left the room. I turned to lock her bedroom door, went to her desk chair and sat down. There was a black journal resting on top of her desk, with a blue pen sitting on top. The journal didn’t appear to have a lock on it and the urge to open and read it was strong.Why would she leave a journal out in the open like that? If it had any dark secrets she didn’t want getting out, it wasn’t smart on her part to leave it lying around. Especially with that dick staying in the estate.

I snuck a peek at Raven and she was still fast asleep. The sun was slowly setting, and it was starting to get dark out. I had no urge to go anywhere soon, so I sat back, picked up the journal and opened to the first page.

Page one...Training. Otherwise known as Hell on Earth.

My brows came together as my face turned into a scowl.What did the King put her through?She never shared this time with me when we were younger. I often asked about it since we met at the end of her training, but she refused.

“Will you tell me something?” My heart raced waiting for her answer. I’d been wondering this for a long while, but never had the courage to ask her. Raven was a closed book most of thetime, and I knew there was a lot of pain in her past. But I had to know. I had to know what we were dealing with.

Her father put on a great display in front of people, but he was a cold hearted man. I could tell he didn’t love Raven. He wasn’t attached to her like a father should be.

“What’s that?” She grabbed a fry and dipped it in the vanilla milkshake, then put it between her red lips. Her eyes rolled in pleasure and it made my downstairs stir.

“What happened during training? I feel like I need to know. You’ve never told me.”

She stiffened. “No, you don’t.”

“Why not? We’re together. I’m in love with you; you’re in love with me. No secrets, remember?”

She shook her head vehemently and stood up. “This is the one secret I won’t tell you. You can’t make me, Slade. It’s too much. Too painful. And I don’t know what you’ll do when you find out the truth.”

A lone tear fell down her cheek, and I felt bad for even bringing it up. Whatever happened during the process traumatized her.

“Please don’t bring it up again.” With that, she walked away, leaving me alone in the kitchen with her unfinished shake and fries. A cold feeling enveloped my body when she left, erasing any trace of warmth when she was here.

One day I would find out. And the people who hurt her would pay dearly for their mistakes.

My fingers tightened on the book. I glanced up and looked at her one more time.Why was she so stubborn? Why would she hide this from me?Back then I wanted to know everything about her past. I wanted to be her knight and shining armor and take her away from the misery of this life. It reminded me of the night I first kissed her, and how being the stubborn ass she was,tried to push me away. Suddenly, the book faded away, and I was locked inside another memory.

Chapter Seventeen

Slade

Ten years ago...The aftermath of the ball

I knocked on her window, hoping she’d open up and answer. She left me stunned in the garden and now I wanted to know everything. I had no idea Raven felt that way about me. She always treated me as a friend, nothing more. I knocked again. My balance was a little shaky in the tree, but I kept the branch steady. She needed to open the damn window before I fell and busted my ass.

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