Page 120 of Under an Endless Moon

I didn’t look up when Otto slowly stood, and I remained hunched over the counter as he edged up behind me.

A giant in the tiny room.

His presence overwhelmed.

A shudder ripped down my spine when he leaned in and murmured against the sensitive flesh at the nape of my neck. “Fuck, Raven. I wish you understood. Wish you understood I would give anything to be right for you.”

THIRTY-THREE

OTTO

“That should do it.”Dr. Reynolds finished taping a bandage over the wound on my thigh, the elderly man’s grin both knowing and worried, though he kept his voice light since I was definitely not the first of us to call him in the middle of the night needing his services.

Thank fuck he made house calls.

But he was paid pretty well to do the things we needed him to do and to do them in confidence.

Trusted the man, one hundred percent.

“He’s in the clear?” River asked for what had to have been the tenth time since he’d come blazin’ in ten minutes ago.

Rest of the crew had trickled in after that.

Each vibrating aggression where they gathered in some kind of semi-circle around the chair where I sat near the dining room table since the light was best there.

The sun was just breaking the horizon, the massive windows behind us striking with a gray glow and making them all appear like shadowy beasts. Beasts doing their best not to work themselves into a rage but pretty much failing.

I’d at least taken off my boots and pulled on shorts and a teebefore anyone had gotten here, so maybe the madman look had ebbed a fraction, but there was no question every single one of us looked a bit psychotic.

“He should be completely fine. Bullet hit the side of his thigh and didn’t lodge, though it took a nice chunk of skin with it. Seven stitches should do it. He might be sore for a couple of days, but other than that, he’s good as new.”

“See, what did I tell you? You can’t keep a good man down, and this one is the best.” I issued it with all the exaggeration I could enlist, hoping it belied the wrath that burned inside me.

My attention moved to Raven who stood on the other side of River. Distress radiated from her every pore.

I itched, wondering if her brother could look at her and see that something had shifted. That a change had been made. If he could see my filthy hands written all over her.

Really fucked-up thing was there was a part of me that thought I hadn’t touched her nearly enough. Part of me that thought there was so much more to explore and discover.

I sucked it down and tried to act like this occurrence was no big deal. Everyone gathered around knew it was definitely an issue, though. Someone didn’t just come around firing shots for no reason.

Dread clamped down on my spirit. Couldn’t shake the worry that my actions had done this. That I’d been discovered before I’d had the chance to enact the revenge that had been coming for a long, long time.

But I wouldn’t let it stop me.

Couldn’t let it sway me.

The judgement had been cast, and it was on me to execute this wrath.

Dr. Reynolds stood, his knees creaking as he did. Felt bad that I had to drag him out in the middle of the night. Guy should be retired by now, and I was pretty sure half the reason he stayed in business was to be of aide to Sovereign Sanctum.

“If you’re in pain, take up to 600 mg of ibuprofen every four hours. Stitches are absorbable, so you don’t need tofollow up unless you feel like you might be developing an infection, but in my experience, it isn’t likely you’d come in even if I wanted you to, anyway.”

The old guy had us pegged.

“Don’t think you need to worry about me.”

Dr. Reynolds chuckled. “Just as I thought. But try to lay low. Don’t go running any marathons in the next week.”

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