Page 51 of Ravaging Red
“You can assure them I have nothing to hide and will show my face as they demand it.” I snarled in anger. The raven hastily flapped its wings and flew off.
Inside, Red was swearing. I turned to find her near the bed... what remained of it, at least...one hand perched on her hip, the other tossing splintered wood and cracked frame pieces into a pile by the wall.
“I swear, Rael,” she said, her hair in a messy knot, cheeks flushed, body sheathed in a thin garment that hit mid-thigh. “We can’t keep having sex on a bed that breaks every time you so much as grunt.”
I blinked, “...I’ll build a new one.”
“Oh, you will, and it better be stronger than the last one,” she replied, pointing a finger at me, her eyes dancing. “And maybe we trynotbreaking it the first night.”
I grinned. Gods, she was fire. She had even convinced me to let her get more clothes, though I'd drawn the line at undergarments, or panties as she called them. She didn't fight me on that. She liked how my growl sounded when I caught her bare beneath her dresses.
She’d been cooking more, taking the meat and herbs I brought back from my day runs to the Market, experimenting with spice and flame until the cabin smelled warmer and more inviting.
It smelled like...Home.
I kept her close, told her not to wander far, not because I didn’t trust her, but because I didn’t trust what the moon might bring. The Veil had shifted, and old things were stirring. Including that creature which I knew still waited for us to falter.
I needed to tell her about the Council, but I was afraid of how she would react. Maybe she’d want to return to the human word where it was less evil, but then what would become of us? Would I be willing to hide my entire life to protect her? The answer was simple.Yes.
That night, after she curled up beside me, her breath soft against my chest, her body wrapped in my arms, I stared into the dark for hours, my thoughts gnawing at the edge of peace.
What if they tried to take her?
What if they agree that the bond is blasphemous? That I had broken laws more ancient than blood and flame?
What if they rip her from me?
No!
I would not let them. I would destroy the Council with my bare hands if I had to.
She stirred beside me, her body shifting under the furs. A soft sound escaped her throat as she blinked into the dark and reached up, her hand pressing gently to my chest.
"You're anxious, I can feel you" she whispered sleepily, her eyes meeting mine in the low light. "What's wrong, Rael?"
I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell her. But there was no hiding it from her, the mark wouldn't allow it. I wasn’t sure if it would be a curse or not, but she and I were now connected both physically, emotionally, and mentally. Everything I felt, she felt. So there was no way out this time. Besides, she deserved to know the truth as well as a chance to prepare for what was coming.
"The Council," I said quietly. "They've sent for me. For us. We’re to appear before them by week’s end."
She pushed herself up slightly, her palm still pressed against my chest. "Why? Because of me?"
I nodded once. "Because you’re human. Because I marked you. Because they don’t believe our bond should exist."
“Why is that?”
“They’re afraid of what happens when our kind mate beyond the boundaries of blood.” I paused, unsure of how to proceed. “They call them the Hollowborn. They are the children of mixed blood, born of human and beast. Some see them as abominations. Others, as the next evolution. They areconsidered too powerful, too unpredictable. Beings that don’t belong neither here nor in your world, although they can walk among humankind. The Council fears what they can’t control, and the Hollowborn terrify them.”
Her brows furrowed, but she didn't turn away. "And what are you afraid of, Rael? That they’ll separate us?"
My throat tightened. I looked away, jaw clenched, before finally saying it aloud.
"I don’t think they can, but I’m still afraid I’ll lose you when you find out everything about me. I’m not what you think I am, Red."
The silence stretched between us for a moment, until she leaned in and brushed her lips over mine.
"You won’t," she whispered fiercely. "They don’t get to take me. Not now. Not ever. We’re stronger than their laws. Stronger than their fear. You marked me. Ichoseyou. That’s what matters."
“Did you choose me or did the Blood Moon?”
