Page 3 of Cassian
She had a terrible laugh.It was like a braying jackass that had been startled from behind.But he’d bet anything that she didn’t care.She made no apologies about it and seemed to enjoy laughing about things.It made him smile when she laughed the first time.
“I’ll take good care of the two of you, too.You don’t have to worry about anything so long as I’m around.”And he’d be around forever, too, he wanted to tell her, but didn’t.He didn’t know her allthat well as yet.“She’s not going to be able to be alone after she leaves the hospital, so I’ll have the two of you stay with me until she’s better.All right?”
She said it was fine, but he could hear the confusion in her voice.He’d be that way, too, if some stranger told you that he was going to take you home with your hurt granddaughter.Getting up when Raven stirred around on the bed, he made sure that she wasn’t in any pain so that she could rest.Giving her just enough magic that would keep her in a deeper sleep so that she could heal faster.
At midnight, they came in to wake her and ask her some questions.It was protocol for head injuries, and he understood that.He didn’t have to like it, but he did understand why they did it.To make sure that the injury wasn’t getting any worse.
Just as he was settling back down in the chair, Bluebonnet came to see him.He had been wondering how they were getting along at his home, and she assured him that things were coming along nicely.She was also able to give him his laptop as well as the two books he’d been reading that were by his bedside.Blue smiled at him when he thanked her.
“I will have fresh clothing for you in the morning, should you wish it.”He said that he would and thanked her again.“Would you like for me to bring you any food?There is plenty at the house that I can make sure you have.It will be no problem should you wish for something from a restaurant either.”
“I’m fine right now.I’ll get something here for breakfast before Mrs.Lanning shows up.She’s Raven’s grandmother on her mother’s side.”Blue told him that she’d been in Raven’s mind and she’s been able to make the master bedroom to her liking.“That’s something that I wouldn’t have thought of.If there is anything you need, just let me know, and I can get it for you.She should be fine once she’s able to get out of here.”
“That’s wonderful news, my lord.”She asked him about things at the house, and he was able to tell her what was going on.He also told her about the room that she was using for herself and the other faeries.It was a big room, and he didn’t mind them setting up a small place for them to have crafts, too.They all made their own furniture.“They are loving the room and the setup.Some of them have been starting on larger homes because of how much room they have.I’m so happy for them.”
“I’ll need to get a faerie for Raven so that she can have the same benefits that I do.The magic cannot heal her as yet.There are police involved in her getting hurt, and they might not understand if she was suddenly well.But I would like for her to have a connection with someone so that if something ever happens, we can get to her much faster than I was able to today.”She asked what had happened, and he told her.“So you can see that she’s going to need time to heal on her own and not raise any questions about her injuries.Understand?”
“I do my lord.We don’t want her to be questioned about the manner in which she was able to heal.Humans don’t understand that at all.”There was a great deal that humans didn’t understand, but since his mate was one of them, he was fine with that.The less they knew, the better off every shifter would be.Especially those with a closed mind.He’d seen plenty of those in his lifetime, too.People who only saw things that they thought were real.“I shall return to the house now, sire, if there is no more need of me this evening.”
After sending her on her way, he sat back and looked at things on his computer.He wasn’t really concentrating on anything, so when he saw the article about Raven getting hurt, he was watching the video that accompanied it twice before he realized that it was her.
It was small wonder he didn’t do more damage to her human body the way that he was treating her.All that did was get his anger up again, and it took another walk around the floor to get himself to calm down.He was hoping that Daniel would get out of jail.He was going to teach him a few lessons in how to treat a woman.Especially his woman.
Chapter 1
Daniel didn’t know why he had to be in these stupid classes when he’d done nothing wrong.Of course, he had hit Raven a great deal, but all she had to do was stay over for him to go to the bank and some other errands that he had to do, and none of this would have happened.Because of her, he’d had to spend six weeks in these classes—like he needed anger management classes, he thought that he handled his need to be pissed off just fine.This was all her fault.
“Mr.Daniel, are you paying attention to Mr.Carl?”He said that he was thinking about what he’d say if it were his turn.Which wasn’t a lie, he wanted to tell them all to get a life.“You’ll have your turn tomorrow, like I told you earlier.Pay attention to Mr.Carl and see what progress he’s made with his classes.”
“Yes, ma’am.”He didn’t like being called by his first name either.He was Mr.Winters at work, and he saw no reason why he wasn’t called that in these unreasonable classes.He had better things to do with his time than to sit around and listen to people talk about how they shouldn’t have been so angry about whatever brought them to these classes.He knew who had brought him to these classes, and he was going to make sure she understood that he was in charge as soon as he got back to work.
He couldn’t believe that he was going to keep his job after this.He’d beaten a woman nearly to death, and they said that he was under stress at work and needed a second chance.What he needed was better workers, like Raven had been, and things would run themselves.But he was stuck with a bunch of kids who couldn’t get off their asses to make a living.As soon as he passed his final test, he’d be free to go back to his job and order around all the subordinates that worked for him.
He’d not worked out how to get to Raven.Her last day had been the day of the great beating—what he called the day he’d been arrested.That was another thing that pissed him off.She wasn’t willing for him to talk her into staying at work indefinitely, and he would get the fat bonus of a thousand dollars to not quit and work for him.What did she want to go to college for in the first place?Being an attorney wasn’t anything that she’d be good at.She was just a stupid worker who made minimum wage.Perhaps a bit more than that, as she was the lead cashier.Stupid woman.
Daniel didn’t like that she was a few months older than he was, either.Not that she ever rubbed it into his face or anything like that.But she was older, and that pissed him off to no end.Everyone else who worked for him was nothing but teenagers, and he liked lording over them when he wanted to.She knew all the rules, too, that he was supposed to have been following.He hated her with a passion.
“Mr.Daniel?”He looked around the room before looking at the woman in charge of the classes.“Did you want to stay over and speak to me about something?I’ve heard you grumbling a bit.Are you still mad at the young woman who you say made it so that you had to do these classes?She had nothing to do with you having to take these classes.You brought this all on yourself.”
“I was just wondering how I would get in touch with her to make amends.”He felt laughter bubble up from his gut and nearly spilled it out with the thought of making restitution to anyone.“You did say that I was supposed to tell the people that I hurt that I was sorry.”
“Yes, but you have to mean it.And I believe that Ms.Raven has moved on from her job working for the restaurant.She’s making a life of her own now that she can get around better on her own.”He wanted to ask her what had happened to Raven, what sort of wounds he had given her, but no one would answer that.They said that he was in a stress-induced rage and that was all he needed to know.Damned stupid people.“You just concentrate on getting yourself better, and we’ll work out something else for you to make amends with her.”
“I just want to make sure she knows how sorry I am.”Sorry that he didn’t beat her more.But then there had been that big fella that had knocked him off of her and out.He didn’t remember anyother time in his life when someone had been able to get the better of him in a fist fight.“Can’t you find her someplace from where she’s going to college or something?I feel it’s my duty to tell her that I’m sorry.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.Right now you need to pay more attention in classes and share more.I know you said you had a headache at those first two meetings, but it’s been three now, and you should be better.Just remember that’s the consequence of something that you did when you chose to hit that young lady.”He said that he remembered and gently touched his face.Both his eyes were still black from the punch to his face, and his nose was never going to be the same.Another person that he wanted to make amends to was the guy who punched him for no reason.“See?You’re drifting off right now.You’re going to have to pay more attention to the people around you, or you’ll never pass these classes.”
“I’m paying attention.”Frustrated and trying his best not to show it, Daniel went about his business of packing up his things to take back to the jail cell with him.The officer in charge of him wouldn’t help him carry all the things that he had to carry, and he thought that was just ridiculous of him.They made him carry his jacket because heaven forbid he had to wear his suit to classes when everyone else was wearing their jogging pants and shorts to these meetings.But he was in upper management and had to look the part.More stupid people, who he just didn’t understand.
On his way back to the jail cell, he thought of the day of the great beating.It hadn’t been anything that he’d started out wanting to do.Just hit her a couple of times to make sure that she knew that he was in charge.He found that he liked making her bleed.It wasn’t the pain that he got such a rush from, but seeing the blood flowing from whatever wounds he put to her, mostly on her face.He also hoped that she’d be scarred too from what he’d done to her.She’d had such a pretty face.
His cell had been cleaned while he’d been out.Which meant that they mopped his floor and took the sheets off his bed.There were clean ones that he had to put back on, but he wasn’t in the mood for that right now.He had to figure out how to get to Raven.
Raven had been a model employee when she was working.Never late, always kept the dining room cleaned up.And she wasn’t afraid of a little hard work either.She’d been working at the place longer than anyone and had been asked to take over the management job, but declined.She didn’t want to have to be bothered with it.Well, he loved being in charge and the thrill it gave him to lord over the people who were beneath him.And the sooner she learned that he was far superior to her, the better things would be for her.If she ever came back to work for him, that was.
He didn’t like that she’d gotten away from him.He wanted her to be his subject, and she had made him angry.Sitting on his cot, he thought about the day of the great beating and wondered why he’d been so angry with her.She’d been off when he told her that she was going to stay after, and he shouldn’t have tried to get her to stay.Christ, when he thought of how angry he’d been, it made him slightly sick.Not that he’d not do it all over again if given the chance.
“Dinner.”He watched as his tray was sent into his room by sliding it across the floor.He’d just wait until the officer was gone before he’d bend down and pick it up.It was little mind games he played with himself that got him through the day.“You have to make your bed.Get it done before lights out, or you’ll be doing it in the dark again.”
