Raven
The car slows before it stops.
There are no streetlights. No neighbors. There are only trees and the steady rush of water somewhere nearby.
Mouse kills the engine and finally looks at me.
“We’re here.”
I don’t answer right away. My pulse is loud in my ears, every instinct split between wanting to bolt back toward town and needing to know where Samuel is right now.
“You going to tell me what’s happening?” I ask, trying to make my voice steadier than I feel. “Or am I just supposed to trust you and sit quietly while everyone else decides my life?”
Mouse exhales through his nose, jaw tight. It’s clear he’s not going to answer me.
I open the door and step out. A brown wood cottage with a low roof sits tucked into the trees, like it grew there instead of being built. A single warm light glows through the front window.
Something inside loosens.
He left the light on.
The realization settles deep, warm, and aching all at once. He didn’t have to do that. He could’ve left the place dark. Instead, he made sure it was waiting for me.
This isn’t somewhere you just crash. It’s somewhere you bring the thing you’re most afraid to lose.
Mouse gets out of the car, the door closing echoes through the dark forest. Stepping around to the front, he watches me carefully, like he’s gauging whether I’ll bolt or break.
“He wanted you safe,” he says quietly, like that explains everything.
It doesn’t. But it’s enough for now.
The gravel crunches softly under my shoes as I step toward the cottage, and for the first time since tonight began, my pulse slows instead of racing.
I don’t feel hidden here.
I feel chosen.
Inside, the air is cool and clean, like the place hasn’t been lived in for very long. It smells faintly of soap, pine, and him.
The main room is simple. One space that does the work of many. A kitchen that’s barely more than a counter and a sink sits along one wall, a table with two mismatched chairs that are pushed in, and a couch that looks more practical than comfortable. There’s nothing decorative. Nothing personal.
A small lamp glows near the far corner of the room, casting soft light.
On the counter sits a glass of water like Sam pictured me standing right here, nervous, thirsty, and needing something solid to reach for.
Mouse stays in the doorway, one shoulder braced against the frame, giving me space.
I move further inside, to a narrow hall with two doors. One closed. One open just enough to show a glimpse of white sheets and dark wood.
Samuel’s bedroom.
I pause, unsure if I should step into a space that’s his.
When I finally gain the courage, I push the door open and find the room is just as sparse as the rest of the place. A bed. A dresser. Nothing indulgent except for the chunky knit blanket folded at the foot of the bed.
Outside, the sound reaches me even through the walls. The water again, steady and endless. I trail my fingers along the edge of the table, grounding myself, breathing through the strange mix of calm and dread curling together.
Knox is going to lose his mind when he realizes I’m gone. And he’s going to blame Samuel. And Samuel knew all of that. Yet he still sent me here.
The truth creeps in slowly and mercilessly, settling into my bones.
Sam sent me here because I’m leverage. Because loving me out loud puts a target on my back. Because whatever’s moving through the club right now is close enough that it’s a danger to me.
I sink onto the bed, pressing my palms into the mattress like I need something solid to keep me upright.
“He didn’t leave me,” I whisper into the quiet room.
He chose me.
That terrifies me more than the silence, more than the distance, more than the waiting. Because somewhere out there, Samuel’s confronting something dangerous, so I don’t have to.
In this moment I understand exactly what kind of love he’s offering me. It’s not safe or easy. It’s the kind of love that steps into the dark first and makes a place for me to come home to.
I curl my fingers into the blanket and breathe through the ache in my chest.
“Please,” I whisper, not sure who I’m praying to. “Come back to me.”
The water keeps moving outside.
Time keeps passing.
And I wait.