Chapter 23 Realisation
Realisation
Raven
“Let’s have a look around, just in case,” Liam said quietly.
The moment he took my mug off me, all three of us stood up. Damon scanned the kitchen before looking at the back door.
“How did they even get in?” He murmured more to himself than us.
“The door was unlocked,” I said, scanning the ground to see if there were any footprints or anything.
“The door was definitely locked. I always check and hide the keys so Momma doesn’t wander out.”
“You check the kitchen, see if anything looks out of place. Although you are so fucking messy, I doubt you’d even realise if anything is out of place,” Liam remarked.
“I cleaned the kitchen today…” Damon almost sounded like he was complaining.
“Hard to believe,” Liam replied, looking around the fairly clean kitchen. “I’ll take a look outside.” It was almost like old times with their friendly banter. I just hoped that this could become permanent.
“How is the drug administered?” Damon asked. “Did Esteban say?”
“Nah, he said it could be in any way. The thing is, even if it’s injected or taken orally, we wouldn’t know as we heal pretty fast. Before the organs start shutting down, whatever way it’s administered would be healed over.”
“So it depends. If it was the killer, they would choose something tha-” I was cut off when Damon swore.
“Wait… for anyone to get in without a break-in means there has to be a copy of a key, right?” He murmured as if a sudden thought had come to him. “I’ll be right back.” Liam frowned as Damon rushed into the hall, pulling on some sneakers before leaving the house quickly. Liam and I exchanged looks.
“Guess someone else had a key, too?” Liam remarked, turning his back as he opened one of the cupboards. Robyn… wow…
Don’t go there, Raven.
But I couldn’t deny that it really hurt to know that they had been so close. Maybe it was to keep an eye on Aunty M… it wasn’t like I was there, neither as a mate nor as a friend.
Liam left for a bit to search the back garden, but he came back frowning.
“Nothing?” I asked, looking around the kitchen for anything out of the ordinary.
“Nothing. So far, those who have been killed were not warriors. Either omegas or just standard wolves. If that was the case here, then maybe if it is the killer, they would’ve only targeted Aunty Monica…
I wonder if there is anything here specifically that only she uses…
” Liam murmured, crouching down as he looked around, his eyes glowing. “No fucking scent either…”
“A spray or something?” I asked. He shrugged, standing up and scanning the kitchen. I continued looking in the food containers, sniffing for anything odd. “What happened with Dad?” I asked. His piercing eyes turned to me, and he frowned.
“How long has he been treating you like that, Bite-size?” He asked me, his eyes darkening with anger, only making his scar stand out more.
Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have asked. He walked towards me, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Like what?”
“Don’t play dumb, love,” he warned. I moved back, cursing inwardly when I hit the worktop.
He leaned down, placing his hands on either side of the worktop.
“I’ll ask you again. How long has he been an abusive dipshit towards you?
” I looked up at him. I couldn’t lie when he knew the truth, or some of it.
“He’s always been weird towards me, but it’s okay… I’m fine. It’s not like-”
“Stop with your ‘I’m okay’ crap all the time, Raven. You always want to help others out, but what about yourself?”
“I was planning on having a final word with them. But, Liam, right now, we need to see if someone was actually here…” I whispered, placing my hand on his bare chest. That intense spark rushed through me, and my heart thundered under his gaze.
“When you have that word, I’m going to be by your fucking side. Your father will be punished for his crimes, and I’m not going to drop this or cut him any slack,” he growled.
“Okay,” I replied softly, thinking, Nope, I will face them alone.
Reaching up, I brushed his hair back. His hands went to my hips, and he pulled me against him. In my heels, the top of my head reached just above his shoulder. Still tiny, I frowned. Maybe I needed to keep a stool close by so I could look him straight in the eyes and not feel so small.
Our eyes met, and I couldn’t deny the intense chemistry that was present between us. My entire body yielded to his touch, wanting so much more…
“So, you told Damon about the book?” He asked quietly. I nodded, trying to ignore how good his body felt.
“He’s your friend, and if you want to give up and act stubborn without even finding a solution, then you have us to help you,” I stated with a glare. “And don’t tell me I was wrong to do so.”
I was about to tug away when he yanked me back into him, making me gasp when our bodies slammed together, sending off rivets of pleasure. I almost moaned, feeling him throb, my core clenching. Fuck… I tensed in his hold, not trusting myself.
“What’s wrong, love? You don’t seem to get so nervous when you’re around Damon,” he whispered seductively, yet I didn’t miss the flash of anger in his eyes.
My heart thundered, and I gasped when he suddenly lifted me up, placing me on the worktop and forcing my legs apart so he could stand between them. Goddess…
My stomach fluttered with butterflies as I looked into those sexy, piercing cerulean eyes.
His hands went to the back of my ass, and he pressed me against him, making me gasp and grab hold of his shoulders.
Why don’t you get the difference between you and Damon?
When I’m around you, I feel giddy and nervous.
My heart feels all funny, and I can’t think straight…
But I couldn’t say that out loud.
“Because you make me crazy…” I whispered quietly. His scent was filling my nose, and my core throbbed at our position. A smirk crossed his lips, and his gaze dipped to my own.
“I like crazy,” he murmured, lowering his head slightly.
I licked my lips, arching my back as I pressed myself to him fully. My eyes fluttered shut, but this time instead of kissing me, his lips grazed my ear.
“You’re fun to play with, darling... have I ever told you that it’s a turn-on when you get all flustered?” He whispered, making my breath hitch.
Oh, Goddess, don’t make me into a pile of mush.
His lips met my neck, and I gasped. A soft moan escaped me when he sucked on my skin gently, sending explosive sparks rushing through me. His hand ran down my back, and no matter how much I tried to focus, I couldn’t. My mind was going blank. All I could think about was him.
“Liam…” I whispered, running my fingers through his hair.
Suddenly, the answer to why I always stopped or pushed him away hit me like a tonne of bricks – with Liam, I felt like I lost control.
My body yearned for nothing more than to melt into his touch.
The way he pushed my boundaries… I knew all he needed to do was push me hard enough, and I wouldn’t be able to resist the intense desire that ate me up inside every time he was in the same room with me. He consumed me completely.
He placed a second kiss just beneath my ear before moving away with a smirk on his face. I wasn’t able to respond, my heart thundering at the thought that had just crossed my mind.
“Should we get back to looking?” He mocked softly. “Or do you want me to continue?”
“N-no, we should carry on,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn.
“Sounds good,” he smirked, leaning in.
“Liam, I meant looking!” I said, glaring at him despite the blush on my cheeks.
He chuckled, and for a moment, I remembered the old Liam. Somewhere deep down, he was still there. I found myself giggling weakly, too.
“Let’s find answers,” I mumbled, trying to get down, only for Liam to lift me off and place me on the ground. Our eyes met, and his brows furrowed.
“I’ll be waiting for the full story on your old man soon enough,” he said quietly, “and he’s going to pay.”
His eyes burned with anger, yet when he leaned down to place a soft kiss on my lips, his touch was tender, leaving me a mess of nerves.
Damon
I left the house, mind-linking Robyn to ask where she was.
At the packhouse. Is everything okay, Damon? She sounded worried, and I felt a little bad. I had totally shut her out since Raven got back, and I ended things. Yeah, what I did wasn’t right, but Robyn was the one who got hurt in this equation, along with Raven.
Yeah, all’s good, I just need to ask you something, I assured her, breaking into a run.
She had a key to our house. Back when she used to house-sit and watch Mom, I gave her both the front and back doors. I just needed to make sure she still had them or ask if she had come around today, although I doubted that…
Okay. She sounded hesitant.
I entered the packhouse, going straight up to Robyn’s room. I knocked on it lightly, and she opened it pretty quickly. I guessed she was watching out the window.
“What is it?” She asked, crossing her arms.
I didn’t miss the fact that she was wearing a fluffy gown over her pyjamas, which were usually pretty skimpy.
I liked how Robyn was taking all this and the respect she was showing Raven, although it just made me feel worse.
She had told me she loved me, but I hadn’t said those words back to her.
I knew she felt it, but I had my reasons that I could never return her love.
“Damon?” I blinked and nodded.
“Sorry… it’s just... you still have the keys to my place, right?” Her eyes widened before she nodded.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise, I totally forgot-”
“Hey… it’s okay…” I said, seeing the panic on her face. She nodded, forcing a fake smile before she rushed to her drawer and began rummaging in it.
“I’ll give it to you right now.”
“Robyn… Relax, I’m only asking because Raven thought she heard the back door, and it was unlocked.” She looked at me, and I didn’t miss the flicker of sadness in her dark eyes at the mention of Raven.
This was my fucking fault.