Chapter 5 Raven
FIVE
RAVEN
Igot married while my mother slept off her bender in the next room. That should be the title of our wedding album.
The priest rushed out with a soft click of the door behind him, leaving me with a throbbing head and a mess of emotions.
I felt disoriented, unable to comprehend the string of events that’d led me to this moment.
Was it really mere hours ago that I’d been getting ready for my waitressing shift?
And now, here I stood, my hand pressing into my swollen lips, wondering what the hell just happened.
It hadn’t been a simple kind of kiss—no.
It was the kind that branded you. Scorched you.
My inner thighs trembled and my panties were drenched despite all of this being wrong.
I didn’t know what to do or where to go from here. So I stood there numbly, lost in my once-familiar apartment, unsure what my next step should be.
“Go say goodbye to your mother,” Aiden instructed, and, as if in a daze, I followed his command.
With unsteady legs, I entered my mother’s bedroom and found her sprawled on the mattress, the pajamas she’d been wearing for almost two days hanging limply off her gaunt frame.
Her hair was a tangled mess and in dire need of a brush.
I kneeled on the floor next to the bed and combed my fingers through her strands as best I could.
“Oh, Mom, what are we going to do?” I whispered softly, the smell of alcohol wafting off of her like poisonous fumes. “I really need you right now.”
She didn’t stir, and I knew it was pointless to ask her for help. She needed my help.
“Mom,” I rasped, nudging her lightly. “Mom.”
“Mmm.”
She didn’t open her eyes.
“Mom, can you hear me?” I nudged her again, the ring on my finger a reminder of the fucked-up night I’d had. “Please, Mom.”
“Hmhm.”
I let out a frustrated breath, realizing the chances of her waking up were becoming slimmer by the second.
“I have to go, but I’ll be back to check on you.” I sighed, wrapping my arms around her for a hug, even though she didn’t have the strength to return it. She wouldn’t even remember it, for God’s sake. “I’ll be back. Okay?”
There was no response, just a light snore, and I knew there’d be no getting through to her tonight. She probably wouldn’t notice I was gone. It’d taken her three days to realize that I’d moved back home for the summer.
I just wished, more than anything, that she had been sober and truly present today.
I’d needed her more than I ever had before.
I was so lost and terrified. I’d witnessed a mayor beaten, was forced into an unwanted marriage with a stranger, and now, I was trapped in his grip.
What would Aiden Callahan do to me? How the hell was I going to escape this nightmare?
I was just a teenager with big dreams, and now those dreams had been shattered, replaced by the stark reality of survival. Staying alive was my only concern now.
“Ready?” I startled at the voice directly behind me and shot to my feet, then whirled around. Aiden towered over me, eating up all the space between us, an unreadable look on his face.
I gnawed on my bottom lip, the sting of his bite a reminder that I was now his wife.
“I think I should stay here and—”
“No.”
I blinked at his curt tone and repeated slowly, “No?”
“You heard me,” he said with a slight grind to his teeth. “You’re my wife now and you’ll be sleeping where I sleep.”
My cheeks heated and my mouth parted in shock. It took several moments for my mind to stop spinning wildly inappropriate images and for me to come to my senses.
“We don’t even know each—”
“I’m not talking about sex, Raven,” he cut me off impatiently. “You’ll sleep under my roof and that’s final. Now, let’s go.”
“But my mom—”
“In her state, I doubt she’ll notice what planet you’re on, never mind which home. Whatever you need, I’ll have it purchased and delivered.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and headed out, clearly expecting me to follow.
AIDEN
I guided my wife out of the shitty apartment and toward my waiting car.
To her credit, she didn’t falter or utter another peep.
I opened the car door and she climbed into the vehicle, neatly tucking herself against the door while waiting for me to join her. My chauffeur set off the minute I clicked my seat belt, the privacy and soundproof screen coming up.
Tapping my fingers against my knee, I studied Raven across the center console. Despite the fact that her face was tilted down and away from me, I couldn’t help but notice she was a natural beauty. Too fucking young for me, but a heartbreaker nonetheless.
After learning Raven’s identity, I’d looked into her family history. In my defense, it was important to be aware of one’s potential threats and weaknesses. Her family history was relatively blank, but only if you didn’t know how to dig.
Lyons wasn’t even listed on her birth certificate. And her mother… well, who knew the story between her and Duncan, but it was clear he hadn’t stepped up to the plate.
“Why were you working at my strip club?” I hadn’t meant to ask the question, but there was no taking it back now.
She stiffened and then responded with a question herself. “Why does anyone work? Obviously, I needed money.”
“Well, you don’t need to work there anymore. Whatever you need, just ask.”
Her nostrils flared. “I don’t want your money.”
I almost smiled because it was quite refreshing to have a woman refuse money, let alone get angry at the offer.
“And I don’t want my wife working at a strip club,” I stated matter-of-factly.
“I was a waitress,” she protested, undignified.
“Around men who like to ogle and touch. Besides, you’ve been taking my money already. Who do you think funds the employees’ paychecks?”
She turned to me and I drowned in her green eyes.
“It’s not like I was stripping.” She rolled her eyes. “So, please, tamper your macho bullshit.”
A corner of my mouth twitched. I liked that she was spitting flames at me.
“Some men like to share. I don’t. You’d do well to remember that, Raven.”
Her eyes flared.
“I’ll be sure to, almighty husband.” She snickered. “And you’d do well to remember the no-sex rule you imposed.”
“For now,” I stated dryly, amused by the way her cheeks stained crimson. Leaning forward, I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. “But eventually, wife, we will have sex.”
Her eyes widened. “But you… you said…”
She seemed to struggle for words. “I’ll give you time, Raven, but considering we’re shackled for life, we’ll eventually have to consummate this marriage.” I shrugged, then turned my gaze away, watching as the cityscape blurred past. “I’ll need heirs. Legitimate heirs.”