Epilogue Crow
Bella swiveled her hips, panting as her breasts pressed against my chest. “I’m going to come.”
I held her against me, pumping my hips as I slammed inside her, needing to get as deep inside my woman as possible. “Do it, baby. I want to feel your pussy strangle my cock.”
She made a throaty rasp, and her head tilted back as I felt her walls spasm around my girth and squeeze. Hard.
Fuck. Me.
I shuddered as I joined her, rocking up into her as she collapsed onto my chest. A groan escaped my lips as I wrapped my arms around her back, catching my breath.
This was round three, and we’d gotten about two hours of sleep since midnight. The sun was peeking over the horizon when I brushed the sweaty hair off her face, and she smiled, lifting her head to gaze into my eyes.
“I think I’m addicted to your cock.”
I couldn’t stop the smirk that lifted my lips. “Oh?”
“Yeah. It’s a good thing you’re my mate because I wouldn’t be able to give you up.”
Goddamn. I was gonna fall hard for this woman.
“You believe that?” I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
Her hand lowered to the dog tags around my neck, playing with the metal. They belonged to my old man. I placed them around my neck when I found them in his room the same day that I arrived back at The Roost. They weren’t ever coming off.
“I do, Austin.” Her gaze held mine. “Whatever this is between us, I feel it. Is it fast? Crazy? Sure.” She tapped the surface of the dog tags. “But it’s real and special. Just like these.”
What the fuck did I do in this life to deserve her? Hell if I knew.
“You just made my cock hard again,” I revealed with a smile, gripping the back of her neck. “I want your lips and your pussy. Every fucking night. Think you can handle that?”
She rubbed her nether lips along my shaft. “You have me.”
“And your heart?” I asked, ensuring she knew I needed that, too.
“Already yours,” she moaned as I lay her back against the sheets, slowly sliding into her warmth.
We weren’t sleeping at all today.
“YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE,” I whispered to myself, lowering my forehead to the wall outside Bree’s room. “Too fucking old for this shit.”
Brianna isn’t Sarah.
“But I can help her,” I insisted, warring with the bitter, vengeful, heartbroken man inside. My crow didn’t like getting close to women, not after losing Sarah.
You can’t save her.
“I already did,” I contradicted vehemently. “She needs me.”
Sarah needed you, and you failed her.
Fuck. The reminder was a knife in the gut.
“It’s different this time,” I insisted, pushing away from the wall as I lifted a hand and knocked on the door.
The soft, timid voice of Bella’s sister answered. “Come in.”
Blowing out a breath, I straightened, greeting Brianna as I entered. “Good morning, babygirl.”
“Raven.” The sweet twitch of her lips as she tried to smile warmed my heart. After everything this brave young woman went through, she didn’t have a lot of reasons to smile, but the fact that she wanted to for me was goddamn intoxicating.
“Is there anything I can do for you? Anything you need?”
She bit her lip, small white teeth tugging the plump, smooth surface. “Would you stay with me for a bit? Unless you’re busy,” she hastily added. “I don’t want to be alone.”
Too busy for her? Fuck no. Shit ran smoothly in this club because everyone did their job. Prospects handled the rest. I delegated when necessary and brought issues to the pres.
Today I didn’t have a single fucking thing going on more important than taking a seat next to Brianna and offering my company.
“How are the nightmares?” I asked, remembering what Sarah had once said to me. The nightmares can scar worse than the trauma. It’s reliving it over and over again that breaks you down.
She blinked. “I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, he’s there.
” She shuddered. Dark circles marred the creamy skin of her flawless complexion.
So beautiful. In her eyes, though, I saw how haunted she was by the motherfucker who harmed her.
I couldn’t kill him enough times to make this right.
If I could keep him in the basement and torment him for a hundred years, it wouldn’t be enough.
I hated that Crow got a portion of the justice he craved, and I wasn’t there to avenge Brianna.
“Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes releasing the burden helps.”
“How?” she asked bitterly, her voice pained. “It’s already got roots deep in my soul.”
I stood up, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Don’t do it. You can’t take it away.
“May I touch you? Your hand,” I clarified, reaching in her direction.
Brianna slowly moved her hand, sliding it across the white blanket covering her bed. When we touched, she winced but didn’t pull away. “I’m afraid.”
“Of?” I asked, rubbing tiny circles into the surface.
My ability to calm, soothe, and manipulate emotion was limited to the strength or weakness of the mind, meaning those who were weak were easy, and the strong ones were difficult.
Rarely had I met someone who was impossible to influence and could reject my touch.
I had to fight to breach the barrier Brianna erected. Her will was one of the strongest I had ever encountered and yet combined with an innocence and sweetness that I found irresistible.
She’s too similar to Sarah.
I hated the old crow knew me so well, but that went both ways. We were comfortable with one another and could expose the demons within—something I never allowed anyone else to do.
“What if I never feel normal again, Raven?”
“Who cares about normal?” I asked, enclosing her hand in mine.
Soothing waves of warmth flowed into her as she stiffened, fighting the comfort I wanted to give.
“Normal is bullshit. It doesn’t exist. Feeling like yourself?
Accepting and loving every part, even the dark parts, that’s all that fucking matters. ”
Her fingers twitched, and I could feel her beginning to relax. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“Which part?”
“Moving on enough to accept the dark parts.”
“Then you ask for help. You fight because you can’t let the demons win.”
Her fingers squeezed mine. “I’ve fought most of my life, Raven. I’m tired.” Her voice wavered, and my heart nearly stuttered, hating the vulnerability and agony contained inside.
“Then I’ll help you, Brianna. I don’t think you need me, though. You’re fucking strong, babygirl. You can do this.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know enough. I can see people. Maybe I’m just old and full of shit.” Shrugging, I tried to lighten the heaviness in the room. “But I’ve lived a lot of years on this earth, and I can tell you, the fight is worth it.”
She gave me an incredulous look. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before.”
“Not sure if that’s good or bad,” I admitted with a chuckle. “I’m set in my ways and have seen a lot of shit.”
“But you’re real, Raven. I appreciate that.” Her eyes fluttered, and her chin dropped for a few seconds before she jerked awake. “I’m so sleepy.”
“I’ll stay with you. If you have a nightmare, you won’t be alone.”
“Why would you do that?”
“You remind me of someone I knew long ago.” Someone else who couldn’t fight the pain, who battled with the same sadness and fear, and whose beauty stole my very breath from my chest.
She’s not Sarah.
No, my mate died, and I wasn’t able to stop it. I’d never forgive myself for allowing it to happen.
Never again. I would help Brianna, and maybe the dark parts of me would hate less.
Brianna yawned, her head turning my way. “Promise you won’t leave me alone?”
“I promise. You sleep, babygirl. If those dragons pop up, I’ll be there to slay them.”