Raven remains silent as we drive. She doesn't say anything at all. I am aware that she is contemplating, and I do not doubt that she is spinning some ludicrous ideas in her mind. I approach the manor's gates in my car, enter the code, and proceed inside.

I stop the car and turn to face her. She is calm, but I can hear her heartbeat, and she appears to be worn out from the struggle. I go outside and unlock her door. We enter and make our way to the dining hall holding hands as we walk. We watch as everyone shouts over one another. I turn to face Raven, whose marks are radiant. She is beginning to lose emotional control because this is too much.

"Calm down. Just breathe." I whisper in her ear as I stand behind her, rubbing her arms. She takes a deep breath and walks away, heading to the backyard. I follow, pacing myself slowly behind her as she makes her way through the trees. She stops out of sight of any eyes looking out from the manor. I follow her and see her sitting under one of the trees. I take my jacket off, place it on the ground, and take a seat next to her. "Come here," I say, pulling her onto my lap.

She lays her head on my chest as her breathing slows and she becomes calmer. "I can't be in there if everyone is going to argue. You know exactly what will happen if that shouting continues." She says quietly.

"Lights flickering, glass shattering, or earthquakes." I smile at her, trying to make her laugh but instead she just looks sad.

"I feel like there is a war inside my head, honestly, sometimes I wish I was dead because none of this would happen. I'm driving myself crazy, I'm broken. I'm tired of trying to be normal." A tear runs down her cheek.

"You're not broken, and you're not normal." I wipe the tear from her face and say, "You're amazing and unique. You're different, embrace that."

She sighs as she closes her eyes and leans on my chest, "The darkness that I have always dreamt about is true. I'm standing right in the middle of this dark storm. I can still feel the reach of the monsters trying to take me away as I hid in the corner of my room. Clay, I'm reliving the night my parents died. I keep going over it in my head, this will never end unless I stop them."

"Babe, look at me," I say as I cup her face. Her eyes glassed with tears as she looks at me. "You have never told me about that night, do you remember anything else?"

"The darkness was all around, I remember a big storm had hit our town. I hid in my room as the commotion outside became too much. Smoke filled my home. I remember someone or something trying to get to me. I called it the darkness because I couldn't see who or what was around as I heard footsteps come towards me. I remember my dad yelling, "Stay away from her," and then the sound of pain. The darkness spoke, and in response said "It is her destiny." She looks at me as the last words come out, and her eyes widen.

"What is it?" I ask her as if something in that story triggered something.

"Lovell, Lovell was the darkness I was afraid of." This has been following her, her entire life. And now she faces the thing that frightened her the most as a child.

I put my head down, her face gives it away. She will see everything that has happened as something she has to fix. She feels like she needs to protect the whole town.

These Lycans and vampires are at war with one another over a creation that they all contributed to. The Vamps feel she must defend them by all means, regardless of the cost to herself, while the Lycans believe she should rule alongside them. Any evil that seeks to split us apart will always be repelled by Raven. She shouldn't have to, though. She did not ask for this. I raise my head and touch her cheek with my hand.

"You won't have to fight on your own, I'm fighting with you, and I will always fight with you. Your priority may be to protect this hell we call home, but my priority is to protect you. Always." She leans in and kisses me. My tongue parts our mouths as she moves herself to straddle me. My hands on her lower back, she kisses me harder,

"Ray," I let out as her mouth moves to my neck. I quickly get up, her legs wrapped around me. Her back against the tree. An electrifying feeling comes over me.

"Fine," She looks at me. I kiss her again, and every bone in my body wants her now. Before I lose control and rip her clothing off, I pull back and gently set her down. I take her hand and turn around to go inside. Raven is uneasy because everyone is still shouting. I take our luggage, and then I show her to my former room. Closing the door behind me, I drop the bags.

"Block the noise," I tell her, trying to stop whatever is about to happen. Her marks shine, and blue light emanates from her eyes. The house begins to tremble as she starts to lose control. Glass is breaking all over as pictures start to tumble and lights start to blow.

She yells in agony while grabbing her head. She is starting to get an overpowering sense of being held accountable. As she struggles with the pain, her nose starts to bleed. "STOP!" She screams, and the house becomes silent.

As her eyes drift back and she falls over after giving me a glance, I rush over to her. I grab her quickly and carry her to the bed. When I am sure that she is okay, I descend to the dining area while my blood is on fire. "Clay, what was that?" Brie asks me, knowing damn well what the answer is.

The talks start up again, and everyone starts shouting. "Shut up!" I yell at them. They all stop and look at me. "You idiots can't stop your banter and get your shit together, so Raven is losing control of her emotions. You all act as though she is solely responsible for this and that she must put an end to it. I mean, she's nineteen, give the girl a fucking break. Come up with a fucking plan rather than complaining, morons!" I yell at them.

"I'm with Clay," Logan speaks up, "Raven has been through a lot. We need to stand beside her and help. Not make her feel like this is her problem and just throw her into the lion's den." Everyone looks at each other and finally nods in agreement. I need a drink.

⁂

I head to the kitchen, searching through the cabinets for my dad's bourbon. "Gotcha!" I smile to myself as I pull the bottle out. Grabbing a glass, I walk out back.

"Clay?" I hear my mum. I turn to see her walking toward me. She takes a seat in the chair and softly says, "Dear, tell me what's wrong?"

"What makes you think there is something wrong?" I question her as I take a sip of this delicious drink that will eventually make me forget about any of this.

"Since you are my son, let me just state that I believe I know you very well. You always leave the house to contemplate. You've been doing this since you were a young child, whether it was to drink as you got older or just sit in the sun and do nothing. So tell me what's going on inside your head."

I put my cup down and look at her. When tears start to come down, she takes her thumb and wipes them away, just as she did when I was a child. "I'm scared to lose her," I admit.

"You truly love her, don't you?" she asks with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I never understood how you and dad knew at such a young age, but now I know. Mum, I want to marry her. I want to protect her from all this." I tell her. "I want to make her happy for the rest of our lives," I say with conviction.

She puts her hands over mine and smiles. "You are the person I know who is most protective. Yes, there were times when you were lost, but the girl up there helped you find your way back to the caring boy I raised. I have a deep-seated conviction that you will always be there to defend her, no matter what happens. It doesn't matter if you do it physically or with all your heart."

"Thanks, Mum," She gets up and kisses my forehead before heading inside. I take a moment to let what she said sink in. I finally get up and head upstairs. I walk into my room and see Raven putting my T-shirt on and some shorts on. I lock the door behind me and walk toward her.

"How are you feeling?" I wrap my arms around her and lead her back to the bed.

"Better, thank you." My hands on her lower back. I drop her shorts and watch as they fall onto the floor. "Clay!" she giggles.

"I want to finish what you started out there," I smile. I pull her into a kiss. My tongue parting our mouths. I take in her scent. She tugs at my shirt and I remove it. She pushes me back and unbuttons my jeans. Her hands caressing every line on my body. I flip her over and lift her shirt.

Kissing her stomach, I make my way down; finding her spot. Hearing her pleasurable moan turns me on more. I make my way to her lips as my length slowly enters her. She gasps for air but then relaxes. Our bodies move in sync; I love everything about this girl. She takes my breath away. That familiar feeling comes over me, and we release at the same time. I lay on my pillow, pulling her close to me. "I love you," I say into her hair.

"I love you," She kisses my hand and pulls me closer. I keep an eye on her while she nods off. She has given me a piece of her heart and told me everything on her mind. We've endured so much suffering that the battle for our eternal life is never-ending. But what we have is absolutely perfect. I do and will always need her. I kiss her head and drift into my own sleep.

My mind races with fear as I jump out of bed, running my hands through my hair. Sweat drips down my face as I inhale and exhale deeply. Something is wrong.

I grab my phone; three in the morning. I look over to see Raven gone. I throw on shorts and head downstairs, bumping into Logan. "Where's Ray?" He looks down and then at Brie. "Where is she?" I shout.

"The Lycan manor," I turn to see my father. My anger fills me, and I push him up against the wall, "What did you do?" I seer through my teeth.

"Clay, stop," Logan tries to pull me away from my father, "It was Raven's idea." I let go of my dad, turn around, and punch the wall. I run upstairs and frantically search for my keys. I take a deep breath, running down the stairs and out the front door. I look around and see she took my car, again.

"FUCK!" I rub my face. I hear Brie, Logan, and Lia behind me. "Let's go get your girl," Logan states. We pile into Logan's car and speed off, my heart racing with a mix of anger and worry. As we drive, I can't help but wonder what trouble she's gotten herself into this time.

God, why is she so fucking stubborn?