Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

EVEREST

Hearing my mother was dead after all these years was a gut punch. If my father wasn’t a sadistic son of a bitch, I wouldn’t have believed him. But when it comes to hurting me, Jack would bring out every trick in his book.

I cling to the urn, the remains of my mother grounding me. At least I know where she is. While my heart hurts, it also feels warm and light. My mother tried to protect me. She tried to get me away from the abuse we both suffered. She put me first.

Then my heart sinks. If she didn’t try to get me away from the shitty life we had, she would be alive. She stood up to Jack for the both of us, and it cost her her life. I wish I could go back and tell her we needed a concrete plan to get away from Jack. Knowing what I do now, that would have been the only way to escape his clutches. She paid for that mistake with her life.

“Do not blame yourself, Everest,” Raven says, almost reading my mind. Before I can ask if he’s sure he can’t, he says, “Your emotions are clouded with guilt. She was your mother and she loved you. She would not want you blaming yourself for the actions of your father.”

“I remember the night she was killed,” I tell him, staring out the window, watching the smoke billow in the distance. The fire trucks still haven’t arrived. We lived a few miles from the city proper, so it’ll take a while for them to locate the fire and extinguish it.

“What do you mean?”

Sighing, I close my eyes and let my mind drift back to unhappier times. “The last night I saw my mother. I remember it. She put me to bed, looking more serious than I’d seen her. My father had beaten her up that night. Her right eyes was black and swollen, her lip split. I asked her if she needed a doctor and she smiled at me. She said no. She told me she loved me and kissed my forehead.” I hate that the last image of my mother was her beat to shit like that. Jack fucking ruined everything.

Raven is silent beside me, and I appreciate him just listening. Right now, I don’t need comfort—I simply need a listening ear.

“I went to sleep like it was a normal night. But a few hours later, I heard banging around in the living room. I sat up quickly, one foot on the floor with the intention of going to see what was going on. Then I remembered the last time I went to check on my mother when her and Jack were in a fight. I tried to stop him from hurting her. He pushed me away hard enough that I hit my head on the wall, and I was out of it for a minute or so. That didn’t stop him from wailing on me, kicking and slapping me around. After he beat me, he started in on her some more. It was one of the only times she went to the hospital from a beating. Her arm was in a cast for a few weeks.”

My chest hurts as I think about that night. It was one of the worst beatings my mother ever got. When Jack walked away, she wasn’t moving and I thought she was dead. Apparently, Jack did too because he called her an ambulance.

“When she came home a few days later, she told me that I had to stay away from my dad when he was like that. She said it wasn’t safe, and she didn’t want me to get hurt trying to protect her. When I started to get out of bed to help, I remembered that beating and what she said to me about staying out of it. I laid back down. I should have helped her.” Tears drip down my face as I think about that night. Would I have been killed as well if I had tried to stop Jack, or would he have stopped beating on her because it would have been hard to explain away why his wife and son were suddenly gone?

“If you had,” Raven explains gently, “he could have killed you too. You were ten, baby. You did what you thought was right. What your mother wanted you to do so you could stay as safe as possible.”

Raven holds his hand palm up, and I slide my fingers through his. The warm weight of his hand settles me, just as my mother’s urn does. “Maybe. The next morning, I asked Jack where my mother was, as she didn’t wake me for school and I didn’t see any of her things. He laughed in my face, saying she ran off and left me behind. Then he joked about me being the woman of the house and tasked me with keeping everything clean and cooking. At ten, he put me in charge of running a household while he got drunk off his ass every day. I thought my mother left me with him to suffer.”

Guilt assails me. It’s a useless emotion, since I can’t go back in the past and change anything, but it settles on my shoulders nonetheless. I let it overtake me for a minute or two, my heart clenching in despair as I contemplate the what ifs.

Finally—and with great effort—I push the feeling away. Raven is right—my mother wouldn’t want me to blame myself. She did what she could to protect me. It was my father that did this to our family. He killed her for trying to escape his abuse and tried to beat me down until I was close to giving up hope myself.

He can’t do that anymore. He’s dead and can’t hurt anyone else.

My grip on his hand tightens, and I smile for the first time since we left to collect my things.

“Raven … he’s gone.” My eyes well with tears of happiness this time. My biggest tormentor, my very first bully, is dead! “You did it!”

Putting the urn on the floor by my feet, I throw my arms around his shoulders, hugging him hard. If Raven were human, I wouldn’t have tried that, but he told me his reflexes as a demon are better than any humans.

His deep chuckle sends a shiver down my spine. He pats my arm that’s locked around his chest. “We did it. If it were not for your command, it would not have happened. I am glad I could do that for you, baby.”

I press a kiss to his cheek, breathing in his spicy scent. The smell of fire and gasoline linger on him, but that only adds to the appeal of his aroma. “I couldn’t have if it weren’t for you. You make me stronger, Raven. Thank you.”

“You are welcome, sweet baby.”

Kissing his cheek on more time, I pick up my mother’s urn and sit back in my seat.

We pull up at our townhouse and head inside to pack a bag. I feel lighter and happier than I have in a long time. Even though I just found out my mother is dead, I avenged her—with Raven’s help. My father is dead. Slowly but surely, the people who made my life hell are being put in the ground.

Two down, two to go.

I place my mother’s urn on the mantle over the fire place, kissing my index and middle fingers and placing it on the surface of the urn. “I love you, mom.”

“What was her name?” Raven asks from beside me.

“Lily.”

“That is a beautiful name.” Raven steps forward and places his hand on the urn. He whispers in his native tongue and the urn glows a bright red. It gives a jolt, then goes still.

When Raven steps back, I see the urn has an inscription it. “In loving memory of Lily Carver, mother of Everest Carver. Rest in peace,” I read aloud, my words tripping over a sob. I bury my face into his side, tears leaking from my eyes. “Thank you. That means the world to me.”

“Anything for you, baby.”

While I was packing my belongings at the trailer, I went into my father’s room and rifled through his shit. Eventually, I found a photo of my mother in the back of his dresser drawer that I tucked into my suitcase, wanting to have a memory of her that doesn’t include bruises. She was so beautiful. I took after her with my brown hair and deep brown eyes. Thank god. I would hate to look in the mirror and see Jack staring back at me.

I pull the picture out, ready to poise it beside the urn when a picture frame enters my field of vision. I smile, taking it from Raven’s hands. “Thank you.” I put the picture in the frame and smile at my mother. “She was beautiful, right?”

“She was.”

Turning around, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my chin on his chest. “Where are you taking me?”

“Wherever you want to go.”

“A beach, please. I haven’t been to one in a while. It was my mom’s favorite place.”

Raven frames my face in his big hands and kisses me softly. “That sounds like a fine plan. Which do you want to go to?”

There are a few beach nearby, but I don’t want to be too close to home. No, not home. This place isn’t my home anymore. I don’t think it ever was.

“Clinbridge Cove?” It’s about two hours away, and really beautiful. Well, from what I remember about it. The last time I went, I think I was five. Almost twenty years ago.

He nods. “Let’s get packed. Unless you want to buy clothes when we get there.”

“No,” I say with a chuckle. “You’ve bought me enough. Let me wear those things first.”

“If you say so.” Raven slaps me on the ass and I jump. “Get packed so we can get on the road.”

With a light laugh, I bound up the stairs to prepare for my first trip to the beach in close to two decades.

The next morning, Raven and I take a walk along the beach, our bare feet sinking into the golden sand. It’s lovely out here. The sun is just peeking over the horizon, a blush of color fanning out over the gentle waves. Cool air drifts over my skin, goosebumps prickling over my flesh. I breathe in deeply, the salty sea air burrowing into my sinuses and clearing out all my toxic thoughts.

When we arrived last night, Raven had already rented us a villa a few dozen feet from the beach, a wooden walkway leading us to the warm sand. We didn’t do much last night but sleep, tired from our long day of violence and arson and crying. Raven wrapped me in his arms and whispered to me as I drifted off to sleep.

I look out at the rising sun, smiling as I think of a whole lot of nothing, letting my mind wander. It keeps landing on the same thing—Raven loves me. He said it and I know he meant it. Just as I meant it when I said it to him. Raven is my forever. My heart hammers in my chest as I replay the words over and over in my head.

Being with him is the best thing to ever happen to me. Not because he’s killing those that hurt me or because he got me out of that shitty trailer, but because he wants me. He’s not stuck with me or passing the time with me. He wants me for me. I would think it was because I was promised to him, but it’s more than that. His actions and how he treats me shows me that. I just hope I’m doing the same for him.

Water laps over our feet, the cold temperature shocking my senses, but it’s not entirely unpleasant. I giggle as the foam rolls over my toes. “This is amazing.” I face the sunrise and sigh. Raven stands behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“How are you, Everest? I can read your emotions, so I know you’re not unhappy. But you’re still hurting. Talk to me, baby.”

His deep, hypnotic voice sends a shiver down my spine. God, what did I do to deserve such a caring and sweet man— demon ? Whatever it was, I want to do it again and again to keep him in my life.

I exhale a long breath, holding on to his wrists. “I’m still sad. My mother is dead. She was buried in my backyard, for fuck’s sake. I thought, against the odds, she was still out there. I liked the idea of one of us getting free of Jack, even if it wasn’t me.” With a heavy sigh, I shake my head. “In a way, she did get away. I just hope there’s an afterlife where she can enjoy her freedom.”

“I am so sorry, baby.”

“Thank you. Other than that, I’m good. Jack is dead. Mitch is dead. Half the people that made my life terrible are dead.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“You’re doing it now. You’re here, keeping me company and being the best mate I could ask for. Can we stay a few days here?”

“As long as you like.”

We stand there, looking out over the horizon as the sun rises. It’ll be a warm day but not scorching.

After the sun gets too bright to look at, we walk back to the villa to shower and wash the sand off us. Then we go out to breakfast, talking and spending time together. Being with Raven puts me at ease.

While we’re here, I want to grieve for my mother but not hold on to that pain. I made sure the man that did that to her can no longer walk the Earth. He will never hurt anyone else. If I was brave enough, I would have gotten rid of him years ago, but I wasn’t. I’ll have to live with that.

After breakfast, we return to the beach and lie on chairs under a large umbrella for a while. Raven slathers me down with sunscreen so I don’t burn, but he smiles as he tells me, “If you do, I can always heal you.”

“You just like touching me,” I mutter as he runs his hands up my thighs. They travel higher, going under the legs of my shorts to palm my ass. I bite back a moan, not wanting to bring attention to what he’s doing to me.

He swiftly kisses my shoulder before he removes his hands. “Yes, I do. I cannot get enough.”

Raven lies on the beach chair beside me, looking at me with love shining so bright in his eyes, a lump forms in my throat. “I love you, Raven.”

His smile is fucking beautiful. It illuminates his entire face and my heart goes pitter patter in my chest. “You said it before. Do you truly mean it?”

I lean up on my elbows. “Of course I do. I might not have ever been in love before, but I know what I feel for you is real. It’s like … it’s like I can’t live without you. You burrowed your way deep into my heart. If I get rid of you there, I won’t survive. It’s so intense, sometimes I think I’ll choke on the feeling if I keep it bottled up.”

“Do not bottle it up,” Raven says, grabbing my hand. “You can always tell me how you feel. I feel the same for you. You are mine. And I love you.”

Smiling as tears spill over my cheeks, I lean over and give him a long kiss.

No one besides my mother has loved me before. It’s a heady feeling to have the love of this demon, this perfect man. I’ll never take it for granted. If ever I’m feeling down on myself or bad memories try to invade my thoughts, I’ll remember I have the love of my demon mate.

“What do you think about taking a trip to Xendail?” Raven asks as he pulls his lip from mine and wipe the tears from my eyes. “I think it would be a nice change of scenery.”

My smile hurts my face as I nod eagerly. “Yes, please. I would love that. What about the day after tomorrow?”

Just as Raven opens his mouth to answer, my phone rings. Sighing, I pull it from the bag between our chairs. I honestly should have left it in the villa. With the events of the day before, I don’t want to be bothered. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around my father killing my mother and my phone is a distraction.

A number I don’t recognize appears on the screen. I raise an eyebrow at Raven, but he only indicates I should answer it.

“Hello?” I greet whoever it is nervously.

“Is this Mr. Carver?”

“It is,” I say, looking at Raven. He motions for me to put in on speaker so he can listen in.

“This is Officer Shade from The Plainsdale PD. Are you in town?”

My wide eyes meet Raven’s. This is about my dad—about Jack. I try to keep my breathing under control, but it’s like I can’t get enough air in my lungs. I don’t regret killing him, but I didn’t think they’d know it was me so fast.

I hear Raven’s voice in my head, immediately calming me. “ Just tell him no and ask what this call is about. They know nothing. There is no evidence to tie a crime to you .”

I nod and do what he said. “No. I’m away with my boyfriend. What’s this about?”

“We need you to come back in town if you’re able. We have some questions for you.” His voice is stern, like no amount of persuading will have him divulging information over the phone. Or maybe it’s because I said I was with my boyfriend.

After glancing at Raven, who nods at me, I say, “I can come back tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“That’s just fine, Mr. Carver. We’ll see you then.”

I blow out a long breath after I hang up. “What do you think they want?”

Raven shrugs, coming over to settle himself behind me on my beach chair. He pulls my back to his front, wrapping his arms around me. I sigh, closing my eyes to soak up the calming vibes he’s exuding. “I am sure it is because of Jack. But as I said, they have no evidence. I do not leave any behind since I am not human, and it is natural that yours is there since you lived there. But on the body, none of your DNA will be found. I swear it.”

“I believe you.” We’re quiet for a moment. “Guess we’ll have to put off going to Xendail for the next few days.”

This time, Raven sighs. “We can leave right after you are done at the police station. There is no need to wait if you do not want to.”

“I don’t,” I say quickly. “I want to go to Xendail. I want to see your home.”

Raven kisses my hair and I smile. “And I cannot wait to show it to you. I think you will like it.”

“If it’s half as nice as you say it is, I’m sure I will.” I look up at him with a small smile. “I really want to see your treehouse.”

His light chuckle fills me with more joy than I can describe. “Yes, my treehouse.” He tips my chin up and kisses me gently. “I cannot wait to see you in my bed.”

I shiver, my cock growing hard in my swim trunks. The loose material does nothing to hide my desire. “Fuck, Raven. Don’t tease me.”

He laughs, kissing me once more. “I will be good until we get back to our villa.”

I smile, turning back to the water after I rearrange my cock in my pants. My hands trace his strong, hairy legs, feeling them twitch every now and then.

Sitting up, I turn to him with a smile. “What do you think about going wakeboarding before we leave?”

Raven’s answering smile is beautiful. “Now?”

I get up from our chair, holding my hands out for him. He grabs onto them, heaving himself up as well. “Yeah, come on. It’ll be fun.”