MasukRaven “I watched you slaughter your own flesh and blood out of greed and pure evil.” Roman says. “Even wild animals protect their young, yet you butchered your own family without a shred of remorse.”Roman’s voice remains eerily calm, but every word lands like a blade.“It took nothing short of divine intervention for me to get out of that house alive with her. From that night on, everything I did, every lie I told, every smile I forced, every step I took toward you, had only one purpose.”He takes another step closer.“To make you pay.”His jaw tightens, years of restrained hatred flickering across his face.“Do you have any idea how difficult it was pretending to be your friend? Sitting across from you, listening to you talk, shaking your hand… when all I wanted was to drive a knife through your heart and watch you bleed for what you did?”“And you think I’m the one who’s going down tonight?” Gerald asks, not a trace of remorse in his voice. “You’re the one who’s going to d
RavenThe first security guard goes down before I can even register what’s happening. Gunshots tear through the air as Roman’s men and Gerald’s soldiers erupt into a brutal firefight. Roman keeps me behind him, shielding me with his body as he shoots his way through the building.Blood stains the front of Roman’s jacket, streaked dark across his collar and splattered along his jaw like something out of a nightmare I never allowed myself to imagine.We burst through the doors into the living room, and Gerald is already on his feet. Four armed men fan out in front of him, weapons raised, their faces hard with the kind of readiness that only comes from hearing gunfire outside your own walls and knowing exactly what it means.Gerald doesn’t look surprised so much as furious at being caught off guard in his own house.“What is this, Roman?” His voice is tight, controlled, refusing to let fear seep through. “Have you finally gone mad?”“Your time is up, old friend.” Roman’s voice is p
RavenRoman stands in front of the mirror in the dressing room, methodically strapping his holster into place beneath his jacket, in a way that tells me he’s done this more times than I’ll ever know. His phone is pressed between his shoulder and his ear.with cleaner punctuation and dialogue:“We move before midnight,” he says into the phone, his voice flat and certain. “Not a minute later. Gerald’s people rotate shifts at twelve fifteen, and I want us inside before that window closes.” He pauses, listening. “Get the lineups ready. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”He ends the call and slides the phone into his pocket, checking his reflection one last time, and that’s when he sees me in the doorway.I watch his eyes move over me, the leather jacket, the fitted holster strapped along my thigh, the look of a woman who has stopped waiting to be protected and started preparing to fight.“I’m coming with you,” I say.“No.”“Roman…”“It’s far too dangerous, Raven.” He turns to face me
RavenMy wrists are bound tightly above my head with my own panties, the silk biting into my skin as Roman carries me to the bedroom. I am already aching for him, soaked and trembling from everything that happened downstairs.“Lie back,” he commands, voice rough.I obey instantly, giving him everything. “Are you sure?” he asks again. I can hear the hesitation in his voice. He’s making sure I fully consent.I nod. “Yes. I’m only yours, Roman. Do whatever you want to me. I want this.”That was all he needed. He gently lifts my leg, resting it against his chest before leaning down to press a lingering kiss to it, his gaze never leaving mine. Then he carefully lowers my leg back onto the bed and follows, lowering himself until his mouth is hot on my foot. When he sucks my big toe into his mouth, a sharp moan tears out of me. He takes his time with every toe, sucking, licking, his tongue sliding wetly between them. The sensation is overwhelming—tingly, sweet, almost too much. I sq
RavenI walk into the quiet house and find Roman in the bar just off the main hall. He’s pouring himself a glass of whisky, still wearing the shirt from the press conference. His tie hangs loose around his neck, and his sleeves are rolled up to his forearms, like he stripped off the armor the moment he stepped through his own front door.He pauses when he hears me, but he doesn’t turn around immediately.“Did you really mean everything you said out there?” My voice comes out smaller than I intended.He finally faces me, lifting the glass to his lips before taking a slow sip. His eyes never leave mine over the rim.“What do you think?”I swallow.“You gave up your company. On national television. For me.”“I gave up a title.” His thumb traces the side of the glass. “I would’ve given up considerably more than that.”God.My eyes sting, tears rushing up so fast I can’t stop them. Not from heartbreak this time, but from the overwhelming realization that I have this man. A man who
RavenThe television plays low in the background, some evening anchor running through the day’s headlines in that practiced, unbothered tone, and I sit curled into the corner of Anaya’s couch with a mug of tea going cold in my hands. I haven’t touched it in twenty minutes.“I think you’re overreacting,” Anaya says.I look up at her.“He was protecting you, Raven.”“He should have said something to me.” My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to. “Eighteen years, Anaya. Eighteen years of birthdays and dinners and every single time I asked about my father, and he just let me believe I came from nothing.”“But he did say something to you.” She sets her own mug down on the coffee table, patient in a way that makes my chest tighten. “He waited for the right time. And this is how you’re reacting?”“Please don’t take his side.”“I’m not taking anyone’s side.” Her voice softens, but she doesn’t back down. “I’m asking you to actually listen to his reasons. You were in danger, Raven. Your ver
RavenThe restaurant is warm and softly lit, the kind of place that makes everything feel slightly more manageable than it actually is. We have menus open in front of us. I am staring at mine without reading a single word.“Right.” Anaya closes her menu with the authority of someone who made this d
Raven“Come on Cousin. Don’t embarrass me in front of my potential date. It was one incident—”“There were several incidents.”“The bucket thing was an accident.”I look between them. “The bucket thing?”Anaya’s eyes light up. “Oh, she doesn’t know.”“She doesn’t need to know,” Jack says, pointing
Roman Stepping into the office this morning, I’m reminded of all the problems that has compounded for me. “You actually did it, boss?” Marcus’s voice is low, controlled, but I hear the shock underneath it. He has worked for me long enough to know better than to wear his reactions openly. He isn’t
Raven“Vivienne is home. You will be nice to her.”That was what he called and told me when I was getting into the car.I am going to meet my soon-to-be stepmother. The irony of this whole situation is almost laughable.I am sitting in the back of this black limousine as James drives me to the pent







