Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the OC's and plot.
Raven woke up later in the day, and for the first time that should could remember, Paul was still in bed. He had her back pressed against his chest.
She turned her body and intertwined their legs together in order to get closer to Paul. Her eyes were tired from the night of crying, but she smiled slightly feeling his hard panes of muscles soften just from her touch.
"Hey beautiful," Paul's eyes fluttered open. His hands wound around to her back and pulled her flush against him before letting them slide down and squeeze her butt. She gave a delighted squeal involuntarily. "You feel…mhmm so soft."
She laughed, heart beating faster at the feel of his skin against hers. She wished she had worn less clothing to bed. "And you feel like you have a boner. You know, we have-,"
Paul jutted out his lip and closed his eyes, stuffing his face into her neck. "- a surprise waiting for you. Your dad felt bad about last night and - well, you'll see. He said to meet him at the shop before 12."
"It's only 11. We have time!"
"For a blowjob maybe," Paul scoffed. His eyes opened, honest and wide. "I don't know about you, but a quickie isn't exactly the way I want to remember our first time."
Raven rolled her eyes. "Getting sentimental, are we?"
Paul yawned tiredly and shrugged. "You deserve better than just sex."
She sat up and straddled him suddenly. "Fine." Paul frowned at her complacency. "But I'm taking a shower."
"Okay?"
"So, I need to undress." He nodded again with a look of disdain. Without further explanation, she pulled off her t shirt that she'd stolen from Paul. His eyes grew wide. She pretended not to notice because it was much more of a hassle to wiggle out of her panties while still maintaining perfect balance on top of Paul.
When she finally did, she was able to fully appreciate the feeling of Paul underneath her. A thought broached her mind, making her giggle while leaning forward to feel his burning hot skin against hers.
"What's so funny?" Paul muttered like there were thousands of better things to say aside from that. His hands ran down her back longingly.
"I haven't seen your dick," she bit her lip, hovering in front of his face with a mischievous smirk growing. "I've known you for 3 months, maybe more, and I haven't seen your dick. But with every other guy I've seen, I would have seen it within 3 days and stopped seeing it after 3 weeks. It's just-,"
Paul slammed their lips together, pulling her down so their cores ground together in a tantalizing dance.
"Please, Rave, don't talk about other dicks. Just keep talking about mine," Paul whispered against her lips as his hands came down onto her ass with a loud smack. Raven jumped with excitement, heart suddenly racing.
But she pulled away with a smug smirk. "Sorry. I can't talk about your dick and how much I want it in my mouth right now. We don't have time, remember?"
Paul watched her stand and walk to her shower with a horrified, betrayed expression. It was as if she'd promised him life, hugged him, and then stabbed him in the back.
"I take it back!" Paul fell back against the bed. "Were you serious about wanting to give me head? Babe? We have time for that!"
Raven giggled and left the door open while turning on the shower. She sent Paul a wink and closed the door. She took her time taking a shower, and halfway through, Paul opened the door. "Hey horn-dog, I'm trying to shower here!"
"Hey Princess, I'm trying to piss here," Paul moped audibly. She kept her back to him since the door was glass.
"I expected a better excuse, Lahore. It's not like you don't have a massive forest right outside."
Paul patted the glass door loudly, "I'm not one to flash anybody walking around out there, unlike some people..."
"Shut up, you enjoyed that show," Raven laughed, running her hands through her hair.
"Fuck yeah I did," Paul snorted. She could hear the loud trickling sound as he relieved himself. Quickly, she turned around and rubbed away the condensation on the glass. To her dismay, he was angled just barely too far away for her to see anything. "Nice try, sweetheart. You could be a spy with all your stealth."
"Why can't I see?" She pouted, pressing her hands against the glass. "I showed you mine. Now show me yours."
Paul laughed loudly, zipping his pants and facing her, eyes running over her blurred body. "If you see mine, you suck mine."
She made a face, sticking out her tongue with annoyance. Paul let out a smug chuckle, but he left the door open behind him. "You stink, Lahore!"
She finished her shower as quickly as she could, scampering for her towel after. It wasn't quick enough because she could hear Paul's catcalls from his position on the bed. They ended abruptly as loud raps sounded on her glass door. She shut the door as Paul answered.
When she exited the bathroom in her regular black jumpsuit, Kyle was standing there, and he was talking in hushed whispers with Paul.
"What's going on?" Raven grumbled, stringing out her dripping hair. Kyle glanced briefly at her, as if she were a bother. "Oh, another secret? Great."
In a complete shift of mood, Paul pressed his fingers into his temples and stepped away from Kyle in frustration. Her brother looked to her with disdain. "Nothing. We just found something on the house that's going to cause a lot of trouble."
Raven frowned. There was irritating tension in the air that made her feel like he wasn't completely honest or dishonest with her. Paul pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed somebody on it before stepping outside.
"Just get ready," Kyle said, stepping in front of her view with irritating fluidity. "We want you to open your surprise soon."
Raven scoffed loudly, staring at Kyle unmoved. "You haven't been excited for me to do anything since we moved here. What's really going on?"
Kyle's eyes shifted towards the window as Paul visibly shouted into his phone. Raven vaguely noticed the way both boys' eyes kept glancing towards the woods, as if expecting something to pop out of it. "Okay, fine. I just want to have the house to myself...Catori's coming over and...you know."
Raven narrowed her eyes, willing her rising pulse to level out because of course she knew. She knew the moment when Kyle lost his virginity. He never skirted around the subject nervously like he did now. He never implied things; he openly bragged about it.
"You're a bunch of shitty liars."
She threw her damp towel at Kyle and stormed into the bathroom to pull her hair up. Her hands started trembling with anger, though, making her task ten times more infuriating.
Their secrets were really piling up. She didn't understand why she couldn't know. It wasn't like she'd tell anyone. The only people she knew were part of their pack. Raven couldn't fathom what kind of secret it was that'd make her opinions shift so poorly of them.
Her hands tugged at her hairband so roughly it snapped.
Raven took a few calming breaths and forced her hair up with a new holder. She doubted their surprise was anything amazing, but maybe it'd give her something positive to her day.
Maybe it was a vacation with Paul. She knew that was out of question, but she could still hope. A thought suddenly hit her with alarming excitement that maybe they were going to explain everything. Maybe she'd finally be part of the pack.
Walking out of the room and watching Paul and Kyle whisper in hurried, frantic tones only made her want that more. She felt like they were in a separate room with glass doors that she could see in but that she never could enter. And she wanted to be in there with them. They were her family.
Kyle's eyes drifted to Raven and he finished his whispers to Paul. "Distract her."
Raven frowned. "Distract me from what?"
Kyle's and Paul's heads whipped around with sickening speed. "You heard that?"
"Just like I hear you now. What are you hiding? What's going on? Is Ryker okay? Dad?" Raven asked, grabbing her bag before joining them.
"How could she hear that?" Kyle sneered with aggravation and turned his back on them. Paul ran a hand through his hair and shook his head distractedly.
"No. Luke and Ryker are waiting with your surprise. Come on, I'll drive," Paul took her hand and dragged her to the truck without another word.
"So it's a physical surprise? Are you sure you want to do this with whatever is going on?" Raven asked as the tires spun in the gravel in Paul's haste to leave.
"Raven," Paul said, eyes staring into hers for a solid five seconds despite his growing speed on the road, "you're the only thing that matters to me. I want this for you."
Raven pursed her lips while Paul turned back to the road. His eyes kept jumping to the rear-view mirror and the side mirrors every other second. It was a miracle they weren't going off the road.
"You're all that matters to me, too, Paul," she said slowly, hating that the words spilled out of her mouth. "But I feel like there's some secret side of your life I know nothing about. It makes it hard…"
Paul gave her a pained expression of guilt. "I know. I know." He gripped the wheel harder as they neared the workshop. When he thrust the car into park, Paul gripped her shoulders and forced their eyes together. "Tonight."
Her heart fluttered suddenly. "Tonight?"
Paul nodded. "Sam will have to deal with it. I have today off, and I want to take you somewhere. Or rather, have you take me somewhere..."
Raven blinked in confusion, and Paul took that time to step out of the truck and pull open the garage of one of their hangers. In two seconds, her heart completely stopped because standing there, partly blocked by her dad and brother, was her newly waxed and polished, seemingly pristine blue jeep.
She screamed, running out of the car in a mad dash to reach the beautiful sight. "What-?"
Luke laughed as he stepped to the side and let Raven examine every inch of her car. "Paul and I put in a little extra work. Thought it was about time you got your own ride," Luke picked up Ryker, who started clapping and cheering.
"Me help!" He shouted.
Raven didn't even hear them. She was too busy examining the evened-out dents and finished bumper. She could hardly believe it. This had to take hours of extra work to finish!
"You guys..." she whispered. There was no way to sum up what she felt. Her emotions spiked, and she had a horrible urge to burst into tears. "This is amazing. Two of my favorite guys finishing my own car...thank you."
Raven abandoned her car, temporarily, and rushed to Luke and Ryker, hugging them tightly and pressing kisses to their cheeks. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. It was Paul's idea. He said you'd need it soon."
She beamed at Paul, who was leaning on the wall watching with a small grin. "I'm tired of lugging your fat ass around all the time, babe."
Walking with speed, Raven rolled her eyes, unable to keep the smug smile off her face. "You love my fat ass," she muttered before jumping into his waiting arms. "You're the best."
Finally, he smiled widely in that crooked way that made her body warm. "I don't know about that, but you do deserve the best."
"And that's what I have," she stood on her toes and waited. As if on demand, Paul leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. They were warm and wet and everything she wanted. "Can I fully thank you for this tonight?" She spoke so softly into his lips it was a wonder he could understand.
Paul chuckled, pecking her again for the fun of it. "You better." He glanced over his shoulder. "But you need to take her for a test run. Can you hold down the place without us, Luke?"
He nodded. "Jake and Seth are almost here."
Raven laughed. "You need that much help?"
Luke shrugged. "Seth enjoys playing with Ryker. Go figure."
"Makes sense," Raven giggled. "Thank you, Dad. I love you. We'll be back..."
"Late. Don't wait up," Paul wrapped an arm around her waist, eliciting a squeal out of her. Luke snorted.
"Thanks for the implications, Paul. Always can count on that from you," Luke chuckled while Ryker climbed down his legs.
"Bye Raya! Bye Pauly!" Ryker waved from his upside-down position. He had a bright smile with missing, adorable teeth. For a moment, she wanted to take him with her. She didn't know why. It wasn't like she didn't see him enough, but she had this sudden wave of adoration for that child.
Then, Paul planted a kiss on her cheek, and she knew today would be best with the two of them alone.
When she got in the driver's seat and readjusted it, she decided this was on her top 5 favorite places to sit.
"Where are we going?"
Paul winked. "Follow my directions. And fast."
Raven gripped the wheel. "Deal."
. . .
"Was your plan to waste all my gas in my baby's very first ride? Because that's pretty shitty," Raven said as she leaned her head against her left hand, urging her patience to level out.
"It's only been an hour and a half," Paul said as calmly as possible, but it was clear whatever was agitating him before hadn't dissipated. Raven flexed her fingers.
"Well, I have to pee in the middle of fuck-nowhere. I'm pulling off and going in the woods," she grumbled, beginning to pull off. In seconds, Paul grabbed the wheel and jerked her past the midline. "Paul!"
"We're almost there! Just hold it," Paul pressed firmly. She narrowed her gaze with wide eyes, breathing deeply while she tried to understand what possessed Paul to act like that.
Raven glanced at him with a fire she didn't know could be ignited so fast, and then she jerked the wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes. Paul cursed, checking every window as if there'd been major damage. This only angered her more. "I don't know what's up your ass, Lahote, but you don't need to take it out on me."
He groaned, rubbing at his eyes in exasperation. "Raven, I'm not taking it out on you. We're seriously almost there."
"We're in the middle of some reservation miles away from home, so where the hell are we going? I don't fucking appreciate you grabbing my wheel and risking totaling the car we worked for weeks to repair, oka-"
"We're in the Makah reservation." Paul huffed. His eyes were strained, and he still wouldn't stop looking out the back. "We're barely in it, but this is where we're headed."
Raven felt her emotions drop like ice. "Your mother lives in the Makah tribe."
Paul nodded. "Yeah. Can you drive now?"
Though confused, she had calmed down enough to pull back onto the road. Every chance she got, however, she glanced at Paul, who seemed to visibly relax as they ventured further into the reservation. "Paul. Are we seeing your mom?"
He nodded, still not looking at her.
"Paul!"
"What?"
She groaned, feeling the urge to smack him upside the head stronger than she normally did. "A little warning would have been nice! I could have dressed in actual clothes or dried my hair or anything!"
He finally whipped around with a slight smile. "So that means you want to meet her?"
Raven faltered. She hadn't even considered not wanting to meet his mother. Honestly, she wanted any extra footing in the struggle to understanding Paul, and his mother was probably even better than Paul himself. Her heart was racing because there was no doubt in it that she wanted to meet the woman that created the man she adored. However, her mind instantly jumped to the blaring red flag. This was a big step. Paul hardly saw his mom, and now she was getting to. There was no telling how this would go or if his mom would even appreciate her presence.
But she couldn't resist the temptation.
"Of course! If I had known this was even an option before, I would have asked sooner," Raven insisted. It was a drive, but she was grasping for information and drowning. And Paul's mom would help, she was sure.
He smiled. "Great. She doesn't know we're coming, but she won't mind."
A thought made her almost lose track of the road. "Does she know about me?"
Paul snorted. "She knows more than she needs to know about you."
Raven nodded, gripping the wheel in anticipation. "Oh. I never hear you talking to her."
He shrugged. "I call her about once or twice a month. We're both busy. She'll probably enjoy an extra two sets of hands in her shop."
"Shop?" Raven said with interest.
"She has a garage where she works on projects. I'm not sure what she's doing now, but it always involves metal and welding so - turn here," he pointed to a road on the right. It quickly turned to gravel and continued on for a minute before a house came into view. It was small and red and worn down. To the left of it was a garage that seemed just as big as the house, if not bigger. When she turned off her (beautiful) engine, she could hear the sound of metal hitting metal. It sent warm excitement down through body.
Paul reached for the door, but Raven grabbed his arm. "Wait." She took a breath.
"You okay?" Paul asked without much thought. Raven bit her lip because there was still something off about him. She could hardly describe it, but things weren't right.
She gripped his arm a little tighter. "Listen. This is your mom I'm meeting. It's freaking me out a bit, okay? So you can't be like this. I need you to be loud, smart ass Paul. Not this quiet, anxious version of you, okay?"
He stared at her a second longer before grunting. "Fine. Now get off your ass and come meet my mom, big baby."
Fire spread along her lips as a grin settled there. That was the Paul she knew. She quickly exited and locked the jeep before bouncing to Paul's side and clutching his arm.
"Lucinda! Come make me a sandwich!" Paul suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. Raven's jaw dropped at his words, but he was smirking and sent her a wink. Then, a busty woman came marching out of the garage, grease covering most of her face and a rueful look shining toward Paul.
"Lucinda? Paul Jackson Lahote, I will wring your neck if you keep that up!" Paul broke apart from Raven to engulf his mother in a hug that swallowed up the strong woman. Raven could see where Paul got his stature from. Lucinda looked to be near 5' 10" and strong enough to challenge any of the giants back home. She'd lose, but she'd put up a hell of a fight.
"Hey mom," Paul spoke into the hug. Heat flashed into Raven's chest at the image of a too happy boy hugging his mother.
His mother breathed in deeply, memorizing his scent she most likely missed so much, and then pushed away from him. Her smile was wide, reaching the farthest parts of her eyes. Soon, that smile was on Raven.
"You must be the badass Raven Dubois I've heard so much about," she said, her voice raspy, most likely from years shouting over the sound of the forge.
"Badass, huh?" Raven sent Paul a smug smile.
"Lucy Lahote," she chuckled, extending a hand. "It's an honor to meet you."
"An honor?" She laughed. "I'm not sure I'd say -,"
Lucy shook her head and rolled her eyes in Paul's direction. "My Paul...I love him to death, but I would have bet a 1961 Jaguar E-type that he wouldn't ever end up with someone. But here you are!"
Suddenly, Raven was in her arms, but she was more shocked by what she said. Lucy spoke as if they were engaged already. And she knew for a fact they weren't.
When she pulled away, she patted Raven's arms before going to Paul and slapping him upside the head, which she could comfortably reach compared to Raven having to stand on her toes to slap at him. Not that she ever did.
"Four months is too long, son!" Lucy huffed indignantly. Blushing, Paul avoided her gaze and scratched his neck. "Raven, tell him he needs to visit his mother more often."
Raven beamed, walking to Paul and elbowing his side. "You really do. If all else, maybe she can sharpen up your mechanic skills because I sure can't."
Lucy had a full laugh, quite different from Paul's low, snarky one, but it was infectious almost. "I like you. Engineer, right? Come check out what I'm working on."
Raven began following Lucy into the garage, but Paul grabbed on her arm. "Hey, I have to make a call. Will you be okay on your own with her for a few minutes?"
She snorted. "Are you kidding? She's awesome!" Without a second thought, she jogged back to the garage. The inside was nothing like a garage, however. It was full of work tables, sure, but it also had a large forge, a pile of junk metal reaching the ceiling, a welding station, and so much more that her eyes could hardly take in all at once.
"Right now I'm rebuilding this baby," she motioned to the yellow and black, 1995 Softail Springer Harley Davidson motorcycle. "What do you think?"
Her eyes lit up. It was rusty, sure, but there was so much potential. Obviously, she'd just started. "Oh my god. I love it." Raven dropped to her knees and inspected the engine. "Did you make additions?"
She nodded with a proud smile. "That's what I've been welding. New kick stand. It might need new handlebars. I found some that might look even better if that's possible."
Raven ran her fingers along the tires as she pushed herself to her feet. "That's amazing. Paul and I just finished my car, with a little help from my dad."
Lucy nodded with a warm smile. "Impressive work for such an old car. It looks great." Raven could feel her eyes following her as she surveyed the bike. "So, how did you two meet?"
Blush graced her cheeks as she looked at Lucy. "Coworkers," she said simply, but that clearly wasn't the answer she was looking for. With one raised eyebrow, she made it clear she could tell a lie. Raven snorted. "Okay, well, honestly? We had a moving in party and he was coming in through the woods behind our house for reasons I still don't know." Lucy laughed along with Raven. "And my floor is on the bottom floor, with glass doors...and he saw me half naked."
Lucy was gasping for air. Thankfully, she found it as amusing as Raven did now. "Love at first sight from there, I presume," she continued with mirth in her eyes.
"Hardly," Raven snorted. "I couldn't stand him for the longest time. Always trying to help! How dare he..."
Lucy seemed mildly impressed. "Well, you must have him wrapped around your finger - Paul never helps anyone unless they're practically family."
The words almost made sense to her, but it did make Raven wonder. What made her so special in his eyes to turn him from the asshole player into a snarky boyfriend?
Unsure how to respond to that, Raven tucked her hair behind her ears. "Are you planning on keeping this bike?"
Lucy pursed her lips in debate. "I'm not sure yet. It's a little bit young for me, wouldn't you say?"
Raven shrugged. "Who gives a damn?"
She laughed heartily at that. They spent the next few minutes talking strategies about the bike's wiring until Lucy glanced at her watch. "Where is Paul, anyway?"
Raven shrugged. "He said he had to make a call, but that's a little weird. He almost never uses his phone."
Lucy's eyes grew wide. "A phone call, you said? That's not - oh!" She brushed down her hair out of nervousness. "How long have you and Paul been together, exactly?"
Raven opened her mouth to respond, but then she recognized that uneasy look on her face that every single giant held when they first met her. "What you're really asking is if I know their secret? I do."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Do you? Humor me. What is it?"
Raven pursed her lips and threw out her best guess. "Drugs. Not for themselves, but to sell."
She cackled with laughter. "Sneaky girl. Okay liar, too." She took her time coming down off her hysterical high while Raven only chuckled. "And you're okay not knowing?"
Raven shifted her footing. "No. My brother is one of the Giants, too. I feel that I have a right to know, but Sam says otherwise..."
Lucy scowled over her shoulder. "Sweetheart, you've got my boy head over heels for you. If you begged, or held sex over his head, he'll do anything for you."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think he actually likes me that much?"
Lucy walked around and wrapped an arm around Raven's shoulder and smiled eagerly. "He's in love with you, Raven. A mother can tell. I'm not sure if he can or not, but he is."
A grand smile appeared on her lips without her permission. Her heart latched onto the possibility, no matter how impossible it seemed. Love didn't come to people like Raven. She wasn't much of anything. She wasn't special, so why would he think of her as anything more than the average everyday girl? It didn't make sense.
"I'm telling her tonight." His voice came from behind her very suddenly. She jumped, nearly falling on the worn bike, but Paul swiftly pulled her back against his chest. She squealed at the sudden warmth, and his lips brushed against her ear. "She wasn't wrong, though."
Raven smiled ruefully at him before smacking away his strong arms. "Stop it," she hissed, brushing down her jumpsuit despite not getting a spot on it. With a pointed look, she glanced between Paul and his mom, who looked so incredibly different it was surprising. He got her eye shape and color, but everything else was a mystery. Her nose was long and straight, but Paul's was thicker and crooked, though that was probably from being broken in the past. He almost had her oval shaped face, but then his jawline added in sharp angles that she, for obvious reason, did not have.
"Do you have a bathroom? And possibly baby pictures of that asshole?"
. . .
After spending most of the day with Lucy, Raven worried she'd want to live with her rather than Paul.
"Jared is calling," Lucy tossed the phone to Paul, who was currently holding the light for Raven so she could fix Lucy's WiFi. It'd been forever since she'd even glanced at that type of system, but it was coming along. "I've got the flashlight."
Paul grumbled about how needy the guys were before stepping away. "Honestly, I think I'm done. You really just needed to replace a frayed wire and reboot everything."
Lucy waved a hand. "Figures. I never use the damn thing anyway, but Paul complains."
Raven grinned. "So, any embarrassing stories I can hear while he's gone?"
Lucy smirked, her ponytail whipping around with how fast she turned toward the mantle. "There's a good story that goes with his prom pictures."
Within seconds, she had a picture frame in hand. "Oh my god! He's wearing...green!"
Lucy nodded as both women struggled not to laugh too loudly. There was no way Raven would let Paul stop her from hearing this story.
Lucy held one side of the picture with memories swimming in her eyes. It depicted Paul in a lime green suit with a black vest and green tie in sunglasses. Jared was by his side in a normal tux. Between them was Kim and, to her utter surprise, Leah Clearwater dressed in a perfectly matching lime green dress.
"Leah...how did that happen?"
Lucy chuckled. "In high school, Leah was only half the cynic she was. Back then, she had a mischievous side to her. Sam couldn't make it to Leah's prom her senior year, so he had Paul step in, platonically, since he was, as always, between girls. To make it bearable, according to her, Leah forced Paul to wear lime green as his coat. Honestly, it was genius."
Raven was still laughing. "I'm sure he loved it."
"Oh no. He said it was hell. Couldn't have been prouder of Leah," Lucy whistled. Raven bit her lip as her smile finally faded into bearable. Her eyes caught on a few absolutely adorable baby pictures. Paul was a skinny kid, as if he could eat ten meals a day and never gain weight. It made his angry faces that much cuter.
Then she saw the one of young Paul and an older man standing by a car. The man was looking at the road, glaring more precisely, and Paul was grinning from ear to ear as he sat on top of the hood.
"Is that-?"
"Yes," Lucy said tightly.
"Why do you keep it up?"
She tilted her head as she analyzed the picture. It took her years to speak, and even then, she didn't sound sure. "That's the biggest smile I've ever seen on Paul. He was so happy his dad was going to drive him in our convertible. We weren't allowed to touch the car." Her words were crisp and unforgiving. Raven saw a coldness stir in her eyes. This woman was strong, and she hid her emotions well, but they were just as strong. "He never did drive him in it, you know. Had to meet his friends at the bar. But Paul was so young I let him think he remembers riding in it."
Raven stared at the picture. There was so much joy in Paul's eyes. It was the kind of joy you see in kids when they were so pleased with what they did. Paul wanted his dad's love. Behind that smile, he was desperate for it. Raven doubted he ever got it, not even a taste. She felt cold suddenly. She couldn't imagine going through life without her father's comforting jokes or guiding hand. It was terrifying.
"I see it now, though." Lucy said so abruptly it made Raven jump. "Not all the time. But when he's listening to you talk about cars and your little brother...he just stares at you like you're the 8th wonder of the world. And then he smiles. Just like that picture."
A thought hit her. He told her that she was all that mattered. Maybe he wasn't exaggerating. Maybe he no longer wanted his father's love or approval. Maybe he wanted hers.
Maybe she was all that mattered.
"God, Mom. I let you meet her and now you want to kill my fucking game! Last time I -,"
Paul didn't get to continue speaking. Raven had turned on her heel and jumped into his arms. She didn't know why, but there were tears running down her cheeks. Silent and horrifying. She pressed her lips to his as hard as she could. Her hands twined in his hair so deep she had no chance of slipping away.
When Raven pulled away, she stared at him, trying to understand herself. Whistling a smug tune as she walked, Lucy left them alone. Paul had no expression, open to all words. "I hate your father."
Taken by surprise, he snorted and ran a hand down her hair. "I hate him, too. Are you okay?"
She nodded and leaned her head on his chest, savoring the feeling of being in his arms. She didn't want anything to hurt him again. Underneath his protective shields, he was one of the best people she'd ever met. He'd been beaten and bruised and betrayed, and he still came out with a smile. Raven felt an uncontrollable urge to protect anyone like that, but it was ten times more intense with Paul. Nothing could hurt him. Ever. She wouldn't allow it.
"Yes," she mumbled, refusing to open her eyes incase everything suddenly wasn't perfect.
Paul rubbed her back in slow circles. "Mhmm. Are you ready to go? Jared said it's safe now."
Her legs fell to the ground and she looked at him while trying to stop crying. "Safe?"
Paul faltered, knowing he slipped up. After a second, he continued rubbing her back in soothing circles. "I'll explain that tonight."
"You two could stay," Lucy shouted from the kitchen. She popped her head in, which Raven was surprised to find she'd cleaned of the grease and grime. She was beautiful, and much younger than she'd been expecting. "Paul's bed is a little small now, but feel free to kick him to the couch if he's shoving you off."
Raven smiled tiredly at her offer. Her head fell back against Paul's chest and she looked at him pleadingly. Lucy was what she wanted to be in twenty years. Spending more time around her would be heaven.
Paul grimaced. "I'm sorry, Mom. We can't tonight. It's not safe," he emphasized with dismay.
"Can we come back soon?" Raven whispered quietly, knowing his ears were good enough to catch it. He smiled and nodded.
"We'll come back soon," he agreed, looking with purpose towards Lucy. "And we'll stay then."
Unimpressed by his words, Lucy nodded. Raven could tell she'd been hoping for a yes, and now she was sad. Raven was, too. Nevertheless, Lucy walked them out to the porch.
"I'm so glad I met you, Raven," Lucy said as she pulled her into a firm hug. "Don't let my boy run wild, okay?"
"Never," Raven grinned.
Lucy turned to Paul with eyes full of moist, unshed tears. "I've missed you, Paul. Come by more often, okay?"
"We will!" Raven shoved Paul toward his mom with affirmation.
"Really, we will," he wrapped her up in another hug that made Raven almost jealous because Paul gave the best hugs. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too," she kissed his cheek and pulled back with a sad smile. "Be safe, you two."
Paul rolled his eyes. "I don't think we-,"
"She meant on the drive back," Raven snickered. She extended her hand and Paul gripped it firmly. "See you soon, Lucy!"
"Want me to drive?" Paul asked. Raven shook her head. She was tired, but not too tired to pass up driving her new car again. "Okay. Just drive fast."
"Gonna tell me why?"
"Later," Paul said distractedly as he watched the forest. Raven drove on assuming his fears were misplaced. From the way he scanned the area, it was as if they were being hunted, but nothing would hunt a moving car. It made no sense, but she also found Paul never made any sense when it came to the secretive side of things. Honestly, she was afraid he'd tell her the secret and it'd be something so stupid she'd laugh. It seemed that pointless to her so far. "Shit," he hissed, eyes glued to his phone. "Drive faster."
"Why? It's raining and these roads aren't exactly straight. It's danger-,"
"Just speed up, okay?"
Raven reluctantly pushed her car to new speeds. It wasn't like her old jeep was made to go above 60, but somehow it was. The engine was running so fast she could almost feel the vibrations in her hands. It made her body tense. If she ruined her new engine on its first run, she'd forever regret all years of college because she knew better than to push it like this.
The rain was making it harder to see, too. In the darkness of a moonless night, the seas of green surrounding her blended in with the road.
"I really like your mom," Raven said. Paul tensed suddenly, not even registering that she'd spoken. "Are you okay?"
"No, now move!" Paul shouted loud enough to make her flinch back into her seat. "Raven, speed up NOW!"
"There's a huge turn comin-,"
"THEN PULL OVER!"
"What the hell? No wa-"
Suddenly, Paul was reaching over and yanking the wheel. He miscalculated, though, and then they were flipping through the air. Maybe she screamed. It all happened in half a second. One second they were spinning and the next they made impact on a thick tree.
Her vision went black for an unknown amount of time. Her head was heavy and swimming, and when she opened her eyes, the world was sideways. She was dangling by her seatbelt with her head resting against the shattered glass.
"Paul," she croaked, craning her neck to look at the passenger seat. Her body ached, and her version was splotchy, but there was no mistaking the empty seat beside her. "Paul! Paul, where are you? Oh god, Paul!"
Without warning, a wolf snarled from directly in front of her car. Raven squeaked before slammed her hands over her mouth. She could see the outline of the dark figure, but it looked huge! Its shoulders were hunched and teeth bared. She knew what that meant; she was about to be attacked by a giant wolf.
With a growl that sent chills down Raven's spine, the wolf pounced, but it wasn't at her. Sounds of ripping and snapping ensued, but it wasn't of her flesh. It was out of her sight, and soon, she couldn't hear a thing except the thunder of a large storm.
"Paul," she whispered, suddenly sure that was who it attacked. What else would it be after so close to her car? "Oh god, Paul." She cried, terror clasping around her heart and making it still. She strained to hear anything, but there was nothing to be heard except her sobs.
And soon, even that stopped, and her eyes fell shut.
. . .
A/N: omg I love that you guys PM me and remind me to update! It's honestly so helpful! Also WE ARE GETTING TO THE GOOD STUFF! Ahhh who didn't love Paul's most tho? Honestly it's like future Raven I swear ah! Loved writing her! Who wants some more Lucy? What did you love? And WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED? I can tell you one thing, you guys are smart! You are getting some things that are about to be exposed here. Hint: you are right, it was a vampire dream thing that happened to her...
