Page 12 of Raven

Before I could respond, she stepped closer, her hands firmly planted on her hips. Her voice was low and filled with warning. "I want the truth, Raven. All of it. Right now, otherwise, I swear to God, I'll pack everything up we own, and we'll be out of here."

I clenched my jaw tightly in an effort to keep my panther at bay and from flaring along with my emotions. It was a challenge to think logically when my mother was endangering the very thing my animal craved—a potential mate. "You're being dramatic. She's just a girl."

My mother's nostrils flared again as she slammed her fists onto the kitchen table. "No. She's not just a girl." She spat. "She's a stranger. We don't know her. You don't know her. How can you possibly know her intentions? I won't have some random whore in my home while I'm at work."

"Like you?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, but before I could take them back, my mother's hand whipped across my face, snapping my head to the side and setting my skin on fire.

"I don't see you complaining about my work when it provides you with clean clothes, a warm bed, and an education," her tone was as sharp as a knife. The metal chair scraped against the floorboards as she pushed it away from the table. "You want to make your own money? Do it on your own," she sneered at me. "You'll never make it on your own."

I put my hand to where my mother had hit me, but I didn't offer any apology for what I'd said.

My mother said nothing for a beat, leaving only the sound of my laboured breaths thick in the air as she walked around me. "You're going to tell me everything. Who she is, what she wants, and what you were doing here."

There was no way not to say it. It wouldn't matter what I said or how I said it, until she was satisfied, this was it. So, I took a breath and told her the truth. I told her every detail I could remember, because she'd find out one way or another. Right down to how many ice cubes I'd put in Tia's drink.

"You know you're not supposed to bring anyone here. We agreed."

I met her gaze. She'd calmed a little, maybe settled with the truth. But I hadn't. "I never agreed to anything. You told me. You made the rules."

"To keep you safe."

My voice was low and thick, my panther threaded in it, a rolling snarl under the surface. "It's to keep you in control. I never have friends, never get to meet anyone. And when I do, we move. You keep acting like there's a huge threat out there, but there isn't. There never has been. Nothing has ever come for us."

Her eyes had shifted. Even with my emotional shields in place, I could sense her fury resurfacing again. It bubbled against me, a heated pipe ready to split, barely under control. "You are not to see her again. Do you understand me?"

"Mum ..."

She ground her jaw, spoke through clenched teeth. "I said, do you understand me?"

I didn't answer for a moment, just stared at her, fighting my own thoughts and resisting the urge to say something that would have my mother striking me again. My panther prowled restlessly beneath my skin, urging me to stand my ground. "Can I go and see Malcolm now?"

She watched me, then stepped back to let me through. "I mean it, Raven. You are not to see her again. You think I'm hard now. I'll come down on you like a fucking ton of bricks, and you won't know what day it is."

My vision swam as every cell in my body fired up, my panther pushed. "She's just a girl." The words felt hollow even as I said them, a feeble attempt to downplay the connection I'd felt with Tia.

"No, they're never just girls. She's a seventeen-year-old distraction."

I walked past my mother. She grabbed my arm, her grip tight enough to bruise. "I know you're angry with me right now, and I know you probably think you hate me, and that's okay. I'm hard on you so you can have a life. So you can have the things I never had."

My panther roamed under the surface. I felt pressure in my jaw and my eyes, the urge to shift stronger than it had been in years. "What's the point of a life if you won't ever let me live it?" I shook her off and left, the door slamming behind me.

As I stormed down the stairs, my mother's words rang in my ears, battling with the memory of Tia's touch, her scent, the electricity of our kiss. My panther snarled inside me, rebelling against the constraints my mother sought to impose.

Tia wasn't just a girl.

SIX

I cursed as I fought the urge to shift, aiming to reach my destination quicker. Glancing over my shoulder, I checked for any signs of Humans nearby—Humans who might catch me. After all, I was in a Human-only area. I could just imagine my mother's reaction if I were caught shifting. She'd have me packed and out of there faster than I could plead my innocence, facing the hefty fine.

The old chemical plant loomed ahead, its crumbling structure breaking the perfect horizon, a ghostly reminder of a bygone era. Rusted metal beams jutted out like broken bones, and shattered windows stared blankly, giving the plant an ominous, lifeless presence under the rising sun.

In its prime, the plant had been a bustling hub, manufacturing chemicals later deemed too dangerous and illegal for the open market. It was only years later that the full truth emerged. The chemicals produced there were so potent and toxic, the entire site became uninhabitable for Humans. Now, all that remained was the chimney. A place shunned by all but me and Malcolm. His preferred meeting spot.

I was dreadfully late. Pushing myself harder, I tried to move faster, doing my utmost to ignore the burning sensation in mychest. No matter how hard I tried, my legs wouldn't move at the speed I needed. I couldn't get there...

Come on.

My heart raced as I barrelled down the street, the relentless pace causing my backpack to smack against my back, but it did nothing for the gnawing feeling burrowing itself in my chest.

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