Page 36 of Wicked

A cocky young man-boy Raven’s age walks up, and he takes Raven in. He is in his mid-twenties, and he appears weak, likely overbred.

“Good evening, sir and madam,” he says in Italian. “Do you care to dance, madam?”

It’s disrespectful of him to ask her directly, but Raven is wearing no rings, and these are modern times.

My eyes darken and the dangerous side of me rises. I am instantly possessive, and inside I growl. Raven and I share a look, and our eyes hold.

“Madam?”

My primal instincts kick in and they don’t like it or him. Without acknowledging him, I talk slow, low, and deep. “The woman is mine.”

Raven lifts her chin, and she looks into my eyes. The boy is slow in leaving, and I inhale. “Leave.”

The boy-man leaves faster than he arrived, and Raven watches me close. I’m unsure what she’s thinking, but our eyes finally return to the evening and social occasion.

She cannot be mine because I will ruin her andscar her for life.

In saying that, I want to claim her as mine. I need to make her unravel, and I need to shatter her world.

The thing is, she cannot be mine… but she cannot belong to another. I forbid it!

As Raven and I walk around the property, we are oddly silent. As if something has changed.

There is something growing between us, and I will have to watch it. I cannot afford to be distracted now, by her or by anyone.

Finally, she stops, and she hands me her flute. “If you will.”

Raven lifts her long gown, and she walks elegantly for the ladies’ room across the lawn.

I focus on finding my sister and my eyes sweep the tables and dancers. My sister and I are close; we talked only yesterday.

After several minutes, I see her talking to old friends. I walk over, and we hug long and hard. As always, Bianca beams positive energy, and I love her for it.

“Dante, welcome home, darling!”

“Grazie, and great to see you!” I say as we walk away from the group.

“Strange to be back?”

Bianca is one of the few in the family I can be honest with, and she knows me well.

“It is, but it’s good to see you and the family, plus spend time in the castle.”

“I know, right?” Bianca says. “All those crazy times as kids there.” I force a smile and worry about the castle sale. “Terrible news, but what can we do?” she asks.

My jaw tenses, and we look across the party. I catch a glimpse of Raven in the distance, and she is walking back.

“So, how is the farm, and how are the horses?” I ask. Bianca invested heavily the last few years in her passion.

“Great. Really. It’s going perfectly.”

“Fantastic. Well done, and how about the love life?”

“Not bad. Early days still. He’s away in the US a lot.”

“Well, it’s good you’ve found him, and good luck,” I say.

Bianca’s first marriage to a spoiled mayor’s son ended in disaster. He was another spoilt loser who later hit the bottle and coke. The elite’s disease is a cliché, and comfort has always made people weak.

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