Page 46 of The Raven
I couldn’t thinkstraight. Couldn’t form a scream. Couldn’t see past theflashes of red flames dancing in myvision. The anguish gripping me was worse than ever, even worse than the first time I woke up in the in-between.
“You know, things could have been so different,Raven,”Grimsaidconversationally, as if hewasn’ttalking to someone who was dying in front of him.
Because that was what was happening. I was sure of it.
I was dying.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Helpless but to listen toGrim’swords, Iclosedmy eyes and wished fordeath to claim me.
“You nevernoticedme, did you? You thought I was mean to you because Ihatedyou, but it was the only way I could get your attention. You were toowrappedup in thatfuckingboy.”
My eyesshotopen when he reached me and hekickedmyknifeaway from where I’d dropped it. It skidded across theground, landing several feet away from me. Even if I had the energy to use it, I wouldn’t have been able tograbit.
Grimtowered over me, his wicked eyes boring intomineand holding mehostage, just like the time he’dpinnedme to the bed.“Ilovedyou,Raven,from theminuteImetyou. But I was never enough for you. I thought you’d give me a chance whenMasonleft town, but instead, you got mekickedout of my ownfuckinghome. You made my dad disown me, and then to rub salt in mywound, you swooped in and claimed him for yourself!”he suddenly bellowed, crouching down togripmy chin, his snarling face an inch frommine.
Rage swirled in his bloodshot eyes, and I was certain that this was themoment he ended me forever. Iclosedmy eyes and let the image of my andMason’slast night togetherplayin my mind.
But itwasn’tenough to block outGrim’svoice. Not when he shoved thetip of hisbladeagainst my cheek, piercing the skin. Blood trickled from the puncture, his eyes tracking it. Silently, I prayed for it to heal, butdeepdown, I knew it wouldn’t. Not now myravenwas gone.
“You want to know what the sad thing was,Raven?”hecontinued, movingtheknifeaway from my cheek.“I stilllovedyou. I watched you, waiting for the right moment to tell you how I felt and for us to be together, but you had to be a little whore, didn’t you? I thought you would never get overMason, and then one day, you were all over Eric, smiling up at him like you should have been smiling at me,”he hissed, spittle landing on my lip.“I watched you for twofuckingyears fawning all over that prick, and then I found out you were engaged.”
He threw hisknifeacross the room, shifting to straddle me so hecould wrap both hands around mythroatand squeezed. I didn’t think I had air in my lungs, butsomehow, theforceat which he squeezed made my eyesbulgeand my lungs burn.
“That’s when I realized,”he said, hovering low enough that if I had thestrength, I could have headbutted him. But I didn’t have thestrength, and as hecontinuedtogripmythroat,darknessstarted seeping into myvision.“You wouldneverbemine, so why should you belong to anyone else?”
His mouth kept moving, saying words that I couldn’t hear, because bynow, thedarknesswas not only consuming myvision, but every single part of me. My eyesgrewheavy, and slowly, they began toclose.
But just before theyclosedfor the last time, a loud bang sounded nearby,followedby a voice I would have known anywhere.
“Raven!”
A dark shadow crashed intoGrim, knocking him off me and freeing his grasp onmythroat. Still writhing inpain, Imanagedto lift my hands to rub my neck as grunts and groans, and the sound of fist against bone echoed around.
When the darkness began to clear, my head fell to the side. A mixture of relief and panic rushed through me like a hurricane at seeing Mason on top of Grim, throwing punch after punch into Grim’s face.
I blinked several times, not really believing thatMasonwas here, but allthought went out the window whenGrimmanagedtoreachinto a pocket in his black jeans and pull out a flick-knife.
“Ma…Mason.”I tried to call out to warn him, but I was too weak, helplessto stopGrimfrom raising theknifeand plunging it intoMason’sside.
Mason roared, the stab wound distracting him long enough for Grim to move. He rolled over, now straddling Mason as he yanked the knife out of his side. Blood oozed from Mason’s wound, and he attempted to buck his hips to throw Grim off, but it was clear he was in too much pain.
My gaze darted around the room, looking for something,anything,I could use to help Mason. Both knives were out of my reach, but my eyes landed on the baseball bat propped against the table nearby.
With sheer determination, and with the soundtrack of Grim’s punches raining down on Mason, I lifted myself to my hands and knees and crawled to the table to grab the bat. Summoning the little energy I had, I managed to stand, holding back the winces and cries of pain that wanted to escape.
Once I was standing, Iwasn’tsure my legs wouldhold, but I had to try. Irefused to stand back andwatchGrimtake away someone else Iloved. WithstrengthI didn’t know I had, I hobbled quietly to whereGrimwas still pounding his fists intoMason, his back to me.
Agony coursed through my body when I raised the bat, and with as much force as I could muster, I swung it against the side of Grim’s head, a stomach-churning thud vibrating through my bones from the force of the hit.
Grim slid off Mason, blood pouring from the wound in his head, and he lay prone on the floor. My gaze flicked to Mason, raking over his body to find his shirt stained with blood, and his face swelling from the blows Grim delivered.
I took a step toward him, stopping when Grim began to stir, groaning as he attempted to pull himself to his knees.
I needed to end this.
