Raven looked as though she were the step-sister, asked to clean the chamber pots once again. That wasn’t exactly how a person should look before their wedding.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, sincere.
His beast longed to grab her and steal her away from here. He wanted to give her a week in a luxury cabin where they could lose themselves in one another and get to know everything that had happened while they’d been apart.
Damn, he was a romantic fool.
“Get out of here.” She gestured to the door.
He took another step closer and clenched his fists at his sides to keep from pulling her into his embrace. If he could convince her, then maybe they could escape this place. They could go somewhere no one knew them…
But the sound of Alice’s voice grew closer, and Adrien knew his time had run out. He backed away, but didn’t tear his gaze from Raven until the last second. The sorrow on her face could have broken him if he hadn’t already shattered.
Adrien dove into the dress racks once again. The big dresses easily hid his escape route, but someone caught his attention.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Alice growled.
“I can damn well go where I please,” a man said.
Adrien parted the dresses just enough to see a tall, dark haired man with slivers of grey at his temples. His gaze was not on Alice, but on the dressing room door. Adrien heard the telltale snick of the dressing room lock sliding into place.
“It’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the big day.” Alice’s tone held a hint of warning.
The man lowered his gaze to meet Alice’s. He stared her down, unflinching.
So, this was Raven’s fiancé. Adrien waited for this man to stand up to Alice and say that he’d come for Raven, but doubt slowly crept in. Raven wouldn’t have locked herself in the dressing room if she’d asked her fiancé to come.
The tension in the room kept mounting. Alice stared this man down. If he didn’t take a hint real quick, then there would be hell to pay. No one defied Alice Montoya. Everyone knew that.
But this man was not smart. He shoved his way past Alice. Her hand darted out, and she caught him by the arm before he could get far. He paused, sparing an unimpressed glance back at her.
“I obey your husband,” the man said. “Not you. You are meaningless to me.”
Adrien stifled his surprised gasp. Thankfully, everyone was waiting for this encounter to turn into a fight. No one heard Adrien among the dress racks.
“My daughter might be meek and subservient, but I will not allow you to spit in my face and walk away unscathed,” Alice said. Her voice was surprisingly even. It was matter-of-fact.
Raven’s silence gnawed at the edges of Adrien’s mind. The fact that she stayed out of this argument bothered him. He knew that she hated conflict, but if she loved this man, then she should have stood up for him—not that he’d said anything worth standing up for.
This had become a mess. Adrien wanted more than ever to yank Raven from the dressing room and steal her away. She belonged with someone who cared for her. Adrien got the feeling that this man had not come because he wanted to support his fiancée, but because he felt the need to exert some sort of control over the situation.
Adrien’s beast rose and brushed the inside of his skin. The creature licked its maw in hungry anticipation. A man like this did not deserve to walk the earth. He didn’t deserve to partake in anything, let alone claim the affection of a woman like Raven.
Now was not the time, though.
The dressing room door opened, and Raven stepped out. With her gaze glued to the floor, she lifted a dress on a hanger. It wasn’t the golden gown, but a mess of white lace that seemed more befitting of a woman decades older than Raven.
He hated seeing her like this. She had no spirit. The laughter he’d seen on her only moments ago had all but vanished. He couldn’t find a trace of it anywhere. A growl danced up Adrien’s throat. Raven’s gaze lifted and slid in his direction.
Adrien let the dresses fall together again, his view of the debacle lost. He swallowed and backed away. Now was not the time. He repeated that to himself over and over, but never quite believed it. If not now, then when?
When did he put a stop to the people holding Raven down?
5
Raven could not figure out why Bastien had shown up at the boutique. Everyone knew that the fiancé stayed out of such affairs before the wedding. The way he looked at Raven made her want to shrink back into the dressing room, but she managed to stay where she was. The disgust in his eyes was not helping.
If he couldn’t stand looking at her, then why had he agreed to this? Raven had a few ideas. Since Alice had proven that her bloodline was capable of producing triplets, Raven and her sister would be valuable to clans with few heirs. When that fact was paired with Alice’s strength, the sisters became even more enticing.
River had mated with a Barnes shifter, and no one was going to tear her away from Jensen. That meant River was no longer an option for the men eager to tie their bloodlines to the Montoyas.
Bastien stared at the dress in Raven’s hand for a long while then at her nearly naked form. The sneer on his lips fell into indifference. “It’s ugly, but at least it will cover you.”
Raven’s beast seethed. Fire curled in the back of her throat. Surprised, her hand flew to her mouth. She’d never reacted like that before. Her beast had always rolled over and submissively revealed its stomach. But Bastien’s words dragged a growl out of her. She imagined storming across the room and slapping him.
She could almost hear the resonant sound of her hand meeting his cheek.
“If my presence surprises you, then you should learn to get used to it. I will be a large part of your life from here on out. As my wife, you will make no decision without my input. Everything you do will reflect upon me, and I will not allow you to make me look weak.” Bastien rolled his shoulders back and lifted his chin.
Raven’s beast snarled inside her. Jaw clenched, she stared him down. His brows rose expectantly.
Behind him, the salesclerks shared a worried look. Raven was tempted to tell them that it was okay, that all dragon men were like this. The salesclerks didn’t know about dragon shifters, and it would have to stay that way. They would have to go home that night and worry about the young woman about to marry a controlling man.
At least, Raven knew that not all dragon men were like Bastien. She looked to the racks and wondered where Adrien had gone. A part of her was grateful that he’d vanished, but another part of her—the one she’d been trying to ignore for years—wished that he could have stood beside her.
Raven was not a bold woman. She could not bring herself to make the decision that would make waves. She wanted to go with the flow, even if it meant leaving blood in the water. No matter how life wounded her, it was still easier than fighting.
Her beast tossed its head. She paused, taken aback by her dragon’s sudden defiance. What a time to grow a backbone, she thought. Not that it was a very sturdy backbone, because she shrank away from Bastien when he plucked the dress from her hand and flung it at the salesclerk.
Raven looked past the man, to her mother. Alice’s glare was still on Bastien. Raven wondered if her mother would realize that this was a horrible decision. Though the Montoyas hated the Barnes family, it had been a long time since the Barnes family did anything other than upset Uncle Quincy. Bastien, however, metaphorically spat in Alice’s face.
The female salesclerk took Raven’s measurements. While trapped in the loop of measuring tape, Raven realized that her mother wouldn’t forgive the Barnes family any time soon. Though Raven didn’t see any of the current events as insults, the mate bonds that had formed recently were responsible for the shrinking Montoya family.
The clan that Alice had wanted to lead would become nothing if this trend continued. Sending Raven away kept the new clan from stealing her last daughter.
Raven’s stomach growle
d hungrily.
The salesclerk looked up at Raven. “If you would like something to eat, we could have a snack brought out for you and your entourage.”
“No snacks,” Bastien said for her.
Raven frowned. Her stomach tightened. Inside, the beast gnawed at her. It demanded sustenance or else it would lose control. She wasn’t the kind of shifter with an iron will who could easily diet. Raven wasn’t anything like her mother.
She wished Bastien would see that and leave. If he figured out that Raven hadn’t inherited any of Alice’s strengths, then maybe he would give up on trying to get anything from Raven.
The way he looked at her, their eyes meeting across the room as he slowly lowered himself into a plush chair, told her that was exactly what he wanted. Bastien’s lips curled into a domineering smile that made her appetite disappear. Alice and Reece and River had proven that this bloodline held strength. By taking the weakest among them, Bastien had access to that strength without the attitude that went with it.
Her hopes sank. She tore her gaze away from his and stared blankly at the wall of white fabric before her. Bastien spoke of her duties once she left with him. He kept his words free of any insinuations that might give away the fact that they were not entirely human, all while making sure Raven knew that she would belong to him.
This day had to end. She couldn’t bear it any longer. Her future tightened around her throat like a vice grip. Any more of this, and she wouldn’t be able to breathe. Her vision began to swim. The world around her became a bright blur.
Then, as if fate had taken pity upon her, the bell over the front door chimed. The world came into clear focus. Raven’s attention slid to the new arrival. Relief hit her so hard and fast that she let out a small sound.
River gave her sister a small wave. Alice’s lips parted, like she wanted to say something. In the end, Alice stayed quiet. River grinned at the back of her mother’s head as the woman turned away from her.
“Excuse me,” River said, making her way through the room despite the rising tensions. “I need to steal my sister for the rest of the evening.”
Bastien stepped in her way. Raven moved to intercept them, but the measuring tape still held her in its grasp. The salesclerk tugged Raven back into place and softly promised they were almost finished.
“We aren’t finished here,” Bastien said, voice firm.
River tilted her head and smiled up at him. “Oh, you’re funny. You think you have power here?”
The room fell silent. Raven glimpsed Alice, hiding her smile behind her hand. At some point in the past few weeks, River had shrugged off all her fear. She grew into her strength and became the kind of person Raven wished she could have been. Even their mother seemed proud of her, though they all knew she would never say such a thing while River was mated to a Barnes shifter.
River stepped around Bastien. “She might be your fiancée right now, but she was my sister first. That means there is nothing you can do when I show up. So, sit down and think about how you’re being a little pissant of a man.”
Raven’s jaw dropped.
Bastien whirled on River. His face was a shade of red that she’d never seen on a human visage before. Blustering, he reached for River. In one smooth motion, River ducked out from under Bastien’s grasp and continued her way toward Raven.
River grabbed Raven’s clothes from the dressing room and told her to get dressed. “We’re going out for dinner tonight. Everyone’s expecting us out at the Roadhouse.”
Raven watched Bastien straighten and stare down at River. “Then I shall accompany my fiancé.”
“Nope,” River said, shaking her head. “Not going to fly. This is a sisters’ night.”
“You just said that everyone is waiting for you. Unless I was misinformed, you have no more sisters.”
Raven hopped back into her leggings and pulled her sweater over her head. She found that she could breathe easier now that she was clothed again.
“I have a long list of people that I consider family, and you’re not anywhere on it,” River said without looking at Bastien.
Raven bit her lower lip to hide her grin and followed her sister out of the boutique. Outside, the fresh air cooled the fire that had been sputtering inside her for the past two hours. River took her hand and dragged her toward a truck that was waiting near the curb. Raven noticed a familiar face in the passenger seat. Seeing Adrien again made her heart thump madly.
She and River jumped onto the back of the truck. River tossed her sister a hat to pull down over her auburn curls then tied her own long, red hair back with a hairband. As soon as Raven got the hat over her hair, the truck pulled away from the curb and sped away.
Raven kept her gaze turned away from the boutique. She didn’t want to see her mother or Bastien and the looks of disappointment she feared would be on their faces. The rest of this night would belong to Raven. She wouldn’t have many more like this after the wedding, and she wanted to savor it.
The Roadhouse wasn’t really named the Roadhouse. It was a nameless restaurant outside of town where bikers and farmers gathered at the end of the day. The inside smelled of smoke and meat and beer, making Raven’s stomach growl once more.
River and Jensen took the lead, leaving Adrien and Raven to walk behind them. Adrien’s knuckles grazed Raven’s. Her heart did backflips. Her hunger morphed into something more carnal, making the beast inside her lick its lips in anticipation.
Adrien leaned in and whispered, “I hope you aren’t mad that I sent your sister in to get you.”
Raven did a double-take. Adrien had organized her escape without her realizing it.
Before he could explain further, a roar sounded from a nearby table. The golden glow of cheap lighting illuminated a raucous group. Ember and Baylee stood behind their mates. They lifted glasses and crashed them together in a sloppy cheer. Beer sloshed onto Cash’s shoulder, but he only rolled his eyes before getting out of his seat and gesturing for his mate to take it.
Raven had never seen Cash so calm before. The man had always been on some sort of edge, as if the slightest insult would bring out the worst of him. She’d done her best to tread carefully around him, but this Barnes woman with her firetruck-red tipped hair spilled her drink on him and he barely batted an eye.
Raven wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to these new mated pairs. The bonds seemed strange. Baylee’s black ensemble had a lot of buckles and leather, but her menacing outfit was at odds with the way she braided Gale’s hair as she stood behind him. The braid fell apart when a biker approached Baylee and said something that Raven couldn’t hear.
Gale surged out of his seat and seemed impossibly large, towering over the biker while wearing a terrifying visage. The biker slunk away to lick his internal wounds. Baylee bounced on the tow of her platform boots and kissed Gale’s cheek.
Adrien threaded his fingers with Raven’s and pulled her toward the table. He offered her a chair, then took the one beside her. Everyone at the table welcomed her. They all offered her a bite of their appetizers, from pizza logs to boneless wings. No one commented on her weight or told her to stick to the celery.
She exhaled and a knot of tension slipped away. As she nibbled on a pizza log, she thought about how this was where she wished she could belong. She yearned to spend her evenings with happy people, with mated pairs who truly admired and loved one another. Their affection was contagious. It lifted her spirits and nearly made her forget about what had occurred earlier.
That golden wedding dress lingered on her mind. She wished she’d snapped a photo of herself in it, because she doubted she would ever look as good in anything else. It had been a piece of magic that’d easily slipped through her fingers. There was no way in hell that she would wear it for Bastien.
If that man was to be her fate, then he would not get the best of her. He certainly seemed uninterested in giving her the best of himself.
Adrien leaned in. His lips tickled her ear and sent shivers thro
ugh her. “Are you alright?”
Was she? Raven didn’t know how to answer. Her entire life had been filled with days like this. She’d learned to tread carefully, to think about her words, and to roll over for anyone stronger than herself. Today was not so out of the ordinary for her, yet it left her unsettled all the same.
Perhaps the strange dichotomy of her day versus her evening that was making her uncomfortable. Before her was a picture of happiness that she could never achieve. These couples were so head-over-heels in love with one another, and Raven couldn’t help but think about all the ways she couldn’t have the same kind of love.
Bastien, with his domineering nature, would always revel in keeping her under his thumb. She should have known that the man she would marry would savor such a thing, because that was all she was good for. Raven didn’t know how to stand up for herself. She’d chosen the worst dress of them all today just to break the tension that had been mounting in the boutique.
Adrien tenderly touched the back of her neck. He leaned back and gave her a worried look. She tried to paste on a reassuring smile, but it felt thin and weak. She excused herself from the table and made her way toward the restroom.
Alone for the first time all day, Raven gripped the sides of the sink and tried to breathe. The restroom smelled like a horrid mix of body odor, cigarette smoke, and bleach. It choked her. Not even opening the narrow window over the toilet helped.
Raven wished she could be more like her sister. The triplets couldn’t have been more different, though. It was as if they’d been plucked from the ether and pulled together, rather than raised in the same household. River had become assertive. Her confidence seemed unwavering.
A Star Crossed Fate (Great Plains Dragon Feud Book 4) Page 4