Raven's Blood

by Cassandra Lawson

Chapter Twenty

  Connor wasn’t surprised when he found Raven out in the garden again. She spent most of her days out there. It was funny because he’d had no garden before her arrival. There had been some dead patches of grass and an old oak tree. The oak tree drew her out there first. Anywhere they went, she found them and gravitated toward them. She liked other trees, too, but the oaks were her favorite. Since Raven’s arrival a month ago, many native flowers and plants had mysteriously sprung up. She’d convinced him to get her seeds so she could grow her own food. Those had also sprung up at a miraculous rate.

  He was surprised the wolf wasn’t in the yard with her. Of course, if he wasn’t in the yard, Connor knew the beast was in his bed. With as much fur as Fang left in Connor’s bed, the wolf should be completely bald.

  Turned vampires were still a big problem in the woods. They were forced to bring several guards with them on Raven’s outings, which was good because it didn’t allow them too many intimate moments. It also kept her too distracted to notice his reaction to the surrounding woods. The bad thing about the guards was he hadn’t seen her act as wild and unrestrained since their time out alone. He missed that. Raven tried to appear human with the guards around. It was strange to admit he missed the green flush to her cheeks when she was truly immersed in the woods.

  Connor adjusted his pants to make his erection a little more comfortable. That was becoming a constant problem. He was sure it was because he hadn’t been over to see Norah in too long.

  Having Raven in his house was like having a child. He couldn’t go anywhere because he had to watch her constantly—watch her softly caressing the flowers or standing in the rain as it molded her wet clothes to her body. Maybe it wasn’t exactly like having a child, but it was still annoying. Mostly, it was arousing, which pissed him off.

  She turned toward him with a brilliant smile on her face, but it faded when her eyes met his. Connor cursed and turned away. She had no problem sharing those smiles with Shelby or Carla. Even Jack got smiles. That’s how Connor knew it wasn’t just her distrust of vampires. She had a problem with him. Then he had to wonder why she’d gone to so much effort to rescue him from the turned vamps. She could have easily left him to die and disappeared. Then she would have been free of the blood bond. She’d saved him, but she still acted like she hated him half the time. She was the most contrary woman he’d ever met.

  Raven wasn’t sure why it hurt so much when Connor scowled at her. She’d seen him laugh with his friends plenty of times, but most of the time he was angry with her. There were times when they got along fine, but even then there was an undercurrent of tension. Mostly, in her presence, he acted like he’d rather be anywhere else. There were times when she almost wanted to apologize before she remembered he could send her away if she annoyed him that much. With a sad sigh, she sat on the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. He couldn’t let her go. She needed to settle into her new life, and that would be easier if things were less strained with Connor.

  Connor stormed into the yard. “We’re going out,” he announced and stalked toward the side gate as if he expected her to follow along obediently.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  “Good morning, Connor,” she said in an overly cheerful voice. “Yes, I’m doing quite well today. Thank you for asking. And how are you?”

  Connor turned and let out a frustrated sigh. “Are you done being a smartass?”

  She pretended to think about his question. “Yes, I believe I am. Are you done being a dumbass?”

  He chuckled and held the gate open, motioning for her to go through it.

  When she didn’t move he nearly growled.

  She decided this wasn’t worth fighting over, so she stood and dusted the dirt off her pants before walking out to the jeep. She climbed in and was annoyed when he didn’t say anything about where they were going.

  The ride was tense. It seemed more accurate to say Connor was tense during the ride. Raven decided to try being the bigger person. They were stuck together, so maybe it was time to come to a truce. They got along part of the time, and they could get along more.

  “I wanted to thank you for letting me start the garden. I also really appreciate how kind you’ve been to Fang. He really likes you,” she said, placing a hand on his thigh.

  Connor hissed and slammed on the brake, causing Raven’s body to jerk forward. “How would you like to thank me, Raven?” he asked, his voice sounding strained.

  Raven’s heartbeat quickened, and she carefully undid her seatbelt. There was definitely something wrong. Connor’s heated gaze hadn’t left hers, and she could tell he was on edge. Actually, he looked like he was ready to attack. Her hand reached out for the door handle.

  “Don’t run, Raven,” he rasped out. “I’m a predator, and in my current frame of mind, I can guarantee you won’t like the end result if you run.”

  Raven tried to keep her voice calm. “You would really chase after me? That seems a little barbaric, even for you.”

  “I will chase you down, and when I catch you, I will sink my fangs into your sweet flesh while I fuck you. You’ll let me do it, too. I remember how much you wanted me the last time I took your blood. You’ll hate me later, but you’ll still enjoy every second of it.”

  Raven wished his words didn’t have such a strong impact on her. She was tempted to open the door and run just to force him to do it. Her body ached with desire. It wasn’t a new sensation for her. She found herself craving his touch frequently. Before her time with the humans, it would have been enough that they both wanted each other. Living with humans had made her more cautious. She knew how awkward things could get after sex with a human, and she suspected the same was true for vampires. Connor might want her now, but when he was sated, he’d regret it. The question was, did she care? Her eyes shifted from him to the door handle, and her hand flexed. Then she looked back at Connor.

  They stared at each other for a long time before Raven finally dropped her eyes and moved her hand away from the door. She had to live with Connor, and she couldn’t afford to make things any more uncomfortable between them. She put her seatbelt back on, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

  Connor deposited her at Jack and Muriel’s house without a word to her.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Jack asked him.

  When Connor spun to face him, Jack obviously saw something that alarmed him. He put himself between Connor and Raven. “We’ll keep Raven here until after dinner. Just go take care of things.”

  Connor gave a curt nod before climbing back into his jeep and driving away.