Chapter 16
I’mstillhere.
Raven wasn’t quite sure why that was, why he hadn’t managed to run, to leave all of this behind.The…shame.I’m ashamed of myself.But I’m still here.
The memories kept replaying, almost like background noise, but red and dark and painful.Everything after he’d followed Laurenzio, everything at Prof.LeRoux’s place.At the park.
The dog that had walked home with them—Raven wasn’t sure whether they had stolen him or not—got up, stretched, and yawned.Then he walked around the table, head held high, jumped on the couch, and curled up right next to Raven, touching his leg.
Raven reached out and placed his hand on the dog’s side.It was impossible not to.He was warm and soft, and the way he rolled closer to Raven while adjusting his position made Raven feel like this dog didn’t care about what had happened to him, couldn’t see all the shame and guilt.
Maxim whistled low and came over with two steaming mugs in his hand.One had the string and little paper tag of a teabag coming out the top.The tag was green with a little cursive logo on it, and Maxim had tied it around the handle to keep it from going into the mug.Raven could smell both drinks—the charred, warm scent of coffee, and the fresh, sharp smell of peppermint.
“Here you go.”Maxim placed the mug on the table in front of Raven before settling on the couch and taking a sip of his own coffee.He smiled at the dog.“He likes you.”
Next to Maxim, Heath groaned.“Aaaah.”
Maxim looked at Heath.“Good morning, darling.”
“Nooo…” Heath covered his face with his hands and rolled onto his back on the couch, then struggled into something resembling an upright position.He tried to blink his eyes open, with only moderate success.He spotted the mug in Maxim’s hand, and Raven recognized the ravenous thirst of a coffee drinker.
“Ah…!Gimme.”Heath took the mug from Maxim and gulped.Then he stopped, and as if it were a scene from a movie, spewed it back out, spraying most of it all over Maxim’s face.
“What the fuck is this?”Heath asked, sounding both shocked and awake.
Maxim sighed, but he remained freakishly calm, wiping his face with the back of his hand.“Darling, it’s coffee.”
“There’s fucking sugar in this!”
“That’s because it’s my coffee.”
Heath’s eyebrows shot up.He looked about ready to cry.“You didn’t make me coffee?I thought you made me coffee.I have a headache.”He looked at the mug that was still in his hand.“This isn’t coffee.Why didn’t you make me coffee?”
“My darling boy, you have a hangover.Here.”He took the mug from Heath and stood.“I’ll make you coffee, extra strong, just the way you like it.Then I’ll change.It’s been a while since I’ve had to change because of you.”
Heath leaned back against the couch.“Yeah.You should change more because of me.”His eyes fell shut.Then they snapped open a moment later.“Are you walking around the house in the silly bat PJs?”
He started to turn, but abandoned the attempt, flinching.Apparently he hurt too much for movement.
“You gave them to me, darling.”Maxim poured Heath a large mug from the machine and handed it over.“I’ll be back shortly.Entertain Raven.”
Maxim smiled at Raven, who…blushed.No, stop.I’m all over the place.He doesn’t mean it like that.There is no way he likes me.No way.
Heath looked at Raven.“Oh.I didn’t see you there.You’re up early.”Maxim’s footsteps sounded on the stairs.Heath narrowed his eyes.“Wait.Wait.I know that sweater.”The dog turned and put his head on Raven’s leg.He slow-blinked at Heath, who blinked right back.“What the fuck is that?”
“He…he’s a dog.”Raven patted his head.He liked the pointy ears.
“I can see that.The fuck is there a dog here?Or is that—hey, are you some weird werewolf?Is it the full moon?”
“No.”It can’t be.The park was so lonely.No one was waiting there for me to pay me back for what I did.
Heath took a swig of his coffee.“How do you know?Also, what’s with the dog?Did you have a dog?Jason didn’t say you had a dog.”Heath looked around.“Where the fuck is Jason?”He looked back at the dog and tilted his head.“J-Jason?”
“Jason didn’t turn into a dog.You might still be drunk.We just went to the park, and there was a guy running after this dog.He let him off his leash, but I guess the dog never liked his leash.Maxim threw it in the lake.”Raven bit his lip.“He compelled the man, I think, and we took the dog with us.”
Heath’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open, and he was nodding.“Huh.Yeah.Yeeeeah.This is my fault.I didn’t get you a phone.I told you to call me and—wait, did Maxim take you to the fucking park in his batty PJs?And why are you wearing his clothes?What the fuckhappened?”
Elsewhere in the penthouse, a door closed, and not long after, Jason shuffled into view from the hallway that led to Raven’s room, looking worse for wear.Clement was holding him upright and rubbing his back.
