I yanked out of his grip with wide eyes, stumbling back. His lips pressed into a thin smile. “Go,” he said.
He didn’t need to tell me twice. I ran from his room, my heart pounding as I whipped open the door to the apartment and slammed down the stairs. I shoved through into the restaurant, the place vast and empty with it closed for the mission, but there they were. All three of them.
They looked...good. Healthy. Strong. Thorne and Kane were bickering as always. Mickey was laughing, his arms slung around his brother, Matthias, while Monty and Heath told them an animated story, their hands flying.
Then they saw me.
“Arden,” Thorne breathed, and Kane came at me like a bulldozer. I gasped as the person Ileastexpected to hug me threw me into his arms and wrapped around me, his face pressing down into my neck as he lifted me off the ground and spun me around. A laugh of surprise left me, my smile bright when he finally set me down. “Thank fuck,” he whispered and grabbed my head, kissing my forehead aggressively. “We’ve been here an hour. I was starting to think that Alexander shithead lied to us about you being safe.”
Thorne was there next, and I threw my arms over his neck, holding him tight. “Hey, little flame,” he said against my good ear. “You look weird as a blond.”
“Hi,” I said with a laugh, noticing for the first time that the room had gone silent, the Ravens watching Creed and smiling ear to ear. “It’s just a wig.”
Then—Rafe had me against him. His mouth slanted down against mine without hesitation. I melted into him, the room falling away until there was only the familiar fit of us, the quiet certainty of his mouth moving with mine like it remembered every version of me that had ever existed and loved every one. The kiss deepened, full and aching. My chest tightened, my knees threatening to give as his forehead rested briefly against mine between breaths, his exhale warm and grounding. When we finally pulled back, heat burned my cheeks as applause and whoops erupted from the others. I laughed, Rafe hooking an arm around my waist and Thorne and Kane hanging theirs over our shoulders, the four of us huddling together, our heads bumping.
I missed you, I signed in the center of us all.
Thorne pressed a kiss to my cheek before brushing his lips to my ear. “Introduce me to the redhead, won’t you?”
I grinned, pulling out of their embrace. “Ravens,” I said, gesturing to the others and then back to Creed, “this is Creed. Creed, these are the Ravens.”
Heath was the first to leap into the greetings, startling all three Creed with a hug of her own. The only one that didn’t mind was Thorne, his eyes tracking her as she rejoined Monty, and I loved seeing him absolutely smitten like that. I pinched his arm teasingly and Thorne blushed, ducking his head and glaring at me. “Shut up,” he muttered, and I laughed.
Mickey’s brother needed no introduction. It seemed Matthias had been taking turns checking in on Rafe, Thorne and Kane. It was fun seeing him next to Mickey, though. They both had roughly the same build, the same stupidly hot good looks, but Matthias had much less of an accent than Mickey. Monty, meanwhile, eyed each Creed suspiciously as she begrudgingly shook their hands, stopping a moment longer in front of Rafe. He shook her hand almost as bitterly, which she seemed to appreciate.
“Youmust be the Rafe I’ve heard so much about,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “You’re deaf right? Can you understand me?”
“He can lip read well,” I explained, signing too.
Rafe dropped her hand and took a step back, frowning.
“Grumpy,” she muttered and cocked a brow in my direction. “He may not be blond, but you certainly have a type, Mrs. Creed.”
My smile fell. So did all of Creeds’. I had no idea that Monty or any of the Ravens thought that Alexander and I were intimate. They’d never said anything before, but they must’ve assumed, and I kicked myself for not saying otherwise before then.
“Type?” Kane was the first to ask, but Thorne’s eyes were on my ring finger, his lips parting. I had the ring on since I knew I’d be around Buyers. Kane followed his brother’s focus and cursed low. Rafe…his face went pale. Then really fucking red. “Tell me that’s part of your Buyer identity and not a real fucking wedding ring,” Kane demanded.
“No one told you?” I asked, twisting the ring anxiously. I hesitated but rolled my shoulders back. “It’s real. I’m married…ish. But it’s not—”
“We’remarried,” came Alexander’s voice as the door to the stairs banged shut. His expression looked bored despite how nervous I knew he was, his hands in his pockets and his suit immaculate. “Arden’s my wife.”
Thorne and Kane both lurched forward, but Rafe was faster.
“No!” I shrieked, but I couldn’t stop it.
Rafe’s fist slammed into Alexander’s gut, Alexander knocking back and folding in on himself. Shouts from Ravens struck out, Rafe heaving like a beast, his arm cocking back to land another shot, but I threw myself between them. Rafe stopped his fist inches from my face, stumbling back a step, his face furious.
I glared at him. “What the fuck are you doing?” I shouted.
“The same thing we’re seconds from doing ourselves,” Kane bit out. Him and Thorne had shoved up the sleeves of their black shirts, their anger focused on—
“Alexander,” I breathed, dropping to my knees beside him. He was hunched over on the ground, clutching his stomach. He held out a hand to stop me from coming closer before he vomited.Blood.
Mickey was there first, the other Ravens following, all of them dragging Alexander back and seeing what couldn’t be hidden any longer. Alexander was pale. So fucking pale. The careful mask he’d put on to hide his pain was gone. It was like that one punch broke him down. He was trying to pull himself together, but it was too late, panic bleeding in his eyes as Ravens helped him to his feet. He looked to me, but there was no way out. I could see it on every Raven’s face as they stared at the blood on the ground.
“One punch wouldn’t do that, man,” Matthias said gruffly.
Heath pressed the back of her hand to Alexander’s forehead. He tried to rip away but the others held him in place. “You’re burning up,” she said hoarsely. “Are you sick?”
