His Mortal Bride

♱Chapter 42♱

Raven's P•O•V

"Raven..." Steven breathed in utter astonishment, entering into the doorway and gripping me in a hug. My arms stayed by my side, anger and shock rising in me. His tight grip loosened and when he parted from me, his eyes looked concerned.

"I didn't think you'd come back. I was so worried!" Steven exclaimed and looked over me, inspecting me as if he was looking for something out of the ordinary.

"Bullshit." The word came out of my mouth before I could stop it. I walked out onto the porch, hugging myself as the cold air bit at my skin. Steven followed me out on to the porch and looked at me in confusion.

"Are you alright Raven-" He asked, furrowing his brow at me. I looked at him incredulously.

"Am I alright? Am I alright?! I was ... gone, and you didn't look for me. You know I came back right?" I snapped, watching his expression go from concerned to surprised.

"I came back, and you know what I found? Everyone gathered around the dinner table, laughing and smiling like I didn't even exist. Oh and don't forget the best part, you had some girl take my seat, as if I could just be erased and thrown out of the family, forgotten like I was nothing. I guess you all got what you wanted, huh? For me to be gone." I continued, my voice cracking as my eyes started to burn with tears.

Overall, I had been happy the way things had turned out, but I wasn't thrilled with the way things ended with my family.

Steven stood there, his lips turned down into a frown, expression ashamed, showing how guilty I made him feel.

Good, I wanted him to feel the way I felt that night I returned back to New York.

"Raven ... I didn't know ..." Steven murmured, avoiding my critical eyes on him as he watched his feet.

"Did you even tell her that the seat she was sitting in was your sister's? Did you fail to mention that I was missing, that I could have been dead? Or did you not want to ruin your reputation as a detective?" I glared at him, feeling the rage fill my words. When he looked up at me, his eyes were glassy.

"You don't think I've looked for you? Raven, I've spent every day in the office trying to find you, trying to find some clue as to where you were and why you were taken. I searched over a hundred security cameras trying to find the last glimpse of you before you disappeared. I kept the house in my name so that if you ever came back, you'd have somewhere to go." Steven told me, his voice brittle as he spoke. A small bit of remorse filled me as I heard this, but not enough to take away the pain of knowing he had turned his back to me that night I came back.

"And that woman ... I met her after you were taken. She came into the precinct about a week after you vanished. She knows everything that happened to you, and she knows you're the only family member I love. Raven, I love her but you know I'd never forget about you just because I have a woman in my life."

"Isn't that adorable." I heard a voice come from behind me. Steven looked behind me and his eyes widened, then looked over DeMalo like some sculpture in a museum. I rolled my eyes.

"DeMalo, leave us be." I grumbled, not turning around to acknowledge him.

"Who's this?" Steven asked, not taking his eyes off of DeMalo.

"Careful mortal, continue with that hostility and I'd be more than content to drain you in front of your sister." DeMalo warned. Steven furrowed his brow at the term, but his eyes grew wide as an expression of disbelief played on his face.

First of all, don't just threaten a homicide detective's life. Second of all, don't threaten anyone in general in such a way as DeMalo just did.

It's like DeMalo was just asking for Steven to figure out what he was.