Tears of Raven

22

Raven stepped down stretching her arms.

"Do you think it's too late to take a bath before bed?" she asked her dragon

A cough was the answer she received and it wasn't Araxys'.

Her whole face dropped when she spotted the prince leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed and a very stubborn expression on his face.

"You know, your mother said a gentleman should never be in a lady's room after dark. Or ever. I can't remember."

The smug on his face as he looked down to find the patience not to offend her made Raven almost smile back.

"Did she already get to the part where a lady is not supposed to leave her room in the middle of the night or is she on the table manners?"

Raven scoffed but before she could retort with something else, Zeus lunched at the prince. She managed to catch him before it was too late but there was no point into hiding him now.

"I see the sparrow is back. Pity."

Raven's nose curled as she began to unfold her covers so she could jump in and call it a day. The prince was behind her in a heartbeat. She felt is sweet smell of lavender and straightened immediately.

The room was poorly lit. after a certain hour, her maids would come and simply turn off any candle left. They knew she liked to sleep in complete darkness anyway. They must have come and found both of them gone so they had left a little candle by the table to show her where the bed was.

A side from that and the lava stones, there was nothing else.

Raven squeezed Zeus to her chest, to protect him.

The silence was becoming unbearable. Raven could sense his breath on her bare shoulder.

"How long have you been standing in the dark waiting for me?"

"Long enough that my legs went numb."

Raven trailed.

"You're goose bumps. Are you cold?"

No, she was fine. Araxys fire spread inside of her, she didn't feel cold anymore and so she shook her head unable to speak for some reason.

"Your body doesn't seem to agree with you, though."

Raven looked at him from over her shoulder confused. Maybe he was referring to the goosebumps.

"And I said I'm not cold, shadow prick. Back off." The prince finally took a step back with his palm raised in a pitiful excuse.

"You're right. I over stepped."

She nodded agreeing with him and pointed to the door.

"Stop coming into my room at night. It's creepy."

The prince's head tilted to the side, his green eyes flared up that even in a place as dark as her room, they stood out in the mist of it all.

"Is this how it's going to be when we are married, princess?" The irony didn't go lost on Raven and she fisted her hands.

"I'll probably die first of boredom."

A gust of wind was all it took for him to grab her face the way he liked when he was crossed with her.

"Do I bore you, princess? Maybe I should be more interesting for once."

With one push, Raven was back on her mattress with him on top.

"I just hope we never get to the point in this fucking farse, where I have to actually marry you" He spat but Raven felt his hand on the back of her calf. It was gentler than his tone. Grazing with his thumb and he probably didn't even realize it.

"The feeling is mutual, shadow prick." He pulled her a little closer and Raven sighted almost on his lips for how near he had got.

"If you dare call me that in public, I would snap your owl's neck in front of you at the ball. It would be my engagement present for you."

Raven pushed him with her hips until he rolled on his back and she pinned him by the wrists.

"The find a way around this curse. Instead of harassing me every chance you get?"

Raven opened the door, her mind begun to pour out into her arms and around the prince's skin. The sphere of her power stretched causing the prince to wince and snap away from her hold but he didn't move her.

He stood seated with Raven on his lap, legs crossed around the small of his back. His eyes lingered over her stomach and up to every other inch of her skin.

And Raven was starting to understand what Araxys had said to her. stop pulling away and start pushing him off the rails. She held so much power, she had no idea. She just never knew how.

The prince palm stopped on her sides few inches under her breasts. He was glaring at her as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Raven didn't feel particularly different from usual; she maybe hated him a little less but still wanted to burn him alive.

His left finger traced up over her ribs and on her shoulder to fix her strap before gulping down hard.

"You need to ask for better fitted gowns."

His voice was hoarse and it moved a tassel into Raven's brain that she couldn't quite place but it made her legs hung tighter on his waist as he moved up.

"Try and get some sleep. In two days, you'll be my fiancé and I'm going to need you on your best behavior. Three continents have agreed to come and see you, make it worth their while."

Three? Raven wondered if it meant that the kingdom of Twistal had been eventually invited to maintain appearances or attempt peace.

The prince put her down carefully and tuck her in at best he could before bolting out of the door not fast enough for Raven to see the hand that had touched her calf open and close repeatedly.

"You could have stepped in anytime, he was mishandling me, you know?"

"Really? It looked like he was handling you well enough to me, hatchling."

Raven scoffed.

"It's the prophecy. You two are bound to clash at some point. There's no escaping it."

"Clash is still a better way to go than marriage."