Night had fallen thick over Raven's apartment. The black walls seemed to drink the candlelight, leaving only soft, flickering pools of gold on the velvet comforter and the scattered raven feathers on the floor. The air was heavy with vanilla incense, clove smoke, and the faint metallic tang of fresh paint. Raven sat cross-legged on the bed, oversized Siouxsie shirt slipping off one shoulder, sketchbook open on her lap. A half-finished canvas leaned against the wall behind her-dark arches, bleeding ravens, something raw and unfinished.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her.
She hadn't spoken much since I arrived. Just quiet glances, fingers twisting the charcoal pencil, eyes distant.
I broke the silence first.
"Did you figure out what you'll draw yet?"
Her head lifted slowly. Those storm-gray eyes met mine-guarded, tired, but still burning.
"How can you be so calm?" she asked, voice soft, almost accusing.
I pushed off the doorframe and walked toward her, slow, deliberate.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
She closed the sketchbook with a quiet snap.
"Just two days ago, Mia saw us on the rooftop."
"And?"
"You don't care if she tells everyone."
I sat on the edge of the bed, close enough that our thighs brushed.
"No problem in that." I shrugged. "Though she didn't tell anyone yet."
Raven's gaze dropped to her hands. "Yes. Because she got hurt."
I frowned. "Why do you think that?"
"You didn't notice?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Before she ran away… her eyes were full of tears."
I stared at her for a long moment.
"You're imagining things, baby. She got no reason for shedding tears over us. We didn't hurt her."
Raven's fingers tightened around the pencil.
"You hurt her."
"No, I didn't."
"She's in love with you."
The words landed like a slap.
I laughed once-short, disbelieving.
"That's bullshit. If what you're saying is true, then it's not love. It's just attraction."
Raven's eyes flashed. For the first time that night, the shy girl with steel walls showed a crack of anger.
"Elliot." Her voice was quiet but cutting. "If you can't accept someone's feelings, at least don't disrespect them."
Silence.
Heavy.
I reached out, cupped her face with both hands-thumbs brushing the sharp line of her cheekbones, tilting her chin up so she had to look at me.
"I only care about you, baby," I said, low and certain. "And you should only care about us."
Her breath caught.
I kissed her.
Slow at first-lips brushing, tasting the faint clove on her tongue. Then deeper. Hungrier. My hands slid into her short pixie hair, fingers curling, holding her like she might disappear.
She kissed back-hesitant, then fierce-small hands fisting my shirt.
When I pulled away, her lips were swollen, black lipstick smeared.
I rested my forehead against hers.
"Now tell me," I murmured, voice rough, "what's your plan for Monday's art competition?"
She exhaled shakily, eyes still locked on mine.
"I… I was thinking something about decay. Not just buildings. People. How we fall apart and still keep going." She paused. "Like us."
I smiled against her mouth.
"Paint it," I said. "Paint every bruise. Every tear. Every mark I left on you. Show them how beautiful breaking can be."
Her fingers traced the scratches she'd left on my forearms-faint red lines already fading.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"Of the competition?"
"Of everything." Her voice cracked. "Of Mia. Of what she'll do. Of losing you because of this."
I kissed her again-harder this time, claiming.
"You won't lose me," I growled against her lips. "I'm not going anywhere. Not for Mia. Not for anyone. You're mine, Raven. Stained. Broken. Perfect."
She trembled in my arms.
I pulled her closer, hands sliding under her shirt, cupping her breasts, thumbs brushing nipples until she whimpered.
"Monday," I said, voice dark with promise, "you're going to win that competition. And I'm going to fuck you in your prize-winning canvas afterward. Covered in paint. Covered in me."
Her breath hitched.
A small, shy smile curved her lips-the first real one all night.
"You're impossible," she whispered.
"For you," I said. "Always."
She leaned into me, head on my chest, fingers tracing the heartbeat she'd claimed.
And for the first time since Mia saw us on the rooftop…
The shadows felt a little less heavy.
The silence stretched after my words, thick with the scent of melting wax and her quiet breathing. Raven's fingers were still tangled in my shirt, her body pressed close enough that I could feel the rapid flutter of her heart against my ribs. The candles had burned lower, shadows dancing across her pale skin like they were reaching for her.
I tilted her chin up with my thumb, forcing those storm-gray eyes to meet mine.
"Do you mind if I fuck you now?" I whispered, voice rough, low enough that it barely disturbed the air between us.
Her lips parted on a soft exhale. For a second she just stared-shocked, shy, but not pulling away.
"You're hopeless," she said, voice barely above a whisper, a tiny, trembling smile tugging at the corner of her black-lined mouth. "You know that?"
I leaned in, brushing my lips against hers-just a tease.
"Only for you, baby."
That was all it took.
I kissed her again, deeper this time-hungry, claiming. My tongue slid against hers, tasting the faint trace of clove and the sweetness that was only her. She moaned softly into my mouth, small hands sliding up my chest, nails digging in just enough to sting.
I didn't waste time.
Hands under her shirt, I yanked it over her head in one rough motion. Her breasts spilled free-heavy, perfect, nipples already dark and tight from the cool air and the heat between us. I palmed them both, squeezing hard, thumbs flicking the peaks until she arched into my touch with a broken whimper.
"Elliot…"
I pushed her back onto the velvet comforter, following her down, mouth latching onto one nipple-sucking hard, teeth grazing, tongue swirling. Her back bowed, fingers threading into my hair, pulling me closer even as she tried to stifle the sounds escaping her throat.
I moved lower.
Kissed a trail down her stomach, teeth nipping at the soft skin just above her waistband. She lifted her hips when I tugged her skirt down, panties following in one swift pull. I spread her thighs wide, hooking them over my shoulders.
She was already soaked-glistening, swollen, pink and perfect.
I groaned against her inner thigh, biting the soft flesh hard enough to leave a mark.
Then I dove in.
Tongue flat, I licked her from entrance to clit in one long, slow stroke. She cried out-sharp, surprised-hand flying to her mouth to muffle it. I didn't care. I wanted every sound.
I ate her like a starving man.
Sucking her clit hard, flicking fast with the tip of my tongue, then plunging deep inside her, fucking her with slow, deliberate strokes. Two fingers joined my tongue-curling, pumping, stretching her while I sucked her clit relentlessly.
Her thighs trembled around my head.
She bit her hand harder, trying to stay quiet, but the muffled whimpers still leaked out-high, desperate.
I added a third finger.
She bucked against my face, hips grinding, chasing it.
When she came it was violent-body seizing, pussy clenching around my fingers, flooding my mouth. I licked her through it, prolonging every shudder until she was shaking, oversensitive, weakly pushing at my head.
I rose up on my knees.
Stripped fast-shirt, jeans, boxers gone in seconds.
My cock sprang free-thick, hard, already leaking.
Raven's eyes went wide, breath hitching as she looked at me.
I didn't give her time to think.
Grabbed her hips, flipped her onto her stomach.
She gasped as I pulled her ass up, knees spread wide.
I lined up and thrust in-one deep, brutal stroke.
She screamed into the pillow, fists clenching the sheets.
I didn't stop.
Fucked her hard-hips slamming against her ass, balls slapping her clit with every thrust. The bed creaked violently, iron frame rattling like it might break.
"Quiet, baby," I growled, one hand fisting her short pixie hair, yanking her head back. "Or the neighbors will know exactly how I ruin you."
She tried.
God, she tried.
But every time I bottomed out she let out a broken, muffled cry into the pillow.
I changed angles-pulled her up onto her knees, chest to her back, one arm banded around her waist, the other sliding between her legs to rub her clit hard and fast.
She came again-fast, shattering-pussy clamping down so tight I groaned against her neck.
Didn't stop.
Flipped her onto her back.
Legs over my shoulders, folded almost in half.
Thrust deep-deeper than before-grinding against her cervix with every stroke.
Her breasts bounced wildly, nipples grazed raw from earlier.
I leaned down, bit one hard.
She sobbed-pleasure and pain twisting together.
"Elliot-too much-please-"
I ignored her.
Fucked her faster, harder, the wet slap of our bodies filling the room.
Her third orgasm hit like a storm-body convulsing, nails raking down my back, drawing fresh blood. She bit her own arm to keep from screaming loud enough for the whole building to hear.
I was close-balls tight, heat coiling low.
Pulled out.
Flipped her again-on her side now, one leg hooked over my hip.
Thrust back in from behind, one hand around her throat (just holding, feeling her pulse race), the other rubbing her clit in tight circles.
She came a fourth time-shaking so hard I had to hold her down.
That was it.
I thrust deep one last time and came with a guttural groan-filling her, hot pulses deep inside, marking her from the inside out.
We collapsed.
Sweat-slick. Panting. Tangled.
I held her against my chest, cock still half-hard inside her, both of us trembling from the intensity.
She turned her face into my neck, breath ragged.
"You're going to kill me one day," she whispered, voice wrecked.
I kissed her temple, tasting salt.
"Only with love, baby."
She laughed-soft, broken, real.
And in the quiet after the storm, with candles guttering low and shadows wrapping around us like a blanket…
I knew.
No matter what Mia did, no matter who saw, no matter how many people tried to tear us apart…
This was forever.
And I'd fight the whole world to keep it.