Chapter 575 - Voren, just run me over
This time Voren was ready to get physical. Time wasn’t on their side and Ravyn was testing every last scrap of patience he had left, but the kids were sitting right there inside the car and Voren refused to give them another reason to see the uglier side of him.
It wouldn’t be right, not in front of Bryan and Espe.
Ravyn, though, refused to get off the ground. He just lay there on the gravel like he had all day, eyes locked on Voren.
"Voren, just run me over."
Voren stared down at the pathetic man stretched out in front of the SUV, jaw tight, morning air cool against his face. His anger was immense but he knew exactly what Ravyn was doing and refused to partake in it.
"Look, if you want to die, great, but it won’t be by my hand."
"All I want is five minutes of her time," Ravyn pleaded, refusing to stand from the floor. "That, or you run me over."
Frustration crawled hot and hard through Voren’s chest. Before he could open his mouth again the sound of a car door opening cut through the tense quiet. Seraphine stepped out, stilettos crunching lightly on the drive. The second Ravyn saw her he jumped to his feet and hurriedly brushed the dirt off his shirt like he hadn’t just been lying on the ground moments ago, trying to look presentable under the pale morning light.
"Sera, you look gorgeous."
Seraphine’s face stayed completely unmoved, eyes flat and cool. "You have two minutes."
Ravyn swallowed, his throat tight. He’d faced this kind of aloofness from Seraphine but by then, he’d assured himself that she was the one in the wrong.
Now that the truth was in the open, he wished to just have her smile at him. Quickly, he looked toward Voren, voice dropping.
"But he’s standing there."
Seraphine’s gaze moved to Voren and instantly Ravyn saw it. The warmth, the softness that filled her eyes whenever she looked at him. It was the same warmth Ravyn used to see in her eyes when she looked at him years ago.
Only he had never valued it, and the difference hit even harder when he remembered himself.
Whenever Seraphine came near him his eyes used to turn cold, but when Daisy appeared every hard edge in him seemed to melt away. Ah. Ravyn was finally swallowing his own bitter pill, and it sat heavy in his gut.
Voren stepped away after catching Seraphine’s look, though he didn’t go far. He stayed close enough to step in if Ravyn tried anything stupid, arms loose at his sides, watching.
The second Voren moved aside Ravyn dropped to his knees right there on the gravel, dirt already clinging to his pants again.
"Sera, I don’t mind sharing you with Voren, but..."
His words didn’t even have the chance to settle. Seraphine’s palm connected with his face hard enough that the sharp crack of it echoed through the morning air. Ravyn’s head snapped to the side from the force.
"Fuck you, Ravyn!" Her voice came out low and burning. "The fact that you think so little of me is disgusting."
Slowly Ravyn looked back at her. A tear slipped down his cheek. Indeed, Seraphine was not that kind of woman and wanting to share her with another man was an insult to her integrity.
Oh, Ravyn was realizing it too late how desperation was causing him to lose his mind.
"Sera, I’m sorry for everything, and I don’t care how many times you slap me. I’ll never stop begging for your forgiveness."
"I already forgave you, brother. Now off you go," Seraphine said sarcastically, waving him away like she was shooing off a stubborn hen, wrist flicking once, expression closed.
But Ravyn lowered his head until his forehead pressed against the cold ground, voice cracking as he cried.
"No, Sera. I can never leave you. I love you too much."
Seraphine’s eyes turned cold, all the earlier heat gone. "That’s your problem. Your two minutes are up."
"I asked for five," Ravyn pleaded, still on his knees, shoulders shaking.
Seraphine yawned, covering it with the back of her hand like the whole thing bored her.
"You have nothing important to say, Ravyn. Go and take care of your pack."
"I don’t care about any of that!" Ravyn’s voice broke as the words burst out of him, raw and loud enough to carry.
Seraphine only shrugged, calm as anything.
"Please don’t come looking for me again. You should know by now that I’m a one-man woman, and Voren is the love of my life."
The soft smile that curled her lips when she said Voren’s name made Ravyn’s heart ache deep in his chest. But then again, how could he ever expect to have her? Seraphine had stayed even when he kept handing her divorce papers.
She had held onto their marriage when he treated it like it meant nothing. So why would she leave Voren now, when Voren gave her everything Ravyn had failed to give?
Ravyn’s teeth clenched hard enough that his jaw ached.
"Okay, fine. I accept defeat. I won’t come looking for you again, but can I get a hug?"
The answer came immediately, sharp and final. "Never." It disgusted her to just get close to him, after Daisy had finished sucking all the good juices out of him.
The nerve for him to ask for a hug when all that was left of him was rotten.
Ravyn’s face crumpled. He couldn’t hold the tears back anymore; they spilled over and ran down his cheeks as his shoulders shook.
"Didn’t you say you’re my sister?" Seraphine scoffed, the sound short and dry.
"Yeah, because of your parents, but I’m not obligated to make you feel better. You never cared about me when I carried your surname, so please, be happy for me. That’s all I ask."
Ravyn lowered his eyes. He knew she was right. It was too late for him. Then something suddenly came to mind. His eyes lifted and a strange light appeared in them, desperate and stubborn all at once.
"I give up now, Sera, but just so you know, if the Blood Moon Festival pairs us as destined or fated mates, I’ll never reject you, and I won’t accept your rejection either."
Seraphine froze. The color slowly drained from her face until she looked pale under the morning light. Voren had heard every word.
His expression wasn’t any better, jaw locked, eyes dark, but Seraphine’s next words warmed his heart greatly.