He stood up and held his hand out to her. Taking it, she let him pull her to her feet, but the tug was so forceful that she stumbled into him.
Ravyn's breath left him at the full frontal contact. Every inch of her was pressed up against his body, making him instantly hard and aching for a taste of her. There, for a moment, it made him almost want to be mortal again. There was just something about her that captivated him. "Sorry," he said, his voice faint. "I sometimes forget how strong I am."
"No problem."
But there was a problem, he wanted to pull her even closer to him and taste those lips again. Get your bead in the game, boy.
Forcing himself to step back, he headed for the door and into the hallway. He led her upstairs toward the back of the club where his family should be away from human sight and hearing. From the sounds that echoed, it was obvious that at this time of night the club was hopping. The heavy, thumping beat radiated through his head, making it ache even more. But then he'd never been overly fond of this style of music anyway. He much preferred classic rock.
As they neared a partially opened door on their way out, he paused at the sound of his brothers' voices. And the more they spoke, the angrier he became.
"You know our laws, Dorian," Phoenix snarled. "He should be killed, now, while he's sleeping."
Dorian answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "The law of sanctuary-"
"Screw Savitar's laws. My mate and children are dead. The law of the jungle says-"
Ravyn pushed the door open. "The strongest survive. Always. And in my book, asshole, that's not you."
They jerked around to face him. He caught the look of shame on Dorian's face an instant before he hid it. But Phoenix was another matter. His eyes gleamed hatred. Ravyn braced himself as that look took him back to the night he'd died. To the look of tortured agony on Phoenix's face when he'd discovered his wife's body. She'd died beside their mother, trying to save her son and daughter.
Ravyn had stood in the doorway that night, too, paralyzed by the blood that soaked into the earthen floor of their cottage. Even though he'd been a warrior since the day he'd entered puberty and mastered his powers, he'd never seen such carnage. The humans hadn't been content to simply kill them. They had mutilated every member of their clan they had caught. Boy, girl, woman, child, infant... it hadn't mattered to them.
Phoenix had pulled his mate into his arms and roared with pain-filled horror. Until he'd turned on Ravyn.
"You did this!"
Overwrought with his own guilt and grief, he hadn't been able to move or to speak. His gaze had been morbidly caught by his mother's remains. By the look of terror that was permanently frozen on her beautiful face.
"Tell Isabeau the truth about us. About you. Ravyn, tell her what we are. Even if she is human, the Fates have chosen her to be your mate... surely, they know what they're doing. You must trust in the gods, my son. Always. "
His mother's words had echoed in his ears that night as he stared at her through the tears that burned his cheeks.
And then Phoenix had lunged at him. At first, he'd thought nothing of it, until he felt the sharp, hot pain in his side. It was followed by another and another as Phoenix stabbed him repeatedly while Ravyn merely stood there, taking each blow without even raising his arms in defense.
"Die, you bloody bastard. I hope you spend eternity in Tartarus paying for what you've done!"
Dorian had grabbed Phoenix and pulled him back, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
Ravyn had staggered back as he coughed up his own blood. He'd looked down to see the lifeblood as it coated his hands and fled from his body to drip down his clothes, to the floor to blend in with the rest. He'd slipped on a pool of it and fallen to the floor.
The last sight that had carried him out of his human existence had been his own father coming forward to spit on him, then kick and curse him as his last breath had rattled painfully in his chest. It was a sight that haunted him still. A sight that came to him often in the light of day while he tried to sleep and tormented him anew.
But he was through being haunted by his guilt. Being hated for something he'd had no part in. His only mistake had been to trust a woman who'd told him that she loved him. He'd had no way of knowing she would betray him by calling down the wrath of her people before they formally mated.
And he was tired now. Tired of the hatred and the blame. It was time to put the past to rest.
Ravyn raked his brother with a sneer. "You want me dead, Phoenix, then let's go outside and end it once and for all. But I warn you now, I'm not feeling guilty anymore and I won't stand there and let you stab me again. You got your one shot in. That's it."
Phoenix moved to stand just before him. He narrowed his eyes. "You should have stayed dead."
Ravyn didn't flinch or blink. "No, I should never have let you kill me to begin with. I should have slapped your stupid ass down and gone for Isabeau and her people without losing my life over it. Or better yet, I should have killed you the night I took my vengeance for being such a selfish bastard. But I didn't. I forgave you for killing me, just as I forgave Dad for kicking me. But I'm tired of taking the high road while the rest of you spit at me. So stop crying, little boy, and suck it up like I've had to do."
He gave Phoenix a disgusted look. "You think you had it so bad? Trust me, you didn't. I lost everything that night, too, including my mate and my entire family. You and the rest at least had each other to console yourselves. What the fuck did I have? Not a damn thing. And now I'm sick of tiptoeing around you and I'm sick of being blamed for something I couldn't help. Had you been half the man you think you are, you'd have bonded yourself to Georgette and died with her."
Phoenix lunged at Ravyn only to have Dorian catch him and pull him back. "No, Nix, you know the law."
"Screw the law! Let me go, Dori!"