Page 30 of Claimed

“That’s it? You’re not going to tell me I’m your monster-dickpapi chulo?”

She throws her head back and laughs, and I have to take a moment to watch her. I haven’t heard it in so long I almost forgot what it was like. Her body shakes against me as it flows through her. I’m the reason it disappeared, and I feel a small victory for bringing it back. I pull her closer as she brings her gaze back to mine.

“Sí,” she whispers. “Eres mi papi chulo con una grandísima verga.”

“Good.” I kiss her forehead. “Go to sleep, doll.”

***

A scream drags me out of slumber. I turn on the lamp only to see Raven thrashing next to me, fighting off someone who’s not there.Fuck.

I straddle her, grabbing her arms. “Raven, wake up!”

Her eyes snap open, but they may as well have been closed because the only thing I see is fear. She struggles against my hold, breathing heavily, and screaming for me to let her go.

“Raven.” I give her a little shake. “It’s me...Gage.”

E comes rushing into the room, a few of the guys close on his heels. “What’s going on?”

“She’s having a nightmare. Won’t snap out of it.”

He hurries over, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. She doesn’t respond. Whatever’s happening to her in this dream, she’s begging for it to stop. I know she’s dreaming about the rape and just like I couldn’t help her then, I can’t help her now. I didn’t even see E move but he’s back now with a needle. He sticks it into her arm and after a few seconds, she calms down. She goes still and her eyes flutter closed. I comb my fingers through my hair and drop down next to her.

How the fuck do I fix this?

How do I fixher?

***Raven***

I wake up to Gage sitting in a chair by the bed, just watching me. Yawning, I rub the sleep from my eyes. I feel so rested. Better than I’ve felt in a long time. Parts of last night start coming back to me. Me and the prospects, all that weed...no wonder I was knocked out. But then, I remember the dream. It was clearer this time. I saw my room, the rope that kept me bound to my bed. I sawhim. He was standing by my door, holding a knife, his face hidden by a ski mask. I saw myself struggling as he moved toward me menacingly.

I jump out of bed and rush to my artist’s table.

“Babe?”

I ignore Gage as I grab a pencil and begin to sketch the images from my dream. I feel him standing over me but I’m not aware of anything else, just my pencil moving over the paper. When I’m done, I drop the pencil and bring my trembling fingers to my lips. There it is, in black and white. There’s no denying it now. Now, it feels real. This man broke into my house, violated, tortured, and brutalized me. He took something from me that I can never get back, something that was not his to take. And it makes me mad. It pisses me the fuck off.

I spring to my feet, grab the side of the table and fling it to the floor. Gage reaches for me but I march to his punching bag, needing to release some of this anger bubbling inside me. As soon as I throw a punch, he grabs me and wraps his arms around me so he’s keeping mine at my sides.

“You’ll mess up your shoulder.”

“I don’t care!” I scream. “Let me go!”

“Calm down.”

I struggle against him but he’s too strong. I’m helpless, just like I was that night. I start sobbing and go lax in his arms. He slides down to the floor along with me and holds me while I cry.

Why? Why did this have to happen to me? Is God punishing me? What did I do to deserve this?

Gage whispers in my ear that he’ll make it right, that he’s doing everything he can to find the people responsible. I hope he does. No, Iknowhe will. When he does, I want him to handle it. I want him to make the motherfucker suffer. Fuck letting the police handle it.

I turn to face him and look him in the eyes so he knows I’m serious.

“Find him, Gage. You find him and you hurt him the way he hurt me. Find him andkillhim.”

He nods, taking my face in his hands. “Even if I’d never killed anyone before, that fucker is a dead man. For you, Raven, I’d pick a motherfucker up and drop him on the sun.”

I climb up and straddle him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. His are reassuring as they tighten around me.