Page 105 of Severed Heart (The Ravenhood Legacy #2)

Chapter Fifty-Five

D ELPHINE

T HE SCREEN DOOR creaks open behind me, the familiarity of the telling sound always drawing mixed emotions, especially in this house .

A house that now contains so much history, its walls and doors laying witness to so much of my life and of those who once dwelled here.

Used now only to store the boxed remnants of our pasts.

But despite the horrors it’s witnessed and the extreme mixture of memories this house hosts and can evoke, as of tonight, unexpectedly, it has been declared a gathering point.

Even more unbelievably, a temporary place of refuge for Dominic and Sean, whom Tyler gathered and brought here after their confrontation with Tobias at King’s.

Shortly after, Dom fled, and I arrived just after to witness Sean’s devastation firsthand, which was telling enough of my nephew’s state.

All has been quiet as the hours have passed as I wait in hope of his return.

Too quiet , and because of it, it’s the familiar snap of the door closing, one I’ve heard a thousand times or more, that manages to bring some comfort.

As does the strong, warm hand that covers my shoulder as Tyler takes the step behind me, encasing me with his legs before pulling me back into his chest. Bending, he gently nuzzles my neck as he speaks.

“He might not come back tonight, baby. He’s gutted.

” When he hesitates briefly just after, I know he’s holding more news, and I gently nudge him to continue.

“I just got off the phone with Jimmy,” he emits low, knowing I’m aware Jimmy is the one who tattoos all local Ravens.

“He passed Dom as he was leaving Roman’s house. ”

“Dom tried to stop it?” I ask.

“I’m thinking he wanted to. Dom is still parked at Roman’s now.”

“Mon Dieu,” My God , “Tyler, this is too much,” I croak, my eyes watering as the surrealness of the situation sets in.

My fear increasing for all involved—especially my nephews.

As of this morning, after Sean and Dom discovered Ezekiel and Cecelia’s relationship, they are all at odds indefinitely.

Ezekiel’s latest claiming act of marking Cecelia only damning any near future chance of reconciliation.

“I feel this hurt for them both, for Jean Dominic especially. In his voice last night . . .” I utter, feeling the desperation of my nephews’ words during their call while taking comfort in my love’s arms as they circle my waist. “I feel so much , Soldier ... it’s worry and this horrible ache that won’t subside as if it’s happening to me . ”

“You know what that sounds like?” he asks before pressing a slow kiss to my temple.

“What?”

“Like the love of a parent. ” He turns my chin with his finger to face him. “You weren’t nearly as bad as you’ve convinced yourself you were. As pointless as it might be to voice, Dom was more of an unbearable teenager than most. Hell, Tobias could barely stand him back then.”

“He was such an asshole ,” I laugh lightly as I lean back into him. “I will admit that.” I stare into my love’s eyes. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I’m not saying it to be kind,” he assures, “it’s just the truth.”

I blow out a long breath. “I have this horrible feeling.”

“It’ll be okay,” he assures, “it’ll take time, but they’ll get through it.”

“Is Sean sleeping?” I ask, his heartbreak palpable, bleeding through the walls and doors from where we both sit.

“No, he’s in T’s room,” he replies, “it’s quiet, but I can smell a fresh cigarette burning every few minutes.”

“I could use a cigarette myself,” I sigh, “too bad I only smoked when I drank.” His answering grin is filled with pride before he releases me.

“I’ll go check on him ... fuck, I hate this,” he groans.

“Should we have spoken up, Soldier? Maybe tried to somehow stop this?”

“The results would have been the same. At least, that’s what I tell myself. It’s times like this that any justification we come up with won’t make it any easier to deal with.” He pinches my chin lightly, turning my face to his. “One more hour, General, then you come to bed, okay?”

He leaves me with a chaste kiss before making his way back into the house.

Seconds after, I follow, quietly opening the storm door before pausing in wait.

It’s when I hear Tyler and Sean’s muffled exchange drifting from Ezekiel’s room that I pull both front doors firmly closed before resuming my place on the steps.

Staring out at the quiet street from the porch, only the crickets sing as I pray for the sound of his engine, willing Dominic to return and hating that I’m slightly winded from so little physical activity.

The gnawing inside me is telling enough.

Then again, I’ve slept so little since I heard Dom’s pained voice last night.

My youngest nephew’s words replaying in my mind throughout the day.

The war I started with Jean Dominic started so long ago that all I want now is to put a permanent end to it.

To try to be here for him as he suffers this heartache.

When he took me to see that sunset last summer, it felt like a start, but it was my guilt-fueled confession about how I had wronged Cecelia that quickly ruined that progress.

My darkest secret. One I have yet to fully forgive myself for.

But it was the man who spoke to Tyler last night—a man who sounded very much like Dominic— who voiced words I never imagined he’d ever say.

Words that sparked my hope that our war could finally end.

As the minutes tick by, I replay dozens of clear memories of Jean Dominic. Vivid memories captured in my mind before the haze, before Celine’s and Beau’s deaths. In searching them, I manage to pinpoint the memory of the last time I saw my sister and her youngest son together.

Though almost too big for her frame, Dominic bounced on Celine’s hip as they danced in her kitchen.

Their foreheads and noses touching, dark hair tangling as Dominic widened his eyes at her in animation.

His heart was wide open back then, and he didn’t care who noticed how he loved and adored his mother. Neither did Ezekiel.

That recollection brings instant tears to my eyes as I track that memory to the next, up to the months after Celine and Beau died.

Of the devastation on Jean Dominic’s face and just how carefully he watched me— heartbreak and confusion in his expression as I lashed out.

Even back then, he was my mirror. Through the reflection in his eyes, I saw the comparison of the Tatie he once knew to the unhinged mess I was quickly becoming, and in turn, I hurt him for it.

Guilty tears sting my eyes as I recall not long after, when his own expression started to harden, his heart’s door starting to narrow further and further for me as he began to fight back.

Painful realization sets in that though Cecelia might have broken his heart today, I had a hand in breaking it long ago.

That truth glides down my cheeks as I sort through the years of our ensuing war after, up to the last day we truly had ill words between us.

Mere months before he left for college. Back to the morning where a marijuana cloud trailed him as he walked through the sliding glass door to find me standing at the foot of the kitchen table.

“What are you doing awake?”

“Waiting on you,” I answer instantly, taking the chair at the table as he opens the fridge. “How did it go?”

“I’m not handcuffed,” he spouts sarcastically as he bends to search the shelves, “so I would say well enough.”

Keeping my eyes lowered, my heart pounds in remembrance of the hours before, experiencing the most intense lovemaking of my life—with Tyler.

Shame threatens to take hold as my body continues to hum, my lips still tingling from his kiss as my heart begs me to believe his words, promises, and declarations.

Never in my life have I felt so much with and for another.

Yet, am I a fucking fool to believe, to put faith in, the declarations of someone so young?

Fueled by the war that instantly started my mind racing as my body continued to buzz when I woke alone, I left my mattress in search of Tyler.

Heart alight and in a haze, I found myself in the kitchen staring blankly at the maps, utterly consumed by what just transpired and his constantly circulating words.

“...There will be no other women for me because there is no other woman meant for me ... I love you. I fucking love you.”

It’s when I glance over to see Dominic staring at me curiously at the open refrigerator that I jar myself out of my stupor. Cursing my stupidity for leaving my room while furiously trying to put my mask back in place.

“You seem rather”—he tilts his head—“chipper this morning.”

My heart starts to pound, but I speak up instantly with false bravado.

“Because I want to show you something,” I tell him, hoping my tone is convincing. “I am making maps of Triple Falls. Many have hidden spots for refuge. Tyler thought it would be a good idea and that it would benefit you all. What do you think?”

Slowly closing the fridge, he approaches the table to hover over me as I continue.

“Look, here.” I point to the map before I brave a glance at him. “See? The location of a forgotten underground entrance on Main Street. Maybe it will be useful for the club at some point in the future?”

The weight of his stare has me rattling with anxiety while trying my best to push away all thoughts of what it felt like to be with Tyler so intimately. But it’s Dominic’s unforgiving scrutiny that forces me to finally acknowledge it. “What? Dominic, what?”

“Are you really going to ruin his fucking life because you’re afraid to date a man your own age? I’m not a fucking idiot. Whatever is happening with Tyler, you need to end it. Now.”

“Hmm, you are acting like one. I don’t even know where Tyler is.”