Love Me More

Chapter four

"No! Raven!" I screamed, and ran forward to catch her.

Hayden caught up to her faster than I did because by the time I reached her, Hayden had Raven cradled in his arms. He was whispering things into her ear, his tears left unshed.

Raven looked at us bewildered. She blinked a couple of times before reaching a hand out to pat Hayden's face. "Why are you guys crying?"

I had a hard time finding my voice. "W-wait, Raven are you hurt? Weren't you just shot?"

She shook her head. "N-no, that wasn't me..." Her voice trailed off, leaving me to think. If it wasn't her, then who was it that got shot?

Almost as if answering my own question, my eyes followed the trail of blood, over to the body that now lay still on the floor. I gasped when I saw him. The stench of blood hit me with its full force, as more blood oozed out of the man's open wound. I could feel my stomach churning and for a second time that night, tore my gaze away from the gruesome scene.

"Shh, it's okay, please don't cry," Raven murmured to Hayden, his face now streaked with tears. Her voice soothed his rocking body, and he held back a sob.

"I... I thought I lost you," his voice was hoarse, " After everything I've been through, I thought I lost you too. My one and only. My lover. I thought I lost you too, my mate." Hayden's emotions were exposed, his cool composure in pieces. I could see everything he was feeling, and my heart deflated. It was like watching a little boy cry for his lost family; but instead, a grown man that has lost everything - or well, almost everything. His pain was open for all to see, and with one look into his eyes, Raven broke down crying, gasping for breath.

"Oops, my bad. I killed the wrong guy," a voice startled me.

I quickly turned around to see a lopsided grin.

The man from earlier stood a few feet away with a silver gun in hand. The pistol looked decorative with its intricate and elaborate design, and gleamed under the shadows and barely any visible light. "Damn, now I have to go find a new partner for you, beaut," he mocked, pointing the neck of the weapon in his hand at Raven.

"I'll be her partner," Hayden interrupted, growling lowly.

The man's eyes hardened, and the rifle clicked into place. "Careful there, I thought I told you not to do anything now, didn't I?"

Hayden bared his teeth at him, and the gunman glared back. "That was a warning; you better not do anything stupid while you're here."

"It's okay, please don't do anything for me. I don't want you to be next," Raven whimpered, cupping his cheeks.

Hayden calmed down the moment she touched him, and breathed out. He nodded his head painstakingly slow, but didn't go against her wishes.

"You ass," I snapped. Uh oh.

My comment slapped him in the face as I watched him grow red, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, and his nose flaring. Just when he pointed the silver gun at my frozen body, someone came to save my ass.

"John! What the fuck are you doing? We promised Shaw no casualties!" A burly man came to stood by the gunman - John - and forced him to lower the gun. The one who unintentionally came to my rescue, looked down at the nearby pool of blood and frowned with disgust.

"I'm not cleaning that up." He pointed his chin up with a snooty attitude, waving a hand down to the ground. He paced back and forth along the row of cages and we all watched him warily, until he stopped in front of one.

He unlocked the door and pushed a hand inside. My eyes squinted when he pulled back with a fistful of blonde curls in his palm. 

I heard a faint "Let her go," and worry seeped into me as I watched the gunman's 'friend' struggle with whatever he was doing. My eyes widened in alarm once he yanked the body out from the cell, her limp arms and legs hanging off of her.