Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 31: Raven

I was laying in bed. The sunlight was shining through the windows and was high in the sky. Did I really sleep in that late?

I turned my head slightly to look at the alarm clock. It read one o'clock pm. I sighed and got out of bed. As I made my way down the stairs, I didn't hear Tai. He was usually up and doing things around the house. It wasn't like him to be so quiet. Unless he was sleeping in. As I walked into the living room, I noticed Tai laying on the couch asleep. I gently tried to shake him awake.

"Tai? What are you doing sleeping on the couch?"

He immediately opened his eyes and sat up.
"Raven! I couldn't sleep, so I came down here. I must've dozed off during the night. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I was just wondering where you were. Do you want me to fix some food for us? I haven't eaten, and I bet you must be hungry too."

Tai nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds nice. If you don't mind... can we talk for a bit?"

I stared at him. He didn't seem his usual cheery self.

"I guess we can talk for a few minutes. Is something wrong?" I asked, sitting next to him.

He shook his head. "Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk about the mission. Do you plan on doing any more in the future?"

I stared at him. "Well, yeah. I need to earn money somehow."

He sighed. "Raven... I think it's good that you want to go on missions and earn some extra Lien, but aren't you concerned about the safety of yourself and our unborn child? These missions can be very dangerous. And I don't think it's smart to rush into them like you did last night. That was really unsafe," Tai replied.

"What are you talking about? I handled that mission just fine!" I insisted.

"You were out of breath and could hardly walk. I had to carry you back! If there had been more of those Beowolves out there, you could've been seriously hurt!"

I glared at him. "Why don't you trust in my strength? Am I not strong enough for you now?"

"I never said that! I just don't want you to keep putting yourself in danger like you are!"

I sighed in exasperation. "For God's sake Tai, I know my limits! I'm not oblivious!"

"Are you sure about that? That mission seemed to have you pretty exhausted, don't you think?"

I stood up from the couch. I wasn't going to hear anymore of this. As I turned to go back upstairs, I felt Tai put his hand on my shoulder, slightly pulling me back.

"Raven, stop!" he begged.

I turned sharply towards him.
"What?! You're just going to talk more nonsense. I'm going back upstairs. Just leave me alone!"

I slapped his hand away and ran up the stairs. After slamming the door, I sat on the bed. I wanted to get stronger, and I couldn't do that without going on missions. Why couldn't he understand that?

I sat there going over my thoughts, when a sudden knock on the door startled me. I growled and stormed over to open it. My anger instantly faded once I saw Tai's face in the doorway. There were tears rolling down his cheeks. And his eyes were red and puffy. He was... crying.

"I'm... sorry about earlier," he whispered.

I was at a loss for words. I had never seen Tai this upset. And... it was partially my fault.
I walked closer to him and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay," I told him. "I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. My emotions have been so... all over the place lately."

After we hugged, I kissed him tenderly and led him over to the bed.

"So... you aren't mad at me?" he asked, sitting next to me.

I gently wiped his tears with my fingertips. "For a brief time I was. Look Tai, I want to get stronger. And the way I think I can do that is by going on these missions. Do you understand?"

Tai nodded. "I understand. But I don't think you should be going on missions right now. Besides, doing missions is going to get more difficult as your pregnancy progresses. And it'll add stress to you, and that won't be good for the baby."

As much as I wanted to protest, he did have a point.
"What do you suggest I do, then?" I asked.

"I suggest you shouldn't do any more missions until after our child is born. I'm starting my new job at Signal soon, so I'll be earning some Lien. You don't have to worry."

I sighed. "Fine. I guess I can wait to do some missions."

Tai smiled. "Thank you. You have no idea how relieved that makes me."

I smiled mischievously at him. "Since I agreed to do this for you, I think you owe me one."

Tai's smiled widened. "Oh yeah? Name it."

"You're making lunch for us."