Carrying Blaze's Mark

Eight
Raven
“How are you feeling?” Victoria asks not for the first time.
“I’m good,” I tell her like I’ve said the past dozen times already.
“You say that but you don’t look it. No one will hold it against you if you had a meltdown, Ray,” she mutters.
“Leave her be,” Rachel says gently as she makes her way over to sit down gingerly in a chair across from the couch I was laying on with Matthew resting in the crook of my arm. I’d felt horrible about not being able to stop what happened to her. I didn’t see the full thing. But in the end, it turned out to be okay. Even if it’s going to take a bit for her to heal up.
“You can’t blame me for being upset for my best friend and everything she’s going through,” Victoria argues.
God, I love her but damnit it sucks sometimes when she can be this argumentative. She used to hide this part of herself from those in this very room.
“Vicky, I’m good. They’re going to find Mark and bring him home. I have to believe everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” I murmur.
“It’s freaky sometimes how much like your mom you’ve become,” Victoria says, shaking her head.
“Yeah. I even freak myself out sometimes with it.” I shrug.
“Okay, so in other news I’ve found out I’m pregnant,” Rachel whispers and right then I couldn’t be more grateful to her for pulling the attention from me. “I haven’t told Stoney yet. I just found out earlier today and I’m scared as hell I’ll lose this one like I did the last one.”
“Hold on you were pregnant after Sebastian?” Tinsley asks.
“Yeah.” Rachel nods sadly. “I lost it within a week of finding out.”
Rachel has been going through so much and the fact she and Stoney are as they are now fills me with joy knowing they are going to have another child. I couldn’t be happier for them than I already am.
“That sucks, I’m sorry you went through that. Are you going to tell Stoney?” Cara asks.
“Soon as they find Mark. I don’t want his attention on anything else but finding that sweet little boy,” Rachel says, giving me a look of understanding. She of all the women here right now understands what I’m feeling. Her twins were kidnapped, and it took a bit of time to find her daughter, Corinne.
It’s a painful thought to endure weeks of not knowing where your child is and now I’m in that position where I’m having to think of whether or not my baby is safe or not.
The doors to the room the members of the club hold church opens and everyone filters out of the room. Blaze makes a beeline for me. I try to sit up from where I was slouching on the couch, but with Matthew sleeping in the crook of my arm it’s not an easy feat.
“We’re heading out, Bird. I want you and Matthew to stay in here where it’s safe. Don’t go outside for any reason unless you absolutely have to,” Blaze murmurs as he squats down next to where I was sitting sideways against the arm of the couch.
“Promise you, I’m not moving from this spot unless I have to,” I say, speaking the truth.
“You want me to carry you to the room so you can lay down in our bed?” he asks, lifting a hand to brush a strand of hair out of my face.
“No. I need to be around people right now. If I’m alone, it’ll be too loud in my head and I’ll only become upset even more so than I already am,” I whisper leaning into his touch.
“Alright, Little Bird, then I’m heading out to hopefully find our son.”
“Bring him home safely.”
“Will do, baby,” he says, brushing his lips against mine.
Standing to his feet, Blaze joins the rest of his brothers as they leave. I close my eyes and send a prayer to whoever might be listening that they allow him to save my son. It doesn’t matter to me what the spirits say in my head or on the wind. It’s a matter of him getting my son back to me whole without getting hurt in the process.
“You need anything, Raven?” Victoria asks gently.
“I need for my baby to be in my arms where he belongs. I really need that bitch and your fuckin’ aunts to be six feet under with a bullet to the brain or throat slashed. And what I really, really need is for my family to not be the target to some insane bitch who is pissed I put her away rather than killing her like I really wanted to do,” I rant.
“I get it. If you want, I’ll pull out the big guns and join them without their knowledge and make sure you get what you need,” Victoria suggests.
“As appealing as that sounds. No. This is something the club has to do. The Pelletiers are involved this time and you know what happened down in Louisiana when you helped Ryder out with his shit.”
“Speaking of Ryder, I wonder how Brielle is doing,” Rachel murmurs with a look of concern. I’d been there when those two met face to face. Brielle had been terrified of what Rachel or better yet Stoney would do to her if they found out about her part in the auction website. But if it wasn’t for her leaving that back door open, Ram from the Royal Bastards wouldn’t have been able to find Corinne or any of the other girls who were put up that day.
“Why don’t you call her and check to see how she’s doing?” I suggest.
“Yeah, I think I will. I’m sure she’s heard now about those jackasses being up here stirring up trouble. While I’m at it, I’m gonna whip up some Brunswick stew for you. I’d already started it earlier so it’s nearly ready,” she says.
“Rachel, you’re supposed to be resting as well,” I chastise.
“I know