And for a second, Raven could only stand there in shock. Oh, she knew her animal was one of a kind, but that had never been a compliment until now.
Are you sure you belong here?
That was the question that pretty cowgirl had asked her last week at the rodeo.
Last week, she hadn’t known about rodeos or bucking or the work involved behind the scenes. She’d just wanted to meet a bull shifter with a human parent so she could, perhaps, get to understand herself better. Get some answers to the questions that had burned her up all her life. She’d wanted to learn how to control the animal better and hide the animal better, but that’s not the lesson Dead and his herd had offered her.
They’d given her something so much better.
They’d taught her to appreciate her animal and, in turn, she appreciated herself more. This was the first time in her life she felt okay. Better than okay. She felt…normal here.
Are you sure you belong here?
She looked down in Dead’s chute as his rider was sliding onto the back of him. She knew how he felt now. Now, she was familiar with the adrenaline, the surge of power, and that pinpoint focus to put a rider in the arena dirt.
Dead, Dead, he twisted his head and looked up at her. Her heart filled with such pride for the man she loved.
She knew this life now. She knew herself. She knew him.
Hell, yeah, she belonged.
Chapter Eighteen
Raven tried to sneak up on the VIP box to scare her mom, but Annabelle was facing her way, talking to Dead’s dad, and she spied her.
She pitched an excited scream into the universe and caught Raven’s hug in the aisle behind their seats.
Annabelle was so ramped up, she jogged in place and squeezed the life out of Raven with her hug, but who needed oxygen anyway? It felt so good to see her and her parents, who were now waiting behind Annabelle to hug her.
She made her rounds and then squared up to Dead’s dad, offered her hand. “I’m Raven.”
“Girl, you’re more than Raven.” He jerked his chin up to the big screen television mounted above the seats on the other side of the arena. It was a slow-motion segment of her ride.
“You’re one hell of a shifter, too, Hagan’s Lace,” he said with a wink.
“Oooooh, that’s where Dead gets his charm from. It’s from youuuu,” she teased.
“Taught that boy everything he knows,” he rumbled. “I’m Liam. It’s sure good to meet you. Dead has sent me about four hundred texts this week about you. Seems he’s a little smitten. And between you and me? That boy don’t get attached to people easy. Come on, sit down. We got another round of beers headed our way, and my boy is about to buck.”
She took the seat right up front by Annabelle and cheered her brains out as she gripped the railing in front of her.
The announcer’s voice echoed through the arena. “Hailing from Montana, he’s the baddest of the bad, the maddest of the mad, and has a near-spotless record for throwing riders. I see those signs out there, ladies. I know you showed up for this bull. Takes no shit as a human and murderous as a bull, he’s the best of both worlds, but he’s got his hands full tonight. For his first ride, Roddy Brander is making a run for a top spot in the Battle of the Bulls events. If he can just hold on for eight seconds and get a score of 80 or better, he can take the lead for the entire circuit. The only thing standing in his way? That bull right there. Y’all lift your glasses. I think they’re about ready in the chute…”
The gateman pulled the rope attached to the gate, and the barrier swung open and released hell. That’s all she knew how to describe it. Dead studied his rider’s strengths and weaknesses before a buck, and was rotating perpendicular high jumps with harsh landings on his front end, then tight spins that thrust his back legs sideways with such force Roddy had trouble finding his balance. And just as he got used to spinning that direction, Dead jerked the other way and flipped Roddy right into the dirt beside him. The bullfighters had to work hard and fast to keep Dead from smashing the downed rider into the dirt, but Roddy scrambled and got to a platform in the middle of the arena.
He screamed a curse that could be heard through the boos and cheers of the arena and tossed his helmet to the ground. One of the pickup men released Dead from the constraint of the flank strap, and he quit bucking.
Chills rippled up her forearms as Dead trotted around the arena, searching…searching…what was he searching for? Deep down, she knew.
Raven leaned over the railing and took her hat off, waved it. He turned his head and trotted right for her. And when he reached her, she murmured the words she’d first spoken to him, “It’s okay.” She let a smile take her lips. “Now, go do it again.”
Dead blew out an explosive breath and ran for the open gate between the chutes.
A pretty cowgirl with a tray of beers passed them out. “I was told specifically by Dead to make sure y’all aren’t thirsty tonight.”
“Want to sit with us?” Raven asked.
She laughed as she took their empty plastic cups. “I would love to, but I’m serving all the VIP boxes tonight. We got some bigwigs here watching.” She gestured over to a trio of men in clean white cowboy hats, dress shirts and suits, and bolo ties. They were all looking right at
