The three men in her life…

[There is a entry under my 2006 chapter on Lycanthropy, in case you’ve missed it.  This is a little something I just started writing the other day…Raven in contemplation I guess…poor girl, what I’ve aloud to happen to her.]

It was unseasonably warm, and Raven sat staring longingly out the window. Grey storm clouds hung on the horizon, heralding a black sky. Yet overhead, the same sky was a bright shade of blue. An unsettling thought overtook her. Three colors had presented themselves to her, three very distinct colors, like the eyes of three very distinct men. Closing her own eyes, a sigh escaped the girl’s lips. The visages of the three men sprung into her mind, causing her heart to constrict painfullly.

Before she had come into their lives, these three men already disliked one another. In fact, it would be more accurate to say they loathed and despised each other. With her added presence, it had only seemed to get worse. It did not help the cause that in her own way, she loved each of these men. Now as she sat here, Raven was forced to think about the things that made up the very essence of each of these men.

It hadn’t even been a year ago that her life had been so much simpler. Her only desire had been to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. Raven had thought him the love of her life, believing nothing could ever come between them, that no other man could steal away her heart. But they had come into her life, and unintentionally, or by purpose, they had each taken a peice of her heart for their own. Raven was unsure if she would ever feel whole again. No matter who she was with, some part of her would always be somewhere else.

She concentrated her thoughts on the man she had first pledged her heart and soul to. She could almost see his ebon eyes looking at her, staring deep inside, into the very depths of her soul. He knew her inside and out, knew her since she was a young child. He had been her mentor, teaching her in the ways of something they both loved. She had been one of the few people who could ever reach him, seeing him for who he really was, despite the facade he put up for others. She could almost hear his voice whisper in her ear, sending chills down her spine, filling her heart with love and desire. Raven had really believed they were meant to be together, so much so that she had spent nearly a year trying to convince him of the same thing. When he finaly relented, and admited that he too loved her, she thought her future had been sealed. Yet…After making it together as a couple for a year, things happened, circumstances beyond their control had spun their lives into chaos. In her pain and uncertainty, she had betrayed her beloved.

Raven’s thoughts turned to the man with the blue eyes. A year ago she would of been glad to see the end of him. Now…now she would risk her very life to save his. A year ago she would of condemned him for his mistakes. Now…now she continued to tell him he didn’t have to be the man he had become, he could be the man he wanted to be, he could change. She had said she loved him like a friend. But there was something more lingering beneath the surface. He could be kind and gentle, unlike any other. He was nurturing by nature, something she lacked growing up without her parents. Most people had given up on him with his misdeeds. Raven seen past those things, once given the chance to really get to know him. She came to learn and understand the things that had gone wrong and taken him down his lethal and self-destructive path. He could be redeemed, at least she believed so, regardless of what others in her life may think or feel.

The third. He was probably the one people would understand the most, and the one she understood the least. His grey eyes haunted her dreams, and continued to do so in her waking hours as well. Looking into those smoky orbs caused her to be held enthralled. A single touch of his hand, the slightest caress, caused her body to ache in ways she couldn’t have dreamed imaginable prior. His kiss was enough to shatter her soul, and in all honesty, she wondered if perhaps it hadn’t. His wit rivaling her own, he challeneged her in ways no one else could. Every instinct told her to run the other direction, yet she found herself continuously drawn to him. She had hated him with ever fiber of her being when they first met. This he found amusing, and reveled in doing everything he could to driver her to distraction. And somewhere amidst the contest wills, they both fell victim to their own desires.

With another sigh, Raven turned from the window. Granted, it was only two of the three she really had to take into consideration, or worry about. The second of the trio was meeker, and would never dare to assert himself to the point of making a claim on her heart, depsite loving her with all his. The other two sat on opposite ends of the scale. The first would sit and wait quietly, letting his feelings eat away at him. He had waited many years to rediscover the love he had thought lost for all time, he would continue to wait, even if the waiting might very well destroy him. The third was more vocal, although at her asking, he had resigned himself to an attempt at patience. But how long could she expect them to remain patient? How long would it take for her to figure out what her heart wanted?