Raven's Crown

by Reana Malori

  Raven forgot her parents were in the room for a moment. “Dexter, I know you’re the right man for me. You’ve been by my side for more than a year. You never cared about my crown or what doors I could open for you. You loved me unconditionally, even when I questioned your motives at the beginning. In all the time we’ve been together, I can honestly say when I’m with you, I’m simply Raven. I never forgot my place in society, but I also never had to worry about who I was to you, or my role in your life. My parents will see what I see in you. And when they do, I know they’ll love you as much as I do.”

  Dexter’s eyes reflected his need for her. She’d seen that look on his face numerous times before, and it always ended with her screaming his name as he thrust inside her hard and deep. Raven squirmed in her seat, knowing that once dinner was over and they were able to retire, Dexter could pick up where they left off earlier that afternoon.

  “Speaking of our future, you never answered my question earlier.” Dexter placed one arm on the back of her chair. His other hand grabbed her smaller one, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. “I came here for a reason, Raven. Unless you tell me to leave, I plan to make you my wife. And even if you tried to make me leave, I know that you wouldn’t really want me to go. Sweetheart, I will do everything in my power to convince you that we belong together. I’m never giving up on you, no matter how far you run.”

  Queen Vivian’s loud gasp sounded in the room, causing Raven to turn and look at her. Wetness pooled in the older woman’s eyes as she stared at the younger couple. “Oh, my baby.” The soft voice was a bit wobbly. To hear her mother’s voice sound this way was surprising at first but Raven understood the magnitude of the moment.

  “Vivian, my love. Don’t cry. This is a joyous occasion for our little girl.” Her father leaned over to her mother wiping his thumb under her eyes, scooping up the loose tear that had fallen.

  Raven nodded her own head at her parents before looking at Dexter. “Was there any doubt that I’d say yes?”

  Dexter’s face went neutral. “Yes, baby, there was. When you came home, doubt reared its ugly head.” Shaking his head derisively, he continued. “What else was I supposed to think? Someone who didn’t know better would have thought you no longer loved him. I guess it’s a good thing. I knew better.”

  Raven looked into his eyes, then turned to her parents. “It’s time.” At their nods of acknowledgment, she turned to the guards strategically placed around the room. “We need the room.” Softening her words with a smile, she tilted her head in acknowledgment to each man as they exited the room, closing the doors behind them.

  “Dexter, I love you. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife. But before we move to that step, my parents and I feel the best you know what’s going on. Someone has been sending threatening letters to my parents. We’re not sure what they want, or why they decided now was the time to do this. My coming home was more about being visible and showing a united front to our people. In addition to a public acknowledgment of my eventual ascension to the throne once my father retires from public service.”

  “Who?” Dexter’s jaw ticked with anger.

  She knew what he was asking, and the truth was the only option. “We don’t know. We have our royal investigators on it, but the person knows too much about the inner workings of the castle. They know too much about my life in the United States. And, the innuendo in the letters have become worse over the past few weeks.”

  King Hans spoke up, his voice harsh with anger. “My advisors have told me not to engage. To let this threat pass since this is not the first time we’ve been targeted.” He shook his head, “I cannot. I will not,” he said as his large hand slammed against the table. The force was enough to make her, and her mother jumped at the sound. “I will not let them win. They will not threaten my family and get away with it. We will find who has been threatening our family, and we will make them suffer.”

  Dexter looked at Raven’s father, a harsh look on his face. “No, Your Majesty, we will not.” Glancing at Raven, Dexter looked at her with a heated gaze. “Raven is my future wife, and I cannot—will not—allow anything to happen to her, or to her parents,” he said, glancing back towards the older couple. “Whoever is coming after you, they not only caused the stress to you and your Queen, they caused Raven to worry about your safety. Which then caused upheaval in our lives back in the states. I’d like to help you. I have some connections back in the United States and around the globe due to my job. If I’m going to be part of this family, I need to be included in this.”

  Afraid to look away from Dexter, Raven smiled at him as he stood in front of her parents and committed himself to her and her family. She knew his word was his bond. His love for her would not allow him to do anything less. He would help them deal with whoever was coming after her parents. She’d never been happier to have him by her side.

  Raven had no idea just how much she would need him.

  CHAPTER 7

  Raven

  Everyone was silent when Dexter finished speaking. Raven’s mother stood from her chair and walked over to Dexter. She reached out her hands to him, the gesture, prompting Dexter to reach his hands out to her in return.

  “I know you care for our daughter. We don’t know when this situation will end, or how long it will last. Are you ready for that, Dexter Sorensen?”

  Raven watched as a smile came over Dexter’s face as he looked down at her mother. She noticed the light squeeze of his hands around the Queen’s smaller ones. “Yes, Your Majesty, I’m in this for the long haul. As soon as all the formalities are settled, your daughter will be my wife. That will make you my family as well. And I always protect my own.”

  At her mother’s answering smile, Raven’s father stepped up behind his wife. “See, no one can resist your gorgeous smile,” he said before kissing his wife on her temple. Pulling her back towards his chest, King Hans turned Queen Vivian’s head, kissing her gently.

  “Mother. Father. Please, you two. Get a room.” As her parents began laughing, Raven glanced toward Dexter with a smile on her face. She said those words to her parents often, whenever they showed affection to each other. It’s not that she was unhappy that her parents still loved each other and behaved like newlyweds on occasion. Just the opposite. Seeing them this way made her heart sing, which is why she had to protect them. By any means necessary. A knock on the door to the family’s private dining room interrupted the moment.

  “Enter,” King Hans called out after releasing his wife from his arms.

  Her father’s chief guard opened the door to enter the room. “Your Majesties. Your Royal Highness.” He didn’t greet Dexter, but there was no need. Only the royal family required a formal greeting. “My apologies, Sire. This missive just arrived. As requested, all communication is delivered to you straight away.”

  King Hans reached out for the letter, taking it from his Chief Guard with a questioning look. Raven knew they weren’t expecting anything to be delivered tonight, so the only thing it could be was something from their blackmailer. Once he unfolded the paper in his hands, the older man’s eyes went wide. His lips pulled back from his teeth at his face. “Son of a bitch!”

  That her father allowed himself to curse in front of her, was enough to set Raven on edge. Many years ago, her mother told her that once she was born, her father vowed to never use a curse word in her presence. That he would do so tonight made it clear that Raven did not want to hear the contents of the letter. Too bad, there was no other choice.

  “Hans? What is it? What does it say?” Queen Vivian stepped closer to her husband, placing her hand on one of his arms. Once the man turned to his wife, his anger began to fade, and the redness left his skin.

  “Dad?” Raven moved toward her parents to find out what was happening. Something with this letter was different.

  “Your Majesty?” Dexter also joined in the conversation. It seemed they all knew something was happening. He neede
d to understand what it was.

  “Tell us, Hans.” The Queen pleaded with her husband to speak up and share the contents of the letter had just read.

  King Hans turned his head to look at his wife before leaning down for a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you, Vivian. No matter what happens, I need you to know that. This person is trying to tear us apart and bring our family to ruin. I cannot allow that to happen.”

  “Dad, you’re making me nervous. What does it say?” Unprompted, Raven moved closer to Dexter, grabbing his hand within hers. She needed his strength right now. Having him here with her was the best way for them to get through this. She was glad she wouldn’t have to deal with everything on her own. Of course, her parents were here, and they would help each other get through these harsh times. But she knew Dexter’s strength was something she would need to lean on.

  “Yes, you are making us very nervous.” Looking at her husband closer, Vivian raised a hand to his face, stroking his jaw. “Dear heart, nothing this vile person does will ever change what I know to be true. You love me as much as I love you. Our marriage is stronger now than it ever was. No matter what they do to try to break our family apart. They will not win.”

  The King looked at the small group gathered around him. He lifted the note in the air before crumbling it within his fist. “They are now claiming that our marriage is invalid.”

  Raven’s mother released a sound from her throat that was a combination of a gasp and a screech. King Hans grabbed one of her hands within his, pulling her closer to his side. Raven wanted to run to her mother. To wrap the older woman in her arms and tell her this would all be okay. But she couldn’t move. To run to her mother would mean she’d need to let go of Dexter, and that wasn’t something she could do at the moment. Raven had a feeling there was more to what her father had to say.

  “Who cares what they put in some stupid letter? You know that it’s untrue.” Raven exploded. Her voice was loud as she challenged her father’s words. There had to be something more. Turning to her mother, she looked at the fear on her face. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”

  Dexter touched her arm, caressing her skin. As he turned her around to look at him, he raised one hand to her face, cupping her chin. “Raven, sweetheart. Don’t you see? If your parents aren’t legally wed under the laws of Abingdon, you’re not the legitimate heir to the throne.”

  “Is that true?” Raven pressed.

  “Is what true?” Her father asked as he continued pacing the floor.

  “Dad? Is there any truth to the claim that your marriage is not valid? Why would this person make a claim like this if it weren’t true? Do you know who they are?”

  “Raven, I don’t know what to tell you. They’re stating I used unsavory means to convince the Counsel that the outdated rules stating I had to marry a woman of royal birth were no longer appropriate for our country. If someone decides to look at the historical records, or if anyone decides to talk, they could have a case. I am not an innocent man, but no one was keeping your mother away from me.”

  Raven took a step back, eyeing both of her parents with shock and surprise. “What does that mean?” She knew her parents weren’t angels. You can’t rule an entire country and be innocent in everything. Sometimes her parents had to make decisions that others may not agree with or were unpopular with the masses. “Okay, so who would want you removed? Who would want to stop me from ascending to the throne?”

  “There are quite a few people who would enjoy seeing my legacy vanish.” Her father glanced at her mother as a smile came over his face. “When I met your mother all those years ago, making her Queen of Abingdon was met with protests and unrest. Some people wouldn’t accept a woman of African descent as Queen, and she was American, which made it a double whammy. There were threats to remove me as King. I was told to abdicate the throne to allow someone more appropriate to take on my royal duties. We had to fight Parliament to justify our love.”

  Raven was shocked by her father’s words. She knew none of this. It had never been mentioned to her that her parents had to fight for their right to be married. Since she was a little girl. No one had ever shown her the slightest inkling that she, or her mother, weren’t accepted. “What do you mean had to fight Parliament?” At this, she glanced at Dexter before pulling away to walk over to her parents. “What are we up against?”

  “They can file a petition with Parliament stating that the decision thirty years ago was biased. That your father used nefarious means to convince the court to side with us.” Her mother glanced at her father after making that statement. “If they make that claim, and can find someone who will side with them, it could be an issue. Your father and I, or rather, our lawyers, would have to prove that it didn’t happen the way this person is claiming.”

  “Your Majesties, is there any truth to the claims?” Dexter had stepped closer to the three of them as well. They weren’t trying to exclude him, but the shock of understanding the claim against her parents had thrown Raven off-kilter.

  Her parents looked at each other before turning to both her and Dexter. “It depends on what you mean by nefarious. I was not going to allow them to take Vivian away from me. I would have done whatever it took to have this woman as my Queen. She was the only woman for me. The only one worthy enough to have my last name. Plus, I sure as hell wasn’t going to allow some outdated, old-fashioned, racist, bigoted way of thinking to take that away from me. From us. Did I do things that would be questionable today? Yes. Would I do them again? Absolutely.”

  Raven almost laughed at how things were playing out. Her parents faced a similar situation to what Raven and Dexter were going through today. At the time, her father did what he felt was right. He didn’t allow anyone to come between him and his future. She couldn’t begrudge him that. Glancing over at Dexter, she smiled. If Dexter had been in her father’s position, and she was the one people didn’t want him to marry because of the color of her skin, she knew without a doubt Dexter would do everything in his power to nullify their concerns. Even if that meant he had to do some shady activities. She couldn’t be upset that her father did whatever it took to keep her mother by his side. That just showed how much her father loved her mother from day one.

  “Mom, Dad. I’ve lived in the United States for a long time now. I know things aren’t all rainbows and sunshine for anyone, no matter their station in life.” Grabbing Dexter’s hand within hers, she looked back at her parents with a serious expression. “At least one of us needs to have culpable deniability. I think that person needs to be me. If questioned, or if they attempt to get information from me, I don’t want to know anything. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear the full story once this is all over, but not right now. Until we work through this issue, we're going to put up a cone of silence around this topic and me. But I need you to trust Dexter with your secrets. He has a unique set of friends who have special skills. Whether it’s finding out information about others, or making issues go away, they can do it all. I trust him to help us. I’m asking you to do the same.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Dexter

  Waking up next to Raven the next morning, Dexter reached his arm over and across her naked body. After dinner last night, they discussed a generic plan to handle the blackmailer. Dexter was pleased her parents didn’t balk too much at him being involved. It saved him the trouble of forcing himself into the middle of their situation. For the woman lying in his arms, he’d turn this country inside out to find the guy targeting her family.

  “Good morning,” her groggy voice called out to him. “Either you brought a baseball bat to bed, or you’re ready to play.”

  Pulling her bare ass against his long, thick cock, he kissed the side of her neck. “I’m always ready to play.” Dexter reached his hand around the front of her body, his thick fingers rubbed along the thick folds of her pussy. When Raven spread her legs, her scent called to him. Her moans reached his ears, and he continued manip
ulating her body. Her ass canted back at him, and he nipped her shoulder with his teeth.

  “Ouch, Dexter,” she groused.

  “Quit playing around. Let me take my time. You fell asleep before I was done last night.” Using one digit, he penetrated her slick channel. As his finger slid inside, his woman released a keening moan.

  Her hand reached down to clasp his wrist, and she attempted to hold him in place. “Oh, shit. That feels good, Dexter.”

  Dexter held back a smile. Raven had always been extra responsive to his touch. That’s one of the things he loved about her. When they were together, she never held anything back from him. Adding a second finger, he closed his eyes in pleasure as her tightness contracted around the intrusion. “I love you, Raven,” he whispered.

  “I know you do.”

  “I will always protect you,” he vowed.

  “Yes. Yes!” Raven screamed as he continued probing her body.

  Dexter could feel the pleasure coming over her as her body squirmed as her breathing became choppy. Sliding his fingers in and out of her body, he grunted each time he pushed in her clenching channel. The sound of her moans was like music to his ears, and she was soaking wet for him. Dexter growled as her juices made wet sounds each time he thrust his fingers inside.

  “I–I need more,” she huffed.

  “Do you know how fucking good your pussy feels on my fingers? My dick is so hard for you, Raven.” He flicked his thumb over her clit, setting her body off like a rocket. He felt her juices gush around his thick digit. He removed his hand from her body and grabbed his dick. Dexter placed himself at her opening, pushing inside. He gritted his teeth as the tightness of her sheath slowed his entrance. Once fully seated, he rested one arm around her body, lifting the hand covered with her juices to her mouth. “Open up, Kitten.”

  Raven gave a long purr before opening her lips to accept his offering. “You always know how to say the sweetest thing.” She sucked his fingers into her mouth, licking her essence from his skin. Dexter stroked deeper as he fell under the spell of their lovemaking. Pressing deeper inside her channel, Dexter used the thumb of the hand wrapped around her waist to press on her hardened clit. Raven jerked as her body fell into a rolling orgasm. The clench of her channel around his dick caused him to release inside her body. Raven cried out, and Dexter was close behind. He was buried deep. So, fucking deep, and he never wanted to be anyplace else.