Raven: Guarded Hearts Book 3

by Claire Marta

  He looked like a whipped puppy. “I go,” he conceded, “but the poet says, Give your weakness to one who helps. I will remain outside and close by, should you need me.”

  “Let’s get these off,” Raven told her cousin once he’d gone.

  Darcy winced when she tried. Turning over her hands, Raven saw that her cousin’s palms were abraded, too. “Lie back,” she ordered, undoing her fly. “Hips up.”

  Darcy bent her knees, planted her feet, and lifted her hips, doing a plank that let Raven pull her cousin’s jeans down to her thighs. A little more work and they were off, exposing the gash on her injured knee.

  What followed was routine treatment for a common injury but there was nothing ordinary about what they’d just experienced. There was nothing ordinary about any of this. The cadre members were gargoyle shifters. Descendants of prodigal angels still working to earn redemption and win their way back home.

  Raven had agreed to come here, believing that she could keep Willow safe from Colin, but in so doing, she’d put her child in even more peril. The Citadel walls were built to keep mortal men out. Unless they found a way to stop the Fae, it was going to be a challenge to protect her daughter.

  Still, she was determined to try.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Rapping his knuckles on their superior’s office door, Killian experienced a wave of anxiousness. They’d finally discovered Raven’s reason for skulking around. Getting the information out of her had only made his hunger for the woman stronger. Not only did she have Celtic fire but a core of steel when protecting her loved ones.

  She’d been magnificent bound and naked. Skin flushed, eyes hazy with pleasure, Raven had gone beyond his wildest dreams. As eager as Cayden to see more of her books, he couldn’t wait to grant her another fantasy.

  “Come in,” Tobias’s voice called from within.

  Cayden opened the door for them and Killian followed him inside. Now was the moment of truth. Would their leader allow their mate to stay once he knew her secret?

  “She’s being blackmailed,” Killian blurted out before they had even taken their seats. “They threatened her and Willow if she didn’t give them what they wanted.”

  “She broke down,” Cayden spoke quietly, taking the chair beside Killian’s. “The woman is wracked wie guilt. She’s no willing party in what she’s been made tae do.”

  Leaning forward so his elbows rested on the smooth surface of his desk, Tobias steepled his fingers. “Tell me everything.”

  Killian took his time explaining, with Cayden adding here and there. They told Tobias how the texts had started right after Willow had almost been snatched at the zoo. The threats to their lives if she didn’t do what they said. The warnings to tell no one. Whoever it was said they were watching. Raven had been ordered to take pictures of every vehicle and license plate. The latest text demanded Casey’s ultrasound images.

  Anger swelled inside Killian, hot enough to burn. “It has to be Ivan,” he grated, certain that the Russian had threatened their mate. Knowing what Ivan had done to Casey, he believed Iosefa and Malik should have been allowed to end him when they’d had the chance. Instead, Ivan had been arrested. But the Bratva arms dealer was dangerous even behind bars, obsessed and devious. Depravity and ruthlessness blackened his soul. Now they were paying for letting him continue to breathe.

  “Clear your mind of those thoughts,” Tobias commanded, reprimanding them with a pointed look. “I know what you are thinking, Killian—and you, too, Cayden. Such thoughts only lead to darkness.”

  The Scotsman growled in his throat. “He willnae stop being a danger tae us. Tae Casey. Her babies. Ye may fake the paternity test but do ye really think that will stop him?”

  “Aye,” Killian agreed. “There was madness in his eyes the night we saved Casey. We weren’t the only ones to see it. The Russian has a sickness in him—one that will cost us if we don't do something about him.”

  “I will not sanction a killing,” Tobias told them firmly, raking his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Raven and Willow will be protected every second of the day and so will Casey and Morgan. I am assessing the situation as it unfolds.”

  Rising with frustration, Killian paced, the restless energy inside him refusing to let him remain still. “Fer how long? Days? Months? Years? Ye’re telling us they have to live in fear, held hostage by it in the home we’ve built for them?”

  How could the women be happy if they felt they were constantly under guard, being watched? The sanctuary they’d created would become nothing but a prison. Why couldn’t Tobias see that? And what would happen if any of them decided to leave? Would they be forced to restrain their mates? Lock them up? Killian felt sick at the thought. You didn’t shackle someone to you if you loved them.

  Tobias sighed wearily. “Calm down. Just... calm down. We need to be sure this is Ivan first. Your mate’s ex-husband is the next leader of the Irish mob. Let’s see if Zana can trace the number Raven gave you. If we learn where it’s coming from, we can find the source and neutralize the threat.”

  Cayden nodded. “Tobias is right. We cannae go jumping the gun. I’m as angry as you are but we hae tae think logically about this.”

  Killian knew his partner was right. So many emotions were weighing down on him. Bonding more intimately with Raven had opened a Pandora's box. Not only was he dealing with his own feelings, he was sensing their mate’s fears. It was crystal clear because of the connection that bound them. Even now, he could feel it vibrating in his chest as if an invisible thread had been woven between them.

  A sharp rap and the door bursting open took them all by surprise.

  Emmett stood on the threshold, his eyes wide behind his glasses. “Something’s outside.”

  Tobias rose swiftly behind his desk. “Something?”

  “There’s some kind of preternatural mist. It formed while Raven and Willow were helping Darcy in with her bag. She went after it, and your mate has followed with Zac and Zana.”

  “Where’s Willow?” Cayden asked anxiously, already on his feet.

  “Theo has her. She’s safe,” the librarian assured him.

  “It could be the Fae,” Tobias told them. Opening a cabinet, he pulled out a set of heavy iron shackles and strode swiftly toward the door, motioning for them to follow. “If it is, I’ve already set a trap to catch him. This could be the opportunity we were looking for.”

  Leading them to the entrance door, he stripped off his shirt as they went. Cayden and Killian did, too. “It’s quicker if we fly. Calodin may have found it easy to slip into our world, but it won’t be so easy leaving it.”

  Their superior’s wings burst from his shoulders as soon as he cleared the threshold. He launched straight into the air and headed toward the gardens with Cayden close behind. Killian felt a rush of exhilaration when his own wings sprang wide. The night was clear with a nearly-full moon lighting their way. Below they saw Raven and the others heading for the house. Even though she looked unhurt, her fear still tugged at Killian’s heart. He wanted to go to her. Wrap her in his arms and keep her safe.

  Confronting the Fae prince would hopefully give her some peace of mind and lessen her burden.

  Tobias landed in front of the powder magazine where Calodin had given Willow her birthday present. Hefting the heavy metal shackles in his hand, he nodded to them and reached for the door, cracking it open and slipping inside.

  A figure stood on the far side of the vaulted stone room, his hands on the wall, seeking a way to pass through it. Sensing their presence, he turned to face them. Killian didn’t know what to expect, but Calodin had the appearance of a handsome youth, with long dark hair and unusual quicksilver eyes whose color shifted from gray smoke to molten metal.

  A mage, he was, with magic in his eyes. And a warrior, judging from the blade at his side and the bow on his back. He was young but wise enough not to reach for his weapons.

  Tobias hefted the shackles. Made of iron, they’d weaken a Fae to the
point of making them ill, even killing them. “Your name,” he demanded, “and your business. Why are you here?”

  “How dare you trap me,” the Fae fumed, raising his chin in challenge. “I demand that you release me at once.”

  Tobias shook his head. “Answer the questions and I’ll consider it. Otherwise, you’re going to find yourself in irons and held until you’re ready to talk.”

  The youth’s expression turned wary but still held an imperious look. “I am Calodin Pendragon, son of Darni, Prince of the Five Realms, Defender of the Fae and those under my Kingdom’s sovereignty. Let me pass, gargoyle, or you will live to regret it.”

  Tobias rattled the chains. “Your business?” he asked again. “Why are you here?”

  The boy curled his lips in a mocking sneer and held out a hand, palm up. A ball of flame formed, the fireball growing. “Do not threaten me, gargoyle. You have no authority over me. I am here by right of birth. I cannot say the same for you and your kind. Interlopers. We tolerate your presence, but that can change in the blink of an eye. Your actions tonight are certain to test my father’s patience.”

  Tobias ignored his threats. “The men of the cadre are on a Divine mission. A Fae king holds no authority here when The Order of the Phoenix answers to The Throne. Your path as Prodigals separated from ours long ago. Your kind embraced this existence while we seek to return to Heaven. You don’t want redemption. You’re content to dwell here in your earthly kingdoms.”

  Calodin rolled his eyes. “Superstition and old wives tales. The Fae have always been. We are born of magic, not of the Heavens.”

  Killian raised an eyebrow. They all knew the truth. What was all this? Had the old ones rewritten their history, twisting what was so that their children believed only what they were told? He knew the first ones had learned the skill of magic, becoming thirsty for its power. Eventually, they had shut themselves off from the others. It looked like things had only grown worse from there. If Calodin was any indication, they were a privileged, pompous race.

  “What do ye want with the girl? Willow?” he demanded, losing his patience in the arrogant youth.

  “She is mine by right of birth, the bride I will take when her eighteenth birthday falls.”

  Cayden growled. “Now wait a damn minute. There’ll be no claiming here without consent.”

  “You cannot stop what is destined,” the Fae proclaimed. The fireball rose from his hand to the ceiling and divided into five spheres, illuminating the space. He straightened to his full height, his glare daring them to argue. “The child is mine. From what I have observed, you take your mates with little regard and no impunity. You have no right to judge me.”

  Killian reddened. Had he been watching them with Raven? Jaysus.

  Tobias slid the iron shackles from one hand to his other, gaining Calodin’s attention. “What right do you have over Willow? You will tell us everything you know before we allow you to leave this place.”

  “You have no idea who she is, do you?” Calodin huffed, leaning idly back against the wall. “But why would you? What’s done is done. / The worlds move on. / A fall from grace, his crown is gone. / A black bird cries at the break of dawn. / The kingdom’s rightful heir is born. / A bridge between the worlds she’ll be / Once she accepts her destiny.”

  “That’s a pretty little poem ye have there,” Killian mocked, tilting his head. “Is it supposed to mean something?”

  “It’s a prophecy,” Tobias informed them grimly. “Why would you think that the girl is the heir you speak of?”

  “Because her father was a prince,” he informed them. “Mikel Trueblood—the one known as Michael O’Malley—gave up his crown in Ireland and his immortality with it and followed Raven here. She gave birth as the sun rose—a black bird cries at the break of dawn. Willow is the kingdom’s rightful heir. Half-human, half-Fae, she will be a bridge between the world like her namesake tree. As Prince of the Five Realms, my father sought an alliance between Mikel and my older sister. When that did not happen, it was decided that I would wed his firstborn daughter—an arrangement agreed upon by her father before he was murdered by Raven’s second husband. She does not know this, of course. But I have been watching over them, protecting them to the extent of my abilities. My first duty is to the daughter. The mother is free to make her own mistakes as long as they bring Willow no harm.”

  That sounded too much like a slight to suit Killian. It was as if Calodin believed their union with Raven was in error. “Her mother is our fated mate, chosen fer us according to the Divine Plan. God does not make mistakes. Ye, on the other hand, have another thing coming if ye think ye’re going to marry our daughter and carry her off to the Five Realms. We’re not about to hand Willow over and give her into a loveless marriage. Just because ye’re a prince of yer kind does not make ye worthy of her.”

  Anger and irritation swept across Calodin’s face. “You can’t stop me. I’ve told you, it's destined.”

  Cayden folded his arms over his chest. “We’ll find a way tae block this little gateway of yers and stop these visits. Wie ye gone, Willow will soon forget about ye and the pretty little baubles ye’ve given her.”

  Checkmate. Killian could see they had the Fae cornered by the way his silvery eyes darted anxiously around. For all his cockiness, he was quickly realizing he had no sway here.

  “I can help you.” Calodin straightened, pushing away from the wall. “Willow and her mother are being watched. I promised Willow I’d have my falcons drive away the ravens with darkness in their eyes. I can order them to keep watch for anyone who seeks to do the others harm. All the females you have here. You value them, too, and the offspring they carry. Allow me to see my princess and leave the gateway open in return.”

  Tobias shared a look between Cayden and Killian. “This decision has to be yours, not mine. The child is loved by all here but you are her new fathers.”

  Killian’s gaze met Cayden’s. “What d’ye think?”

  “They’d have tae be supervised visits,” the Scotsman stated, “wie plenty of notice before they happen, and Raven would hae tae agree.”

  Although Killian was tempted to say no and be done with it, he knew the value the falcons would be. More eyes watching for danger. Those fecking birds that gave everyone the creeps would finally be gone.

  “Alright. We need to talk to Raven first,” he agreed. “But if you distress Willow or try to take her from here or her mother, this will immediately become null and void. You’ll be welcome here no more and forbidden from coming anywhere near the girl.”

  The youth’s shoulders slumped fractionally, the only sign that betrayed his relief. “When will I know if my proposal is accepted and our bargain struck?”

  “We’ll talk tae Raven tomorrow at breakfast. See if she’s willing or no.”

  Killian dreaded the coming conversation. “I’m sure she’ll want to meet ye. How do we get a message tae ye?”

  Calodin pressed a palm to the wall. “Touch here and say what needs to be said. It will reach me.”

  The Fae prince had no clue what he was in for, but he’d learn quick enough. Willow’s mother had a fiery temper when riled.

  Tobias whispered some words under his breath. The surface began to ripple with white light, the magic from the Fae portal tingling over their skin now that it was reactivated. “You are free to go, Calodin Pendragon.”

  The Fae nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “I will await your answer.”

  Killian watched him step through, the gateway closing after him. “He’s not exactly the material any father would be proud to see in a son-in-law. He’s a little too cocky for my taste.”

  Tobias chuckled. “Time might temper him.”

  “If he doesnae get himself killed.” Cayden opened the door, allowing them to step out into the night air. “He has the right kind of attitude tae find his way onto the end of a blade.”

  A throaty laugh left Killian. “Aye, he does.”

  They headed back toward the hous
e, still shirtless from their shift. Tobias walked with the iron shackles draped over one shoulder.

  “Ye know what this means,” the Irishman murmured after a pause. “Willow is a child born from one of our kind. It doesn’t matter if her bloodline is Fae. They may be lost tribes, but they are still Prodigals, whether they accept it or not.”

  “Maybe that was the reason Raven was chosen fer us,” Cayden mused. “But it seems our woman was once the fated mate of another. Willow’s father was Fae. I dinnae believe he would hae given up a crown and throne fer just any human female no matter how much he loved her.”

  Tobias hummed. “A soul calls to another soul and fated mates are found. His death could have been destined along with the prophecy but that doesn’t mean Raven was never meant to be yours. Her destiny was written before her birth. Raven’s soul accepted the mission despite the perilous path she has trod. All that has come to pass has happened for a reason, to bring her here into your lives and ours. She still has choices and the free will to make them. You must encourage her… see that she chooses wisely and well, for her daughter’s sake as well as her own.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Raven applied the butterfly closure to Darcy’s knee and tended to her hands, cleaning them up, picking out the grit, and bandaging them. “I don’t have to tell you to wear gloves, but if your hands are too sore to give massages, you may want to reschedule your appointments for next week.”

  Her cousin rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother.”

  Raven peeled off her nitrile gloves and tossed them in the biohazard waste receptacle.

  “So,” Darcy drawled, “what’s up with Cayden and Killian? And don’t tell me you’re just grateful because they stopped whoever was luring Willow away. Pirate play? I’ve never known you to be so… adventurous.”