Never More

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Smart girl.” He kissed the tip of her nose, earning a cute little wrinkle of said nose. “Are you ready to hear this?”

  She blew out a breath, and only then did he realize how nervous she really was. “Let’s find out.”

  She shivered as he led her back down the steps and on to the driveway. “So. I know you were asking Aileen questions.”

  “Yeah. I can’t believe I thought something odd was going on with Jaden.” She chuckled easily, the sound derisive. “Damn my overactive imagination.” But despite her words, her expression was confused. Perhaps Aileen hadn’t managed to cover everything up after all.

  He snorted. “Nope. Aileen was probably damning your very observant nature. What you saw was real.” He called upon his sylph half, lifting them gently up into the air. “And so is this.”

  Amanda shrieked, grasping his shoulders so tightly he’d have fingertip bruises on them despite the leather jacket he wore. “What the fuck?”

  He laughed, lifting them higher. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

  She glared at him. “Fuck that. Who’s got you?” She stared down at the ground and gulped. “Are we above the roof?”

  “Yup.” He wasn’t taking her far; he didn’t want full-out panic. “We’ll land soon, I promise.”

  “Jaden has fangs.”

  Raven nodded.

  “Aileen made me forget that.”

  He nodded again. “It was for both your safety and Jaden’s.”

  She was shaking, trembling against him in fear. “None of you are human.”

  “We’re the fae, a race as old as your own.” He landed as gently as he could on the roof of the porch. He’d thought of taking her higher, but her strong reaction made him rethink that strategy. He wanted her to have an escape if she needed it.

  “Okay. I think I’d like to get off the crazy train now.” Amanda tried to tug herself free of his grasp, but Raven held fast. If he released her while she was struggling she’d fall off the roof. “Let me go, goth boy, or your nuts are toast.”

  He bit his lip, desperately trying not to laugh. “If I let go, it won’t be my manly parts kissing the gravel.”

  “Oh?” She looked over her shoulder and paled. “Good point.” She blew out a breath. “Any way we can sit and talk? Because I feel a little light-headed.”

  Raven helped Amanda settle on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling over. He kept hold of her arm as he settled himself, just in case she slipped. As long as he was touching her he’d be able to stop her fall.

  Hell, even if he wasn’t, he was certain he’d be able to keep her safe. When he was near her she held all of his focus. From watching his father court Michaela and Claim her, he knew it would only get worse. He’d Claim Amanda, in time. First he wanted her to know exactly what she was getting into. Besides, he liked the idea of getting to know her before bonding with her.

  Already she held his attention far more than any woman ever had, even Michaela. The soft skin of her hand, the questioning look in her eyes, the way she shifted to sit closer to him, all of it fascinated him.

  “All right. What the hell is going on? What are you? You called yourself fae, but I don’t understand what that means.”

  The best way to prove his words was to show her. “Watch.” Raven held out his arm, summoning one of his ravens.

  The bird appeared out of thin air, landing on his arm with the sound of fluttering silk. His pet tilted his head, staring at Amanda through curious, intelligent eyes.

  “So you’re a magician as well as an artist.” Her gaze dared him to contradict her.

  “Doubting Thomasina.” He settled the raven on Amanda’s shoulder, aware the bird would never harm her, before disappearing in a cloud of feathers and reappearing behind her. “Do you believe me now?”

  Her breath was coming a little more quickly, but his little fighter refused to show her fear. “Maybe.”

  He kissed the nape of her neck and disappeared once more, reappearing in front of her. He held out a black feather, whispering in the tongue of the sylphs to it. It floated away, against the wind, dancing around Amanda and tickling her.

  “Stop that.”

  Raven grinned as the feather continued to make her squirm. “Stop what? According to you, none of this is real.”

  She reached out, trying to snatch the feather out of the air and failing miserably. “Raven.”

  He snapped his fingers and the feather returned to him, disappearing in his grasp. He allowed a portion of his Seeming to slip. His eyes bled to completely black, his nails and fangs growing. His hair changed as dark, iridescent feathers mingled with his hair. The rest of his transformation he kept hidden; that, he would show her in time, when she was less likely to freak out. “My name is Raven MacSweeney Goodfellow, the Raven Lord of the Knights of Oberon. My father is Prince Robin Goodfellow, the Hob, Oberon’s right hand and heir to the Gray Throne. And you, my dear, are my truebond.”

  Ah, there was his bondmate. She was giggling like a loon. “Robin’s your dad. And Ruby is mine.”

  “Robin is almost as old as Oberon.” That giggle turned into all-out laughter as she fell against him. Raven couldn’t help but smile at her. His Seeming was partially dropped, yet she thought nothing of relaxing against him as her sides heaved in amusement. She was amazing. “What more do you want to know?”

  She wiped a laugh tear from her eye. “Oh, that was rich.”

  “Amanda, querida, I need to know what questions you have.”

  She sighed. “Oh, you speak Spanish.”

  He chuckled and whispered into her ear. “Quiero besarte.”

  “Mmm.” She kissed his jaw. “There you go.”

  He laughed, throwing his head back. “I said I wanted to kiss you.”

  She shrugged. “You snooze, you lose.” She touched one of the feathery hairs on his head. “So…all that stuff I saw was real.”

  He nodded.

  “Aileen lied to me.”

  “Only to protect you and her children. We hide from mortals for a reason, Amanda.”

  “I guess I can understand that.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is what Ruby’s been hiding from me?”

  He nodded again, watching the emotions flit across her face too quickly for him to follow. “You have nothing, nothing to fear from me. Of all the people on this earth, you are the only one I would die to protect.” He’d lost his mother to the Dark Queen. He would not lose his truebond as well.

  She dropped her hand with a shiver, but his brave truebond met his eyes with a determination that made him so proud to be the one the gods had given her to. “All right. Tell me everything.”

  He smiled. “We are the fae, a race of beings capable of great magic.”

  “I got that part. Tell me about the danger to Ruby.”

  She was ignoring the danger to herself, but Raven wouldn’t. He’d keep her safe despite herself. “Once, long ago, all courts were one, and were ruled by a king named Nuada Silverhand.”

  “Wait, you’re talking about Irish folktales, right?”

  Very good. He was pleased she knew that just from hearing Nuada’s name. “Yes. But he died, leaving Oberon as King and the Dark One as queen.”

  “You mean Tita—”

  He covered her mouth swiftly. “That name is not spoken lightly, especially here.” When he released her mouth he continued. “The Dark One, however, became jealous of the power Oberon wielded, as well as the love his people gave him. Despite their truebond, she felt she deserved more, far more than she deserved. So rather than be content to rule at her truebond’s side, the Dark One made a contract with a demon. Her soul for the power to rule.”

  “That was stupid.” Amanda scowled. “That doesn’t make her ruler, it makes her a pawn.”

  “She didn’t view it that way. Under the influence of the
demon, the Dark Queen seduced, corrupted and defiled half the court, dishonoring her truebond in the process. By the time she was done the king found himself at war with his own spouse.”

  “Yikes.” Amanda actually appeared upset for Oberon. “That must have sucked.”

  Raven shrugged. “I wasn’t around then, but I hear it was bad. Things escalated until the gods themselves were forced to step in. The gods broke the truebond between Oberon and the Dark Queen, severing the ties between the court and the rebels. They declared the war ended for the sake of the world, and created three courts to balance each other out.” Raven held up one finger. “The first, the Black Court, would be ruled by the Dark Queen, giving her the power she craved.” He put up a second finger. “To balance her power, a White Court was created, with its own queen, chosen by the gods. The White Queen also rules with an iron fist, and her hatred of the Dark Queen is legendary.”

  “And over them all is the Gray Court?”

  Oh, his mate was very smart. He liked that. “Yes, with High King Oberon at the helm. He rules over all, and his word is law. He keeps the two queens from ever renewing the war. What he says, goes.”

  “That must chafe what’s her name something fierce.” Amanda shook her head. “Let me guess. The two queens haven’t stopped looking for a loophole since.”

  “Exactly. And the White Queen recently thought she’d found one. She believed if she removed Oberon, but kept him safe and alive, the war could be started once more. Her intention was to kill the Dark Queen and her entire court, and anyone who might have been tainted by her. That would include Jaden, as he is Leannan Sidhe, or a vampire, as well as this entire household. And myself, of course.” Raven resumed his Seeming. “I was once one of the Black Queen’s knights, but reluctantly. Robin rescued me, but I paid a heavy price in the process. Now she wants me dead.” He took hold of her hand, playing with her fingers. They were so small, so delicate. “She’s sent assassins after me.”

  “You were Black Court?”

  “I was born there, told my father sold my mother to the Dark Queen.”

  “She lied to you, didn’t she?”

  Raven nodded. “And Robin had no idea I, or my brothers and sisters, even existed until I confronted him.”

  “Ouch.” She shivered hard. “That sucks big-time.”

  Raven laughed. “Yeah, it did. And because I chose Robin over her, the Dark Queen killed my mother.”

  “Aw fuck.” Amanda inched closer to him. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  The ache that always accompanied the thought of his mother eased a bit at Amanda’s obvious concern for him. “Thank you, but that’s not what worries me now. When the Dark Queen finds out that I have a truebond, and she will find out, you’ll be on her execution list.”

  “A what?”

  He lifted his gaze from her hand and allowed the green of his lineage to seep into his eyes. “That would be you, my sweet.”

  She stared at him, stunned. “Well. Fuck me sideways.”

  “Soon, my sweet.” He kissed her fingers. “Soon.”

  Chapter Seven

  Amanda shivered as Raven floated them back down to the ground. Fae, Sidhe, kings and queens, murder plots and revenge. It sounded like a bad romance novel.

  Oh, and bonded mates. Let’s not forget that.

  “You’re cold.” Raven put his arm around her, surprising her with how warm he was. “Let’s go inside.”

  “I want to talk to Ruby.” Ruby could help her make sense of all of this. At the very least, she could verify everything Raven had told her.

  There was no doubt that Raven wasn’t human, but she had a hard time believing that Moira, Michaela, Robin, Aileen, hell, Sean, were all…immortal beings of the winged variety.

  Raven tilted his head, a wicked smile crossing his face. “I think Ruby is…occupied.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  He tapped the side of his head. “Superior hearing.” He led her into the house, nodding once to Robin, who stood on the porch with Michaela wrapped around him. The two spoke quietly to one another, Robin stroking Michaela’s hair over and over again.

  “They seem very much in love.” And it hurt Amanda’s heart to see it even as it gave her hope. She’d never had anyone look at her the way Robin Goodfellow gazed at Michaela Exton, like she was his whole world.

  “They are.”

  There was a familiar wistfulness in Raven’s tone that had her looking up at him in surprise. He, too, seemed to long for what Michaela and Robin had. His expression was filled with a sweet longing that was totally at odds with his badass looks. “Are you all right?”

  He blinked, his expression clearing as he turned his attention once more toward her. “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s shaking.” He led her through Aileen’s living room and toward the stairs. “Let’s get you settled in.”

  “Don’t even think you’re getting into my room, goth boy.” Amanda pulled free of Raven’s hold. “I don’t put out that easily.”

  Raven’s brows rose, his blue eyes twinkling. “Who said anything about sex? I was worried about shock, and here you are, imagining me naked.” He tsk’d. “You are a naughty girl, aren’t you?”

  Amanda blushed furiously. “I did not…I wasn’t!” Of course, now that he’d said it, she couldn’t get out of her head that he did have a nice chest. She just bet he was ripped under the dark T-shirt. Might even have a treasure trail down to the pot of gold.

  “Of course not.” He patted her shoulder, placating her. “Now, let’s get you settled in your warm, comfy bed, hmm?”

  “Ugh.” She spun on her heel and stomped off, not that surprised when he followed her. “I think I hate you.”

  “You wound me, bondmate.”

  She swirled around, ready to let him have it. “What the fuck is up with this whole bondmate thing anyway?”

  That soft look completely disappeared. Raven once more appeared mad, bad and dangerous. “A bondmate is like a spouse, but on a deeper level. Magically connected, bondmates can sense each other, feel when the other is happy or sad, or when they are in danger.”

  “And?”

  “And you’re more than that.” Raven’s cocky grin made her want to smack him. “You’re my truebond.”

  “And made just for you,” she cooed, sighing over him.

  Too bad it wasn’t completely faked. He had the most gorgeous dark lashes, and the faint hint of a beard only enhanced his high cheekbones. The red slash through his hair highlighted his dark locks perfectly.

  “I’m glad you understand.” Raven moved so quickly she didn’t even know he had until she was over his shoulder. “Now, I think you need some rest, and some quiet time to process everything you’ve learned today.”

  “Put. Me. Down.”

  “Or?”

  Oh, he had to ask.

  “You won’t like it, trust me.” Amanda prepared herself for the take-down of Raven’s life.

  Raven stopped dead. “Do you have a box of Cheerios in your pocket?”

  She paused, her nails just about to dig into a delicate place. “Uh, no?”

  “Ah. Good.” He sounded relieved. Walking, he reached for the door that led to Amanda’s room. Before she could deploy her lethal weapons she flew through the air, landing with a whomp! on her bed.

  “Now.” Raven rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Guess what I get to do?”

  “Leave?”

  “Right answer!” Raven waved. “Good night, sweet Amanda. Pleasant, me-filled dreams.”

  She blinked as he shut the door.

  “What. The. Fuck?” She sat straight up, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

  The door opened. “Yeah, I forgot something.” Raven literally flowed into the room, black feathers swirling around him as he kind of reassembled on the bed next to her. “Note the ope
n door, my naughty little kestrel.”

  “Wha—”

  Raven tugged her down until their lips were a mere hair’s breadth away from each other. “There are steps to bonding with someone.”

  “Oh?” Her heart was racing. Raven had the most beautiful eyes. Up close, the sapphire blue still predominated, but just before his pupil was a tiny ring of vibrant green. You had to be very close to catch it, but it was there, disappearing completely when his pupils dilated. The outer ring of his iris was so dark it was almost black.

  “See something you like?”

  That whisper of breath against her lips made her lick her own. “Your eyes have green in them.”

  He smiled slightly. “Oh?”

  “Yeah.” She coughed, trying to pull herself out of the haze of whatever spell Raven had woven around her. “You’re not my type, you know.”

  “Oh, I know.” He caressed her hip. “You have a thing for cowboys, not bad ones.”

  “And Vikings,” she added.

  “No matter how tiny their spears are?”

  “How did you…? You know what? Never mind. You’ll tell me, and then my head will hurt even more.” She went to rub her forehead but wound up bonking him on the chin. “Sorry.”

  “Admit it.” He kissed her fingertip. “You’ve been dying to sink your claws into me.”

  “If I say no will you peck my eyes out?”

  “Liar.” He rubbed his nose gently against hers in what her mom used to call an Eskimo kiss. “You were ready to skin my ass barehanded.”

  She sniffed. “I told you to put me down.”

  “And I respected the claws and did as you asked.” He smiled, and Amanda found herself falling into the sheer joy on his face. “Now. About those bondmate steps.”

  “Fine.” She was trembling, but damn if she’d let him see it. “Pray tell, dark knight, what mythical quest do you need to go on to make me yours?”

  “Hmm. Well, for this knight, the quest is different from what you’re thinking.”

  “No slaying of dragons or stealing of golden fleece for you, huh?”

  “What can I say? I’m a rebel.” He winked. “The first step to winning the fair maiden is a simple kiss.”