Amanda took a deep breath. “Then how…”
“The High King. I don’t know what he did, but somehow he saved her, pulled her back from death, but in doing so he left himself weakened and vulnerable to a traitor who tried to poison him. It worked, but King Oberon was found by his truebond, Queen Cassandra, and she kept him safe until his memories returned.”
He watched the expressions flitting across her face as she processed what he was telling her. Confusion, concern, rapidly followed by curiosity. “Robin must have freaked out.”
That was putting it mildly. “He tore her killer into tiny little pieces.” And Raven had gladly helped.
“But Oberon saved her, right?” Amanda looked confused again. “Robin knew that.”
“Not when he caught the each uisge, no. In fact, when he found her body gone from the bomb site, he freaked even more. He somehow knew where she’d gone, and next thing I know she’s alive again, but Tuatha Dé Danann.”
“Wow.” Amanda bit her lip. “That’s a hell of a way to become fae.”
“It is, yeah.” And not an option for anyone else. Oberon would never allow himself to be that vulnerable again. “The High King only did what he did because of how much he loves Robin. They’re like brothers.”
“Huh.” She scrunched up her nose. “So there’s no other way to become fae?”
He sighed. “There’s one, but I’m not certain you’d like it.”
“What is that?”
He grimaced. He really didn’t like this option, but she’d asked. “Become a vampire, like Jaden.”
“I get the feeling you don’t have any love for the fanged set.” She stared at him, that curiosity more than riding her.
He sighed and rolled over onto his back. “The Black Queen was the first Leannan Sidhe, or vampire, to ever exist. She sold her soul to a demon in exchange for power, hoping to overthrow Oberon. It led to this huge war that tore the courts apart. It almost destroyed the fae.” He glanced at her before returning his gaze to the ceiling. “It’s one of the reasons no vampire will ever be welcome into the White Court. Gloriana hates them with a passion normally reserved for the Dark Queen.”
“But it’s not their fault that their…sire? progenitor?…was a prizewinning bitch.” Amanda shivered. “That’s like blaming the child for the parent’s misdeeds.”
“That’s exactly what she does.” He sighed and rolled to face her once more. “She’s the Inquisition and the Witch Hunts all rolled into one. If there’s a whiff of Black Court taint, you will be dealt with as if you were Black Court.”
“Damn. She makes the Dark Queen sound like a nice glass of iced tea on a warm day.”
Raven shuddered. “The Dark Queen is anything but sweet and cool, believe me.” He knew that intimately. “She’s no Mary Poppins, that’s for sure.”
She stared at him. “Raven?”
“Hmm?” He knew, just knew, what she was going to ask, and had no idea how he’d answer.
“She hurt you badly, didn’t she?”
He relaxed a fraction of a hair. She hadn’t asked the real question, but she’d come damn close. “Yes.”
“And not just by taking your mother from you.” She placed her hand on his arm, her touch comforting and warm. “She hurt you in other ways.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep the memories at bay. Amanda was nothing like Titannia. Nothing. His truebond would never harm him the way the bitch queen had.
But he’d promised Amanda honesty, and he would give it to her, no matter how humiliating and painful. “Yeah.”
“Damn it.” She curled up against him, holding him tight. “I won’t let her hurt you again, okay?”
Was she crying? Raven sat up, dislodging her hold on him.
Damn it. She was crying. He cupped her cheek, wiping away a tear. “I know you won’t.”
She bit her lip. “If I ever, and I mean ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me, all right?” She tugged him back down until they were nose to nose again, their legs entwined together. “I’m making the same promise to you that you made to me. I’ll take care of you, and I give you my word I’ll never hurt you, not that way.”
He nodded.
“Do you need to tell me about it?”
Oh, hell no. The last thing he wanted to do was taint her with his past.
But something about the way she looked at him, the concern without sympathy, just his mate wanting to hear something bad that had happened in his past, had him opening his mouth. “She raped me.”
“I know.” She clutched his hand tight, tangling their fingers together.
“I wasn’t the only one, either. What she did…” He was trembling, almost unable to speak.
“Tell me only what you want to.”
So he did, and it was good. She listened quietly, holding his hand, as his tale went on and on until the light beneath the curtains turned pink with dawn and his voice was raw and hoarse. And still she said nothing, letting him speak quietly of the torment he’d been put through, the bonds that had bled him, the whips and chains and the drugs that would force him to perform. She’d always tie down Robin’s get, his children, afraid that they would hurt her while she took her pleasure from them.
He would have. He would have maimed her if he could have, but the drugs prevented it. If drugs didn’t work, her bite would, allowing her access to his mind, blurring the lines between hate and desire until there was nothing left but the brief prayer that he’d die before it happened again.
Of course, it always did.
He hadn’t realized he’d fallen silent until he felt her tears on his face, her lips on his. “Amanda.” He reached up and put his hands in her hair, holding her like the treasure she was.
“Never again, Raven. No more. You’re safe now. I’ll make sure of it.”
His fierce little bird was all ready to protect him from the big bad bitch. The thought of Amanda actually facing the Black Queen had him pulling her close to him. He kissed her, desperate to remind himself that she was here, in his arms, and not chained to the queen’s bed, awaiting her pleasure.
Amanda allowed the powerful kiss, leaning into him and somehow soothing the beast that had awoken in him. He took, she gave, and by the time the kiss ended they were both flushed and panting.
“Make love to me.”
Raven smiled. The uncertainty in her gaze would someday go away. How could he turn her, his truebond, down? “My pleasure.”
Jesus. The man hovering over her, slowly lowering his lips to hers, had been through hell and back.
She was so very grateful that he’d come through it whole, and so very pissed that he’d had to go through it in the first place.
His gentleness with her, the way he was so careful not to hurt her, asking her if she liked what he was doing. It all made sense now. He knew what it was like to be forced, to have the choice taken away from him over and over again. If she could ease his pain, make things right, she would do whatever was necessary.
For now, that meant holding him, showing him that with her, sex would never mean pain.
He eased her shirt off, lifting away from her lips just long enough to pull it over her head before taking her mouth once more. His kisses now were sensual, no longer about him but about them, and she wanted nothing more than that.
Them, coming together as one.
He broke the kiss, his soft voice whispered in her ear, telling her how beautiful she was, how precious, how much she already meant to him. Her clothing was slowly taken from her body until nothing was covering her, exposing her to his avid gaze.
When she cupped his cheek, he closed his eyes and trembled.
“Now you.” She tugged at his shirt, not wanting to say more, afraid her voice would break the spell they’d woven.
He nodded and began t
aking off his clothes with the same slow, methodical movements he’d used to take hers. Soon he was naked above her, their skin gliding together, rough and smooth mingling, her legs tangling with his. He kissed his way down her jaw to her neck, nibbling on her earlobe before finding that one spot that drove her insane every time he touched it.
It was the raven he’d marked her with, the small tattoo an exact duplicate of the one that decorated him. She’d been shocked when she first saw it, but soon realized that it seemed right that it was there. She even planned on wearing a one-shoulder dress the day of Michaela and Robin’s wedding, proudly showing the mark for all to see.
The reverent kiss he placed on the raven tattoo, the way he stared at it before kissing her again, his gaze filled with a mixture of disbelief and adoration, almost made her burst into tears again. It was the highest honor she could think of, to earn the trust of a man who’d been abused the way Raven had, and she would treasure that trust in the way Raven deserved.
Gentle caresses mingled with soft butterfly kisses as he made his way down her body. Even when he took one of her nipples in his mouth he was gentle, laving it with his tongue until she was ready to beg for a stronger touch. But Raven moved on, his lips grazing her stomach as his fingers tangled in the curls between her thighs.
She arched into his touch, eager for anything he was willing to give her. He stroked her curls before diving through them, stroking her clit over and over again, driving her insane with need.
When he finally knelt between her thighs and took her into his mouth she really did scream. It felt so good, so damn good, she lost all thought. The only thing she could do was beg and plead for him to move faster, give her more, her head thrashing on the pillow as the pleasure blinded her to everything else.
The rhythmic movement of his tongue across her clit became more than she could handle. She came, gasping as the ecstasy overrode her senses. Her hands clenched in the sheets as she rode his mouth, grasping at every drop of pleasure he doled out until she was wrung dry.
She blinked, barely aware that he was still between her thighs, still lapping at her pussy. She shuddered, her body moving restlessly as he began to carefully ramp up the pleasure once more.
Amanda took her breasts in her hands and began tweaking her nipples, the sensation going right to her clit. When Raven took her clit into his mouth and sucked she damn near bucked off the bed. “More,” she groaned, unable to do anything but beg as his talented mouth took over her body once more. “Please, Raven.”
She glanced down to find him staring at her, watching as she pleasured her breasts, his lips all the while moving over her sensitive pussy. His eyes had turned that amazing combination of blue and green, the green dominating, glowing as he inserted a finger inside her.
Amanda rode his hand, her eyes closing as she came close to orgasm. She gasped when he nipped her inner thigh, sucking up a mark before crawling back up her body.
This time he wasn’t reverent and gentle. The kiss he gave her was demanding, taking from her whatever she was willing to give.
Amanda opened up and gave him everything.
Never before had she given herself to a man in this way, but Raven had earned it. He’d opened himself up to her despite the possibility that she might reject him. How could she not give him the same in return?
So she gave all she was, and in return received him with a joy she’d never felt before. He entered her carefully but steadily until his balls were resting against her ass. She could feel him pulsing inside her, thick and hard and unbelievably good.
She put her hands on Raven’s ass, the muscles underneath her palms clenching as she did so, pulling him impossibly farther inside her. He was just below the edge of too much for her to handle, but when he pulled away, his cock dragging out of her, she desperately wanted to pull him back.
He granted her wish, thrusting into her again, filling her to the brim, before dragging out again. Raven fucked her in slow, easy thrusts, the angle of his hips giving her room to reach down and play with her clit. The pleasure increased as she wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up wider to his thrusts.
Raven hovered over her, bracing on his hands as he fucked her, his gaze darting between her face and her breasts and the hand she had between her thighs.
When she began to tremble, the orgasm so close she could taste it, he pulled out.
“What?”
He flipped her over onto her hands and knees, pushing her head down until her forehead rested on the pillow. He spread her knees apart, and for a second all she felt was the cool air on her overheated pussy.
With a groan he thrust home, the stretch of him inside her tight almost to the point of pain. She wiggled until she could reach her clit again, stroking in time to his thrusts, backing into him until all she heard was the sound of flesh meeting flesh.
This time when the orgasm overcame her she almost lost her balance, her body unable to remain in position as her muscles locked and her vision went white. Her toes curled as her pussy spasmed around him, the sensation so intense she thought she might black out.
She barely managed to stay on her knees as he continued to fuck her through her orgasm, his panting breaths and low moans indicating how close he was to achieving his own ecstasy. She held tight as he finally reached his own peak, the wet heat of him filling her as he came.
With a sigh she flopped down, pulling herself off of him until she was a sweaty, tangled mess on the sheets.
“You okay?” he panted, his gaze filled with concern.
She couldn’t speak yet, so instead she gave him a weak thumbs-up.
He chuckled and carefully lowered himself onto her. If they stayed like that, they’d be permanently stuck together.
She wasn’t sure she cared.
“Wow.”
She grinned and nodded. That had been intense, one of the best orgasms of her life.
“Think we can do that again?”
Two thumbs-up.
He laughed. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
She nodded, giggling when he tickled her side. “Stop it!”
“I love that sound,” he sighed happily.
“What sound?” She closed her eyes, content just to be there with him.
“Your laugh.” He kissed her shoulder, just above the raven, then pressed his forehead to her shoulder. “It makes me believe again.”
She held herself still, unwilling to break the spell those brief, heartfelt words had woven around her.
When he reached for her hand, she wove their fingers together and held on while they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
“All right. I managed to trace that call you were talking about.” Li followed Robin and Raven into the collapsed building.
Raven wasn’t looking forward to this. This time they knew what they were searching for, but with the damage the White Court investigators had done to the crime scene, plus the building’s collapse, it was going to be a nightmare to find it. “And?”
“The number was warded against tracing.” Li rubbed his forehead wearily. “I’ve got a headache, but I’ve also got a location for you.”
“Where?” Because as soon as they were done here, he was going to pay a visit to that location and beat the crap out of any fae he found there.
“Topeka.”
Raven stared at Li as Robin began rummaging through the debris. “Kansas?”
Li nodded. “And Hoboken, New Jersey. And Redmond, Washington. And London, England. Hong Kong, China. Glasgow, Scotland. Palermo, Sicily, etc., etc. Damn number was all over the map.”
“Where didn’t it go to?”
Li pointed to the ground. “Here.”
Raven sighed. Damn it. He’d hoped Li would be able to find Sayyid through the number, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. Whoever had block
ed the number had done so effectively. “All right. Then we do this the hard way.”
“Sorry, man. Wish I could have found it. I’ll keep working on it, see if I can narrow it to one specific place.”
Raven placed his hand on Li’s shoulder. “You did good. I appreciate it.”
Li grinned. “You’re welcome.”
The two men followed Robin’s lead, sifting through the trashed house, hoping that the White Court investigators hadn’t touched what the three of them were seeking. “Tell me about the murder.”
“Head removed, feathers, single slice. Same as the others, only she was covered in dust and debris and almost crushed by the roof of the place. We’re the only ones who know the feathers were planted.”
Raven stopped. “So she was here when I took care of that death trap.”
“Did you check any of the rooms?” Li kicked over what was once a dining table, now nothing but scrap.
“No. I didn’t go into any room with a closed door once I realized the place was booby-trapped.” And that had killed someone innocent.
“And the only trap you found was the one you dismantled.” Robin was staring at where the cubbyhole under the stairs had been, the place where the death trap had been placed. “I’m thinking the two traps were connected.”
“So it was my presence, my unraveling the trap, that set off the second one.”
Robin gestured toward the ruined staircase. “I would hazard a guess and say Lady Sybil was resting in her room upstairs, unaware that a trap even existed. Had you entered the room, you would have seen nothing, for she was inside her own little trap, unaware her life would soon end.”
“Then we need to investigate those rooms.” Raven picked up a broken bit of mirror. “Or what’s left of them.”
“I will tend to things down here,” Robin directed. “You and Red will check upstairs. Look for the link point between this sigil and the other. Once found, report back.”
“Yes, sir,” Li responded, heading for the stairs.
Raven nodded once and followed the gremlin. He had to fly over certain portions where the steps were gone. Li, on the other hand, bounded from one broken step to the next with ease, like a goat climbing a mountain. When they reached the top, they realized two of the bedrooms were completely gone, collapsed to ground level.
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