by Laurie Roma
Raven gasped. “You brought me here?”
“Aye, and I can send you back.” He raised a brow at her. “Tell me, Raven. If you could truly leave this new world, would you go back? What do you have back there on Earth? A loving family? A mate who cares for you more than his own life?”
Her heart pounded in her chest at his words. Earlier she had told Savitar and Kadan that she wouldn’t leave, but she hadn’t thought it was even possible. But now that this god had offered her an out…No, she wouldn’t leave them. She couldn’t. “I don’t want to leave,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.
“But neither do you want to commit fully to becoming an Arcadian.”
Anger had her snapping, “What does that even mean?”
He sat down on a rock and folded his arms across his broad chest. “It means you need to stop being so stubborn and let your mates into your mind. You are fighting the mating bond and it is hurting them. I chose you because of your strength and knowledge that could help Arcadia, but you were almost given a gift. I gave you three males who want nothing more than to care for you and love you. Yet still, you hold yourself back from them.”
Fury surged through her as she stood her ground. “How dare you! You chose me? Well, isn’t that fucking great. I’m sorry that I’m not the perfect Arcadian transplant you wanted, but I’m doing my best! This isn’t easy for me, you know. You fucking hit me with a lightning bolt, took me from everything I knew and expect me to just magically poof into some mindless freak who does whatever you want? Sorry, buddy. You picked the wrong damn woman then. I don’t care who you are!”
Uh oh, did she have a fucking death wish?
Why the hell did she have to run her mouth to a God?
Raven blinked in surprise as the golden God threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. Okay, that was so not the reaction she was expecting. What she had expected was to get struck by lightning again or maybe him grinding her into bloody dust, but for him to laugh and look at her with…was that fondness?
What the fuck was going on?
His glowing eyes burned into her as his lips curved in a small smile. “And there is the backbone I knew you had. You humans may be small, but you have spines of steel. At least some of you do.”
“Umm…thanks?”
A soft, feminine voice filled the air. “Silas?”
Silas’s face softened with a look of love so profound it brought tears to Raven’s eyes. “I will be right there, my love.” He focused on Raven once more. “Come. My mate is awake and will want to meet you.”
“What—”
In the blink of an eye Raven found herself in a temple, gilded in gold, silver, and every shade of blue that existed. Open windows let in a soft, soothing breeze, even though a misty white haze clouded the view of outside the temple. She reached out to steady herself and gripped the end of a large, elegant chaise as she waited for the nausea of being transported to fade.
Fucking hell, that was not fun.
“Have a seat, Raven. The dizziness will fade in a moment.”
Raven’s eyes went wide with shock as a gorgeous woman suddenly appeared into view right in front of her eyes. The woman wore a gossamer gown similar to the one that Raven had woken up in and her skin shimmered as if it was made up of thousands of tiny crystals.
“I am Lunaria, Goddess of the Moons,” she said, her voice sounding like the soft tinkling of bells. “Welcome to the Isle of Dreams.”
Raven couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Lunaria’s hair was a mass of silken, ink-black curls so similar to her own, and the eyes that stared back at her were a pale-silver, but the face…It was like looking into a mirror, only the reflection was…more.
Lunaria gifted her with a small smile, but her eyes were filled with sadness. “Aye, it is like looking into a mirror…or at the face of someone related by blood.”
“Lunaria, my love,” Silas said in a gentle caress from where he was seated on a golden throne. His voice was at odds with his lethal appearance. An empty silver throne, ornately carved with beautiful dragon designs, sat beside the matching golden throne where he was sitting. They were obviously a perfect pair.
His gold to her silver.
The Goddess turned her head as he spoke and their eyes locked. Raven was surprised that the room didn’t burst into flame. The intensity of the heat between Silas and Lunaria was so powerful that she felt bad for witnessing such an intimate moment.
“Silas, I thought we agreed to wait.”
“This could not be put off any longer, my love. She is as stubborn as you are,” Silas muttered, making the Goddess laugh.
Lunaria looked away and focused back on Raven. “Forgive us. We did not mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Speak for yourself, mate.”
“Silas.”
By simply saying his name the big bad God was suitably chastised. He sighed as he slumped down on his throne. “You are taking the fun out of this for me, mate.”
Raven couldn’t help but smile at the sound of Lunaria’s soft tinkle of laughter. She looked around the room, fascinated and yet still confused as to why she was there.
“Please have a seat, Raven. I will try to explain everything better than my mate was doing.” Lunaria waited until Raven sat down then cast a glance over her shoulder at Silas. “Will you join us, my love? I get so lonely without you by my side.”
Raven held back a gasp as Silas suddenly appeared next to Lunaria. Another chaise appeared across from her, larger than the one she sat on. Silas swept his lady into his arms and sat down with her in his lap. He nuzzled his face into her neck and she seemed to melt into him so they fit perfectly against one another.
“I know that coming to Arcadia must have been a shock to you,” Lunaria began.
Yeah, you could say that. But why was she chosen?
Lunaria bowed her head in acknowledgment of Raven’s unspoken question. “You were chosen because of who you are, Raven. You are a special woman, with strong convictions that will aid us in bringing much needed changes to this world.”
Holy shit! Talk about pressure. How in the world did they think she could change an entire alien world?
“Listen!” Silas growled then his breath left on a whoosh as Lunaria’s elbow connected to his stomach.
Raven clenched her teeth at the way the Gods seemed to just pluck the thoughts out of her head and wished with all her might that she could close them out. She froze as Lunaria and Silas both turned their head to look at her, their eyes wide.
“How are you doing that?” Silas growled.
“Doing what?” Raven asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
“You cannot block us out of your head, but whatever you are doing is how you are able to keep your mates from your mind,” Lunaria explained. “It is strange…”
“This is why the decision must be made now.”
“Silas—”
The God shook his head. “I am firm on this, Lunaria.”
The Goddess sighed and nodded her head. Fear made Raven’s mouth go dry as the Sahara. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but it couldn’t be good.
“You must decide whether you want to remain on Arcadia in your new life,” Silas said in a firm voice. “You were chosen to be the mate of three warrior kings because we believed you were strong enough to stand with them. Your reticence tells me we may have been mistaken. This is an answer that has to be made with an open heart and trust in the ones who love you. Either you chose to embrace the new life you have been given with your mates or you choose to be sent back to your world. Decide now.”
Words escaped Raven for a moment. This was a huge thing they were asking of her. She’d never dreamed that she’d wake up on a strange new world, but now that she was here with Savitar, Kadan and even Tristan, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Still, the thought of never seeing home again was scary as hell.
Lunaria stood and held out a hand to her. “Before you decide there is something
I want you to see.”
Silas opened his mouth to speak but the Goddess shot him a look of warning that made him hold his tongue. He nodded as Raven took Lunaria’s hand.
Tears burned in Raven’s eyes. “I want to be with them, I do. I just…you caught me off guard saying you’d send me back. I don’t need to think about it. There is nothing for me there. I want to stay.”
They walked down a wide corridor where they came to a beautiful garden filled with the most gorgeous flowers Raven had ever seen. Silas stood behind them like a giant hulking sentinel, just waiting for Raven to fuck up again.
“Hulking?” Silas growled.
Lunaria sighed. “Forgive my mate. I would send him away for a moment, but we are only able to meet twice a day when the sun and moon align in the sky.”
“And the moons fade as the day approaches now,” Silas added.
Lunaria cast him an imperial glance. “Perhaps you should have thought of that when you left me in our bed to go stir up trouble while I was asleep.”
If Raven wasn’t so confused, the sorrowful puppy dog look Silas sent his mate would have been comical. Who knew Gods could sulk?
Even though Lunaria held a stern look on her beautiful face, she reached out to trail a hand down her lover’s arm. “During the daylight hours I am trapped in my own world, and during the long hours of the night Silas is trapped in his. It is only in the in-between here in this temple where we can be together.”
Raven’s heart hurt for the two Gods, and it made her wonder even more why she had been brought to this place during the short time they were together.
Silas frowned at her. “I thought I would have this matter already taken care of.”
“You thought wrong,” Lunaria said. She turned back to Raven. “Do you love your mates, Raven?”
“I do,” Raven answered honestly. “But it is too soon, isn’t it?”
“Either you know what’s in your heart or you don’t,” Silas said with finality.
Raven rounded on him and snarled, “Will you give me a fucking minute to think, for Christ’s sake? All of this goes against everything I’ve ever known. You’re asking me to give up everything for men I’ve only known for a few days, when everyone I’ve ever depended on has either hurt or left me.” Her words ended on a sob.
Lunaria scowled fiercely at Silas then drew Raven into her embrace. “Come, Raven. There is something I want to show you that will help put your mind at ease.” Lunaria led her into the garden. They walked over to a large stone fixture in the center of the garden. Raven looked down into it to see the bowl on top was filled with dark-purple water that lay perfectly still, despite the breeze.
“My mate and I combined our powers to bring you to our world. We brought you forth to Arcadia to mate with the Kings of the Iron Palace because we knew that you would thrive together. I know it seems like a great task we ask of you, but you have only to be yourself to enact the change that is needed. You have already begun.”
Lunaria trailed her fingertips into the pool of dark-purple liquid and the water began to move, continuing to swirl even as she pulled her hand away.
“In your heart you know that you belong with Savitar, Kadan and Tristan. I can sense the love you have for them. The bond you have with Savitar is strong, as is the one you have now forged with Kadan. What is holding you back is your feelings for Tristan. Even though you feel love for him through the blood bond with him and your other mates, you are still worried that he will hurt you.”
“I’ve forgiven him for what happened,” Raven said.
“But it still does not change that it did happen,” Lunaria said. “I know that you have not yet had a chance to spend time with Tristan, but I can sense the hesitation in you that is the reason you have not asked to see him since it happened.”
“He’s been busy—”
“He has been avoiding you because he can sense that is what you want. He gives to you what you need even when it hurts him,” Silas growled.
Shock tore through Raven. Was that true? Was he staying away from his home because of her?
“Look into the pool, Raven,” Lunaria said softly. “See the truth.”
Raven looked down in the swirling water and saw a vision appear like it was a movie screen. In the vision she could see Kadan and Tristan walking along the streets of the Citadel together. Somehow she knew what she was witnessing was shortly after they had left her in Savitar’s care that first night when they had gone hunting for rogues.
“She will never forgive me,” Tristan said, his deep voice breaking.
Kadan put a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “She will. Give her time, brother.”
“How can I ask her to forgive the pain I caused?”
“You did not mean to, Tristan. It was the memories—”
Tristan stopped and turned on his brother. “It was me who caused her to relive those memories. I wish nothing more than to go back in time so I could kill that animal before he ever touched her. I want to make sure that nothing ever hurts her, that she is always cared for.”
Emotions swirled in Tristan’s eyes. “I love her, Kadan,” he whispered.
Kadan nodded. “I know how you feel. I love her, too. It pains me that Raven fears us now.”
“I would do anything for her. I would walk through fire for her, just to see her smile. There is nothing I would not give her, if I only had the chance. We have been waiting our whole lives to find the one, and now that we have, I fear that I have ruined it for us. I was overcome with the need to be close to her. Savitar is the quiet, compassionate one, you are the logical one, but I let my emotions rule me.”
“All will be well, Tristan,” Kadan said. “You will see.”
Tristan smiled sadly. “I can only hope…”
The image in the pool disappeared so that the purple water was once again still. Raven had felt Tristan’s pain as she watched the scene play before her. She could feel how deeply sorry he was and just how much he loved her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Until now she hadn’t understood the depth of his emotions for her and his pain was tearing her apart.
Arcadian males were born and bred to love one female who would complete them. Some males waited a lifetime to find their true mate, the one who was the other half of their soul. They believed in love at first sight and the mating blood bond ensured that that feeling grew as time passed. The connection between them was forged in steel, strong enough to withstand anything that tried to come between them. No matter what their station in life, be it king, warrior, or servant, nothing was as important to the males as their mate was.
That is what Savitar, Kadan, and Tristan were offering her. The chance to be loved so completely she would never want for anything. To be cherished and taken care of.
To be needed.
“Let me stay,” Raven whispered, then turned her tear-covered face to Silas. “Please, I want to stay.”
“Then you shall,” Silas said softly.
“Right now your spirit is here, but your body remains in stasis in bed between your mates. Only a matter of minutes have passed, but the three of you lie as if sleeping so they have not noticed your absence,” Lunaria explained. She exchanged a look with her lover then turned her swirling silver eyes back to Raven. “You have made your choice so we would like to speed up the conversion process since you are here.”
Hold up…conversion?
“What do you mean? What conversion?”
Lunaria led Raven over to a stone bench. Silas snapped his fingers and a large cushion appeared on the bench before both women sat down. “Thank you, mate,” Lunaria purred.
“Anything for you, my love.” Silas snapped his fingers again and a large, comfortable, throne-like chair appeared in front of them. Silas sat down and leaned back, linking his hands together over his flat stomach.
Lunaria laughed. “Now he is just showing off.”
Silas countered. “When one is a God, I have only to breathe to show off.”
Raven wasn
’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole.
Lunaria rolled her eyes and Raven had to struggle to hold back a laugh. She liked these two. Truly enjoyed them now that her decision had been made and her future was clear.
“It might not be clear…yet,” Silas said ominously.
Raven cringed. Damn it, why couldn’t she remember they could read her mind? And what else did they have to throw at her?
“Arcadians have a long life span, far longer than your human years are capable of. Your mates are one hundred and seventy-seven years of age,” Silas explained.
“Blood bonding with your mates has another side effect that you are not aware of. It is nothing to fear,” Lunaria rushed to explain. “Right now your body is undergoing a change. We have, in essence, altered your genetics. Each time you exchange blood with your mates the changes grow stronger, bringing you closer to being a true Arcadian. But…we have another offer for you.”
“With our magic, you make the change right now. It is usually a painful process, but if you do it now, you will feel no discomfort,” Silas added.
Rave waited a beat then had to ask, “Okay, so what is the catch? What are you hesitating to tell me?”
“You have seen your mate’s claws, but true Arcadians were full shifters, gifted with the ability to change into their animal forms. Current generations do not remember clearly the time long past when peace ruled the land and dragons ruled the skies. Ah,” Silas sighed. “What is it your people say? Those were good times.”
Raven rubbed her forehead. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Dragons?
Seriously?
Why was she surprised they wanted to make her into a dragon. At this point she’d thought nothing could faze her, but this…well, this was totally out of left field.
“My love, my time is almost gone,” Lunaria said softly. The sadness in her eyes brought tears to Raven’s in sympathy. “More explanations will have to wait. I will soon have to go back to my own world. I have used much of my power to bring you here to this world and I have not yet regained my full strength.”
“I’m sorry,” Raven whispered.
