by Tasha Black
“But it means I have to go,” I told her.
Anya’s face crumbled.
“You are most welcome here,” Headmistress Hart said suddenly, her voice formal, yet warmer than I had heard it before.
“I thank you for your hospitality,” I replied in the proper way. “But I must cross back to my own kingdom.”
She nodded.
In my arms, Anya fought back tears.
“I offer you my protection,” I said. “Should you ever need it.”
“We thank you for your kind offer,” she said carefully. “But with the Order gone, we can fend for ourselves.”
Hart was no fool. She knew not to bargain with the fae.
But I hoped she would agree to this arrangement. If Anya agreed.
“In return, I ask only that Anya Corbin be permitted to leave with me,” I told her, letting my words ring out. “If she should so wish.”
Anya gazed up at me, her eyes still wet with unshed tears.
“You belong with me,” I told her softly. “You are mine, and I am yours.”
“I agree,” the headmistress said, loudly enough for all to hear.
Anya smiled as the whole meadow of witches seemed to lean in for her answer.
“Yes,” she said softly, just for me.
Waves of gratitude washed over me.
“Yes,” she yelled out, for all to hear.
The meadow erupted in excitement, but I had eyes only for Anya.
33
Anya
Happiness threatened to overwhelm me as tears spilled down my cheeks, and I didn’t even care. Let the whole student body stare.
You are mine and I am yours…
“Darling, all I want is to take you home,” he murmured. “But there’s a matter of urgent business.”
I nodded and he scooped me up in his arms and rose.
“I can stand,” I muttered into his chest.
“I know,” he smirked.
But he eased me onto my feet, keeping one arm wrapped securely around my shoulder.
The whole school was focused on us, and the Raven King stepped forward to speak, bringing me with him.
“For your bravery, Primrose Academy shall be under the protection of the Raven King from this moment forward,” he said, his voice carrying to the last row of students, though he had not raised it. “As a token of our bond, I shall now grant a boon to a chosen protector. Your protector shall be the anointed bearer of my sacred blade, a living link between this world and mine, responsible to call on me in any time of need.”
There was an impressed murmur through the crowd, but we all expected he would choose Headmistress Hart, of course.
“The protector must be one who would never put her desire for power before her duty,” he continued. “Only the most pure of heart shall have my boon. The one who would give all and take nothing. The one who would sacrifice her own power willingly to do what is right.”
Puzzle pieces started fitting together in my mind. He didn’t mean Headmistress Hart at all.
He meant…
“Kendall Fletcher,” he called out. “Come to me.”
The whole meadow went silent, and the witches opened up a path for my friend, Kendall.
She stepped forward, eyes wide.
The king held out his hand to her and she took it.
“Your Majesty,” she whispered, leaning in close. “You know I don’t have my magic anymore. Maybe someone else would be a better choice.”
“Then ask for it,” he said simply.
“What?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
“I will grant the protector a boon,” he reminded her. “Anything you desire. Ask me for your magic back, and you shall have it.”
A storm of conflict crossed Kendall’s face. After a moment. She spoke.
“If my role is to protect the school…” she hesitated again, looking around at the gathered witches. “Then my boon will be a new, stronger set of wards placed on Primrose academy.”
My jaw actually dropped at her words, and I had to remember where I was and close my mouth. I knew how important Kendall’s magic was to her. We all did.
“Are you sure?” the Raven King asked.
“Yes,” she said, without any hesitation this time.
“Then I have chosen a wise protector after all,” he said. “You can put the wards back up yourself, Kendall.”
He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
I could feel the magic rushing back into her, though I wasn’t even touching her. Whatever her power had been before, it was coming back stronger, making her more powerful than any witch I had ever encountered, maybe even stronger than Cori.
The king released her, and she stared up at him in amazement, power pouring off her in waves.
The Raven King held his blade before him. I hadn’t even seen him pick it up, but it was here now, somehow. I was still getting used to his surprises. I had a feeling I would be for a long time. He whispered over the sword and then handed it to Kendall.
As soon as she held it, it began to glow once more.
“Go on,” he said.
She took a few steps away and slashed the sword through the open space. Instead of passing harmlessly through the air, it sliced through something that I hadn’t even noticed was there, tearing a hole in the empty space.
The veil.
Kendall had just cut a passage through the veil, right into the fae realm.
A burst of magic, more pure and true than I’d ever felt, pulsed from the opening, and Kendall staggered back into Jared’s waiting arms.
“Your magic,” he murmured.
“Jared,” she sighed, tears in her eyes.
One moment she was being held close by her massive guardian. The next, he was transforming into a giant panther, and she was riding away on his back.
The Raven King looked a little surprised.
“He can properly claim her now,” I whispered.
“Oh,” he said, eyebrows lifted slightly. “I see.”
“That was a generous thing you did for her,” I told him.
“I am fae,” he said lightly. “I am not generous.”
“Tell yourself whatever you want,” I teased him. “But I know what I saw. And I liked it.”
Howls rang out in the night, followed by sounds of surprise in the crowd.
“Gods of the realm, the Choosing Ceremony,” Headmistress Hart yelped. “Women, back to the courtyard, now.”
With everything else going on, we’d all sort of forgotten what the full moon meant for the school.
Suddenly, the whole meadow was in motion.
Robed witches were flying for the courtyard as a dozen odd shifters battled the labyrinth to get to them.
“What’s happening?” I asked the king.
“It’s the magic,” he mused. “The power expelled here tonight must have awoken many new bonds. And now the guardians are here to stake their claims.”
“It’s good that the school decided mated witches can come back,” I mused as I watched guardians climbing over the labyrinth hedges, desperate to reach their mates. “It’ll be a miracle if there’s anyone left.”
It hit me suddenly that I wouldn’t be left.
“Anya,” Bella’s voice was soft and gentle. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”
I turned to see her standing with Luke, Cori and Reed. They all wore the same bittersweet expression that I imagined I shared.
“We’ll miss you so much,” Cori told me, folding me into a big hug.
“Kendall is going to be really upset that she didn’t get to say goodbye,” Bella said, joining the hug.
“Tell her I’m happy for her,” I told them through my tears. “Tell her I’ll never forget her.”
“She knows,” Bella said softly.
“Oh wow,” Luke said suddenly.
Reed began to belly laugh.
“What?” Bella asked in an annoyed way.
“We’re really sorry,” Reed
said immediately. “But look.”
We turned in the direction of the courtyard to see all the guardians and witches coupling up.
The first thing I noticed was Nina and Lark, each with one of the guardians who had been staying at the school.
“Is that...?” I asked. “Are they...?”
“Oh my gosh,” Cori laughed. “You didn’t know. Those two have been thick as thieves with Dane and Lorenzo this whole time.”
“That’s why they haven’t been hanging out in the lounge,” I realized out loud. “They aren’t afraid of the Raven King.”
“No, no, no,” Luke said. “Lorenzo and Dane were going gaga over them.”
“Nice to see them make it official,” Reed said thoughtfully.
“Speaking of which,” the Raven King said softly.
I gazed up at him. His pale blue eyes were so serious.
“It’s time to go,” I guessed.
He nodded.
“I can feel my people on the other side of the veil now,” he said. “They need me.”
I turned to my friends. They were so beautiful to me, here against the backdrop of the only home I’d ever known.
But I would have a new home now, and adventures I could only imagine.
“We love you, Anya,” Bella said with a twinkly eyed smile. “Have fun.”
I grinned back at her and then turned to the king once more.
“I’m ready,” I told him.
He took both my hands in his.
“Close your eyes,” he told me.
But I left them open until his were closed, drinking in the sight of the man I loved. The man who was going to show me my destiny.
Together, we stepped into the portal that Kendall had opened for us.
34
Anya
“Open your eyes,” the king’s voice was low and intense.
I obeyed him instantly.
The first thing I saw was his beautiful, pale blue gaze, filled with excitement.
Then the rest of the nighttime world around us filled in behind him and I hissed in a breath of wonder.
“I’ve seen this,” I murmured. “I’ve dreamed about it before.”
We were still in a meadow, maybe even the same one that was outside Primrose, on the other side of the veil. There was no sign of the portal we’d used to get here. And the wildlife around us…
Pale pink petals snowed down as a warm breeze ruffled grass so green it almost hurt to look at it, even in the pale moonlight. Night birds fluttered around trees flowering with bright blossoms whose colors I didn’t have names for.
And above it all, my winter ravens circled, calling out playfully as they rode the currents and surveyed their surroundings.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
“Are you ready to see your new home?” he asked.
I nodded. Exploring this new world would occupy me for hours, days, maybe even for a lifetime.
But right now, I just wanted to be in the Raven King’s bed.
He smiled down at me, then lifted two fingers to his mouth and whistled.
A moment later, an inky-black stallion cantered out of the trees, his ebony mane and tail sparkling in the night as if they were made of starlight. He snorted with obvious joy at the sight of the Raven King.
“Midnight,” the king said, placing a hand on the equine’s shoulder and leaning in to touch foreheads with the creature.
The big horse whickered, then pranced in place, as if eager for us to be on our way.
The king chuckled and swung me up on the horse’s back, mounting behind me, so that his big body was wrapped around mine.
Midnight took off so quickly that I squealed. The king’s arms tightened around my body, and I knew that he would never let me fall.
Ahead of us, I saw only shades of gray - dull even compared to the Pennsylvania winter-scape we had just left behind.
But as we passed, each tree burst into color, as if the Raven King’s presence were bringing it back to life.
Small creatures hopped out of the woods, their thin, scrappy fur going lush and shining as the king passed by.
“Home,” the king said, pointing to a stone tower that rose out of the forest ahead of us.
A gray flag waving from its peak turned onyx and gold as we drew closer.
Midnight galloped as if he were going straight into the trees.
I clung to his silky mane, trying not to scream.
At the last second, the trees opened up like the Primrose labyrinth, showing us the way directly to the massive stone castle that was home to the Raven King.
“Huh,” I said to myself.
“Yes?” the king asked, his whisper tickling the back of my neck.
“Oh, it’s just that I was really proud of mastering the labyrinth,” I said. “Now I see that your horse can do the same trick.”
The king laughed with delight, as the horse nickered and seemed to run faster.
And I laughed too, feeling happy that he was happy. I knew there was no need to feel eclipsed by the beautiful stallion. Maybe one day my own magic would know no bounds.
Or maybe I would be the least magical creature on this side of the veil. I didn’t care, as long as I was with the Raven King.
The Raven King…
If I was going to spend forever with him, I really did need something better to call him.
“Will I get to know your true name?” I asked him.
“After you answer a question for me, I may tell you,” he said. “And only if you answer correctly.”
“What’s the question?” I asked.
“I will ask you when we are at home, alone,” he told me.
I would have been frustrated if the castle weren’t already looming over us.
The front doors swung open, and people streamed out. They all wore gray uniforms that began to blossom into every color of the rainbow as we approached.
“Your Majesty,” a young man called out, running up to us.
“Argus,” the king said fondly. “This is Anya, my a rún.”
Argus’s eyes went wide, and he gave me the slightest nod, as if he were afraid I might startle like a fawn.
“Take Midnight for us?” the king asked him, swinging down gracefully to the ground and placing his hands on my hips.
I allowed him to pull me down into his arms.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Argus said eagerly, with a bow. “Your Radiance,” he added with another bow to me.
“Come,” the king told me, offering me his arm.
I didn’t dare ask what a rún and Your Radiance were about, since the other gathered servants were staring at us in open adoration.
But I intended to ask once we were alone.
An older lady scuttled up to us as soon as we stepped inside the castle doors.
“You’re home,” she cried, wrapping her arms around the king’s waist.
He smiled indulgently and cupped her wrinkled face in his hand.
“Mathair,” he said with a smile. “We are home.”
“Who is this?” she asked, seeming to notice me for the first time.
“This is Anya,” he told her, presenting me proudly.
Her eyes went back and forth between us, and she seemed to realize something. She smiled so hard her wrinkles disappeared for a moment.
“Pleased to meet you,” I told her, making a polite bow.
“Darling one,” the lady squeaked, letting go of the king to take my face in her wizened hands. “You will bring happiness on us all.”
“We battled to get home,” the king told her gently. “Anya and I need to rest.”
“Your rooms in the tower are ready for you,” the woman exclaimed. “They are always ready. I would not allow it to be otherwise.”
“You have my heart, Mathair,” the king told her.
She chuckled at that.
“Will we taste your gingerbread in the morning?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, sounding scandalized. �
��It’s your favorite. Do you need anything special tonight?”
“No thank you,” the king told her. “Tell the maids to leave our tea outside the doors without knocking.”
Mathair giggled and scuttled down the corridor, shaking her head and muttering happily to herself.
“My childhood nurse,” the king explained. “Now she runs the castle.”
“She’s lovely,” I told him honestly.
He smiled at me, and I felt ready to swoon.
“My rooms are at the top of the tower,” he told me. “I want to get you there quickly, and carry you across the threshold.”
I smiled up at him, putting out my arms so that he could lift me up and hold me close to his chest.
I listened to the drumbeat of his heart as we flew past portraits and floating lanterns, ancient statues and dark hallways.
It was all so new, so different than what I’d always known.
But nothing could frighten me while I was in his arms.
35
The Raven King
My heart pounded as I pushed open the door to my chambers.
Anya was in my arms, her small body pressed to my chest. I could sense her anticipation, it was the twin to my own.
I threw open the doors, pleased to see that my rooms were indeed, just as I had left them. Better, truly. Mathair had opened the curtains so that the whole room was bathed in the light of the full moon.
“Oh,” Anya murmured, her eyes drawn to the ceiling, where a collection of floating lanterns hovered, twinkling happily.
“Do you like it?” I whispered.
She gazed over the windows that lined the space, the settees and bookshelves overflowing with books and artifacts.
But the place I needed her right now was in bed.
“It’s beautiful,” she told me, returning her eyes to mine.
“Not as beautiful as you are, a rún,” I told her, my voice husky with need.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “A rún?”
“It means my love,” I explained. “And also sweet mystery.”
The corners of her lips turned up slightly, she was pleased.
“Do you like it?” I asked, needing to be sure.
“It seems just right,” she said. “I’m a mystery, even to myself.”
