The Raven Trilogy- Complete Series

by Elle Lincoln

  His growl borders between human and beast as his mouth descends to my inner thigh. So fucking close to where I want him, need him. My hands grip his hair and my hips lift to bridge that gap. Neither of us are willing to wait as his tongue darts out, teasing my clit. My head falls back as the sensation overrides my brain and my desire spirals out of control. His tongue slides down to my opening, licking at the flow of juices running from me, then back up.

  I try to hold on, but with each tempting lick, I lose myself further and further into his demand, until I crash over the ledge, yelling out into the forest.

  As though I weigh nothing more than a feather, he flips me, his hand running down my spine then between my ass cheeks to tease each sensitive opening.

  The rustle of clothing shredding in the night sends amusement through me. His body hovers above mine, killing that mirth as his voice tickles my ears.

  “Hold on, because gentle isn’t something I can accomplish right now.” Again, his voice deepens, losing every trace of his humanity to his lust.

  I push my ass into him, a silent plea to do his worst. His cock rests exactly where I want it, so I move back, coating the tip in the desire he created. His hands grip my hips, and with one swift jerk of his body, he thrusts. My hands reach out, holding the log in front of me as his hips thrust in a demanding beat.

  His tongue laps at my shoulder, his teeth grazing my skin. Wrapping his hand in my hair, he tilts my head to the side, his breath coming in pants and grunts. I open the link between us, creating a loop of pleasure. My body tightens as flickers of electricity dance across my skin.

  Sharp canines pierce my flesh, and my body jerks and convulses as his desire bleeds through our link. I can’t breathe as every little touch overwhelms me, my body coiling tighter and tighter. His jaw tightens its hold, as his hand reach down to flick over my clit, sending me careening into another orgasm.

  My body convulses as the world tilts on its axis as wave after wave of pleasure steal my breath and my body. Logan groans into the night, announcing his release. His hips slap against mine without rhythm until he lets go of my shoulder and falls to his side, taking me with him.

  I rest my body against his, reveling in his heat as my eyes close. In the distance, laughter rings through the trees, and music echoes all around us. For right now, my body can rest, if only for a few moments until reality seeps in. Because it always does.

  Chapter 17

  Bette

  A Lying God

  Leaves crunch in the distance, waking me. My eyes flutter open to the darkness where the black night spills into the atmosphere all around us. Logan’s deep breaths calm me, his arm tightening around my waist, pulling me closer.

  “It’s just Mac,” Logan whispers into my ear.

  Instantly, my body floods with adrenaline. My thoughts scatter as I scramble to sit up, making Logan groan in protest. My eyes take forever to adjust to the dark, my anxiety overriding my senses until finally, shadows become hard lines of trees and bushes and there, in the distance, movement catches my eye.

  I stay perfectly still with Logan’s arm still wrapped around my waist. Ever so slowly, Mac walks into view. His feet stop as he slides down to rest on his knees beside us, his face a tortured mask of something I can’t name or place just yet.

  No words fall from my lips as I can do nothing more than look him over, searching for anything that would help shed light on what happened earlier.

  “Bette.” His voice breaks the silence. “I had to make sure no one was hurt.”

  Relief spreads through me until his words register. Mac is okay, but what if someone else wasn’t? “And?”

  “No one fell into the fissure.” He pauses, as though he wants to say more, but he doesn’t.

  “That seems impossible.” Logan’s low rumble vibrates my back.

  “I know,” Mac replies.

  “How?” I bite my lip, thinking through the logical circumstances of what happened. “It seems impossible.”

  Mac only grunts in reply. “It goes all the way to the ocean. Everything below the crack is now an island.”

  The impossibility confuses me. Yet, this is a different world full of unrealistic possibilities. Ones no one could have thought of before now occur daily. There are days I swear the sky turns a shade of orange or the grass appears to be purple. Nothing is what it seems, and everything has a secret to tell. Including the man kneeling before me.

  I know by the way he refuses to look into my eyes, how his hands clench when I speak, and how his face pinches into a grimace. Not at all reflective of my Mac.

  But even past all of that, his skin glows with a radiance that wasn’t there before. Even with only moonlight as a backdrop, I can see how he glows. I can feel the power coming off him in waves.

  “You look better,” I observe, hearing Logan grunt behind me in agreement. “Lie with us for a while.”

  “Out here?” Mac looks around at the lack of material comfort. I hope he sees what I do, that in this world there are only a few things you need for comfort.

  Or rather in my case, there are five men I prefer for comfort.

  “Sure.”

  I lay back down, cuddling beside Logan while Mac follows suit. Yet he keeps himself just out of reach. “What the fuck, Mac?”

  “I’m wet.”

  “That’s what she said.” Logan tries to smother a laugh while I roll my eyes.

  “Hush, pup.”

  “I’m not the one who won’t lie with our girl before shit hits the fan,” Logan retorts.

  I let them go, because Logan has a point, and Mac is acting odd. I don’t like it, and honestly, it worries me a little. And yet Logan is right, shit is about to hit the fan. “How long do you think it’ll be before we hear from the Fae?”

  I feel Logan shrug behind me, but I’m watching Mac.

  “I think...” He pauses, licking his lips. “We should go on the offensive.”

  “You think we should attack them?” I shake my head. “Mac, the whole point of this party was to show the Fae that we stand strong. To get them to back down.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s the answer.”

  “Because ye be lying, ya fuck!” Patrick startles us all with his loud brogue. His stomps through the forest now that he’s given away his position.

  “How long have you been standing there?” Logan questions.

  “Long enough,” Patrick states in a perverted tone.

  “Seriously, man?” Logan thumps back to the forest floor, burying his face in the dirt.

  A giggle escapes my lungs. I’m not even surprised, so I don’t know why Logan is. Patrick likes to watch. I rub Logan’s back in a halfhearted display of comfort.

  “What were you saying, Patrick?” Also, why would Mac lie.

  “He’s lying.” Patrick thumps Mac in the ass, since he’s the only one who didn’t startle. “Tell ‘em!”

  Mac flops onto his back. “I can’t.” He pauses, rubbing at his neck.

  “Oh no?” Patrick flops to the ground. “Ye were in that house, ya lying fuck. I also know yer magic was sparse. Now you’re like a live wire!”

  “You aren’t wrong.” Mac continues to rub at his throat. “But I didn’t lie either.”

  “Oh, excuse me. Ye just aren’t telling the truth, ya daft bastard! It’s the same damn thing!” Patrick thumps his fists into the earth in anger.

  “Oh, before you two try to kill each other, let’s think about this.” I rub the bridge of my nose in annoyance. “Whatever Mac or didn’t do, he’d tell us if it were something we needed to know. Everything worked out, so I’m going to move past it.” I eye Mac, then add, “For now.”

  They both nod like petulant children. Speaking of. “Where’s Ember?”

  “Cas found her a bed to sleep in. She snores out tuffs of smoke. She needs ta rest for a while, poor kid is pooped.” He laughs to himself, pulling out his usual flask of whiskey. “She danced as though she’s never done so before.”

  My heart
warms just a bit at that. All little girls and boys should dance until laughter and happiness overwhelms them and then some, to carry them through the shitty days. Because let’s face it, adolescence sucks.

  “The others?” I ask with a silly smile on my face.

  Again, Patrick laughs. “Aeden called Balor out on our partnership. Was obvious with the feather on our necks. So, Aeden set them up in a room he created with a big round bed. I believe they are there starting at the ceiling as we speak.”

  For the first time that evening, Mac bursts out laughing. “Cas would tweak his nipples just to mess with him.”

  “I’m wondering why he waited so long to say that,” Logan grumbles. “I’ve had a twig in my ass for the last hour.”

  Mac only laughs harder at that. “You’re the one who brought her out here, wolf.”

  “My wolf,” he mocks back, “demanded it.”

  “Come on.” I steal some of Mac’s power through our link, dissolving them all into the mist and swiftly transporting them through the forest. Once in town, I think of my link with Balor and Cas, finding them not too far away. The feeling that vibrates through the link is awkward annoyance.

  Diving in between doors and windows, I find the guys tucked away in a home not far from the center square. Before the fall, someone must have updated the home to a modern decor. Grey wooden floors make the space look twice as big as it is. White granite countertops make the blue walls pop. But it isn’t the decor I’m here for, though it’s pretty.

  I’m here for the two men I can feel upstairs, trying to get a few hours of sleep, even though there is much to be done. I plop the four of us on the round bed that is indeed in the bedroom, only feeling marginally weird about sleeping in someone else’s bed. I have no way of knowing if they are alive or dead, but it doesn’t matter right now. Eventually, I hope to make sure all these homes thrive again with life.

  Balor and Casseus don’t even flinch, instead, they just roll over, making room for us. No words are spoken, just the bed rustling as we move around. As though we do this every night, we gravitate toward spots that work for us. Casseus and Mac roll toward the edge, facing the center where I lie on top of Balor. Patrick takes the opposite side while Logan curls up at our feet.

  I lie there for a long while just listening to Balor’s heart thumping out a steady rhythm. My eyes close, but my thoughts race—one more prominent than the others.

  “Mac thinks we should go on the offensive.” It’s unlike him, except he was ready to fight the Fae back from kidnapping any more humans. But now it doesn’t seem logical. The Fae send innocent humans and their own instead of the courts, which is where the real issue lies.

  Balor just hums, and his heart rate speeds up for a slight moment before relaxing once more.

  “Tell me about the Fae courts.” What I really want to know is why we should attack them. Sure, I want to rip Ryoden’s heart from his chest and watch as he flounders and begs me for his life. But I don’t have much reason past just not liking the guy. Oh, and kidnapping me. Torturing me as well. Okay, so I have reason. But hasn’t enough damage already been done?

  I sigh, feeling a bit bipolar.

  “There used to be four,” Mac begins. “Now there are two. Summer and Winter. Unseelie and Seelie.”

  “What does that mean?” I interrupt.

  “Light and dark. Good and bad. Beautiful and ugly.” He pauses before rolling to face me instead of Casseus. “They are all broken Fae now. Their mind corrupted by time. They destroy each other, demand more than they deserve. Just like now.”

  “Why risk lives to take them down?” We’ve already lost so much.

  “Because they won’t stop. They will take and take until there is nothing beautiful left in this world.” Mac cups my face, his thumb running along my bottom lip. “If we don’t stop them now, then they will keep destroying everything around us.” His eyes are sad, though he looks healthier than I’ve ever seen him.

  “How do you propose we go about this?”

  “You can’t possibly be okay with this?” Patrick shoots up.

  “I think I’d like to hear what Mac has to say, and then I’ll make a decision for myself, just as you will make a decision for yourself,” I counter, with the same amount of ire that Patrick threw at me.

  He grumbles but lays back down, facing us. I sit up, sliding myself in between Balor and Mac.

  “If we go after them, not their foot soldiers or those who hold lesser magic, but the actual courts, we take them down. One by one from the inside out.” Mac sits up, leaning against the wall. “We are running out of time. Two days at the most and that’s if they keep their word.”

  “They can’t not keep their word,” I point out.

  “There is always a loophole, always expect a loophole,” Mac reminds me.

  “Kill them all?” I mean, the Sluagh would be happy, but that would also be a bloodbath.

  “We don’t have to kill them. Just dismantle them, restrict their magic.” Mac taps his chin.

  “You mean like Kelsie bound her magic?” Casseus chimes in.

  “We don’t have her.” And I’m still salty about it. Her actions still confuse me. But when she is ready, she will come to me. We can talk then. “I have to also do this thing for Aeden.”

  Patrick shoots up again. “I’ve got it.” He damn near bounces off the bed. “Look for the courts while you look for the sidhe.”

  “I don’t even know how I’m going to look for the Sidhe.” I flop back onto Balor, who is not soft like a pillow, but hard as a rock, yet when he gathers my hair in his hands, I feel cherished.

  “Eh, he will teach ya. All ya have to do is find where they’re hiding.” Patrick makes a very interesting point there.

  “Where have they been hiding?” It’s an odd thought. But before, they were hiding out in the realm. Now, they don’t have that to hide behind. So where have they been?

  “Exactly!” Patrick exclaims.

  “They’ve created a pocket.” Balor’s voice holds the room. “Their magic has become far superior than any other, corrupting their minds in their demand for more. They have created a pocket.”

  “Is that even possible?”

  “I was imprisoned in a pocket.”

  “Yes, but that was between the Realm and Earth,” I point out.

  “I thought as much, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was just the same as where Patrick banishes his ax?” Balor sits up, pulling me into his lap.

  “You don’t even know where you were for centuries?” That seems weird.

  “I said I thought I knew.” He pinches my side, which only causes me to squirm and laugh. Damn ticklish spot. “I’ll remember that for later,” he whispers in my ear, making me squirm for an entirely different reason.

  “So, they created a pocket.” I sigh, leaning back against Balor and looking at the faces of all my guys, before landing on Mac. “If I find this pocket, then what?”

  Mac’s eyes close, and when he opens them again, the sea is reflected at me with the fierce defiance of the ocean’s depths. “We make sure they never hurt another human or other again.”

  I nod. “We bind them from their own magic.” I wish Kelsie were here to help.

  Chapter 18

  Bette

  The Cost of Power

  The sun skims the sky, highlighting clouds in the distance in streaks of purple and red. Their ominous roll in the distance feels like a premonition for the day. By the end of the night, we will decide if moving upon the Fae in an offensive strategy is logical or not. Not only that, but we still need to figure out how to bind them of their own magic.

  For now, after another hour of rest, we enter the serenity of the woods where my shoulders relax as the canopy above hides me. Ember peeks her snout through, keeping our location, then flies off. Her body is glamoured to reflect the sky, and the only way I know she’s popping in is the rustle of leaves above me.

  My crew stays quiet, all of us deciding to meet Aeden at his pref
erred location. He came to us last night, so it was a small price to pay to go to him today. I suspect he will be the one to bind the Fae royalty. So, for now, I’ll play nice.

  Even if my neck prickles with the danger that looms on the horizon. I can’t see it, but I can feel it taunting me with secrets I’m eager to know. Brushing the feeling away gets harder o the deeper we walk. Beside us, the new shoreline laps away at dirt and bedrock. Every now and again I catch Mac skimming his hands along the water’s edge where the sea literally jumps up to greet him like an eager child. The smile on his face warms my heart. The separation of the land may not have been ideal, but seeing Mac at his peak power and rejuvenated is worth it.

  Ahead, the forest darkens, as though all light hits a wall where it’s soaked up, distorting reality.

  “That it?” I go to brush my hand against the wall and Mac darts out, smacking it away.

  “I don’t know what it’ll do to you,” he states, eyeing the wall like it might bite him. For all I know, it might.

  “Huh.” Casseus leans in, investigating the wall. “Why send us somewhere that may hurt me?” He taps his chin as a goofy smile spreads on his face.

  “I swear, Cas, if you try to jump in that wall and get hurt, I’m leaving your ass there in pain.” I fist my hands, placing them on my hips for emphasis.

  “It won’t hurt me.” He reaches his hand out.

  “Casseus, is it?” Aeden startles us as he walks out of the wall. “If you value your hand, I’d pull it back. The sidhe doesn’t yet recognize you.”

  “Oh, but they recognize Bette?” He yanks his hand away, annoyed he couldn’t mess with us.

  “Not yet, but they will.” Aeden turns to me, his height equal to Balor as they briefly eye each other. “Shall we? I don’t believe we have much time if you plan to raid the Fae.”

  “How the hell?” I narrow my eyes at him.

  But it’s Balor whose hand shoots out to wrap around Aeden’s pale throat. “I do not like being spied upon, speak.”