The Raven Queen

by Emma Jayne Mills

  “Hmm, when did you get so tactical?” Jax asked, topping up their glasses. “It makes me hard when you speak that way.”

  “Guns and bombs do it for you, got it.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Guns and bombs, and you. Preferably naked, while holding a gun.”

  “My training never stopped, Jax.” She returned to the subject and downed her second shot, savouring the sweet taste of liquorice it left in her mouth. She pushed the empty glass towards him to fill it again. “You left, but I was still there. Nothing else changed. Time didn’t stop. I’m The Shadow Pack’s tracker, I’ve been hunting rogue shifters and coming up against dickish vampires for years.”

  “I know. It’s just, the changes in you are pretty fucking huge. I mean, you were always a badass but now…” he trailed off and downed his own shot.

  “You thought you’d swoop back into my life like a knight in shining armour. You didn’t consider that I don’t need a knight in shining armour. I need a partner, an equal. I need someone who sees the fire in my eyes and wants to play with it, not tame it.” Aurora looked up into the eyes of the man she loved. She smiled when she saw the flame burning in them that had always matched her own.

  “I don’t want to tame you, Rory. I don’t want to rescue you either, I know you don’t need that. I want to watch you soar.” He leaned in close, his words whispering breathy kisses across her cheek. “I’m the only man on this earth who can both bring to you to your knees and make you fly higher than anyone else. We make each other better. Together, we’re a force the world will not see coming. I could never tame you. You’ve been wild all your life, my wild thing, only mine. And I am only yours.”

  Raised voices and scuffling feet, drew their attention away from each other and towards the bar. Four men had entered, sending the other drinkers scattering away from the bar and into the street outside, leaving only Jax, Aurora and the owner behind.

  -Vampires, Rory’s voice hissed in Jax’s mind and he nodded his agreement. Three men crowded the owner, while the fourth moved behind the bar, helping himself to the contents of the cash register and a bottle of Metaxa.

  -Why would vampires rob a human bar? Jax silently wondered.

  Aurora didn’t respond. She was already on her feet, stealthily approaching the men. Jax smiled to himself; he should have realised his mate wouldn’t allow something like this to go down on her watch. He sat back and let her have her fun.

  “Where is it, Dimitri?” A blonde vampire snarled in the bar owner’s face.

  “I told you, I don’t have it,” the man shot back. Fear framing his tremble.

  “Lies,” another vampire stated.

  “Kill him and have done with it, Kade. There’s no point in spending the extra time on him,” the vampire behind the bar ordered. “I have other business tonight.”

  “I want my money, Ray!” Kade shot an angry look at the one behind the bar.

  “Kill him and take the business,” the blonde vampire suggested. “We could do with a new income.”

  “Fair enough.” Kade bent his head, biting into the man’s neck, and draining the blood from him.

  -Fuckers!

  -We got this, wild thing.

  “Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?” Aurora interrupted their bickering.

  Four sets of eyes turned to look at the leather clad woman who had dared intrude on their fun. The final vampire, a pony-tailed man with his back to her, turned and licked his lips, sneering in Aurora’s direction. Fuck her and feed off her, he thought, she looked like she’d put up a fight.

  “Well, what do we have here?” He stepped forward, his eyes touching every part of her body as they roamed it. Her scent was so intoxicating he barely noticed the bleeding human that, being newly turned, would ordinarily have sent him into a feeding frenzy.

  “I bet she’s sweet.” Kade dropped his hold on the bar owner. The body dropped heavily to the floor and Kade moved towards Aurora, baring his fangs as he approached.

  “Actually, I’m quite sour, an acquired taste, you might say,” Aurora replied, with a wink.

  “This night just took a turn for the better,” the blonde vampire leered, from behind the other two.

  “Stop toying with your food, boys,” Ray ordered.

  “I’m guessing you’re the leader of this little gang?” Aurora addressed Ray.

  “Go back to your table and finish your drink, little girl. This does not concern you and you will only end up hurt.”

  “No, I don’t think I want to do that,” Aurora replied, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.

  “Pierre,” Ray ground out, boredom in his tone.

  The blonde vampire, Pierre, stepped forward and reached out to grab Aurora by the throat. She leaned back, out of his reach and spun, bending at the waist, and delivering a kick to his groin. He doubled over; his groan buried under the laughter of his companions.

  “Don’t make me deal with her,” Ray ordered and Pierre straightened, facing Aurora once more. She smiled at him and waggled the fingers on both hands, inviting him to step forward.

  Pierre lunged at Aurora, grasping her clothing, and hauling her off her feet. “You should have stayed in your corner, little girl,” he snarled.

  “Yeah, see, I have a problem taking orders.” Aurora shoved the heel of her hand up, hitting the vampire on the chin and forcing his head backwards. A sickening crack echoed through the whitewashed walls of the taverna and he dropped his hold on Aurora. Taking advantage of his sudden dazed state, Aurora grabbed his head in both her hands and twisted, finishing the job. She let Pierre’s head fall to the floor, his body dropped next to it seconds later.

  “And that was your first mistake, gentlemen.” Jax stood, his tall frame dark and threatening in the shadows of the taverna and moved in behind Aurora.

  “What mistake would that be?” the pony-tailed vampire asked, sparing the body of his dead friend nothing more than a glance and flashing his pointed fangs at Jax.

  “Underestimating her.” Jax grinned, allowing his own fangs to descend.

  “Shifters,” Kade hissed, as Jax and Aurora flew into action.

  The pony-tailed vampire made a beeline for Jax, striking out with his fist and making contact with his chin.

  “That one was free.” Jax always allowed his opponents one freebie, knowing they wouldn’t get another.

  “I don’t need a free hit, vermin,” the vampire sneered.

  “Let’s see about that.”

  Jax caught the next punch in his fist, despite the vampire using his preternatural speed. The vampire’s eyes narrowed in question. A shifter should not be able to see, let alone halt, a vampire’s movements. Jax twisted the vampire’s arm until his elbow cracked and popped out of the socket, sending him to his knees. Continuing to twist, until he felt the vampire’s shoulder dislocate, Jax then pushed him to the ground and shoved a knee in his back. He held him in place while taking a moment to glance in Aurora’s direction.

  Kade had Aurora in a head lock, but she wasn’t fazed by it. With a quick scan of her surroundings, she spotted a wall within reach of her left side. Throwing her legs out, she ran up the wall and over the top of Kade’s head, forcing him to release her. She spun in the air and landed behind him, her fast movements leaving him looking around in confusion. She flicked her eyes to Jax and sent him a smile, before kicking Kade in the lower back and sending him down to his knees.

  Ray watched the fight, with interest, from behind the bar, realising early on that these were not your average shifters. He did not feel the loss of his companions when it happened, they were nothing more than cannon fodder. These shifters, however, intrigued him and he wanted to know more. He hadn’t paid much attention to recent events in the paranormal underground but he now realised it was time to do some research. Stealthily, while the fight continued, he left the bar.

  Jax removed the vampire’s head in much the same way Aurora had. The vampire stilled beneath him, blood gushing from the wound
and covering the tiles in a crimson tide. Jax dropped the lifeless body and turned to his mate. Kade and Aurora now stood, facing off against one another. Blood dripped from a wound on Aurora’s cheek and the sight of it brought Jax’s wolf hurtling to the surface. Aurora felt the shift coming in him and raised a hand, she was fine. Jax forced the urge to shift down and grabbed Kade, shoving him towards Aurora, who secured an arm around his neck and held the vampire in place.

  -You let him bite you?

  -Not on purpose, you dick!

  -Rory…

  -It’s just a scratch, do you want him or shall I finish him?

  -I want him!

  “You made my mate bleed, vampire,” Jax seethed.

  “She tastes divine,” the vampire’s eyes rolled back in his head and he attempted to twist his head, teeth snapping in Aurora’s direction. “More…”

  “I think you’ve had enough and it looks like your designated driver left you all alone.” Aurora tightened her grip and lifted her chin towards the bar.

  Jax glanced over his shoulder, the bar was empty. Kade’s eyes rolled again and Jax walked towards him, watching as he went. He’d seen bloodlust in a young vampire before. It consumed them if they didn’t learn control. Their cravings for blood were violent, sending them insane if they didn’t feed. This was something different. Kade was drunk, for want of a better word. He slumped in Aurora’s arms, slurring his words, and making clumsy attempts to bite her. The scratch on Aurora’s cheek wasn’t deep, Kade couldn’t have taken much from it so his condition made no sense. Jax made a decision to take the vampire with them.

  -Change of plan. I want Marco to question him.

  -Okay by me.

  “Jax, I’m bored now, and a little bit hungry. Can we go?” Aurora sang at him. A sudden lust for his mate, eyes flaring and looking dishevelled, distracted him from his thoughts. Damn, she looked good after a fight. If it weren’t for their newly acquired prisoner, he’d have backed her up against the nearest wall and devoured her.

  “Yeah, baby, we can go.” He winked at her and with a quick shove, Aurora sent Kade flying at Jax. In his intoxicated state, one punch was all it needed for Kade to lose consciousness. Jax hauled him up onto his shoulder and reached his free hand out to Aurora. She smiled and swung her arm up, catching his fingers and threading her own through them. “What do you want to eat?”

  “I could eat a kebab. A big, juicy kebab, with lots of pickles and chilli sauce. Two kebabs,” she listed, as they left the taverna.

  What turned out to be an eventful evening saw Jax and Aurora returning to the hotel suite not much before sunrise. The team were beginning to stir when they arrived. Torn clothing and cuts and bruises provided evidence of their evening’s activities and the group gathered with inquisitive eyes to discover what they had been up to. Jax threw the still unconscious vampire onto the sofa in the middle of the suite and joined the others in the kitchen. The sun would soon be up, the vampire would be out of it for hours.

  “Shit!” Cole eyed them both from his seat at the kitchen table.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” Hunter squinted at the blood-spattered skin and torn clothing of his teammates through sleepy eyes.

  “I took my mate out on a date,” Jax supplied, pouring two brimming mugs of coffee from the pot, and handing one to Aurora.

  With a contented sigh, she wrapped her hands around the steaming mug and lifted it, inhaling the bitter aroma of the fresh, Greek, coffee. She allowed the fragrant steam to flow into her nose and invigorate her senses before taking a sip. Jax, in contrast, gulped at his mug, downing it quickly and re-filling it.

  “Looks like a typical night out for you two,” Marco observed, padding into the room on bare feet and sparing nothing more than a glance at the vampire in the living area.

  “Lykos wasn’t kidding, it’s a fucking free for all out there,” Jax informed the group, taking a seat and pulling Aurora into his lap. She was still studying her coffee, deep in thought. She toed off her boots and got comfortable in Jax’s lap, happy to stay there. Jax tipped his head towards the seating area. “Got a present for you, mate.”

  “Thanks,” Marco said.

  “Explain?” Zane asked, casting an eye over the sleeping vampire.

  “Shifters running riot, vampires taking whatever they want from whoever they choose, fights, riots, protection rackets, gangs. It’s not refined to the supernatural districts either, they’re spreading out. We dealt with a group of vampires in a human bar, they didn’t give a rat’s arse whether they were discovered or not. Just walked right in there as though they were untouchable.” Jax gave a brief summary of the night’s events to the group’s attentive ears.

  “It is becoming a problem.” Lykos joined them, eyeing Aurora’s bedraggled appearance with concern. “Several of the vampire leaders are viewing the unrest as an opportunity to reveal themselves. They see it as a way to gain control during the chaos. Many disagree, of course, but if enough become involved, they will cause mayhem.”

  “How could this happen so quickly?” Aurora finally spoke. “It hasn’t been that long since we discovered the prophecy. It was at least a month before word was spread among the wolves, let alone anyone else.”

  “Does it matter?” Marco asked her.

  “I think it might,” she looked up from her coffee finally and met her brother’s eyes. “What if this isn’t just about the prophecy? What if something else is fuelling them?”

  “Anything else to report?” Zane ended any chance of further speculation and shared a look with Lykos.

  “I think Rory’s blood might be poisonous to suckers.” Jax slotted his little gem into the conversation and the group stilled, waiting expectantly for more. “We brought him back with us to find out.”

  “He’s just young,” Aurora protested.

  “You were bitten?” Lykos stepped into Aurora’s space to look at her closely, lifting her chin with his hand.

  “Get your hands off her,” Jax snarled, viciously, slapping the other man’s hand away.

  “You allowed her to be bitten by a vampire, little king. My concern is justified,” Lykos returned the snarl, but lowered his hand anyway.

  “I didn’t allow anything,” Jax argued, his temper only growing.

  “Want me to take a look?” Cole made to stand but lowered himself back into his seat when Aurora shook her head.

  “He didn’t bite me, it’s a scratch. The fucker’s got long nails. He licked his fingers after he caught me with them.” Aurora nipped any further argument in the bud, pushed a still hovering Lykos away and wrapped an arm around Jax’s shoulders. “If it gives me any bother, I’ll let Cole know.”

  “That leech was staggering and slurring his words like he’d sunk a bottle of tequila.” Jax squeezed Aurora’s hip.

  “We don’t know it was because of my blood,” Aurora said.

  “What else could it have been?” Cole asked.

  “Blood lust, maybe. He’s young and had already killed a human.”

  “No, I’ve seen blood lust. He was intoxicated. Maybe you aren’t poisonous in the sense that would be a danger to them, but you certainly had some kind of effect on him.” Jax was adamant.

  “I’m more concerned about the one that got away,” Aurora said, thoughtfully.

  “He saw you take his friend’s head off without breaking a sweat and ran for his life. I don’t think we need to be concerned about him,” Jax replied.

  “I don’t know, he was the clever one, the others were just the henchmen,” Aurora shook her head, disagreeing.

  “Do you smell burning?” Hunter interjected, wrinkling his nose.

  “Well, since he’ll be unconscious until the sun goes down, we’ll just have to bear it in mind until we can question him. Which reminds me, do you know what happened to the prophecy?” Zane directed his question to Lykos, hoping he would know something about the missing book.

  “Aurora has seen everything I have,” Lykos supplied, pulling a tray of Gr
eek pastries from the oven, and setting them in front of Aurora.

  “Like flesh burning?” Hunter spoke again.

  “He means the book,” Aurora said, grabbing one of the sweet treats with a thankful smile at Lykos. “The one Caspian claimed he was going to give you, but we actually think went missing from Shadow Fen before he had chance. The rogue who was hired to take it was wiped by a vampire. We were hoping Caspian had pulled one of his tricks and still had it.”

  “Caspian claimed he had the book, but I never saw it. Do we need it?” He returned her smile and also sent a smug one in Jax’s direction. Antagonising the little king was becoming a favourite pastime of his and knowing that Aurora enjoyed his cooking was a simple way of doing so.

  “It might come in handy. You know, so we can actually look this shit up when it happens and get some info about it.” Marco’s sarcasm was unhidden. He took a pastry of his own and was unable to hide the appreciative groan he let out after the first bite. Zane gave him a sideways look. “What? They’re good!”

  “Caspian never mentioned it again,” Lykos told them. “In all honesty, I was unconcerned with it, so never followed up on the matter. Then things went awry with Axel and…”

  “Why am I not surprised? I bet that worm knows where it is,” Aurora speculated, not allowing Lykos to bring up Axel’s attack on her, she didn’t need the reminder.

  “The fucking vampire’s on fire!” Hunter yelled and all eyes turned to the seating area.

  Hunter jumped into action, grabbing a fire extinguisher from the kitchen wall. He leaped over the back of the sofa, aiming the nozzle at the flames. Cole ran to pull the curtains across the huge windows, blocking the sun’s rays and Marco rushed to fill a jug with water. Once the flames subsided, Hunter, Marco and Cole gathered around what was left of the vampire. A black, human shaped silhouette was all that remained, scorched into the white material of the sofa.