Kisses trailed across my shoulder blades, waking me from a brief but peaceful sleep. I grinned, snuggling into the pillow, my eyes not ready to open. I was exhausted and sore, but in the best way possible. I was pretty sure Lorcan was trying to make up for a year in a few hours. One orgasm rolled into the next throughout the evening, our need only increasing instead of diminishing. Finally my mind and body had given over to sleep.

Clearly my break was over.

Lorcan’s mouth nipped behind my ear, his hand sweeping my hair off my neck. I hummed out a happy noise, stretching my limbs.

“What time is it?” The windowless room made it impossible to tell the time.

“Little before eleven.”

“Really?” I yawned. We had to meet the group in about thirty minutes. “Did you even sleep?” Drowsily lifting my lashes, I looked over my shoulder. Only the dim green exit light by the door gave me enough to see his outline, his eyes glowing even brighter than the light in the darkness.

“Enough.” He worked down my neck. “Too many things distracting me.”

“Talking about me, being caught here, or the mission?”

“All the above.” His tongue drifted along my jaw. Rolling me onto my back, he hovered over me. “But I think by far you were the most distracting.” His hand glided up my inner thigh, brushing me. “Especially this.” His mouth moved to my breast. “And this.”

I swallowed, a moan already curling out of me.

A touch was all it took, and I was completely at his will, ready to challenge his fever with my own. I knew couples went through the honeymoon period where they couldn’t get enough of each other but eventually petered out. What I knew of fae in general and particularly Ember and Eli or West and Rez, it didn’t appear those mated to fae ever got over that period. I couldn’t be more grateful. I’d never not want him, craving his touch till the end of time.

“What happens when I die?” The thought shot out my mouth before I could stop it. Lorcan’s head jerked up, the corners of his eyes creasing.

“I don’t think we have to worry about that for a long, long time.”

“But eventually I will.” My fingers ran over his stubble, my thumb tugging at his bottom lip.

“You’re going to live for thousands of years.” His teeth grazed my thumb, biting it. “Why are you thinking about this now?”

“Because you live pretty much forever. I’m just curious.”

He grabbed both my wrists and pinned them back into the pillow by my head with one hand, red flaring through his gaze.

“From what I’ve seen we don’t do well at the loss of our mate. We may not die, but we go a little insane.”

My eyes widened, hating I would cause Lorcan to go crazy.

“Ken, I’ve lived a long, long time. I plan on living even longer... with you.” His knees pushed my legs apart, his free hand hooking my thigh up on his hip. “But if you must know, I plan to follow wherever you go…and when you go.”

His declaration fell on me, taking me a moment before the meaning soaked into my skin. I was the girl no boy ever looked at school; now I had a man, a sexy beast of a man, not wanting to live without me. My brain struggled to wrap around it.

We may have not started as a sweet love story, but I loved where the journey had brought me. Here, in this bed, with the man I loved. My head pitched up, my lips colliding with his with deep hunger. He was mine. And I was never going to take that for granted.

Our mouths grew hungry and desperate, his gaze flickering to mine.

What do you want, li’l bird? Tell me, his gaze said to me.

I want you deep in me. Hard, I said back, the blunt words no longer sounding foreign or embarrassing.

Whatever the Queen demands. His eyes glistened with mischief. He flipped me over on my knees, wrapping my fingers around the bed railing, his hands running up the back of my thighs, spreading my legs. He scraped the tip of himself against me.

“Oh god.” I moaned, my back arching, wanting more. “Please. Now.”

He tortured me instead. His mouth started at the base of my spine, licking all the way to the back, his tongue working in places I never thought I would want touched. Pleasure so unbearable consumed me that I made a noise I had never heard before.

“Like that, li’l bird?” It really wasn’t a question, my whimpers displaying I did. His fingers and tongue continued to play with me, dipping farther until my legs shook. I couldn’t get a full breath, ignoring my pleas, pushing my pleasure to the limit before backing off again.

“Please…” I reached around, grabbing his tight round butt, pulling him to me.

“Hands stay where they are.” He chuckled and locked my fingers around the bar again.

“Then you better get inside me, now. I’m not kidding, Lorcan,” I practically growled.

“Oh, someone is getting bossy in bed.” He breathed into my ear, his voice low and husky. “I like it.”

“Fuck me,” I whispered hoarsely back, rubbing my butt against him. “Is that direct enough for you?”

“Shit,” Lorcan rumbled as I leaned farther. His hand went to my back, pushing me forward. Then I felt him slide into me. We both let out loud groans, his fingers digging into my hips as he pushed all the way in.

“Jesus…” He choked, starting to move inside me. We already had sex a lot tonight, but each time felt more unbelievable than the time before, and my climaxes hit new levels till I was no longer in my body. I pushed against the railing, slamming back with as much force as he was giving.

Bundling my black locks in his fist, he tugged my head back. Fire flared up my veins, responding to the flick of pain, making me crazed. Our movements became deeper and faster.

Kennedy disappeared, letting Raven out. Forgetting about anything else except the feel of him, the sounds, and smell of us.

I bent over, which caused Lorcan to swear out a string of obscenities, pounding in deeper. His hand came around, rubbing me. When he hit the spot, sending me soaring over the cliff, I shrieked. The moment I tightened around him, I heard a roar shake the room. He slammed in so hard my eyes watered, my body only clamping down harder on him. He let out another roar, emptying himself in me, hot and claiming.

This time I felt it, the bond, heating me with warmth and love. It felt so good, like I’d been soaked in warm, silky chocolate. With chili pepper. Smooth, sensuous, and an explosion of passionate heat.

I panted, my head on my forearms, trying to draw in enough oxygen to not kill any more of my brain cells. My mind had already decided to take a vacation, leaving me with quivering limbs and clouds of bliss in my head.

It took us both a moment to come back, to regain any sense of reality.

“Jesus, Ken.” Lorcan inhaled deeply, his hand gliding down my spine. “One of these times I’m actually going to black out.”

“Me too.” My heart still pounded against my ribs like a racehorse.

He pulled out, twisting my hips so I would face him, and I frowned.

“What?” He sank us down into the pillows, tugging me to him.

“I hate that.”

“Hate what?” His eyebrows shot up, his arm curling around me.

I bent my head, embarrassed to admit it. Kennedy was back, but the black Raven was now a part of me too. “I hate when you pull out of me. I feel so empty.”

A wicked grin grew on his face. “Believe me, I hate it too.” He adjusted me in his arms, kissing my head. “If it was up to me, I never would.”

A laugh barked out. “And how would that work? Meetings with nobles would be a bit awkward.”

“Nah, I’d just carry you around... maybe get one of those Babybjörns…”

“Oh my god. A visual came with that. Stop, now.” I laughed, covering his mouth with mine. He chuckled and turned to me, kissing me again deeply. He pulled back, my fingers clasping the side of his face, my gaze searching his.

Hell. I had told him I loved him, but in this moment I realized how deeply I did. I was so far gone it should have scared the crap out of me. It didn’t.

No doubt everyone might have a huge problem with us, but I would fight for us. I felt so happy and content. Whatever came at us, we were in it together.

I brought him to me, my kisses showing him all I felt. He picked up on my emotions right away, rolling me on my back, returning my kisses. It was passionate and full of words we didn’t need to say. This time when he entered me, it was slow and gentle, our hands, lips, and eyes never leaving each other. He rocked into me, taking his time. My climax was gradual, but when it blurred the edges of my vision, I knew the intensity was going to consume me in an obliterating grip.

“Raven?” A knock pounded the door.

Oh. God. Not right now.

Lorcan didn’t stop, his hips pumping, ramming me into the bed frame.

My lips parted to talk, but a cry broke over my mouth, my lids shutting.

“Raven? You okay?” I knew the voice to be Wizard. And I knew Lorcan recognized it too, because his intensity dialed up, the possessiveness of the beast nailing into me.

“Y-y-yeahhh.”

“It’s almost eleven thirty; thought you might want to head over with me.”

“I-I’ll meet…oh god…there.” My nails dug into Lorcan’s back, my head tipping back as I felt myself about to hit the glass roof and shatter.

“So…ummm. I was wanting to ask you for a while. Do you want to grab dinner with me sometime? Or a coffee? Like a date. A real one. I mean, you don’t have to…but if you want to…”

Lorcan snarled in my ear, his elbows set along my head, pinning me in place, moving more quickly, staking full claim. The edge was approaching and nothing was going to stop us, even if Wizard walked in. Again, I got a strange thrill at the possibility of being caught.

“Raven?”

“Y-y-es... I’m coming!” I cried out, not knowing to whom I was talking, my orgasm tearing through me. Wave after wave rolled within me as Lorcan left his mark, asserting his right to the territory. And I asserted mine right back. My hips continued to buck a few more times before I felt my body loosen around him. Lorcan’s head fell against mine, my muscles going limp.

“Oh... well… okay... it’s a date then. I’ll see you in the war room?” Wizard’s voice was odd, like he figured out I might not be alone.

I couldn’t answer, my head and body still in the haze of ecstasy.

Lorcan’s head tilted toward the door like he was listening, a smile growing on his mouth. “Thought that little fucker would never leave.”

“That was incredibly risky.”

“You wanted me to stop?” He lifted his head off mine, a smug grin tipping up the side of his mouth.

“Noooo.”

“What I thought.” He shifted some of his weight off me, but still hadn’t broken from me. “Admit it, you liked it. And you really liked it earlier in the hallway…I can tell. Remember.”

I didn’t answer, but my silence spoke volumes.

“My dirty li’l bird.” He chuckled, kissing my nose and rolling off me, once again making me feel hollow. He put his feet on the floor, switching the light on the table, gazing over his shoulder at me. “Like you said, it’s frowned upon, but it’s not against the rules to fuck a fae…the man in the hallway seemed overly keen to join us.”

“Not sure he would have cared if I was there or not.”

“That Druid girl and the snake shape-shifter are fucking every moment they have free. They did it next to me last night.”

That was pretty brazen, just like her personality.

I sat up, scooting around him, grabbing my glasses and the newly cleaned clothes I’d arrived at DLR wearing. Heading for my bag, I snatched the discarded pendant off the floor, my fingers curling around it. The thought of hurting Torin hammered spikes in my heart. I cared about him so much. I simply wasn’t in love with him. But after the same thing happened with Ember, my guilt swirled deep. He was my friend, and I didn’t look forward to the conversation that would accompany my return of his mother’s necklace.

With a sigh, I tucked it in the side pocket of the backpack they’d given me. I yanked on a sweatshirt long enough to cover me and snatched my toiletries. I didn’t care if I was late; a shower was a must. Sweat, sex, and Lorcan covered me.

“Doesn’t matter, Ken. I’m already there.” He winked. “If I can’t be in you, I love that I can smell myself all over you.”

“Do I smell different?” My hand stopped on the doorknob.

“Any powerful fae would probably know you’re mine.”

My mouth opened. Now I kind of felt like I’d been peed on. And smelled like it too?

“Works in reverse too.” He stood, grabbing his jeans on the floor. “We’re bastards, but dwellers are nothing if not equal opportunists.”

“Well. Good.” I liked knowing any female fae, especially every fae he screwed, would be aware he was no longer theirs to play with. My eyes wandered down his physique, tilting my head. No, we couldn’t use the coed showers. No way. Nope.

“Dirty bird.” A salacious grin curved Lorcan’s mouth.

Dammit. I was going to have to be careful what I let him read in my eyes.

“Go, before I change my mind. You have to get to your meeting. And if I follow you to the showers, it will never happen. I can guarantee you that.” Lorcan slipped on his jeans, hunger building behind his gaze. “I’ll use the fae showers.”

I nodded, darting out of the room, knowing if I hesitated a moment, I would be pulling him with me, damned the meeting and our mission.

Time to get your head back on straight, girl. Tonight was crucial. All our work to get here, to take this group down, relied on us being on our game. So many counted on me, but could I kill innocents to keep my kingdom? Could I eventually turn against my own kind? Betray and hurt them? I could see their side as well as the fae’s. Both were wrong and right.

Whatever lay ahead, I was in too deep to stop it now. I shut off my emotions, the Queen reassuming her role, and focused on the task at hand.

 

 

Franklin, Wizard, Major, Cali, Kenya, and Mayhem were already in the room when I appeared. The fae slaves stood against the wall like statues.

“Where is your fae?” Franklin asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Wizard shot me a look, his eyebrows furrowing before he turned back to the papers in front of him, a scowl pinching his lips.

“He will be here shortly.” I swallowed nervously. I grabbed a chair and sat down, looking away from him. There was little doubt he suspected I had been with someone. Probably didn’t take a genius to have Lorcan as the top candidate.

My entire body felt Lorcan’s approach before he even came into the room. His hair was damp from the shower, like mine. His dark shirt was snug, clinging to his damp chest. He was like a match, heating me the moment he came near. He lined himself next to the other fae, staring off into nothing.

Cali lifted her eyebrow, her eyes darting between Lorcan and me, a smile inching the side of her mouth. Whatever she saw in our auras before, I didn’t doubt it was even more intense now.

She wasn’t the only one though. Kenya also glanced at us, a puzzlement crinkling her forehead.

Oh, nerf herder.

If powerful fae could see the bond, maybe it was strong enough for Druids to pick up. Sweat dotted the back of my neck as I tried to stay blank, not letting her read anything more. I had to keep my guard up at all times.

Her eyes stayed locked on me until the sound of other people entering the room pulled them away. I twisted to see Poppy, Fox, and Ophelia come into the room dressed in the same dark outfits as the others in the room. I had dressed in my jeans and black sweater with boots. It was clear I was not considered part of the group yet.

“All right. We’re all here. I wanted to go through this one last time. Wizard was able to finally pinpoint the exact location of the fae we’ve been watching with the help of Mayhem and Fox. Thank you.” Franklin nodded at the three men. “He’s been sniffing too close to us, but because of our spells guarding the place, he couldn’t enter.” Franklin pulled out a map, circling a spot on a street map. “It’s time the tables turned.”

My hands twisted in my lap, feeling a sense of dread come over me.

“Your mission tonight is to capture him.” Franklin stood to full height. “Let me warn you again. He is extremely powerful and dangerous. A shape-shifter.”

“What kind?” I asked.

Franklin hesitated, a nerve flicking at his lids. “We’re not sure. He hasn’t shown his true form. Not that we were able to catch.” He turned to Wizard and nodded.

Wizard pulled up an aerial view of a street in infrared vision. It looked run down and some of the buildings appeared to be destroyed, like they had been bombed or crumbled under a massive weight. Lots of areas over the world looked exactly like this. After the wall between worlds collapsed, magic gushed in like a tsunami, crushing many of the newer or weaker buildings.

My gaze locked on the heat signature in one of the buildings. In the other there were clusters, but nothing as bright as this one.

“This is where it is located.” Franklin tapped at the map. “Raven, you will be at the back with your fae, while Mayhem and Fox attack from the front. Poppy, Cali, her fae, and Ophelia will be on the side exits. Major, Kenya, and I, along with their fae will be behind you. Disable him. Control him. Whatever you need to do. Do not go easy, as he will fight the spell. We want to question him, but do what you must in that moment. I’d rather take it dead than let it escape.”

I nodded, feeling everyone’s eyes drill into me.

“Do I get a gun?” I shifted in my seat, feeling a spike of anger from Lorcan.

“You already have your weapon,” Franklin responded. “Don’t worry, we will be behind you. Just worry about the spell you need to perform.”

They were leaving me unarmed? A nagging sensation tugged at my gut, but I pushed it aside.

“Are you ready for your mission, Raven?” Franklin folded his arms, staring down at me. “Prove yourself to the cause? To become one of us?”

“Yes.” My nerves almost strangled the word.

“No matter what it takes or what happens?” His intensity grew.

I swallowed.

“Remember how many lives they have taken, how many families they have ripped apart. They hunted us down, exterminating us like rats. It is your turn to avenge your family’s death.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I understood Franklin’s anger, but I did not agree killing fae righted those wrongs. You can’t blame an entire race for something a select group of them did a long time ago.

 

 

Fifteen minutes later, I sat in back of a van with half of the group, the other half in a van behind us. I was not merely weaponless but also the only one without an ear mic. Franklin said it would distract me if I had voices in my ear while I did the spell. True, but it still left me even more vulnerable. Lorcan sat on the opposite side of me, his eyes finding mine every so often, telling me he would not let anything hurt me. My hands trembled in my lap, but I forced my heartbeat to stay even.

Both vans drove with the headlights off, slipping through the empty streets. We had only been driving a short distance from the factory when Franklin halted the vehicle and nodded to Mayhem and Poppy. They jumped quietly out the back, opening the doors. The other van came to a stop behind us. I followed Cali and Wolf and climbed out.

From here on out we could not talk until the attack was in progress. I knew Wizard was watching from the war room, keeping them updated if the fae moved.

Hand signals combined the two groups in the direction of the house. Mayhem and Fox led the way, followed by Franklin, Major, and Kenya. I was in the middle with Lorcan, the rest of the group behind us.

The night was so completely still it left me with an unsettled feeling, anxiety spiking up and down my neck like blinking lights. Cold condensation puffed like clouds out of my mouth. I eyed Lorcan in my peripheral vision a few paces behind me. He stared ahead with blankness, but I could feel him, his wariness, rippling around me protectively.

The unknown was the worst. The little preparation I had for the mission didn’t sit right with me. And the more I let my mind drift over that fact, the greater the warning compressed my spine.

Franklin motioned for me to follow him through a side gate to the back of a row of derelict houses. Shingles from the roofs lay broken on the ground, the roofs sagging around the windows on the top level. Wood panels boarded the holes where the windows used to be. Dirt and soot from the city stained the chipping paint around the doors. I could sense life inside all the houses. Humans. Probably homeless and staying where they could.

Franklin pointed at the house in the middle, gesturing for his team to get into their positions.

Terror pummeled my chest like someone played drums with my heart. Nothing about this felt right. The entire mission seemed a strange way to prove myself. I didn’t have to kill the fae, just stun it. It felt too easy. That’s all I had to do to establish myself with them?

Lorcan stirred behind me, and I turned to look at him over my shoulder. His neck was bunched, his nostrils flaring, taking in long slugs of air.

Can you smell anything? My eyes stared into his, the link coming more naturally to me than I thought it would.

Not clearly... too many human feces odors around... but something feels off.

Yeah… I turned back around, swallowing down the dread coating my insides.

“Copy,” I heard Franklin mumble behind me into his earpiece, clicking off the safety of his gun.

The crack of a door being opened echoed through the vacant house. Loud voices and a gunshot jolted my nerves, filling me with trepidation. My fingers rolled into fists, fear sweeping in and out of my lungs. Anxiety grew so huge inside me my heart thumped in my ears, and sweat beaded at my hairline.

As a Druid and Queen I was supposed to protect, to keep this kind of attack from happening. It felt wrong. I didn’t want to hurt this fae, but I couldn’t afford not to. I felt trapped.

“He’s coming. Get ready” Franklin yelled at me, the group closing in on the back door. Nausea filled my stomach, my head spinning with fear.

I heard a roar from inside, but it sounded so familiar I turned to Lorcan behind me. His mouth was shut, his eyes were wide, his expression flicking between disbelief and horror as he took in what was headed our way. Terror engulfed me, partly his, partly mine.

“Now, Raven!” Franklin’s voice boomed from behind me. My head swung back, the spell sitting on my tongue as the back door splintered, spraying wood chunks. A man’s form flew through the back door to the lawn.

The hex locked in my throat. Oh my god. No.

“Raven!” My name was screamed again, but I stared, locking eyes with the red-eyed fae.

Words sprang from over my shoulder when I faltered, Kenya’s curse heading toward its victim.

Family. Protect. Instinct seized my body. I whirled around, the dark invocation spewing from my mouth, directed at the one I stood with scarcely a moment before.

Kenya’s eyes widened, seeing the change. She slung the words of her spell at the same time my curse hit her. With a bounce, the black magic vaulted off her, heading back to the precise fae I was trying to protect.

Nooo! I screamed in my head at the same time Lorcan cried out, flinging himself forward. Both of us reached out for the person in front of us.

West.

Time both stopped and sped up as the curse flew for him. Then with a pop it hit a target, crashing into a dweller with a hiss.

“Lorcan!” I screamed, watching him leap ahead of his brother, trying to shield him from the dark magic. A pained howl tore from his throat as it broke over his chest, burning a hole through his sweater down to his skin. His body went still, landing with a crunch on the ground.

A cry tore deep from my lungs, ripping my heart in half. I moved to Lorcan’s lifeless form. My knees skated on the frozen earth as I reached for Lorcan’s face. I no longer cared about anything or anyone else around Lorcan and me. Mine.

“Lorcan,” I cried, drawing his head onto my lap. Black goo leaked from the wound in his chest. “Oh my god.” It took my fingers a few seconds to sense a low pulse tapping in his neck. I bowed my head with relief. He was alive but under a spell. I had no idea what curse I had done, nor how to take it off, but it was meant to hurt. To torture. “I am so sorry,” I whispered, leaning over, kissing his forehead.

A figure moved over me, drawing my face up to West. He was in human form, but everything about him felt beast. Feral and ready to protect or kill, his vertical pupils locked on mine, breathing like he was in pain. Ember slipped one time, hinting West couldn’t turn into his beast anymore. I knew now it was true. There would be no way a dark dweller would not turn and try to protect their family. It was their nature.

West’s gaze was full of intense emotion, and I sensed a connection there now. One I understood immediately. I was a pack member.

He snarled so softly only I could hear it. I reached up, gripping his hand, trying to reassure him Lorcan would be okay. I would flip the world upside down if I had to.

West’s eyes stayed locked on me, the red leaking out of them, but a noise from behind snapped them up. They went deep crimson, a growl vibrating the ground, his body moving forward. I bolted up, stepping in front of him. “Don’t.” I shook my head. “Let me handle this.” He watched me for a bit then eased back. I turned to face my old allies. The “cat” was out of the bag. There was no way of coming back from this. Nor did I want to. I was done with this game.

All my former allies stood staring at me, guns raised. My head darted around toward the faces I had grown to know, their expressions twisted with utter shock. Not one was friendly or kind anymore. My gaze landed on Kenya and Franklin. Franklin’s mouth twisted in fury. But Kenya almost looked smug. Neither seemed surprised by my actions. Like they had known.

Shit. “This was the test.” It was not a question.

“And you failed horribly. It’s a shame. You would have been useful to us,” Franklin snarled. “I didn’t want to believe it. Kenya kept telling me something was not right about you. To set this up.” He kept his gun pointed at me. “You come out of the blue, overtly flaunting a tattoo of Awen, with the same type of shape-shifter that’s been observing us for weeks, your connection to him unquestionable.” Franklin pressured his lips. “The attack on Major instead of that fae sealed it for me. You chose the fae over your own kind.

“I knew you were awake the other night,” he continued, motioning between him and Kenya. “Good cop, bad cop. You fell for it. I don’t know how dumb you think we are, but we’ve learned over time to be diligent. Careful with even other Druids. They can be traitors and spies as well.” Franklin took a step forward.

“Don’t get any closer,” West growled, moving until his chest bumped my back.

“Keep him back or I will do worse.” Kenya snapped at me, her eyes blazing with hate. “And don’t think about doing a spell. I promise, I am faster than you.”

I didn’t doubt it.

“These also have fae bullets in them.” Franklin waved his gun at West. “Now move.”

I peered down at Lorcan, his chest barely rising.

“Move. Now.”

I leaned over and ran my thumb over his cheek one last time before standing back up. West moved closer to both of us.

“What are you going to do with us?” I asked. When should I pull out my Queen card? Would it even help or actually condemn us more? They would have the biggest bargaining chip ever. But I could not let Lars or my kingdom concede to keep me safe.

“You are going to tell us who you are working for,” Franklin responded. “You don’t have pets as powerful as them without having ties to something.”

No way was I telling them. They would get nothing from me.

“Not talking?” Major spoke, inching toward me on the right. “For every minute you don’t talk, your pets get a fae bullet embedded into their body.”

“You even think about it and I will gut you faster than you can even pop one off,” West rumbled behind me, his boots pawing the dirt like he wanted to charge. I could feel his anger. He wanted to attack, to take them all out.

“Then how about we start with her?” Major lowered the gun till it was directed at my gut, his finger curling down on the trigger.

Boom!

West’s hand shoved me to the side, the bullet lodging into the dirt right where I had been standing. The dweller bellowed, tearing off for Major.

“West, no!” I reached out for him, but it was too late. I heard Kenya cry out, her chant filled the air with speed and precision as she struck him. He flew back, slamming into me with force. I rolled over the ground, my bones crunching, my head smacking on the back porch. I didn’t feel any pain, my body numb. Darkness came from the outside of my vision, swallowing me up. I tried to swim toward the surface, but it flooded over me, drowning me beneath.