A hard pounding on the door bolted me awake with a cry. “Raven?” Wizard’s voice came through the door. A strip of light glowed at the base of the doorway.

“Yeah?” I rubbed my head, feeling I had just shut my eyes. I probably had. My thoughts of Lorcan, of what I had to accomplish here, kept me up most of the night.

“It’s six a.m. I thought you might want to have breakfast together before you start training.”

“Oh, yeah…sure.” I scrubbed my face, trying to wake up.

“Twenty minutes, I’ll meet you in the hub?”

“Uh-huh.” I yawned, sliding my feet to the floor. I was exhausted, but as Queen I was used to moving before my lids even opened. Normally I was okay with early mornings. Not today. “They better have coffee here. A lot of it,” I mumbled to myself. Grabbing my bathroom bag, towel, and sweats, I hurried to the showers.

I walked into the shower stalls and yelped, a deep blush heating my face. Wizard warned me they were coed and Druids were free with their bodies. This early in the morning, I wasn’t prepared for it. Several men and women walked around naked in front of me. I grew up in a household where we never saw each other naked.

Most of the humans ignored me, but the few Druids stared at me with interest, watching me carefully as I passed them. At least I was used to being stared at as Queen. I kept my chin up and moved to an empty stall at the end, closing the curtain behind me.

Loud groaning and grunts came from the stall next to mine. Great. Naked strangers and sex before I even had any coffee.

I turned on the water, drowning my head under the stream of water, hoping to block out the moans. My body reacted to the sounds of pleasure, craving its own. My thoughts put me in a similar situation, but the man joining me was not who I should be thinking of. The dweller had always been the one who breached my visions and took over my fantasies, even when I thought I loathed him. The first time I touched myself, it had been his image that pushed me over. Not my boyfriend.

Him. It always came back to him.

I let my hand slide down my body, pretending it was Lorcan’s hand. My body woke up from a coma, coming to life with force. I squeezed my lids, gasping as I rubbed harder. Memories of how he felt inside, what he did to me, reached me to the edge faster than I thought.

“Har-der! Fuck…harder,” a woman’s thick Irish accent demanded, her voice instantly recognizable.

Kenya.

A man grunted, skin slapping together frantically. “Oh. Fuck…woman.”

Franklin.

My hand dropped away, my head leaning against the cool tile. When it was anonymous, it was hot, but now that I had their faces in my head. Ugh.

I showered as fast as I could and got out. After brushing my teeth, I hurried back to my room, deciding to change there.

A few minutes after my scheduled meetup, I greeted Wizard in the hub. No one was training yet, most heading toward the cafeteria.

“Good shower? They can sometimes get cold if you’re too late.”

“Uh.” I swept my wet hair over my shoulder, trying to air-dry it. “It was interesting. Little hotter than I expected.”

A grin spread over Wizard’s mouth. “I should have warned you. It’s why I take showers before six.”

I peered at him, wondering if he really understood my meaning.

“Every morning.” He shook his head. “That’s why everyone laughs when both say they are not together.”

“Every morning?” I was going to have to go way earlier or later from now on.

“And sometimes at night. I caught them in the war room several times. I keep disinfectant close by.”

“Wow.” I chuckled. “Thanks for the warning.”

“They are passionate. They fight and have sex at the same volume and intensity. I imagine it’s what split them up, and keeps them coming back for more,” Wizard said as we stepped into the cafeteria. About twenty already sat eating, though a line formed at the buffet area. “Coffee?”

I suddenly missed Torin, the way he took my hand the moment I walked out my bedroom door. I missed his smile, those bright blue-violet eyes glimmering as he bowed in greeting, saying, “My lady,” and handed me my coffee. A flinch of sadness constricted my chest. I couldn’t deny I missed talking to him, having him by my side. But not one time did his face come to me when I touched myself. Not one time did I think about him in my bed.

“It’s not great.” Wizard motioned over to a table. Hot water and coffee were in large orange thermoses, like those at football games. Dry creamer and sugar sat to the side. “But caffeine’s caffeine, right?”

Not exactly, but I filled my cup, dumping in whatever processed products they had to improve it. I realized how spoiled I had become having the best natural ingredients. Fae weren’t into processed food. It took me a lot of begging to even get flavored coffee creamers.

Eyes were on me from around the room as Wizard and I ate. Major, Poppy, and Ophelia sat with us. I noticed most of the newbies sat together, shooting me curious looks over their shoulders. I was already singled out, sitting with the instructors and leaders.

“Raven’s already had the shower initiation.” Wizard bumped Ophelia’s arm.

“Ah.” She grinned. “Har-der. Har-der!” Ophelia mimicked Kenya’s voice perfectly, making me snort eggs up my nose.

“Please, I’m eating,” Major choked. “Seriously. Stop.”

“What’s wrong, Major? Upset your parents get it on more than you do?” Poppy chuckled, shoving a bite into her mouth.

“Not like they’re actually the parents who raised me.” He frowned, annoyance curling his lip. “But no one wants to hear any mother and father having sex,” he grumbled. It was the first time his stoic shield came down, and I actually saw someone besides the apathetic guy who held a knife to my throat.

“Told you, whenever you want to give them a run for their money, I’m in.” Poppy shrugged then continued to eat, like she hadn’t just bluntly propositioned him.

Major looked down at his food, muttering something, but a blush crawled up his neck.

“Will you two just screw and get it over with?” Ophelia rolled her eyes, but she quickly peered at Major.

“All him. I’m more than ready.” Poppy wiped her hands on her napkin, grabbing her tray. “You ready, Lia? Time we get out there.”

Ophelia rose with her. “See you on the mats, Raven.”

I nodded, watching the two girls walk away. I liked her.

“Poor Major.” Wizard snickered in his coffee. “What a troubled web we weave.”

Major glared at him, tossing his fork on his plate.

“What?” I asked.

“Poppy wants Major. Major wants Ophelia.”

“Shut up, wanker.” Major’s face became stone.

“And who does Ophelia like?” It was like being in high school.

“Oh, Ophelia secretly wants him so bad it’s heartbreaking, but Poppy is her best friend. She’ll never go there.”

Major shoved back his chair, stood, and stomped away with aggravation.

Wizard laughed. “He’s so screwed because if he gives in to Poppy, he ruins the deal with Ophelia, and he sincerely likes her. So the three dance around each other. No one will cave.”

“And here I thought Druids were into ménage a trois and group sex. Problem solved.”

Coffee sprayed from Wizard’s mouth onto his breakfast tray. His eyes widened as he looked at me through his glasses with surprise.

A laugh buckled my stomach. I covered my mouth, heaving with giggles. The comment may have been a Raven thing to say, but I hadn’t been trying to be her this morning. I felt the two sides of me rubbing against each other. Kennedy, the controlled Seelie Queen, and Raven, the outspoken Druid. I was here to infiltrate these people. Betray them even. But I was also starting to like them.

Yeah, what a troubled web we weave.

 

 

I was signed up for a morning training session with Kenya, after lunch target practice with Mayhem, then after-dinner training with Poppy and Ophelia, finishing with another lesson from Kenya.

Wizard headed off for the war room, saying something about meeting for lunch, while I directed myself to the hub. A mix of humans and Druids tussled with each other. The trainees wore dark gray sweat outfits, while the leaders wore black military-type pants.

“Hey, you must be the new girl.” An American accent reached my ears. A girl in her twenties with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin, possibly of Hispanic descent, walked boldly up to me. Her figure was curvy under her cargo pants and tank, her hair wrapped in a bun. She exuded confidence. Security in herself, her body, and her sexuality almost smacked you in the face. “I’m Cali.” She held out her hand.

“Raven.” I shook it.

“You are already the talk of the hub.” She had a loud voice, drawing attention to us. “It’s nice. For once it’s not me this crew is talking about.” I opened my mouth, but she continued. “We Yanks have to stick together, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I heard you also dabbled in black magic before coming here, and you have a fae too.”

My very own pet fae.

“Another thing we have in common. Mine’s been with me for over a year now. Started practicing the dark arts when I was a teenager.” She brushed a loose hair from her face. “I’m sure you’ve already heard about us. This place is like high school. But the joke’s on them. Sex with fae is incredible.” She tilted her head back. She talked fast, but she was not bubbly. She had a hard, blunt edge to her, and I instantly liked her. I suspected she would say whatever was on her mind. And probably more. “And I swear, Wolf has trained in the sex Olympics or something like it.”

“Wolf?”

“He’s a shape-shifter. A wolf-snake.” She folded her arm under her voluminous breasts. In contrast, mine felt flat as planks. “Slinking into places is his forte. Comes in handy when you’re on a mission or need to get into tight places.” She grinned.

Please say there was no double meaning there. “He’s easy to control?”

“I only had to do one initial spell on him. Quite unusual.” She shrugged. “I know Kenya has had to refresh her thrall a couple times. All her fae fight it tooth and nail.”

“Wolf doesn’t?”

“No. He just does what I say without me even having to ask. It’s awesome.” Her lashes flicked to the side, twisting her gaze from mine. My instincts told me there was more to the story.

“What about you?” She turned back, a naughty grin hinting on her mouth. “You ever taken yours for a ride?”

“Uh.” More like he took me.

“Cali, can you shut your gob for a moment, luv?” Kenya yelled over at us. I turned, realizing she had been waiting for us with three other Druids I had yet to meet. They were all staring at us impatiently.

“What do you think?” Cali lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Kenya.

“How you do missions without being caught is beyond me.” Kenya rolled her eyes, but warmth hinted at her mouth.

“I’m good.” Cali stepped up to the practice area.

“Not that good yet. You haven’t been able to control more than one fae.”

Cali rolled her eyes back. “One’s all I need.”

“Cali.” Kenya frowned, shaking her head.

“Don’t give me that look. You’re the one missing out. You think sex with your baby daddy is good? You have no idea what good is until you’ve been with a fae.”

“Think I’m just fine, luv.” Kenya tilted her head, an eyebrow cocked. If the morning escapade told me anything, she was a very satisfied woman. “Now let’s get to work.” Kenya waved us over to the space dedicated to magic. The three other Druids introduced themselves as Auckland, a guy from New Zealand, Lotus, a girl from Egypt, and Wire, a guy who was excellent at hot-wiring and stealing cars. Seriously?

I was nervous, torn between showing too much of my power or too little. Being Queen had increased the amount of magic I exuded. Though I was nowhere as powerful as Lars, I’d been told I radiated royalty when I walked into a room. Thus my magic was still at a higher level than anyone here. None of them were fae, so they didn’t sense it as much, but I still had to block it. I needed to keep my power from dominating the room, something I was taught by Owen and Cole, but learned to excel in my time with Lorcan. Being with him had shown me how to truly keep calm and find my inner peace.

This plan was so full of things that could go wrong. Even though my ruse kept fear constantly at the surface, burning holes in my esophagus, I had to stick to this façade.

Training with Kenya turned out to be almost fun. The brutal, guerilla-style training Lorcan had put me through made everything else seem easy.

“You are a natural healer.” Kenya came up beside me.

“Aren’t most Druids?”

“We don’t all shine in it, no,” she said. “Druids have multiple powers, but few are good at all of them. My family line was exceedingly strong in channeling our power with the weather. The stormier it is, the more I can draw from the electricity in the air.”

I needed to remember never to let her near my best friend, Ember, a walking electrical charge.

“The top healers, the most powerful Druids, were also able to see the future. Visions.” She peered at me. “But there hasn’t been a Druid that powerful since Aneira’s annihilation of them.”

My eyes didn’t waver from hers. I couldn’t tell if she was testing me or just telling me a fact. Neither of us broke away but my breathing grew shallow in my chest.

“Kenya, are we done? I’m starving!” Cali turned back to us, a hand brushing the sweat from her forehead.

Kenya’s head snapped to Cali’s, then down to her watch. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. You guys can go.”

I exhaled with relief, making for the hallway toward my room, thankful for Cali’s interruption.

“I will see you later, Raven,” Kenya said. I nodded and quickly returned to my exit.

“Hey, wait up.” Cali caught up with me. “You know, the lunchroom is the other way.”

“I know. I just need a moment to relax.” I pinned a smile to face.

“Yeah, me too.” A mischievous smile curved her mouth. “Plus, I’m starving.”

“Then why are you coming this way?”

Her smile grew bigger.

“I didn’t say I was hungry for food.” She winked and headed down the hall toward the fae room. “See you later. You’ll have fun in the later lessons with Kenya.”

“Aren’t they just more of the same?”

“Oh no.” Cali faced me, walking backward. “At night our group trains in black magic. Controlling fae isn’t the only thing we are doing. The fae think they have nothing to really fear with us because there are just a few of us. Little do they know we’re building a black magic army here.” She lifted her brows before turning back and disappearing around the corner.

A black magic army. The phrase halted me in place. I knew this group was dabbling in it, and at least a few were controlling fae. But this went way past that. The bomb that destroyed my hotel room was an electric zap compared to what the dark arts could do to fae. Another tyranny rising.

As Queen I was supposed to be bringing all the sides together, graying the extremes of each side. Yet the thought of dark magic caused a thrill to run through me and awakened a need in my bones.

How far undercover would I go before I became one of them?