3. Raven

THREE

RAVEN

Darkness seeps into my vision, painting everything black as the ground disappears beneath my feet, and a vortex swirls me around.

Disoriented, I don’t know which way is up as shadows begin to spill from the vortex one at a time, getting larger and more prominent with every passing breath. I open my mouth to tell them to stop, but nothing comes out. They’re uncontrolled, unrelenting, and manic.

My heart races faster and faster as I try to calm the impending doom that looms over me. It squeezes my chest so tight, I’m sure I’m about to pass out, but just as I expect to fall into nothingness, my magic comes alive in my veins. The purple orb inside of me grows until my hands whoosh out at my sides, palms up as if to stop the madness.

“Stop!” I yell, my vision clearing as an odd sense of calmness washes over me. Finally, I take a deep breath, and the largest shadow of them all comes racing toward me. It reaches for my face, but before it can touch me, my eyes ping open and I startle awake.

My palm falls flat against my chest, my heart racing just as fast in real life as it was in my dream. Looking up at the ceiling, I try to loosen the constricting grip that the shadows have on me. The sheets shuffle beside me, startling me from my thoughts, and I tilt my head to find Zane’s sleeping form.

The memory of last night comes rushing back. After everything that happened, we decided it was better to be together than in our separate rooms. Which is why I now have a new bed that’s been adjusted to suit all of us in my room. On the other side of Zane lies Brax, and when I glance to my right, Eldon and Creed are spread out, too.

None of them raised any concerns when I asked for us to sleep together, fear clawing at me at the thought of being alone, and to my surprise, I managed to fall asleep quite easily. Staying asleep, however, seems to be another issue. A recurring one that clings to me whether I like it or not.

Taking a deep breath, I try to let my eyelids fall heavily again, but the fresh wave of adrenaline heating my body is making it nearly impossible. Movement on the far wall catches my attention and, a moment later, the room is drenched in shadows and dark silhouettes, just like my dreams.

They dance along the walls, over the bedsheets, and over the ceiling. There’s no sound, there never is, but if there was, I can only imagine a murmur of giggles or snarls, both leaving me uneasy with the unpredictability this all brings.

It’s strange watching them. It’s like I can’t breathe, but at this exact moment, I don’t feel scared by their presence.

“Are you okay, Dove?”

I startle at Zane’s question, glancing back at him with a tentative smile.

“Yeah, I just…” My words trail off as I wave my hand around the room, looking back at the outlines swooping across the ceiling.

“What?”

My eyebrows pinch in confusion and I turn to look back at him. Realization washes over me, and I gulp. “You can’t see them, can you?”

His hand reaches for mine, squeezing in comfort as the puzzled look remains on his face.

“See what?” Two words, and it’s all the confirmation I need. I clench my eyes closed, taking a deep breath. “Raven?” he pushes, still unsure of what has me all twisted inside.

“The shadows, the silhouettes, the darkness. You can’t see any of it.”

“Where?”

I pry my eyes back open to look at him in the darkness of the room. “Everywhere.”

“Where is everywhere?” he asks, concern rich in his voice.

I wave my hand around the room. His eyes trace every inch of the space, but I know he doesn’t see any of it.

“Do you feel like you’re in any danger?” he finally questions when he’s swept his gaze over the room enough times to know that he can’t see what I see.

“No.”

“Are we assuming it’s connected to your magic? We know it’s a struggle for necromancers, the darkness I mean, is this it?” My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I consider his question and, in reality, it’s the only viable explanation. It all started after I saved Brax. It became less frequent in the past week or so, but having healed Burton last night, they’re back in full force. I finally nod and his hand clenches tighter around mine. “Then we have to trust in it.”

“After last night, I don’t want to think what will happen with my magic, how dark and twisted my dreams and reality will become at the hands of Erikel,” I admit, the words flowing from my mouth without pause. It’s the first time I’m letting the truth ring in my ears, and I can’t say I like it.

“After last night, Dove, I love you more than ever.”

I gulp, his strong words stealing my breath until I manage a rasp. “Why?”

He shifts to his side, releasing my hand to cup my chin. I turn to face him, too, nestling my hands against his chest between us.

“Because you exposed yourself for one of us. No other reason than that. Not to be painted as a warrior goddess on some bullshit white horse riding in to save the day. But you laid yourself on the line for Creed, just like any of us would do for you, which is why it doesn’t bother me that I mention love and you don’t say it back.”

Guilt twists my gut, disappointment in myself getting the better of me, but he has to understand. I’ve never uttered that word in my life. Not to my papa when I was small, not to my mama. No one. Plus, growing up in Shadowmoor, there was no desire to grow attached to anyone because death was waiting just around the corner. I guess that’s the same here too, but the four of them left me no choice.

I feel it. I know I do. It warms my chest and makes my heart skip a beat, but saying it out loud? I don’t know how.

“It doesn’t bother you?” I ask, my voice heavy with clogged-up emotions, and I watch him shake his head as his thumb strokes across my cheek.

“I would love to hear those words slip from your lips, Raven, but your actions always speak louder. That’s all I need. Now sleep, I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

Exhaustion clingsto me as my limbs unwind from the fetal position, stretching in every direction as a low groan bites past my lips.

Fuck, I’m tired.

The memory of Zane’s words last night before I drifted back to sleep wrapped in the safety of his arms warms my heart as I blink awake, only to find the room empty. Not a single one of my men is filling the bed with me. Yet, despite its size, it feels snug and cozy with the remnants of their scents still clinging to the sheets.

Sighing, it feels strange to hear a hint of contentment in the noise in comparison to the usual frustration, and I curl deeper into the sheets. A beat passes when the bedroom door creaks open and Eldon appears in the open space.

“Good morning, Little Bird. How are you feeling? Zane mentioned you had a bit of a rough night, so we wanted to let you sleep as late as possible.”

I smile at him, taking in his shirtless appearance, appreciating the way his shorts hang loose at his waist and the added ruffles to his hair that make me want to run my fingers through it.

“I’m good.” And I am. Right now, at least.

“Good. Breakfast is ready, come and eat with us.”

My stomach predictably chooses that moment to groan with hunger. Kicking the sheets off, I crawl to the end of the huge bed before sitting on my ass and swinging my legs over the side. “Fuck, Little Bird. Watching you crawl like that does things I can’t even explain.”

I grin at him while wagging my finger. “I’m in my badass independent era right now. If you ask me to crawl to you like a good girl, I will likely tell you to fuck off. Mention it again next week and I might just want to feel the bite of the floor against my knees.” I wink and his head falls back with a groan as he readjusts his cock, the outline more than visible through his shorts.

“You’re a fucking menace. Get out here. Now.”

He gives me a pointed stare as he tilts his head and I stand, quickly cutting the distance between us so he can wrap me in his arms. I cling to his warmth, letting him fill my energy back up with a single touch before he leads me toward the dining table where the others are seated.

Brax is already digging into the eggs and bacon on his plate. Creed is shuffling it around with his fork, taking the occasional mouthful, while Zane seems to be talking away on some kind of device. Eldon pulls my chair out and I take my seat, the cool touch of the chair against my exposed thighs making me shiver.

I really need to start wearing more than just an oversized tee, especially since it seems to be getting cooler around here.

Eldon presses a kiss to my temple before dropping into his seat beside me and I take a bite of the bacon on my plate as I listen to Zane speak.

“Honestly, Pops, you did the right thing. We need to be looking at this situation from both angles. That involves someone being on the outside and someone being on the inside.”

“I would rather it was me on the inside and you farther away from the danger.”

Of course he would. Rhys has always seemed hands-on and loving with Zane, I can’t imagine him wanting to leave his child in such a vulnerable position.

“I know, but we didn’t get to pull the strings on this one. The enemy never gives us a choice. You know that.”

“I know. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”

“None of us do, Denver, but that doesn’t stop us from fighting,” Brax states before taking another forkful of egg.

“Morning, Brax. Is everyone else there too?”

“Yeah,” Zane confirms with a nod, even though his father can’t see him.

“And Raven?” Rhys asks.

“She’s here too.”

“Good. Let me talk with her.”

Zane offers me the device without another word and I can’t deny the slight tingle of anticipation as I take it from his grasp.

“Hi,” I breathe, my voice quiet, and Eldon places his hand on my thigh, filling me with more confidence.

“How are you this morning, Raven?”

“I’m good.”

“For now,” Rhys states, completing the sentence based on his own conclusions, and I can’t say that his assumption is wrong. “I’ve put some feelers out and ensured that Burton is prepared to go to the lengths I am while I’m not there. We want you as protected as possible, but we can’t guarantee any outcome, so I need you to be completely alert and on guard at all times. None of us have any history with Erikel, so we don’t know how he operates, but from what I’ve seen so far, he’s unpredictable.”

“I agree,” I murmur, my chest tightening at the memory of last night again. “What did you mean about Burton? About him going to the lengths you would?” I feel stupid asking, but nothing makes sense to me right now, either.

“We protect you at all costs, Raven. All. Costs.”

My heart races as my gaze locks on Zane’s. Rhys’s words sound just as solid as his son’s did last night. It’s clear where he gets his intensity from.

“Why?” I breathe, needing to hear from his lips that he’s not trying to protect me so that I can become a weapon for him instead. I know that’s not the case with complete certainty, but I need to know his reasoning.

“Because my son says so.”