10. Diana

Diana

W e drifted along the sea in shell-shocked silence for a few minutes, until the stress and adrenaline of the past few days poured out of me in a rush, and I broke into a semi-hysterical laugh. “You seriously couldn’t make this up if you tried. No one would believe you.”

A warm hand fell on my shoulder, and I turned to see Raven standing behind me with a look of concern on his face. “You okay? You took a pretty hard fall.”

I shrugged, not quite able to bring myself to push away his hand. “I felt a bit loopy for a second there but I’m pretty sure I was just stunned. I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I should be fine. I’m just laughing because how do you defeat the biggest spider you have ever seen, only to be attacked by a spider twenty times bigger, and have it get eaten by your not-really-a-pet dragon? It sounds insane.”

He flashed an uncharacteristic smile. “It’ll be a hell of a story for when we’re done with all this.”

“Still not sure why we were in such a rush to leave,” Myrr grumbled, yanking a bag of nuts out of a nearby chest. She frowned disdainfully as it hit her tongue, but continued chewing, nonetheless.

I rolled my eyes. “He was just trying to fatten you up to eat you, you know.”

“Would’ve crossed that bridge when we got to it.”

Theo chuckled, stepping over to her and extending his hand for a nut. “I do appreciate a woman with a healthy appetite.”

“Hers might be a bit more than healthy,” Nicholas said, blocking an elbow-jab from the Oracle.

“We should really get to work.” I glanced around, surveying the damage that’d been done to the massive ship. From the broken mast and ruined stairway to the holes that had been punched into the side, it looked like we’d survived a hurricane. And, in a way, we had survived much worse. Kevin’s massive tongue slapped up against my cheek, and I leaned into him, exhaustion sucking the last dregs of energy from my body.

Using the glob of spider webbing, we patched up the hole that Raven had put in the boat tearing it from the rocks. Like Theo had said, the stuff was hard and as we manipulated it, it hardened like steel over the breach in the hull.

“That’s the most urgent thing,” Raven said. “The rest can wait.”

Exhaustion rippled through me, and I didn’t have anything left to argue. There was water that needed to be pumped out, food stores to account for, water to replenish. Maybe more repairs that we couldn’t see yet?

I ran a hand through my hair. “I guess we can save it until tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep and get this all taken care of when we wake up.”

Nicholas breathed a sigh of relief, already heading toward the cabin. “Now that’s an order I’m happy to follow.”

I nudged Kevin. “You can go too, buddy. You earned your rest.”

He eyed Raven for a long moment, then leaned forward to give his hand a lick. Raven pulled away from Kevin’s tongue, giving him a scratch behind the ear instead. “Eck. Hell-hound breath sure is something, huh?”

I shrugged, unable to stop myself from smiling. They were right. Kevin was smart. He had seen the way Raven had jumped in front of me, and it felt like this was his way of thanking him. I was certain of it. “We’ll have to ask Gabe about some fresher breath options next time we see him.”

Theo and Myrr lingered on deck, looking out across the water. Strangely they did suit one another. I opened my mouth to say so to Raven.

“How will we find Jade?” Raven asked quietly, tipping his head to look up at the sky and the distant pricks of light above us. “Where do we go next?”

I followed his gaze as a star shot across the horizon, flaring brilliant and then disappearing. “I don’t know. Mav thought he might be able to find her.”

Raven turned to look at me, and I thought he’d be angry that I’d brought Maverick up. But his eyes were not angry, not one bit. “I know you want to believe him, Frostbite. I just don’t want you to get hurt by him. Not again.”

I had to look away from the sincerity in his face. Because I didn’t doubt he meant what he said, but I also couldn’t help but want to believe in Mav.

“Perhaps you should make a wish,” Raven smiled and handed me a coin.

I laughed. “A wish?”

“A prayer to whatever gods might listen?” He shrugged. “What is there to lose?”

I took the coin warmed by his hand and rolled it across my fingers. I recognized the stamp of the Wild Queen on it, a crown on one side.

I flipped it in the air once and caught it. Perhaps…perhaps it wouldn’t hurt. I pressed my lips to the coin, to the side the crown was embedded in. “To whoever might be listening while we float under the stars, please guide us to Jade.”

I held the coin a moment longer and then flipped it out into the ocean. There was no splash, no sign that it hit the water. We leaned over the edge to see a burst of light flow up and around the bottom of the boat.

“Strange,” Raven murmured. “Maybe you have a little magic after all?”

“Me? No, that was probably just?—”

“Are you okay?” Theo said.

We turned as he reached out, missing Myrr as she went to her knees. Her upper body stiffened, and she turned to look at me, her voice deepening to an impossible timber.

“ The one you seek is in the desert sands, brave the fire of the blasted lands.”

Myrr gasped and thumped a fist against her chest. “Damn heartburn!”

My body froze as the words hummed in the air. Blasted lands. That was Demon Territory.

“Did we just get help?” Raven shook his head. “Damn, all this time…”

“Come on, Myrr,” Theo helped her stand. “You should go lie down.”

“Bah, I’m not that tired.” She yawned so loud her jaw cracked, and I took note that she didn’t argue with Theo, letting him take her arm.

“That’s the same voice…the one whose spoken through Myrr before,” I said. “I think he wants to help us.”

Raven sighed. “I hope so. Because Demon Territory is a shit place to die if the voice is sending us in the wrong direction.”

But at least we had a direction. Hell, we were alive, and we had a direction.

Raven stared wordlessly into the distance. The pinprick of light from the lighthouse was still visible, likely just hours away from being extinguished forever. Not that it mattered much anymore. Now that the monsters had been vanquished, the island was the paradise it had masqueraded as for all this time.

I stiffened as I had a thought. “You know…back at the lighthouse, you disobeyed a direct order.”

“And I’d do it again to save you. When are you going to get it? You are my reason, Diana. I will always disobey if it means protecting you.”

I scowled, twisting away from him. “You need to stop saying things like that. You’re a distraction neither of us can afford. This,” I gestured to him and then myself, “doesn’t work.”

My thoughts about fucking him senseless hadn’t left me. I was just more…aware now that we were back on the boat. Headed into danger again, and I couldn’t afford to indulge this connection between us.

“Seems to me that we keep running into problems because it works a little too well.”

The heat in his gaze sent a shiver rolling through me and I had to look away as he continued.

"I don't get it, Diana..."

I was filthy, and exhausted, and my whole body hurt, but I couldn't deny it. His voice was like a wash of silk over me, and I had to squeeze my thighs together to stay the rush of warmth that pooled there. I couldn't stop thinking about his mouth on me, back at the Wild Queen Casino that night...

"We're on this earth, for who knows how much longer. And we have so many other beasts to fight.” He paused to swipe a curl away from my cheek. "Why fight this, too?"

I pinched my eyes closed against the onslaught of sensations, turning my back to him. He was close enough that I could feel his chest against my back...his breath feathering the nape of my neck...that hot mouth just inches away.

"Especially when we both know how good it will feel." His lips found the side of my neck, a lingering soft kiss, heat racing through me.

I couldn't help it. I backed into him with my hips, grinding my ass against him with a low groan. I struggled to think, to find a way to make this not what he wanted it to be.

To make it safe for my heart.

"If we do this for real this time, I need you to know that I'm not giving in to you, Raven. I'm giving in to me . It isn't going to turn out the way you're hoping. I have too many people counting on me to focus on my own needs long term. This is for tonight and tonight only. Say you agree."

His fingers closed over my waist and then slid lower to grip my hips as he pressed the hard length of his cock against me. "If you still feel that way in the morning, I won't fight you. But all is fair in love and war, Frostbite. And tonight, I'm going to do anything I can to change your mind."

Those questing hands abandoned their post on my hips and slid around, over my belly and upward under his shirt I still wore, to cover my breasts. My nipples peaked instantly, and I swallowed a gasp. Holy hell, my reaction to this male—my wolf's reaction to this male—was terrifying.

But I didn't have the strength to deny myself what I needed so badly. Even if I was lying to myself that one night would be enough.

"Take me to bed, Raven."

He let out a snarl, and a second later, my feet whooshed out from under me as he swept me into his arms. We crossed the deck and made it down to my quarters with dizzying speed. And when he finally set me down on my feet, I had to hold onto his shoulders for purchase. Fine by me.

I leaned in and plastered myself against him, but he held me at arm's length and stared down at me, the tips of his fangs gleaming in the darkness.

"You have cuts, and bruises. Let me take care of you first."

I almost fought him on it because that was too tender. Too much. But as he made his way to the bathtub and turned on the water, a sigh exploded from my lips. Maybe just for tonight, I could be soft. Let someone else take the wheel so I could rejuvenate and come back even stronger tomorrow.

I stripped off my shirt—his shirt really—silently, letting it fall to my feet. He watched, motionless, turquoise eyes drinking me in. His hands balled into fists at his side, and I knew he was fighting the urge to touch me. The knowledge gave me peace, because at least I wasn't alone. Naked in front of him, the sound of his breath sawing in and out of his lungs...a song that had my clit throbbing.

My wolf let out a low growl as she began to pace, waiting...anticipating the satisfaction that only Raven could offer.

I turned, giving him my back, as I stepped into the massive copper tub. The hot water pooled around my calves, and I lowered myself to sit. The heat instantly soothed my aching muscles but did nothing to cool the fire in my belly.

"Close your eyes," Raven murmured from behind me.

I did as he asked and let myself slide deeper into the tub with a sigh. I heard him moving around, felt his breath on my neck as he settled to kneel beside the tub.

"I'm going to wash your hair now."

With that warning, he poured warm water over my head, taking care to avoid my face and eyes. Gentle hands stroked my hair, and I bit back a groan. How could something so simple...so small feel so good? But nothing could've prepared me for the tenderness of his touch as he massaged shampoo into my hair.

By the time he'd rinsed the conditioner out a short while later, tears were streaming down my cheeks, unchecked.

"Did I get suds in your eyes?"

No. I'm a fucking hot mess of hormones and feelings, and you're making me question everything in my life.

"Yes," I lied. "But it's okay, though."

I was still trying to get my stupid emotions under control when he held out a massive bath towel for me a short time later.

"Thank you," I managed, stepping out of the tub and into his arms as he wrapped the towel around me.

He took the ends of the nubby cloth and gently dried my hair. "I could do this every night for the next thousand years, and you'd never have to thank me."

"Stop." I bit my lip hard as I drew back to stare at him. It was making me want something I could never have. Something we could never have. Even if I wanted to…I was a queen of the werewolves. He was a vampire. There was nothing we could have together.

It was the reason why Lycan had never been able to take Evangeline as his mate.

"If we're going to do this tonight, you need to stop with all that. You have to. You know we could never be."

His slow nod and sad smile made me want to take it back. But I never had the chance.

"I'm yours to command, Frostbite," he murmured. And then his mouth met mine. The second our lips collided, my wolf let out a howl, and I plastered myself against him.

This was what we needed right now. All three of us.

I barely registered it when he lifted me into his arms and carried me across the room. The sweep of his tongue against mine, his scent...the heat of his skin like some sort of intoxicating potion made just to bewitch me.

He laid me down on top of the downy blankets and began to strip off his clothes. I was frozen in place, my eyes eating up each inch of skin he revealed. Those ropy, muscled shoulders...his flat stomach with that dark trail of hair leading lower. The hollow just about his lean hips that begged for my tongue.

"Fucking hell. Just seeing your face like that could bring a man to his knees," he hissed, kicking off his pants and climbing onto the bed beside me.

"I've already had you on your knees," I reminded him with a soft laugh as I pressed him onto his back. "And soon I'll return the favor. But first..."

I dipped my head low and reached for his cock with a swallowed gasp. Long, thick, and pulsing in time with the beat of his heart. The pressure between my thighs became unbearable, but I didn't give into the need. Not until I tasted him the way he'd tasted me.

I batted the swollen head of his cock with the tip of my tongue. So smooth, like velvet. I was so taken with it, I barely heard Raven’s growl from above.

“Enjoy the teasing while you can, Frostbite, because I’m on a short leash.”

Despite the gruff warning, I was undeterred. I closed my lips over his thick head and sucked hard.

“Fuck me.”

But the words fell on deaf ears as he flexed his hips in a silent demand for more.

Satisfaction sizzled through me, leaving behind a livewire of sensation. My nipples stiffened as I rubbed against the soft blankets. My pussy ached as I shifted to grind against his thigh. And all the while I bathed him with my tongue. Licking, sucking, pulling even as my hands clutched at his hips, pulling him closer.

“That’s enough. Fucking hells, Diana. I’m going to come in your mouth if you don’t stop immediately.”

But that only made me work him harder. I wanted it. I needed to taste him, salty sweet on my tongue. To watch him as he jerked and flexed, to watch him lose control.

I moaned and sucked him deeper.

“Fuck!” He stilled, gasping…Just a hint of his silky seed leaking out. “Enough!”

The room spun as his hands closed over my waist and he lifted me over him onto my knees. My whole body shook, already tightening and releasing in anticipation of his cock inside me.

“I can’t take it any longer. I need to be inside you. I need to feel?—”

But the words died on his lips, ending in a snarl as I lifted high and got centered. I should have taken him by inches. Slowly. Gently. Instead, I plunged onto his swollen cock like it was my lifeline. And damned if it didn’t feel like that…

I gasped the world spinning around me.

Every nerve in my body screamed with delight as he filled me to bursting. Neither of us moved, but we didn’t have to. His cock kicked and danced inside me, sending a wave of searing pleasure rolling over me.

“Raven, I’m going to come,” I whispered, half stunned by the realization. Were we such a perfect fit? What would happen if he did move?

But the answers no longer mattered as he bent at the waist to sit up, and nipped at my aching nipple.

“Raven!”

Just like that, I came in a rush of heat and wet and howls and cries. I might have screamed his name, I don’t even know. Animalistic noises spilled out of both of us.

My pussy clenched tighter around his unforgiving length, squeezing and releasing in exquisite time.

Through the haze, I could feel the edge of his fangs scraping against my nipple and it only made me come harder. Giving into the need, I swirled my hips against him, grinding that tight bundle of nerves against him even as his cock plowed deep.

“That’s it, Frostbite. Take yours.”

It was only when the last shudder passed over me that I opened my eyes to find him staring at my face in wonder.

“And I thought you couldn’t get more beautiful.”

I was still gasping as he rolled his hips beneath me, using my hips to guide me slowly up and down his full length.

“Can you come for me again, love?” he whispered as he worked me over that long, thick cock in slow, steady strokes. “Can I watch your face when you get there and break apart?”

I whimpered my response because I couldn’t form words. I could only feel. The rhythm of our bodies moving as one. The way he filled me as no other, like a hand in a glove. The tension as it grew tighter and tighter. And then?—

“Fuck!” he growled the word even as I gasped his name.

“Raven!”

His fingers gripped my hips tight, sealing himself inside me as I exploded around him. A shower of starlight burst behind my closed lids and he was only seconds behind. Every part of me relished his low growls as his cock spurted inside me, the movement only drawing out my own climax.

For a long moment, we stayed that way. Bodies twitching. Hearts pounding in the aftermath of more pleasure than I’d ever known.

Once my heart had slowed its wild gallop, I slid off him with a groan, landing next to him in a boneless heap. How could every nerve ending in my body be alight, while every muscle felt like melted chocolate? I wanted to ask if he knew.

And how he could possibly fit me so well…

And why his scent made my she-wolf purr like a fucking cat…

I wanted to ask him a lot of things, but my eyelids fluttered as exhaustion closed over me. I vaguely sensed him tucking me against his side and whispering into my hair.

"Sleep, Frostbite."

So sleep, I did.

When I awoke, the very first rays of dawn had broken through. I'd probably only been out for a few hours, but it had been the most restful sleep I could recall in years.

I scrubbed the grit from my eyes and searched the room, finally catching sight of Raven's naked, muscular back. He was standing on the balcony, looking out over the sea. My heart gave a heavy thump in my chest and I couldn't muster the will to drive it away.

It seemed insane. I’d spent decades hating vampires and everything they stood for after what Edmund did to me, now I suddenly had a whole host of them in my affections. Dominic, Will, the Duchess, and now Raven and even Nicholas. As much as I'd tried to shield myself from Raven, he'd somehow managed to break down the walls between us. And the further I allowed him in, the more I wondered if he wasn't right. What was I even fighting for?

What if there was a world where we could actually restore the Veil and be together?

No. That was a fool’s belief. We restored the Veil, and I would go back to being Queen of the Werewolf Territory, and he would go back to Seattle.

My people would never allow me to take him as a consort, never mind anything more permanent.

I swallowed the knot in my throat and pushed myself from the bed, pausing to don a t-shirt and underwear before joining him on the balcony in the cool morning air.

He turned as I slid the door open, a sexy smile spreading across his face. He was naked but for a pair of briefs, and seeing his beautifully contoured muscles and lean belly made me want to?—

The sound of seagulls in the distance had me turning my attention to the ocean. It was a cacophony. I'd never heard so many at once. Maybe a bloated whale carcass had floated to the surface? "What is that?"

We both leaned over the railing, trying to get a better view. A few moments later, I caught sight of something bobbing in the water ahead. Then several somethings...

"Raven, is that what I think it is..."

Horror stole my voice as what I was seeing finally began to make sense.

It was the four-foot wide, iridescent tail of a fish. Only I knew it wasn't from a fish, because beside it floated the decapitated head of a mermaid. Her long black hair splayed around her like the tentacles of a jellyfish, sightless eyes wide with unseeing terror.

"Ah, gods be damned!" Raven hissed.

I tore myself away from the gruesome sight and turned my attention ahead to where Raven had his gaze locked. It was a sight that would be seared in my mind for all eternity. As far as the eye could see, bobbing on the crimson sea, were mermaids, torn to pieces. Hundreds of them.

But it was the green hair floating around a mermaid that was face down that had me coming apart. The green hair on a child that did not deserve this horrific death.

The scream that echoed in my head sounded like it had come from a wounded animal, but I knew it was my own.

"Xefia! No!"