12. Raven

TWELVE

RAVEN

Waves lap against the rocky cliffs, the sound floating around us effortlessly as we stare off into the distance. Ari lies next to me with my face mushed into his feathers as I lean against him, completely in awe of today’s turn of events.

I know without looking that Brax is watching us from inside the house. He offered us some time and space the moment we landed. I’m not sure if it was the surprise flight from Ari that had him silenced or because he was trying to be understanding of me reuniting with my familiar.

Either way, I appreciate him now more than ever. His efforts to not be a constant grumpy asshole haven’t gone unnoticed.

Figgins is safely back in her office, or that’s where she was heading when I last saw her, while Gia and the other griffins were searching for somewhere for them to lay low for a few days. The repeated thank yous and words of appreciation have become too much from all of the magical creatures no longer held captive, but those from the Brotherhood of Drakes still weigh heavy on me.

Morepeople pledging oaths my way. What are they now? My followers, my flock, my… what? I don’t fucking know. I feel like a name is required to collectively think of every crazy person who has pledged themselves to me, but it sounds way too obnoxious to commit to one.

“Your greatness knows no bounds, Raven. You should be proud of yourself today,” Ari murmurs, his voice gravelly yet content.

“Don’t say shit like that,” I grumble, sitting forward so I’m not leaning against him. Irritation courses through me at his words.

“How are you going to harness the power to do what everyone believes you can do when you can’t even take a compliment?”

I glare at him, but his pointed stare doesn’t falter. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. Besides, I’m rocking the whole fake it till you make it, so if I have to wing the hell out of all of… this, then I will,” I state, cocking a brow at him in challenge. He can push me all he likes, make me feel awkward, and everything else in between, but I sure as hell will push right back.

Silence descends over us for a moment and I’m thankful that he leaves it there, but now the topic is on the tip of my tongue; I need to air the stress building in my chest.

“I don’t know why the mess I’m dealing with continues to grow. Whenever I think I’ve overcome an obstacle, a bigger one stands in my way.”

“What do you mean?”

I think he knows exactly what I mean and he just wants to hear me break it all down. I’m getting wiser to his ways now.

“When I first arrived here, it was all about surviving an academy that will happily let you die in the process of learning. Then my magic awakened and everything went even more to shit. I was accustomed to being a Void, and sometimes I wonder if life would be easier if I still were.”

“Of course it would be, but you were never destined for ordinary, Raven,” Ari interjects, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Then Erikel arrives, and my problems go from surviving him to saving the academy from him. Which isn’t even the peak of the damn mountain I’m facing, it seems, because now I have to figure out how to bring people back from the Realm of Shadows who aren’t dead. I’m overwhelmed today, thinking I’m catching a win by releasing you from the compound, but it suddenly seems like I’m aligning realms and accepting pledged oaths for things I know nothing about.” I’m practically panting, trying to catch my breath as I summarize the shit I’m handling, and I’m only scratching the surface. This isn’t even getting into the nitty-gritty of it all.

“Yeah, the Brotherhood of Drakes surprised me too.”

I gape at him. That’s all he has to take from that? I should have known. “I’m glad,” I grumble, swiping a hand down my face.

“Their words were true. They might have saved some casualties if they had spoken to me earlier, but there’s nothing I can do about that now.”

“I’m sure what they’re saying means something, but right now, I need to figure some things out before someone discovers that the compound has been unleashed on the academy. I probably should have thought that part through before tearing down the ward.”

Ari stands, shaking out his feathers and fur. “Maybe, but you lead with your heart, Raven. As much as you don’t think you have one, you do. It’s apparent in all of your decisions.”

I can’t decide if that’s a compliment or a dig, but before I can decipher it, a thud interrupts my train of thought and I turn to find Gia stalking toward us.

Her head tips down as Ari approaches her and they share a moment, nuzzling each other before Ari turns to face me. “They’ve found refuge. A shelter while we gather ourselves without being too far from you,” he explains, tipping his beak out to the shoreline in the distance.

It’s not far, and not a part of the academy either. Good choice.

Standing, I smile. “Go, make sure they stay safe. I don’t want anyone getting trapped or detained by Erikel, or anyone else for that matter.”

“We’ll be ready to take action when you need us, Raven.”

I shake my head. “I won’t⁠—”

“I won’t pledge an oath to you. It’s unnecessary. I am your familiar. Any war of yours is a war of mine. You once said that we could all be on the same side, you and I, magical beings of all designs. I would like to prove those words to be true.”

I vaguely recall saying something along those lines, and I definitely believe it, but I don’t remember who I spoke them to.

“And if I don’t want a war?” I offer the truth heavy on my tongue.

“I don’t believe we have a choice in that anymore.”

I sigh, knowing that his truth outweighs my own. I’m along for the ride whether I like it or not.

“Don’t shut your mind off from me,” I murmur, walking closer to where they stand.

Ari lowers his head and my hand instinctively presses to his beak. A warmth floods my veins, tangling with my magic before settling in my mind.

“Channel this and you will be sure not to let anyone intrude on your mind,” he explains as my hand falls away.

I blink up at him in shock, sensing the magical barrier surrounding my mind that somehow uses my own magic and not his. “How can I show this to Brax?”

“You’ll figure it out,” he hollers before taking flight, Gia right beside him.

I watch in awe as they glide through the sky, wings spread wide as they dance through the air together. I remain rooted to the spot until they are tiny dots on the horizon, taking a moment to appreciate the calmness that surrounds me. I know it’s not going to last much longer, not with the twists and turns inevitably finding their way into my path.

Turning to the house, I find Brax standing at the floor-length windows. My heart swells as I take him in, cutting the distance between us as the wind picks up around me. Shutting the patio door, I head toward him, but before I get too close, he’s moving toward the dining table, where I find a spread of food laid out for us.

“Thank you,” I breathe as I take my seat, and he nods in response. Instead of taking his usual spot across the table, he fills the chair to my left instead. His closeness is like a warm blanket, protective and safe against the bitter world that snaps at our heels.

Digging into the array of food, I sense his eyes on me, but focus on eating because I know how grumpy he can get about that. The silence almost starts to feel antsy, so I turn to him, only to find him staring at me already.

“Is something the matter?”

“No,” he grumbles, taking a forkful of his food as he glances away from me.

It doesn’t seem like there’s nothing, but the last thing I want to do is push at him if he’s not ready to talk. I’ve pushed too hard with him before, I can’t have that distance between us now.

The uneasy feeling continues to thicken between us, and just when I’m ready to approach him again, he clears his throat.

“Raven.”

“Yeah?”

He shakes his head. “Hi, Raven, I am Brax⁠—”

Understanding quickly dawns on me, and I shake my head. “No! No fucking way,” I interject, eyes wide with horror. “You do not get to do that,” I ramble, my body vibrating with surprise.

“Do what?” he snaps, hands fisted on the table as he stares at me.

Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my seat. “Brax, I love you, wholeheartedly, and I believe you love me too. That’s enough, more than enough. But when the time comes, if I need you to run, then I need you to run.”

His brows furrow as he tilts his head. “Like, run as in leave you?”

“Yes, like that because⁠—”

“Because what, Raven?” he snaps, anger exuding from him.

I search his eyes, hoping he can understand what I’m trying to say, but it’s clear we’re not on the same page. “Because I didn’t decide this, Brax, but you decided it even less and⁠—”

“Do you hear yourself?” he interjects again, frustrating me.

I’m on my feet before I realize it, hands slamming down on the table, making the cutlery rattle.

“Brax,” I bite through clenched teeth, desperate to explain myself properly.

He looks me dead in the eyes, anger deepening his pupils. “If you ever ask me to run, Raven, I won’t.” His voice is low, gravelly, and full of warning.

“You should,” I push back, angry that he doesn’t see my side of the situation. Irritated, my head sags forward, my chin falling to my chest as I exhale slowly, but it does nothing to calm me down. Instead, I lift my hands and slam my palms into the table once more, trying to get the frustration out of my system.

Fingers wrap around my wrist, jolting me back, but I wasn’t anticipating the move, so I have no room to fight as Brax encloses both of my wrists in his grasp and pins my upper half to the table. Thankfully, he seems to move the dishes and my cheek presses against the solid wood beneath me.

Anger coils from his body, intertwining with my own, leaving me breathless as I wriggle in his hold. His presence behind me, looming over me with his wide frame, does nothing to calm my racing heart.

Attempting another deep breath, I lift my head to glance back at him. His chest rises and falls harshly as he looks down at me, but his gaze is dipped down and I can’t meet his eyes. It takes me far too long to recognize what has his attention, though, and I only truly grasp it when his free hand dances over the hem of my academy skirt.

The move sends a shiver of apprehension down my spine and I find myself rubbing my thighs together, desperate for any form of friction, but nothing calms the tension radiating from me.

“Brax,” I rasp, eager to figure out this mess with him, but he doesn’t hear me, or if he does, he doesn’t acknowledge his name on my lips.

Instead, I feel a cool breeze as my skirt is removed and my panties are no longer covering my pussy. Not a second ticks by before the tip of his cock is pressing against my entrance.

I’m helpless against him as his thick length spears into my core with total disregard for comfort, not offering a single moment of reprieve to allow me to adjust. It doesn’t help that I’m already slick for him, beckoning him deeper as a moan parts my lips.

Fuck.

“Brax,” I repeat, unsure what I need his attention for, but his eyes remain glued on where we are joined.

His hips sling back until only the tip remains before he thrusts forward again, harder and faster this time. His moves are punishing, his force breaking, making the clench of my pussy around his cock breathtaking as I cling to him in every way possible.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Tell me again what I should be running from?” he bites, fingers tightening around my wrists as he continues to slam into me over and over again.

“Brax—”

“Tell. Me,” he grinds out, interrupting my plea.

“From me. You should run from me,” I admit, my words barely audible among the moans he’s drawing from my tongue.

“Fuck you, Raven,” he snaps, his hips connecting with mine even more brutally than before.

“No, fuck you,” I groan back, desperate for him to understand that what I’m saying comes from love. I don’t get to add any of that on, though, to express how I’m feeling and why I want him to be free of me if necessary because I’m hurtling over the cliff of pleasure, drowning in the depths of my climax as my veins burn with ecstasy.

Wave after wave washes over me and I feel him lean closer, his lips at my ear as he continues to fuck me through my climax.

“Raven Hendrix, I am Brax Carlsen. I pledge to help with all that I am, all that I could be, and all I wish to be.”

Each word is enunciated with a thrust of his cock, claiming me there and then while pledging himself to me.

That fucker. That absolute fucking fucker.

His hips jut slower as he presses his lips to my cheek, the pulsing of his cock fluttering in my core as he comes inside of me.

I’m breathless, shocked, and still completely at his mercy. I didn’t want him to say those words, but he said them anyway. I want to be mad, angry, and given a moment to tear his fucking head off with rage, but deep down, something stirs inside of me. A truth I can’t bring myself to admit.

Hearing those words from him means more than from his parents or the Brotherhood of Drakes. They mean something else entirely.

They scream forever and always, until death do we part, and he somehow managed to scrawl out the words, close the envelope, and seal it shut with his release.