27. Raven

TWENTY-SEVEN

RAVEN

The echo of our front door closing behind us solidifies the fact that we’re home and hidden from the rest of the world. My eyes dart around the open-plan space, making sure there haven’t been any more surprise intrusions, and when everything appears to be untouched, I sag back against the door with a sigh.

We haven’t spoken. Not a single word. I’ve been trapped in my head the entire time, trying to figure out where my mind is at. I’m exhausted. Bone-dead exhaustion from the constant shit we find ourselves in.

Burton’s confirmation that his plan proceeds, Sebastian’s assholey face back to normal as he breathes pleas for Lyra, my new jet-black hair.

I’ll look at it later. It’s not high enough on my priority list right now.

Creed takes my hand, silently tugging me from my spiral as he walks me toward the sofas. I flop against the cushions just as dramatically as I had leaned against the door. My eyes fall closed, and I try to calm my breathing.

Hands touch my arms and legs, shifting me into place so that my feet are propped up on the coffee table and my head is nestled against the back cushions. I wiggle in deeper, my eyes heavy, until lips press against my cheek, bringing me back to the present.

“How are you feeling?” Zane asks, running his thumb over the spot he just kissed. I sense someone on my other side, too, but I don’t turn to look. Instead, I try to answer his question as honestly as possible.

“Confused.” The word feels heavy on my tongue, weighing me down as if admitting the truth only adds to the confusion.

Despite my growing inner conflict, Zane smiles softly at me, shifting his hand to hold my chin in place, forcing my eyes to lock on his.

“Confused because you’re glad you helped your brother despite him being the biggest cunt that ever existed? Or, confused because you’re still going out of your way to help him? Even though you’re technically telling yourself you’re doing it for Lyra.” He quirks a brow at me, the knowledge and challenge clear, while all I can do is gape at him like a damn fool.

Frowning, my lips purse, unsure if I like his reading of me or not. “I thought Creed was the one with the mind reading abilities…” My gaze seeks out my onyx love at the mention of his name, and I find him sitting at the dining table with Brax, his head in his hands as he tries to smirk at me, but it falls flat.

It seems I’m not the only one drained and exhausted by all of this.

“Mind abilities aren’t needed,” Eldon states from my left, his hand falling to my thigh as Zane hums in agreement.

“When you came to the academy, Raven, a complete whirlwind of attitude and anger, you kept everyone at arm’s length, us included. But with every layer you’ve peeled away, the more you’ve revealed yourself.” A lightness dances in his eyes.

“So you think you know me, huh?” I grumble with a pout, slightly impressed that he knows me as well as this but irritated by it at the same time. How am I supposed to dwell and stress if it can be explained away so easily?

“I don’t think, I know,” he retorts, earning an eye roll from me. I should have expected a response like that.

“How so?” I push, intrigue getting the better of me. I can’t deny the fact that hearing him read me so effortlessly both warms my heart and sets my soul on fire.

He tucks a loose tendril of hair behind my ear, letting his fingertip stroke over my cheek before he finds the words to answer. “Shadowmoor made you a tough bitch, Dove. A badass in her own right, but being here with us has allowed you to find the inner Raven you always were. The little girl you kept tucked away inside, hiding from the rest of the world; she gets to find herself too.”

I feel like I can’t breathe, my throat clogged with emotion. “And who is she?” I ask, barely able to hear the words over the pounding of my pulse in my ears.

“She’s just as fucking ruthless, let’s start with that,” he states, holding up a finger to count, and a small snicker burns through my chest, escaping from my lips. “But that ruthless girl? She cares more deeply than anyone I’ve ever known. Still selfish, sure, but not for her own safety. Never for her own safety, annoyingly enough. But for the ones she loves, and I’ll forever be honored to be on that list.”

The words hit home, eliciting raw pleasure and emotion in my heart as I let them hang between us. Each one reinforced the young girl I was and the strength that I now have—that she now has.

“I’ve heard you repeatedly say that you’re not a hero,” he continues, seemingly on a roll now that he’s letting it all out. “And you’re not trying to be one. No hero complex in sight. But you believe in doing the right thing, you believe in protecting the innocent, and you believe in the villains getting what they’re due. I don’t know what that makes you to the rest of the academy, the realm, the whole fucking world, for that matter. But to me… that makes you my Dove. Always.”

All I can do is gape at him. My heart races so fast I know he’s triggered my fight or flight mode, yet for the first time in my life, I’m stuck in freeze. The words swirl in my mind, finding me, seeking me desperately as they solidify who I am. Branding me without offering a label, declaring who I am and what matters most to me.

He says them so easily, defining me without effort, and all I can do is blink at him.

My limbs remain stiff even as he grabs my waist and hoists me in the air before ungracefully lowering me to his lap. I cling to his shoulders for balance, my heart lurching in my chest as I struggle to breathe, but the moment he envelops me in his arms, pulling me tight against his chest, I succumb to the warmth.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I nestle my forehead against his throat, breathing him in as he strokes his hand up and down my spine in the most blissfully lulling way ever.

“I fucking love you, Raven. We all do, just as fiercely as you love us. We’ll follow you blindly into whatever draws you close without question. But if I can start to see it wearing you down, like now, then we’re going to have to have a system in place that allows us to take control. You’re my everything, and I refuse to watch you struggle under the weight of the world that’s been thrown on your shoulders. You’re strong as fuck, and one-thousand percent I know you can handle it, but if you don’t have to, I’d rather you didn’t.”

I bury my face even deeper into the crook of his neck. I am strong, I know I can handle it, but there are so many layers to everything now that I don’t even know where to begin.

“I think what Zane is trying to say, Little Bird, is that we’re here to shoulder the strain too. If that means we have to help Sebastian, then that’s what we do. If we have to spend the rest of the night going over what Burton said to Fitch, then so be it. Whatever it takes. I think we can all agree that we want a future that is more than this. Fuck, you deserve a hell of a lot more than this, but we’ll weather this storm if there’s a glimpse of sun on the other side.” Eldon’s voice is soft as his words wash over me, grounding me even further.

What would I do without them? How would I handle any of this shit?

It’s a pointless question, really. The only way I wouldn’t be here handling this shit is if I never left Shadowmoor, and the truth has revealed that it was never my destiny to remain there.

Theywere my fate—all four of them—just as much as the damn visions and prophecies that seem to put me at the helm of bringing the realm back from the brink of chaos.

My knees press into Zane’s sides, my body desperate to wrap around him like a new shadow as I lift my head enough to meet Eldon’s heartfelt gaze. Finding the words I need to say is harder than I expected, but in my defense, I wasn’t expecting tonight to turn into such a deep moment.

I swipe my tongue over my bottom lip as they part, but Eldon presses a finger to his lip, pausing me before I can speak.

“Don’t say anything, Little Bird. I think you might just need a moment to feel.”

His raspy voice makes my body stiffen once more, but it’s not with panic or fear this time. No. It’s exactly what his words suggest.

Zane’s hands shift to my waist, squeezing me just right so that my hips move, and I find myself grinding along his length. He repeats the move again, but this time, he tilts his hips up to meet the motion. I stifle a groan.

Leaning forward, I feel the brush of his lips over the shell of my ear. “I should be a gentleman and break you in, but feeling your pussy stretch around my cock is like stepping into Heaven for a split second. I can’t seem to deny myself that feeling right now,” he groans, making me shiver. The tremble elongates down my spine a split second later when he lifts the hem of my skirt and uses his magic to remove my panties.

Everything else remains in place; my blazer, my shirt, my bra, and my skirt. Only the barrier to my pussy is removed, and the grin spreading across his face confirms he’s more than happy with the fact.

His fingers caress up my thigh, inching higher and higher until he swipes his thumb over my clit. The thrumming explodes through my veins, heightening the desire they create in me as my jaw falls slack.

“So fucking beautiful, Dove,” he murmurs, hitching my skirt around my waist as he grabs my hips, lifting me just enough to press the tip of his cock against my core. That second, those milliseconds of pressure at my entrance are the only warning I get before he drives deep inside of me with one powerful thrust.

Pleasure mixes with pain as I adjust to the length of him, a deep, guttural groan tumbling from my mouth.

“Definitely not a gentleman,” Eldon states, humor in his voice, but I can’t focus on him. My eyelids refuse to remain open as Zane controls my movements. There’s no moment to adjust to his length, no breath to catch before he claims me completely. Nothing.

The second he fills me, he retreats to the tip before repeating the motion, setting my body on fire with coursing need.

“Don’t stop,” I croak, my head tilting back as I press my fingernails into his blazer, holding on for dear life.

All I can feel is him, all I can hear is our panting breaths, and all I can see are the fireworks imprinting on the back of my eyelids. Nothing else in the world matters right now.

Just us.

It may be a short reprieve from the madness around us, but I’ll take it.

“Look at Eldon watching you, Dove. He’s jealous. Jealous of the sounds I’m getting from you, jealous of the way he knows you’re making my cock feel right now, and jealous that you’re putty in my hands.”

I shake my head, not even bothering to look as Zane tries to goad his friend. “He isn’t,” I grumble, and a scoff sounds from my right a moment later.

“I definitely fucking am,” Eldon bites, and my eyes whirl around to him. His pants are unzipped, his dick in hand, and there’s a dark desire swirling in his eyes.

“Then you can fill me next,” I breathe, making his pupils dilate as he nods.

“He’s not the only jealous one, Raven,” Zane pushes, and my eyebrows pinch in confusion.

“Oh, don’t mind us, we’re more than happy enjoying the view,” Creed rasps, spiking the ecstasy coursing through me.

Zane grins, his hold on my waist tightening as he moves me harder, faster, all while thrusting up into me like his life depends on it.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I can feel the impending release inching closer, my eyelids falling to half-mast once again, so I startle when I feel a gentle breeze brush over my nipples, making them pebble instantly.

Eldon smirks up at me before his lips wrap around my taut skin, sucking sharply, making my gasp echo louder around us. I’m certain my nails have pierced holes in the shoulder pads of Zane’s blazer by now; I’m clinging that tightly.

The combination of Zane’s unrelenting control and Eldon’s warmth around my hard nipples is impossible not to succumb to. As if sensing how close to the edge I am, Eldon sinks his teeth into my flesh, and I fall apart like it’s a life or death command.

Wave after wave of euphoria tingles through my body as I shatter. Zane’s hold on my waist pinches closer to pain as his movements falter, and he roars, exploding inside me. He doesn’t release me until he’s completely spent and I’m like liquid in his lap, moldable at his whim and desire.

“Eldon’s turn, Dove,” he whispers against my ear, his voice so soft I swear it sounds like a lullaby.

“I’m already so close for you,” Eldon bites out, effortlessly lifting me from Zane’s lap. A second later, I cling to him just as harshly. “You happy there, Little Bird, or do you want me to shift us around?” he asks, stroking his thumbs over the spots I’m sure are starting to bruise from Zane’s hold.

My tongue peeks out as I think, and it doesn’t take long for my mind to be made up. “I want to stay exactly where I am,” I mutter, trying to muster more strength than I have as I rise up on my knees, desperate to feel the same sense of fullness I had moments ago.

Eldon grips my chin, holding my gaze as he presses his length against my aching core. His hold on my chin grows tighter, making my pulse ring in my ears as I gape at him, liking the harsh hold far too much as he speaks.

“Feeling someone else’s release inside of you is too fucking much.” My pussy clenches around him, the remnants of my own release mingling with Zane’s as I take Eldon deeper, inch by inch. “Holy shit, Raven,” he rasps, eyes rolling to the back of his head as I’m completely seated on his cock. “You’re going to have to move so it doesn’t look like I’m about to come from one stroke of your pussy, Little Bird,” he adds, his pupils completely blown as he peers up at me.

There’s something in that look right there that fills me with a confidence beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I can wield power, we all know that at this point, but nothing compares to the intense strength of bringing my men to their knees like this.

He’s just as wanting as I am, and just as eager to surrender to the unwavering desire.

My body moves at his command as he leans forward, sinking his teeth into my breasts again. Not just the nipple this time, but anywhere and everywhere he can reach. Each bite gets fiercer, but every swipe of his tongue becomes more languid over the top, soothing the pain away before he reignites it somewhere else.

I grind along his length, groaning with every stretch of his hard cock inside of me as my clit dances expertly over him, bringing me to the brink of another orgasm in a matter of seconds.

“Eldon. Eldon. Eldon,” I chant, unable to calm the rising pleasure in me.

He buries his face in my breasts as he squeezes my ass cheeks, filling me with his release, and the pulsing of his length has me tumbling into the wave of another climax.

Panting, I feel like I’m floating. Perspiration clings to me like a second skin as I try to catch my breath. It takes a few seconds to find the strength to push up, and the second I do, panic kicks in.

“Eldon? Eldon?” I repeat, nudging his shoulder with urgency.

His head is back against the cushions, his face tilted up to the ceiling, but his eyes are glossed over. I turn my attention to Zane beside us, my mouth opening but nothing coming out as he eliminates the distance between us to cup my cheek.

“It’s okay, Raven. I think he’s having a vision.”

A vision? A fucking vision?

With his dick still inside of me?

I feel like I’m violating him or something.

Shifting in his lap so that’s no longer the case, I feel Creed and Brax silently move closer, the concern thickening in the air as what feels like an eternity passes. I run my hand over his cheek, my lips pressed together in a thin line, when his eyes suddenly ping open and he gasps.

I sag with relief, my heart still thundering with worry as his gaze shifts around erratically before landing on mine.

“A vision?” I ask, trying to smile, but the way his brows furrow doesn’t fill me with hope.

“Yeah.”

I don’t want to ask it, but I have to. “Everything okay?”

A sad smile takes over his face as his eyes fall closed. A long moment passes before he looks at me again, and I can see the dread in his eyes.

“It was the academy, drenched in blood.”