Never More (7 page)

“All right. What the hell is going on? What are you? You called yourself fae, but I don’t understand what that means.”

The best way to prove his words was to show her. “Watch.” Raven held out his arm, summoning one of his ravens.

The bird appeared out of thin air, landing on his arm with the sound of fluttering silk. His pet tilted his head, staring at Amanda through curious, intelligent eyes.

“So you’re a magician as well as an artist.” Her gaze dared him to contradict her.

“Doubting Thomasina.” He settled the raven on Amanda’s shoulder, aware the bird would never harm her, before disappearing in a cloud of feathers and reappearing behind her. “Do you believe me now?”

Her breath was coming a little more quickly, but his little fighter refused to show her fear. “Maybe.”

He kissed the nape of her neck and disappeared once more, reappearing in front of her. He held out a black feather, whispering in the tongue of the sylphs to it. It floated away, against the wind, dancing around Amanda and tickling her.

“Stop that.”

Raven grinned as the feather continued to make her squirm. “Stop what? According to you, none of this is real.”

She reached out, trying to snatch the feather out of the air and failing miserably. “Raven.”

He snapped his fingers and the feather returned to him, disappearing in his grasp. He allowed a portion of his Seeming to slip. His eyes bled to completely black, his nails and fangs growing. His hair changed as dark, iridescent feathers mingled with his hair. The rest of his transformation he kept hidden; that, he would show her in time, when she was less likely to freak out. “My name is Raven MacSweeney Goodfellow, the Raven Lord of the Knights of Oberon. My father is Prince Robin Goodfellow, the Hob, Oberon’s right hand and heir to the Gray Throne. And you, my dear, are my truebond.”

Ah, there was his bondmate. She was giggling like a loon. “Robin’s your dad. And Ruby is mine.”

“Robin is almost as old as Oberon.” That giggle turned into all-out laughter as she fell against him. Raven couldn’t help but smile at her. His Seeming was partially dropped, yet she thought nothing of relaxing against him as her sides heaved in amusement. She was amazing. “What more do you want to know?”

She wiped a laugh tear from her eye. “Oh, that was rich.”

“Amanda,
querida
, I need to know what questions you have.”

She sighed. “Oh, you speak Spanish.”

He chuckled and whispered into her ear. “
Quiero besarte
.”

“Mmm.” She kissed his jaw. “There you go.”

He laughed, throwing his head back. “I said
I
wanted to kiss
you
.”

She shrugged. “You snooze, you lose.” She touched one of the feathery hairs on his head. “So…all that stuff I saw was real.”

He nodded.

“Aileen lied to me.”

“Only to protect you and her children. We hide from mortals for a reason, Amanda.”

“I guess I can understand that.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is what Ruby’s been hiding from me?”

He nodded again, watching the emotions flit across her face too quickly for him to follow. “You have nothing,
nothing
to fear from me. Of all the people on this earth, you are the only one I would die to protect.” He’d lost his mother to the Dark Queen. He would not lose his truebond as well.

She dropped her hand with a shiver, but his brave truebond met his eyes with a determination that made him so proud to be the one the gods had given her to. “All right. Tell me everything.”

He smiled. “We are the fae, a race of beings capable of great magic.”

“I got that part. Tell me about the danger to Ruby.”

She was ignoring the danger to herself, but Raven wouldn’t. He’d keep her safe despite herself. “Once, long ago, all courts were one, and were ruled by a king named Nuada Silverhand.”

“Wait, you’re talking about Irish folktales, right?”

Very good. He was pleased she knew that just from hearing Nuada’s name. “Yes. But he died, leaving Oberon as King and the Dark One as queen.”

“You mean Tita—”

He covered her mouth swiftly. “That name is not spoken lightly, especially here.” When he released her mouth he continued. “The Dark One, however, became jealous of the power Oberon wielded, as well as the love his people gave him. Despite their truebond, she felt she deserved more, far more than she deserved. So rather than be content to rule at her truebond’s side, the Dark One made a contract with a demon. Her soul for the power to rule.”

“That was stupid.” Amanda scowled. “That doesn’t make her ruler, it makes her a pawn.”

“She didn’t view it that way. Under the influence of the demon, the Dark Queen seduced, corrupted and defiled half the court, dishonoring her truebond in the process. By the time she was done the king found himself at war with his own spouse.”

“Yikes.” Amanda actually appeared upset for Oberon. “That must have sucked.”

Raven shrugged. “I wasn’t around then, but I hear it was bad. Things escalated until the gods themselves were forced to step in. The gods broke the truebond between Oberon and the Dark Queen, severing the ties between the court and the rebels. They declared the war ended for the sake of the world, and created three courts to balance each other out.” Raven held up one finger. “The first, the Black Court, would be ruled by the Dark Queen, giving her the power she craved.” He put up a second finger. “To balance her power, a White Court was created, with its own queen, chosen by the gods. The White Queen also rules with an iron fist, and her hatred of the Dark Queen is legendary.”

“And over them all is the Gray Court?”

Oh, his mate was very smart. He liked that. “Yes, with High King Oberon at the helm. He rules over all, and his word is law. He keeps the two queens from ever renewing the war. What he says, goes.”

“That must chafe what’s her name something fierce.” Amanda shook her head. “Let me guess. The two queens haven’t stopped looking for a loophole since.”

“Exactly. And the White Queen recently thought she’d found one. She believed if she removed Oberon, but kept him safe and alive, the war could be started once more. Her intention was to kill the Dark Queen and her entire court, and anyone who might have been tainted by her. That would include Jaden, as he is Leannan Sidhe, or a vampire, as well as this entire household. And myself, of course.” Raven resumed his Seeming. “I was once one of the Black Queen’s knights, but reluctantly. Robin rescued me, but I paid a heavy price in the process. Now she wants me dead.” He took hold of her hand, playing with her fingers. They were so small, so delicate. “She’s sent assassins after me.”

“You were Black Court?”

“I was born there, told my father sold my mother to the Dark Queen.”

“She lied to you, didn’t she?”

Raven nodded. “And Robin had no idea I, or my brothers and sisters, even existed until I confronted him.”

“Ouch.” She shivered hard. “That sucks big-time.”

Raven laughed. “Yeah, it did. And because I chose Robin over her, the Dark Queen killed my mother.”

“Aw fuck.” Amanda inched closer to him. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

The ache that always accompanied the thought of his mother eased a bit at Amanda’s obvious concern for him. “Thank you, but that’s not what worries me now. When the Dark Queen finds out that I have a truebond, and she
will
find out, you’ll be on her execution list.”

“A what?”

He lifted his gaze from her hand and allowed the green of his lineage to seep into his eyes. “That would be you, my sweet.”

She stared at him, stunned. “Well. Fuck me sideways.”

“Soon, my sweet.” He kissed her fingers. “Soon.”

Chapter Seven

Amanda shivered as Raven floated them back down to the ground. Fae, Sidhe, kings and queens, murder plots and revenge. It sounded like a bad romance novel.

Oh, and bonded mates. Let’s not forget that.

“You’re cold.” Raven put his arm around her, surprising her with how warm he was. “Let’s go inside.”

“I want to talk to Ruby.” Ruby could help her make sense of all of this. At the very least, she could verify everything Raven had told her.

There was no doubt that Raven wasn’t human, but she had a hard time believing that Moira, Michaela, Robin, Aileen, hell, Sean, were all…immortal beings of the winged variety.

Raven tilted his head, a wicked smile crossing his face. “I think Ruby is…occupied.”

“What makes you think that?”

He tapped the side of his head. “Superior hearing.” He led her into the house, nodding once to Robin, who stood on the porch with Michaela wrapped around him. The two spoke quietly to one another, Robin stroking Michaela’s hair over and over again.

“They seem very much in love.” And it hurt Amanda’s heart to see it even as it gave her hope. She’d never had anyone look at her the way Robin Goodfellow gazed at Michaela Exton, like she was his whole world.

“They are.”

There was a familiar wistfulness in Raven’s tone that had her looking up at him in surprise. He, too, seemed to long for what Michaela and Robin had. His expression was filled with a sweet longing that was totally at odds with his badass looks. “Are you all right?”

He blinked, his expression clearing as he turned his attention once more toward her. “I’m fine. You’re the one who’s shaking.” He led her through Aileen’s living room and toward the stairs. “Let’s get you settled in.”

“Don’t even think you’re getting into my room, goth boy.” Amanda pulled free of Raven’s hold. “I don’t put out that easily.”

Raven’s brows rose, his blue eyes twinkling. “Who said anything about sex? I was worried about shock, and here you are, imagining me naked.” He tsk’d. “You
are
a naughty girl, aren’t you?”

Amanda blushed furiously. “I did not…I wasn’t!” Of course, now that he’d said it, she couldn’t get out of her head that he
did
have a nice chest. She just bet he was ripped under the dark T-shirt. Might even have a treasure trail down to the pot of gold.

“Of course not.” He patted her shoulder, placating her. “Now, let’s get you settled in your warm, comfy bed, hmm?”

“Ugh.” She spun on her heel and stomped off, not that surprised when he followed her. “I think I hate you.”

“You wound me, bondmate.”

She swirled around, ready to let him have it. “What the fuck is up with this whole bondmate thing anyway?”

That soft look completely disappeared. Raven once more appeared mad, bad and dangerous. “A bondmate is like a spouse, but on a deeper level. Magically connected, bondmates can sense each other, feel when the other is happy or sad, or when they are in danger.”

“And?”

“And you’re more than that.” Raven’s cocky grin made her want to smack him. “You’re my truebond.”

“And made just for you,” she cooed, sighing over him.

Too bad it wasn’t completely faked. He had the most gorgeous dark lashes, and the faint hint of a beard only enhanced his high cheekbones. The red slash through his hair highlighted his dark locks perfectly.

“I’m glad you understand.” Raven moved so quickly she didn’t even know he had until she was over his shoulder. “Now, I think you need some rest, and some quiet time to process everything you’ve learned today.”

“Put. Me. Down.”

“Or?”

Oh, he had to ask.

“You won’t like it, trust me.” Amanda prepared herself for the take-down of Raven’s life.

Raven stopped dead. “Do you have a box of Cheerios in your pocket?”

She paused, her nails just about to dig into a delicate place. “Uh, no?”

“Ah. Good.” He sounded relieved. Walking, he reached for the door that led to Amanda’s room. Before she could deploy her lethal weapons she flew through the air, landing with a
whomp!
on her bed.

“Now.” Raven rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Guess what I get to do?”

“Leave?”

“Right answer!” Raven waved. “Good night, sweet Amanda. Pleasant, me-filled dreams.”

She blinked as he shut the door.

“What. The. Fuck?” She sat straight up, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

The door opened. “Yeah, I forgot something.” Raven literally flowed into the room, black feathers swirling around him as he kind of reassembled on the bed next to her. “Note the open door, my naughty little kestrel.”

“Wha—”

Raven tugged her down until their lips were a mere hair’s breadth away from each other. “There are steps to bonding with someone.”

“Oh?” Her heart was racing. Raven had the most beautiful eyes. Up close, the sapphire blue still predominated, but just before his pupil was a tiny ring of vibrant green. You had to be very close to catch it, but it was there, disappearing completely when his pupils dilated. The outer ring of his iris was so dark it was almost black.

“See something you like?”

That whisper of breath against her lips made her lick her own. “Your eyes have green in them.”

He smiled slightly. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” She coughed, trying to pull herself out of the haze of whatever spell Raven had woven around her. “You’re not my type, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” He caressed her hip. “You have a thing for cowboys, not bad ones.”

“And Vikings,” she added.

“No matter how tiny their spears are?”

“How did you…? You know what? Never mind. You’ll tell me, and then my head will hurt even more.” She went to rub her forehead but wound up bonking him on the chin. “Sorry.”

“Admit it.” He kissed her fingertip. “You’ve been dying to sink your claws into me.”

“If I say no will you peck my eyes out?”

“Liar.” He rubbed his nose gently against hers in what her mom used to call an Eskimo kiss. “You were ready to skin my ass barehanded.”

She sniffed. “I told you to put me down.”

“And I respected the claws and did as you asked.” He smiled, and Amanda found herself falling into the sheer joy on his face. “Now. About those bondmate steps.”

“Fine.” She was trembling, but damn if she’d let him see it. “Pray tell, dark knight, what mythical quest do you need to go on to make me yours?”

“Hmm. Well, for this knight, the quest is different from what you’re thinking.”

“No slaying of dragons or stealing of golden fleece for you, huh?”

“What can I say? I’m a rebel.” He winked. “The first step to winning the fair maiden is a simple kiss.”

“Kiss?” She was pretty certain her skepticism was written all over her face. “Are we talking steps or bases here?”

“Now now, no changing the game on me, fair one.” Raven tsk’d. “I didn’t make the rules, the gods themselves did.”

“So you’re telling me Leo won Ruby over with a kiss.”

“Are you surprised?”

No. No, she wouldn’t be. Ruby had wanted Leo like a caffeine addict needed Kona coffee beans. “That was different.”

“I suppose so. After all, we’ve just met, right?” Raven stroked her neck, his touch on her skin whisper-soft. “We don’t know each other at all.”

“No, we don’t.” So why wasn’t she kicking his ass out of her room? Any other man who tried that kind of shit would find himself on the wrong end of a high-heeled boot. But here was Raven, lying in her bed, stroking her skin, so close she could feel his breath on her lips.

“We haven’t talked much. I don’t know your favorite color, or what you like to read, or who you root for when you watch competitions on television.” He sighed, and the green band around his pupil expanded, swallowing up the blue. “But the moment I heard your voice I had to know you. The second I saw you walk out of this house I wanted to touch you.” He picked up a piece of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “The scent of your hair will haunt me for the rest of my days.” He sniffed her hair and shivered. “Peaches.”

“Shampoo,” she breathed out. Oh, this guy was
good
.

“No.” His eyes glowed softly. “It’s you.”

He barely moved, but suddenly their lips were touching. The barest hint of a kiss and she was closing her eyes and sighing into his mouth, opening for more.

Raven granted her unspoken desire, taking the kiss deeper. The invasion was sweet and soft, like a bird’s wing brushing against her. The grip of his hands on her hips pulling her closer didn’t surprise her. Her reaction to it was, as the need to keep him nearly overwhelmed her. She slid her leg up along his, grabbing a hold of his biceps. The strength of him mesmerized her. This was no pale, limp goth boy. This was a warrior, a man with scars on his arms from fighting.

He really was a dark knight, wasn’t he? If he’d told her the truth, not all of those scars had come from doing good deeds. She’d have to decide how she felt about that, but not now.

Now, all she wanted to feel was his lips on hers, their mouths dancing together, learning the taste of one another.

The scariest thing of all that she’d learned that night?

Raven Goodfellow tasted wonderful
.

Raven was perched on the edge of the porch, one of his favorite spots when he visited the Dunne farm. Like most sylphs, he preferred high places and the wind in his feathers. He was enjoying the morning breeze, sipping the tea Aileen had been kind enough to make him, when Amanda stepped out onto the porch.

He couldn’t see her, but his senses went immediately on alert as the scent of peaches wafted up to him. “Good morning.”

She grunted.

“Have you had your coffee yet?”

She made a noise he hadn’t heard since he’d been a moody teenager. Half whine, half moan, for him it had once meant
Oh for the love of God, Ma, shut up!
She hadn’t listened, but then again, his mother had spoken fluent teen-ese by the time he was fifteen.

He missed her, more than he wanted anyone to know.

Indecipherable mumbling followed her whine-grunt, and the sound of rustling papers accompanied her march down the porch steps. His bondmate was in a black motorcycle jacket with multiple zippers, dark blue jeans and low-heeled ankle boots. Her hair was in a loose braid that wound down her neck and over one shoulder. She had multiple pads, papers and binders in her arms, and she was grumpy as a kelpie in a desert.

Raven fluttered down to the ground, landing right in front of her. “Can I help with anything?”

She stepped around him, not even looking at him. All her attention was on the papers in her hands. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to him. “Drive.”

“Yes’m.” Raven followed her to the car and slid into the driver’s seat. “Where to?”

“Hell.” She sighed, tugging on her braid. “Wait. Starbucks,
then
Hell.”

He chuckled. “Problems with the wedding?”

Her growl was mighty impressive for a human. “Don’t get me started.”

Instead, he started the car and pulled out of the driveway and onto the county road. “Which part of the wedding is getting to you?”

The slow pan, the disbelieving look, and the way she gripped the papers so tightly her fingers turned white were adorable. “What part isn’t?”

He chuckled, keeping an eye out. Just because he was planning on enjoying this day with his bondmate didn’t mean he could let his guard down. There were still hunters after him. Hell, half the reason he was going with Amanda was to keep her safe. Now that he’d tasted, her, Claimed her, she bore his signature in her aura for any fae to see. She would be a sitting duck, and if he didn’t watch over her, she’d be a dead duck.

“The venue. They’ve given me very little time to find one, and it’s going to be impossible.” She thumped her head on the back of the seat. “We’ve got the dresses taken care of, but the venue is going to kill me.”

“Did you speak to Robin about this?” Raven didn’t sense anyone following them, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t. He’d learned over the years to be vigilant. It was what had kept him alive.

“Robin and Michaela said they trust me because Leo does.” She thumped her head again. “But I can’t figure out how to find a venue at this late date. I’ve spent the past hour calling around and getting laughed at.”

Hmm. Raven frowned, wondering if there was anything he could do to help his mate. “I can see if any of the fae have a venue available. The wedding of the heir of the Gray Court is a big deal. I’m certain any fae-run establishment would love to claim the coup of gaining that bit of business.”

She stared at him for a moment. “He’s what, now?”

Raven grinned. “Michaela is literally marrying a fairytale prince.”

She shook her head. “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

He refrained from mentioning that, as the son of Prince Robin, Raven himself was a prince. “Let me call Duncan. He’ll have some better contacts in the area than I will.” Since most of his contacts were still Black Court and would sooner spit on him than help him.

“I’ll call him.” She stilled. “Duncan is…?”

“He’s a Sidhe.”

“A what?”

“A Sidhe. They’re the descendants of the original fae, the Tuatha Dé Danann. They have the ability to cloud your mind, make you think you were in one place when you were someplace else. The most powerful ones can do it to multiple people at once.”

“How powerful is Duncan?”

“Very.” Raven had a healthy respect for the man. For one, he hadn’t once judged Raven, at least to his face. Once Robin claimed him as his own, that was that as far as Duncan was concerned. Hell, most of the Dunnes had reacted that way, even Jaden. “Here.” He plucked his phone out of his jacket pocket. “Put him on speaker, would you?”

Amanda fumbled with his phone for a moment, but quickly found Duncan’s number. The voice that answered wasn’t Duncan’s but that of his house sprite, Ian. “Good morning, Prince Raven.” Raven winced. “How may I help you?”

“
Prince?
” Amanda mouthed, before shaking her head. “Hello. I’d like to speak to Duncan Blackthorn, please.”