Never More (16 page)

“You won’t feel a thing.”

“Yay?” She put her mug down on the bannister and straightened her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

“Robin and Michaela go first.” Raven took hold of her arm and led her to the two people climbing out of the limo.

Amanda stared, spellbound, at the man in the crisp gray suit. His long silver hair fell to his waist. His gray eyes ran over everyone on the porch, assessing them with a coldness that made her shiver.

That coldness dissipated when he saw Robin. “My Hob.”

Robin bowed. “My king.”

The two men embraced.

“What the fuck is going on?” Matthew Exton stood between Michaela, Melissa and everyone else. “Why did he call Robin his Hob?”

Martin Exton stood next to his brother, but instead of the combative stance of the older Exton he rolled his eyes. “I told you, bro. They’re fairies.”

Everyone on the porch froze. The cat was out of the bag now. Amanda almost laughed at the guilty look on Michaela’s face. Apparently she’d been keeping her family in the dark about her fae status. From the look on Matt’s face that was going to come back and bite her in the ass. She had no idea how much Shane had told them, but apparently they hadn’t informed Michaela that they knew of Robin’s status as a fae.

Matthew grunted, but didn’t say anything to Martin about what must sound like lunacy. “Who are you?”

Michaela pushed between her brothers, obviously startling Matthew. She ran toward Cassie. “Hi!”

Cassie, smiling, held out her arms. “Hello, Michaela. It’s good to see you.”

Oberon watched fondly has his bondmate hugged the Hob’s bondmate. “You look lovely today, my dear.”

“Thanks.” Michaela pulled free of Cassie’s embrace and brushed some hair behind her ear. “We need to talk to my family.”

Oberon nodded, eyeing the brothers with some amusement. “I had thought we might need to.” He nodded regally to the brothers. “All will be revealed shortly, I promise you.” Oberon eyed Amanda and Raven, taking a step toward them. “Lord Goodfellow. A pleasure.”

Amanda bowed when Raven did, just as he’d asked.

When she stood back up, the High King was smiling at her. “Lady Goodfellow. It’s also a pleasure to meet the truebond of the Raven Lord.”

Lady Goodfellow? Since when? She shot a glare at Raven before giving the High King her best professional smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Majesty.”

The High King stepped back. “May I introduce to you my queen, Cassandra?”

Cassandra wasn’t quite what Amanda had expected. The High King was so beautiful, so cool, she’d expected someone similar to grace his arm. Instead, the high queen was anything but. She had a high forehead, a slightly crooked nose, and a strong chin. Her brown hair was held up in a simple ponytail, and instead of the suit Oberon wore she was dressed in a Burberry trench coat over a pair of black tights and black booties. Her most stunning feature was her eyes, a rich turquoise that sparkled in the morning sun.

The queen held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Amanda shook the queen’s hand, then stepped back next to Raven. She took his arm with a smile, but inside she was thinking hard. Lady Goodfellow, huh? From the wary gaze he shot at her, he was wondering what she was thinking.

Honestly, it wasn’t the oddest thing she’d heard that week. She’d talk to him about it later, but for now it looked like Michaela’s siblings were about to go kamikaze on someone’s ass if they didn’t get answers
now
. She couldn’t blame them, either. After all, she’d been ticked when she learned about the secret Ruby was hiding, and for much the same reasons.

“Shall we go inside, my liege?” Robin waved his hand, indicating the front door, where Sean and Aileen Dunne waited to greet their king and queen. “We have much to discuss.”

“I’m certain we do, my Hob.” The king took the queen’s hand and led her to the front door. “Sean, Aileen. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“And you, Your Majesty.” Sean bowed, while Aileen curtsied. Sean held open the door. “After you.”

Robin nodded and the High King entered. If Robin was his security, his Blade as Raven put it, he was probably telling the High King that it was safe to go inside.

Everyone, including the Exton siblings, followed the royals. Surprisingly, they headed right for the dining room, as if aware the family revolved around either the kitchen or the dining room table. They took seats without invitation, but when Amanda checked, Sean and Aileen appeared pleased. “Now.” Oberon sat at the head of the table, Cassandra at his right hand, Robin at his left. “Tell me what’s been going on.”

The noise was deafening. Amanda wanted to cover her ears, and could only imagine how it all sounded to Oberon. She couldn’t make any sense of it. It was a vortex of sound, sweeping her up and swirling her eardrums until they popped.

Oberon held up his hand and pointed at each one of them in turn, starting with Liam. “You’re working a murder case where someone is trying to frame Raven, as well as helping Raven with tracking down his half brother Sayyid.” Next was Robin. “You’re attempting to protect your son and your mate, and your son’s mate, while putting together a wedding. You—” his finger was now pointed at Raven, “—are working on finding Sayyid with Red.” He sat back and stared at the Extons. “You want to know what’s going on around here.”

Matthew nodded sharply, Martin sighed in frustration and Melissa watched everything with gleeful enthusiasm.

Oberon smiled. Suddenly those gray eyes were pure, shining silver. His hair lengthened, growing to the floor, and his skin shimmered like it was coated in silver dust. He waved his hand, and the other fae in the room changed as well. Leo went from the dark-haired man who’d mated her best friend to a glittering golden god. Robin’s nails extended, turning into claws, his eyes becoming green and glowing. Aileen was all reddish-gold, and Sean’s skin grew darker and swirls appeared on his skin. And Cassandra’s hair went from brown to aqua, faint scales appearing on her powder-pale face. “We’re the fae, a race as old as time itself. We exist within the world of humans, living side by side with them, bonding and mating with them. This is what happened to your sister. She is bound to Robin Goodfellow, the Hob, prince of the Gray Court.”

Martin nudged an open-mouthed Matt. “See. I told you fairies were real. Shane explained all of this the other night, but you didn’t believe him.”

“Shut it, Marty.” Matthew nudged his brother back. “I won’t let you people steal my sister. You’re not taking her Underhill or wherever the fuck you live.”

Robin laughed heartily. “Underhill? That is a fairytale generated by humans.”

“You nabbed a fairy prince?” Melissa held up her hand. “High five!”

Michaela slapped her sister’s palm. “Boo-yah.”

Everyone but Matthew laughed. “Then where are you taking her?”

The king and the Hob looked at one another. “Colorado.”

Matthew blinked. “Oh.”

Michaela patted her big brother’s shoulder. “I’ll explain everything, I swear, but the king just got here. Let him eat something, okay?”

Matt still looked ticked. “Just us.”

“You, me, Marty and Mel. I swear.”

Matt nodded. “And if I think you’re in danger you’re out of here.”

Robin’s eyes flashed green. One second he was seated at the table, the next he and Michaela were gone.

Amanda gasped. She didn’t know the fae could do that. When Robin sauntered back in the front door with Michaela tucked under his arm and a cocky grin on his face she thought Matt might punch him.

But Robin defused the situation easily. “Your sister is safe so long as I am near.”

Matt bristled, then sagged. “Fine.” He straightened up and glared at Robin. “But I’m still talking to her alone. She’s my little sister. I need to know she’s safe, and not just with you.”

Robin bowed. “Of course.”

Somehow, Amanda just knew Robin would ensure he was present during their chat, whether Matt knew it or not.

Chapter Sixteen

“Well. That was amusing.” Raven flopped down on the bed face-first. Watching Matt, Melissa and Martin absorb the fact that the fae existed had been amusing to say the least. Matt wanted to know why Michaela was like them now. Martin wanted to be turned into a fairy. And Melissa just wanted to talk to all of them and ask questions about what kind of fae they were, what their powers were, etc., ad nauseam. If Aileen hadn’t put an end to the questioning Raven would have pulled his feathers out in frustration. Nothing anyone said seemed to completely satisfy Melissa’s curiosity. Only Li seemed to have the patience to talk to her, but he’d only just started being interrogated when Aileen called a halt to the day.

“Speak for yourself.” Amanda flopped next to him hard enough to make him bounce. “While you were getting probed, I was on the phone trying to get everything together for the wedding.” She sighed wearily. “If I go bald from stress, blame your dad.”

He chuckled. “I’ll still want you if you’re bald.”

“Good to know.” She rolled over, poking at him until they faced one another. “Now. How the hell did Michaela go from being human, like her brothers and sister, to being fae?”

Ah, that glorious curiosity of hers. He’d wondered when she’d ask about that. “Well, Robin was at that fae convention, as I told you. He and I both met Michaela there.” He knew his expression was wistful. “She was the first person to speak to me and not be afraid.”

“Oh?”

Was that a tinge of jealousy he detected? “Yes.” He pulled her close so that they were nose to nose. “But one of the delegates, an
each uisge
, decided the best way to kill Robin was to blow up the room he was staying in.”

“I think I remember reading about that. It was labeled a failed terrorist attack, wasn’t it?”

He nodded. “A Sidhe took care of that, I think. With the human interest in terrorism still high, it wasn’t difficult to add it to the list. Of course, it will never be solved.”

“Of course.” She shuddered. “What does this have to do with Michaela?”

“She was in the room when it blew. She died, Amanda.”

“So? Someone obviously revived her.”

He shook his head. “There was a thick chunk of glass embedded in her throat. There was no saving her. She died instantly.”

Amanda took a deep breath. “Then how…”

“The High King. I don’t know what he did, but somehow he saved her, pulled her back from death, but in doing so he left himself weakened and vulnerable to a traitor who tried to poison him. It worked, but King Oberon was found by his truebond, Queen Cassandra, and she kept him safe until his memories returned.”

He watched the expressions flitting across her face as she processed what he was telling her. Confusion, concern, rapidly followed by curiosity. “Robin must have freaked out.”

That was putting it mildly. “He tore her killer into tiny little pieces.” And Raven had gladly helped.

“But Oberon saved her, right?” Amanda looked confused again. “Robin knew that.”

“Not when he caught the
each uisge
, no. In fact, when he found her body gone from the bomb site, he freaked even more. He somehow knew where she’d gone, and next thing I know she’s alive again, but Tuatha Dé Danann.”

“Wow.” Amanda bit her lip. “That’s a hell of a way to become fae.”

“It is, yeah.” And not an option for anyone else. Oberon would never allow himself to be that vulnerable again. “The High King only did what he did because of how much he loves Robin. They’re like brothers.”

“Huh.” She scrunched up her nose. “So there’s no other way to become fae?”

He sighed. “There’s one, but I’m not certain you’d like it.”

“What is that?”

He grimaced. He really didn’t like this option, but she’d asked. “Become a vampire, like Jaden.”

“I get the feeling you don’t have any love for the fanged set.” She stared at him, that curiosity more than riding her.

He sighed and rolled over onto his back. “The Black Queen was the first
Leannan Sidhe
, or vampire, to ever exist. She sold her soul to a demon in exchange for power, hoping to overthrow Oberon. It led to this huge war that tore the courts apart. It almost destroyed the fae.” He glanced at her before returning his gaze to the ceiling. “It’s one of the reasons no vampire will ever be welcome into the White Court. Gloriana hates them with a passion normally reserved for the Dark Queen.”

“But it’s not their fault that their…sire? progenitor?…was a prizewinning bitch.” Amanda shivered. “That’s like blaming the child for the parent’s misdeeds.”

“That’s exactly what she does.” He sighed and rolled to face her once more. “She’s the Inquisition and the Witch Hunts all rolled into one. If there’s a whiff of Black Court taint, you will be dealt with as if you were Black Court.”

“Damn. She makes the Dark Queen sound like a nice glass of iced tea on a warm day.”

Raven shuddered. “The Dark Queen is anything but sweet and cool, believe me.” He knew that intimately. “She’s no Mary Poppins, that’s for sure.”

She stared at him. “Raven?”

“Hmm?” He knew, just
knew
, what she was going to ask, and had no idea how he’d answer.

“She hurt you badly, didn’t she?”

He relaxed a fraction of a hair. She hadn’t asked the real question, but she’d come damn close. “Yes.”

“And not just by taking your mother from you.” She placed her hand on his arm, her touch comforting and warm. “She hurt you in other ways.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep the memories at bay. Amanda was nothing like Titannia.
Nothing
. His truebond would never harm him the way the bitch queen had.

But he’d promised Amanda honesty, and he would give it to her, no matter how humiliating and painful. “Yeah.”

“Damn it.” She curled up against him, holding him tight. “I won’t let her hurt you again, okay?”

Was she crying? Raven sat up, dislodging her hold on him.

Damn it. She was crying. He cupped her cheek, wiping away a tear. “I know you won’t.”

She bit her lip. “If I ever, and I mean
ever
do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me, all right?” She tugged him back down until they were nose to nose again, their legs entwined together. “I’m making the same promise to you that you made to me. I’ll take care of you, and I give you my word I’ll never hurt you, not that way.”

He nodded.

“Do you need to tell me about it?”

Oh, hell no. The last thing he wanted to do was taint her with his past.

But something about the way she looked at him, the concern without sympathy, just his mate wanting to hear something bad that had happened in his past, had him opening his mouth. “She raped me.”

“I know.” She clutched his hand tight, tangling their fingers together.

“I wasn’t the only one, either. What she did…” He was trembling, almost unable to speak.

“Tell me only what you want to.”

So he did, and it was good. She listened quietly, holding his hand, as his tale went on and on until the light beneath the curtains turned pink with dawn and his voice was raw and hoarse. And still she said nothing, letting him speak quietly of the torment he’d been put through, the bonds that had bled him, the whips and chains and the drugs that would force him to perform. She’d always tie down Robin’s get, his children, afraid that they would hurt her while she took her pleasure from them.

He would have. He would have maimed her if he could have, but the drugs prevented it. If drugs didn’t work, her bite would, allowing her access to his mind, blurring the lines between hate and desire until there was nothing left but the brief prayer that he’d die before it happened again.

Of course, it always did.

He hadn’t realized he’d fallen silent until he felt her tears on his face, her lips on his. “Amanda.” He reached up and put his hands in her hair, holding her like the treasure she was.

“Never again, Raven. No more. You’re safe now. I’ll make sure of it.”

His fierce little bird was all ready to protect him from the big bad bitch. The thought of Amanda actually facing the Black Queen had him pulling her close to him. He kissed her, desperate to remind himself that she was here, in his arms, and not chained to the queen’s bed, awaiting her pleasure.

Amanda allowed the powerful kiss, leaning into him and somehow soothing the beast that had awoken in him. He took, she gave, and by the time the kiss ended they were both flushed and panting.

“Make love to me.”

Raven smiled. The uncertainty in her gaze would someday go away. How could he turn her, his truebond, down? “My pleasure.”

Jesus. The man hovering over her, slowly lowering his lips to hers, had been through hell and back.

She was so very grateful that he’d come through it whole, and so very pissed that he’d had to go through it in the first place.

His gentleness with her, the way he was so careful not to hurt her, asking her if she liked what he was doing. It all made sense now. He knew what it was like to be forced, to have the choice taken away from him over and over again. If she could ease his pain, make things right, she would do whatever was necessary.

For now, that meant holding him, showing him that with her, sex would never mean pain.

He eased her shirt off, lifting away from her lips just long enough to pull it over her head before taking her mouth once more. His kisses now were sensual, no longer about him but about them, and she wanted nothing more than that.

Them, coming together as one.

He broke the kiss, his soft voice whispered in her ear, telling her how beautiful she was, how precious, how much she already meant to him. Her clothing was slowly taken from her body until nothing was covering her, exposing her to his avid gaze.

When she cupped his cheek, he closed his eyes and trembled.

“Now you.” She tugged at his shirt, not wanting to say more, afraid her voice would break the spell they’d woven.

He nodded and began taking off his clothes with the same slow, methodical movements he’d used to take hers. Soon he was naked above her, their skin gliding together, rough and smooth mingling, her legs tangling with his. He kissed his way down her jaw to her neck, nibbling on her earlobe before finding that one spot that drove her insane every time he touched it.

It was the raven he’d marked her with, the small tattoo an exact duplicate of the one that decorated him. She’d been shocked when she first saw it, but soon realized that it seemed right that it was there. She even planned on wearing a one-shoulder dress the day of Michaela and Robin’s wedding, proudly showing the mark for all to see.

The reverent kiss he placed on the raven tattoo, the way he stared at it before kissing her again, his gaze filled with a mixture of disbelief and adoration, almost made her burst into tears again. It was the highest honor she could think of, to earn the trust of a man who’d been abused the way Raven had, and she would treasure that trust in the way Raven deserved.

Gentle caresses mingled with soft butterfly kisses as he made his way down her body. Even when he took one of her nipples in his mouth he was gentle, laving it with his tongue until she was ready to beg for a stronger touch. But Raven moved on, his lips grazing her stomach as his fingers tangled in the curls between her thighs.

She arched into his touch, eager for anything he was willing to give her. He stroked her curls before diving through them, stroking her clit over and over again, driving her insane with need.

When he finally knelt between her thighs and took her into his mouth she really did scream. It felt so good, so damn good, she lost all thought. The only thing she could do was beg and plead for him to move faster, give her more, her head thrashing on the pillow as the pleasure blinded her to everything else.

The rhythmic movement of his tongue across her clit became more than she could handle. She came, gasping as the ecstasy overrode her senses. Her hands clenched in the sheets as she rode his mouth, grasping at every drop of pleasure he doled out until she was wrung dry.

She blinked, barely aware that he was still between her thighs, still lapping at her pussy. She shuddered, her body moving restlessly as he began to carefully ramp up the pleasure once more.

Amanda took her breasts in her hands and began tweaking her nipples, the sensation going right to her clit. When Raven took her clit into his mouth and sucked she damn near bucked off the bed. “More,” she groaned, unable to do anything but beg as his talented mouth took over her body once more. “Please, Raven.”

She glanced down to find him staring at her, watching as she pleasured her breasts, his lips all the while moving over her sensitive pussy. His eyes had turned that amazing combination of blue and green, the green dominating, glowing as he inserted a finger inside her.

Amanda rode his hand, her eyes closing as she came close to orgasm. She gasped when he nipped her inner thigh, sucking up a mark before crawling back up her body.

This time he wasn’t reverent and gentle. The kiss he gave her was demanding, taking from her whatever she was willing to give.

Amanda opened up and gave him everything.

Never before had she given herself to a man in this way, but Raven had earned it. He’d opened himself up to her despite the possibility that she might reject him. How could she not give him the same in return?

So she gave all she was, and in return received him with a joy she’d never felt before. He entered her carefully but steadily until his balls were resting against her ass. She could feel him pulsing inside her, thick and hard and unbelievably good.

She put her hands on Raven’s ass, the muscles underneath her palms clenching as she did so, pulling him impossibly farther inside her. He was just below the edge of too much for her to handle, but when he pulled away, his cock dragging out of her, she desperately wanted to pull him back.

He granted her wish, thrusting into her again, filling her to the brim, before dragging out again. Raven fucked her in slow, easy thrusts, the angle of his hips giving her room to reach down and play with her clit. The pleasure increased as she wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up wider to his thrusts.