Never More (9 page)

“Like taking children to Neverland?”

Raven grunted. “Like stopping your blood from flowing through your veins.”

“Oh.”

“Never piss off a fairy unless you know how to neutralize their dust.” And he did. It took considerable effort, but he did.

“How?”

“Time. All fairy dust fades over time, some swiftly, some more slowly depending on the fairy’s strength. And that dust obeys their commands.”

“Like fly?”

“Like fly. Or itch. Or kill. Keep it from entering your body, and eventually they’ll run out of dust.” He patted her hand. “Remember that. Every fae, no matter how powerful or frightening, has a weakness. Our powers aren’t infinite. Find that weakness, and use it against whatever enemy you face.”

“Including you?” She was staring at him with something akin to fear…and worry. “I mean, you have a weakness too?” Amanda winced. “Not that I would think of you as an enemy. And this is coming out all wrong.”

It was also possible he was seeing something he wanted to. After all, how well did he know humans? Most of his life he’d avoided them, but Michaela had opened his eyes to the possibilities that humans held.

Of course, she was just chock full of fae DNA, so she could have been an exception.

“Yes. Including me.” He pulled into the Dunne farm’s long driveway. “And because you’re human, you’ll be even more vulnerable if you piss the wrong person off.”

“Gotcha.” Her face had paled. “Trolls?”

He smiled. “You’d be surprised. Trolls make great toll takers.”

The look she shot him was not amused. “Very funny, dill weed.”

“The bridges they design don’t fail.”

She got out of the car and flipped him the finger.

He followed her quickly, barely remembering to turn off the ignition. Even here, on the Dunne farm, he didn’t feel entirely safe. Nothing was going to strike at her back while he was there.

Something kept pricking at his senses, like an irritable rash that just wouldn’t go away. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the fairies they’d been mocking were watching them.

But there were no fairies nearby. He’d sense them on the wind, taste their dust on his tongue. No. He was more concerned that Sayyid had used the illusion trap to track him back to here, where Michaela and Robin were.

Sayyid would earn major points with the Dark Queen if he brought her the bride of the Hob. She might even forgive him for allowing Raven to live.

Amanda walked through the front door and called out for Michaela and Robin. Raven remained on the front porch, the chill of being watched growing stronger by the moment.

“There’s something out there, but I can’t sense what.” Sean Dunne stepped out of the front door, the leprechaun’s brow furrowed in anger. “Nothing can hide from me on my land, but whoever it is, they’re using their heads. They’re just off the edge of my land.”

“Which means you can’t affect them.”

“Or hear them.” Sean shook himself. “We need to keep this from Akane or she’ll try and do some sort of surveillance.”

Raven had never seen a pregnant dragon fly. He wasn’t sure they were capable of it. It would be like watching a scaly hippo try to take flight. Hell, he was pretty certain he’d seen it in a Disney movie at one point or another. “Worse, Michaela might want to go take a look.”

Sean grunted. “That wee thing has the heart of a lion in her.” Sean glanced behind him, the scowl back on his face. “And her family the sneakiness of elephants.”

“What’s going on?” Matthew Exton stepped out onto the porch, eyeing them suspiciously. “And what does this have to do with my sister?”

Sean stared at Raven expectantly.

Raven held up his hands. “I explained all this already. It’s someone else’s turn now.”

Sean rolled his eyes and bellowed, “Shane! Get your arse out here!”

The thump of boots on wood heralded the arrival of the eldest Dunne child. His strawberry blond hair was ruffled, and his blue eyes filled with cheer. “Yes, Pa?”

“Tell Matthew here what he wants to know.” Sean turned on his heel, but before he returned to the inside of the house he spoke quietly to Raven. “I’ll inform you immediately if whoever it is takes a step onto my property.”

“Thank you.”

Sean nodded and returned to the house.

“Huh?” Shane stared after his father, then turned to Raven with wide eyes. “Did he just tell me to…tell?”

“Yup!” Raven patted Shane on the back cheerfully. “In fact, why don’t I send the other two out here so you don’t have to repeat yourself.”

Shane’s shoulders slumped. “Wonderful.”

As he walked away he heard Matt growl, “What the fuck is going on around here?” For a human it was damn impressive.

“Martin?” The man turned around, his gaze a little less shell-shocked than the last time Raven had seen him. “Shane wants to talk to you and Melissa out front.”

“Oh. Okay. Be right there.”

Raven considered his duty done, so he headed for the kitchen and his bondmate. She was finishing up with Robin and Michaela, both of whom looked delighted. “So it’s agreed then? We’ll go to the winery tomorrow?”

“Yes, and thank you.” Robin kissed the back of Amanda’s hand, causing Raven’s feathers to ruffle in irritation. “We could not have done this without you.”

“Oh, no. Thank Duncan and Ian. They totally saved my…behind.” Amanda chuckled. “Trust me, without them you’d be getting married in the cow patties out back.”

Robin shuddered delicately. “No thank you.” He stuck his foot out and contemplated his boots. “These are Prada.”

“I like them almost as much as the purple ones,” Michaela cooed.

“Michaela, Robin. Shane has been ordered by Sean to tell Matt, Martin and Melissa about—”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Matt stormed into the kitchen and glared at Michaela and Robin. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“The fae,” Raven continued.

“So you’re in on this?” Matt crossed his arms over his chest and glared. He seemed to do that a lot.

“Matt, calm down.” Martin entered the kitchen and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, but his gaze was on Michaela. “I told you something was different. Weren’t your instincts screaming at you?”

Matt sighed, his stance lightening up. “You said they glowed, Marty.”

“They do.” Marty pointed to Michaela. “She didn’t used to be all gold and silver like that, and he—” his finger moved to Robin, “—makes my head hurt.”

“Mine too,” Raven muttered, ducking with a laugh when his father halfheartedly swung at him. “I’ll leave them to you, Father. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with my bondmate.”

“Of course. We were done, were we not, Amanda?”

“I think so.” She was frowning over her notes, shuffling through them. How she managed to do that without dropping any was a mystery to Raven. “All right. I need to start working on the photographer and the music.” She smiled, one that seemed pasted on. “Enjoy the rest of your afternoon. I’ll contact you if I need any further information.”

Raven took hold of her arm and began steering her toward the front door, where Melissa was still quietly speaking with Shane. “You’re going to be far too busy to contact them for the rest of the afternoon.”

“Oh?” She sounded intrigued. Good. That was the way he liked it.

“Mm-hm.”

“And what’s going to keep me so occupied I can’t do my job?”

Despite her protest, she wasn’t pulling away.

“Me.” And with a swift move, Raven and Amanda flew into the air and out over the fields, leaving Raven’s crazy family far behind them.

Chapter Nine

Oh, my God, she was going to vomit. Raven was holding her tightly Superman style, with a twist. Instead of allowing her feet to dangle, Amanda had wrapped her legs around his waist, terrified to the core that he’d drop her if she didn’t hold on with all of her might. Despite his assurances, she refused to lift her head from his chest, keeping her eyes closed until he landed once more on terra firma.

“I hate you so much right now,” she whispered, biting back her nausea. When he’d lifted her to the house it hadn’t been so bad, but this little ride from hell had nearly cost her breakfast.

“Sorry, my sweet. Allow me to make it up to you.” He helped Amanda set her feet on the ground, and steadied her as she looked around.

Huh. A barn. They must still be on Dunne property. Shane’s silo wasn’t that far away. “I’m a wuss.”

“Why do you say that?” He led her into the barn, watching the ground for any animal bombs they might step in.

“Because that short flight made me want to hurl.”

He shook his head as he led her toward the ladder that would take them up to the hayloft. He began climbing, letting her go up the ladder on her own, trusting her to not fall. “I’m glad you didn’t. This is my favorite jacket.”

“Ha-ha.” She finished climbing, settling next to him on the straw. “So. Why did you bring me out here?”

“Because there’s more that you need to know about truebonds.” He was staring at her, his gaze intent, his expression dead serious. “For one, we’ve already started to bond.”

“We have?” She thought back to what he’d already told her. “Oh, right. The kiss.”

He nodded. “That begins the process.” He tipped her face up and kissed her softly, stopping her when she tried to take it deeper. “The next step involves something a little more…intimate, remember?”

Her heart began to beat faster. “I’m still not sure about hiding your jalapeño in my…enchilada.”
Ugh. I’m losing my touch if that’s the best I can do.

“Mm-hm.” Raven didn’t seem to notice her horrible joke. The little butterfly kisses, barely there brushes of his lips against hers, continued driving her insane. “We won’t bond that way until you’re ready. I won’t force
anything
on you sexually. I give you my word on that.”

The way he said it, the determination that lit his eyes, had her leaning back. “What happened?” She kept her tone soft, brushing her fingertips over his cheek.

There was a hardness to his expression she hadn’t seen before, a pain that went deeper than the physical. “Just know that you will always be safe with me.”

She nodded, more for his sake than her own. She’d ask Robin about her suspicions if Raven didn’t come clean.

Someone Raven loved had been violated. Someone he cared for so deeply he was willing to make promises like that. “I believe you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled again, his expression easing immediately. He kissed her fingertips before pulling her close once more. “You said we don’t know each other well enough to bond. I’d like to rectify that.” That green circle near his pupil widened, nearly swallowing the blue. “My favorite color is black.”

“No, really?” She chuckled when he shrugged. “Mine is blue.”

“My second favorite.” Another tiny kiss. “Rock and roll.”

“Ditto.” This time, she kissed him. It was almost too cute, the way he was trying to learn about her likes and dislikes while revealing his own. “Mums.”

“Hmm. Roses.” The kiss went a little deeper this time. “Favorite food?”

She giggled. “Mexican.”

“Of course.” He tucked a loose bit of her hair behind her ear. “Mine’s Italian.”

“Family?”

He grimaced. “Dead, other than Robin and some siblings who soon will be.”

“Huh?” She leaned back, wondering if she’d heard him right. “You’re going to kill your brothers and sisters?”

“More like they’re going to try and kill me and I’m going to defend myself. If they leave me alone, I’ll leave them alone.”

“Damn. That’s…”

“Cold?” He shrugged again, but she could tell the nonchalance was forced. “It’s how the Black Court works. Only the strongest survive there for long. The weakest become playthings of the elite. Power speaks, money talks, and corruption runs rampant.”

“Sounds like Congress.”

“The fae make Congress look like a preschool fight.” He toyed with her fingers, refusing to meet her eyes. “Favorite bird?”

Sneaky bastard. “Cardinals. They’re so bright and cheerful.”

He gagged.

“Let me guess. Ravens?”

“You were expecting me to say chickens?” He pushed her down onto the straw as she laughed.

“I could totally see you as the Chicken Lord.” On his worst day, maybe. Or for Halloween.

“Not even on a bet.”

“Colonel Sanders would be jealous.”

He blew a raspberry against her neck in retaliation, causing her to squirm and giggle like some teenage girl being teased by her crush.

He shuddered above her, pulling away slightly. The blue was completely gone from his eyes, leaving them a bright green. “Um. Maybe you shouldn’t do that.”

“Oh.” His expression was one of pain. “Did I hurt you?”

One brow went up, and his hips thrust against her. “Only in a delicate area.”

Her bad boy was packin’ some heat down there. Amanda grinned and slid her hand over his hip. “Liked that, huh?”

Some dark feathers joined the black locks of his hair. “Just a little.”

She touched those dark feathers, the feel of silky hair mixed with the stiffer plumage tantalizing her senses. The soft light in the barn glinted off the feathers, turning them black, purple and blue. The dance of colors was dazzling. “So pretty.”

He tilted his face down and…

Charmed her completely. “Oh my God. You’re blushing.”

“Shut it.” He kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers, his lips demanding she respond with the same amount of desire that he obviously had for her.

Amanda had no problem meeting that demand. She responded, wrapping her arms around his waist, kissing him for all she was worth. Bad boy, goth boy, Raven Lord, it didn’t matter.

She’d called him beautiful, and he’d
blushed
. How adorable was that?

His fingertips brushed against the skin of her waist, inching her sweater up her body. He slowly unzipped her jacket, giving him access to the rest of her. And still, that amazing kiss went on and on, barely interrupted by flesh meeting flesh.

When his hands were right below her breasts she reached up, burying her fingers in his hair. The feathers in the back of his hair were stiffer than the feathery, downy ones toward the front, but that just drove home to her the dichotomy of the man himself. Harsh and beautiful, soft and protective, he was turning out to be everything she really did need and hadn’t known existed in one human being.

The fact that he wasn’t human at all still bothered her, but she was willing to let that go. He’d been upfront from the start with her, telling her exactly what was going on. She didn’t want to be some mushroom, stuck in the dark and fed bullshit for the rest of her life, especially when it came to something as important as the fact that her lover wasn’t
Homo sapiens
.

Raven groaned and ended the kiss, but before she could do something stupid like beg for his mouth he began kissing and sucking on the side of her neck. Amanda tilted her head, allowing him better access as his hands drifted upward, cupping her breasts for the first time.

The man sure knew how to use his hands. Despite the barrier of her bra, she could feel every caress, every brush of his fingers. He made no move to take things further, simply kissing the fuck out of her and touching her. She was the one who started reaching for his belt, eager to touch the man in any way he’d allow.

He grabbed hold of her hand and ended the kiss. His expression was pained, his eyes shut tight. “We’re not going that far, remember?”

Her brain kicked back in. “Because once we have sex—”

“That’s it. It’s forever, for both of us.” He shivered hard and opened his eyes. They were still green, still glowing brightly. “And I don’t know if you understand what that means.”

“You’ve explained it to me, goth boy. We have sex, we bond.”

“And you live as long as I do.” He kissed her fingers. “If one of us dies, so does the other. A truebond is literally for life and beyond.”

“How long do fae live?” She began to toy with his hair again, curiosity overcoming the heat of their earlier kiss. The intimacy of their position only added to the overall feeling that they were sharing something meant only for them.

“Depends on the fae. Since I’m half sylph, half…Robin, I could live the typical four to six hundred years that the sylph do, or a hell of a lot longer than that.” He chuckled. “I think my father remembers when they invented dirt.”

“So you could live to infinity?”

“Yes.”

She whistled softly. “I’m…wow.”

“And that’s why I stopped you.” He ground up against her with a groan. “Never, for an instant, think I don’t want you. I do. I’m going to kick my own ass later for stopping this, but…”

“Shh.” She kissed him softly. “You know what?”

“What?”

“Keep this up, and you’re totally getting laid.”

He laughed, the sound deep and rich, running through her like a warm breeze.

Liam got out of his rental car and stared at the farmhouse. “C’mon, Red. You only live once.”

“Says you. I plan on living many, many times.”

Liam grinned and spun, picking up the tiny little mate of Robin Goodfellow. “Michaela!”

She giggled brightly as he spun her. “Red!”

He bussed her on the cheek and set her back on her feet. “How are you today, my lady?”

“Better now you’re here.” Her grin lit up her face, taking her from pretty to stunning. “Robin’s been waiting for you.”

“Oh?” Liam eyed the house now with something close to trepidation.

“Don’t worry, you’re not on the clock. Not as far as I know, anyway.” Michaela placed her arm on his and began pulling him toward the house. “C’mon, I want to introduce you to my family.”

She was wrong about that. Robin was waiting for him because he was very much on the clock. “I’d love to.”

Liam allowed Michaela to tug him up the front steps. Honestly, unless he dropped his Seeming, odds were good she was stronger than he was. As a Tuatha Dé Danann, she might be stronger than he was either way, but he wasn’t willing to put that to the test, even jokingly. He liked Michaela, but he loved Robin as a father.

“Red.” Robin stepped out of the front door, looking impeccable as always. Liam felt like the techno-geek he was in his worn T-shirt, jeans and canvas sneakers.

Liam smiled and adjusted his black-rimmed glasses. “Hob.” Robin threw his arms wide, and Liam embraced him. “Congratulations. Nothing could make me happier than being here right now.” Even if, deep inside, he was trembling with the need to get his hands on something,
anything
, with Internet access.

“Of course you are.” Robin’s laughing tone told Liam he hadn’t fooled the head Blade one little bit. “How bad?”

“Bad.” He shot Robin a look and handed over a file. “Take a look.”

Robin opened the file and glanced at the picture inside. “Lady Ernestina Solano.” He read the report from the High King’s coroner, a hobgoblin who’d trained at a human medical school. “Interesting.”

Li nodded. That was one word for it. She, too, had been decapitated by a single sword stroke. No phone calls, no Internet activity, no signs of broken entry. Nothing to indicate a killer, other than a single black feather hidden behind a desk, as if blown there. “Yeah. And guess who’s getting the blame?”

Robin stepped back and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m certain you can finagle your way into the Dunnes’ network,” he said, watching one of Michaela’s brothers inch closer to them.

“Just call me the little gremlin that could.”

Robin gestured for Liam to precede him into the house. “I don’t believe you’ve had the pleasure of meeting the Dunnes, my friend.”

Nope. He’d seen plenty about them online, in places not even Robin could access, but he’d never met them in person. Come to think of it, he’d never really met anyone in Robin’s life. He’d met the occasional Blade when Robin brought one of his operatives to Liam’s lair, but the people Robin loved? Those were kept secret, and safe, even from each other. Only the High King had the honor of Robin’s public attentions, and not one single person who knew Robin could fault that.

Liam took a deep breath and stepped into the warm chaos that was the Dunne farm, hoping he wasn’t about to make a complete fool of himself, and not just because he wanted to impress Robin.

Nope. He had another agenda, one he wasn’t sure Robin would approve of if he knew. And it had to do with the pretty little sister of Robin’s truebond, Melissa Exton.

Robin’s voice whispered in his ear, though the man leaned no closer to him. “You, Raven and I shall investigate what you’ve found so far.”

Li nodded. Of course he would. He’d do anything for Robin. He cracked his knuckles, smiling at the amused look Robin sent him.

Li would kill to protect those Robin claimed as his. They were, after all, the only family Li would ever have.

Immortality. Who the fuck didn’t want immortality? And a hot guy willing to do you whenever you wished?

Amanda walked around the Dunne farm, wondering if she was crazy or not. Because she wasn’t at all certain she was meant to be immortal. And that was why she was here, alone, wandering around blindly while she tried to sort out her feelings.

The man kissed like a dream. He promised the world. But Amanda had been burned before, and Raven had the ability to annihilate her already. Her heart was already engaged. Already she looked to the horizon for a sight of black wings, for a footfall that was distinctly his. His scent was forever embedded in her mind, his touch was craved.

She barely knew him, but he was growing on her.

She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, like a wart.”

Damn it. Now she was talking to herself. Worse, she was doing it out loud, where anyone could hear her.

She glanced around.