Page 37

Chapter 36

Warmth of the Sun

Silvana

S tretching out, I could feel the warmth of the sun caressing my bare skin. I was lying on a plush spot of grass in the middle of a vast meadow, the sun shining on my face, I looked to the sky and smiled. Rolling over, I kissed his shoulder. I’d felt his presence next to me as soon as I’d opened my eyes. He peered down at me, his onyx eyes saying everything words would never be able to cover.

“Hello, my darling. Did you sleep well?” he asked, his voice still groggy from a deep sleep.

“Always next to you, My Lord,” I replied, my voice sounding soft. I playfully nibbled on his shoulder until he rolled over, pinning me beneath his solid body. I ran my fingers through his thick dark hair and smiled as it cascaded over his shoulders and onto my naked chest, his length already hard and pressing against my thigh.

“You look so beautiful in the sunlight like this, My Queen. Free and happy,” he murmured against my skin as he gently kissed along my collarbone.

“I always look like this when I’m with you,” I replied, which earned me a genuine smile. The smile lit up his entire face and made him look like the human version of Raiden I’d seen in my dream. The one without the weight of an entire court of people depending on him.

I ran my hands down his broad shoulders, letting my fingertips run along the dark ink that was set into his pale skin, only stopping once my fingers hit his wrist where our bonding mark lay. He was stunning and he was mine. But a part of me, the logical part I hated right now, knew this wasn’t real. Not fully.

“I’m going to find you, Raiden. I won’t stop until you’re back with me,” I whispered.

He looked up at me, his eyes suddenly somber as if he were thinking the same thing I was. I wasn’t sure if this was truly him, or if my mind made this up. I wasn’t sure if there was a way for me to know.

“I could pass on into the next life, Silvana, and I would find a way back to you. Dust in the wind, and I would will the Fates to bring a breeze my way to bring myself back to you, even if to only be back in the presence of your soul. I will always be with you, no matter what it takes or who I must kill, I will be with you again,” he proclaimed.

“Just be with me, here, now. Please,” I replied, trying to will the tears in my eyes away. I needed to feel him, to feel as if this could be real again. As if it would be—I needed something to hold on to so when I woke up again, I would feel a little less lost.

He nodded and kissed down my chest, pulling my nipple into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth and tongue. Dipping my hands into his hair, I gasped as I felt his fangs graze against me.

“Please, Raiden,” I pleaded.

The moment his fangs broke the skin around my breast, I closed my eyes, letting the mix of pain and pleasure take over. This was what I needed—to be grounded in a space without everything else. I needed to just be here with him.

I felt him drinking from me, felt the connection that I’d been longing for, for the past few days deepen. I opened my eyes, looked down at him, and smiled. He released my breast and came up to kiss me, my blood still coating his lips. His touch was gentle at first, our lips barely touching. But a moment later his lips were crushing against mine, and I hoped with every fiber of my existence that it was real.

I pulled his bottom lip into my mouth, my teeth sinking into his flesh. He groaned as I sucked before pulling away to look into his dark eyes.

“Tell me this is real,” I whispered, our mouths so close I could smell my blood still on his tongue.

“It’s always been real, Silvana, and it always will be,” he whispered back.

Before I could think about it any more, I had my legs wrapped around his hips, my back arching to meet him. He wasted no time, pushing his cock deep inside of me in one swift thrust. Being joined with him, one being, one soul, was everything. We moved together, my fangs aching to sink into him, but I didn’t want this to end. I needed more.

I told him so—through whimpers and whispers against his skin. We came together as one, his hands buried in my long hair, tears still gathered in my eyes. I sank my fangs into his shoulder as he did the same to me. Our essence mixed on every level possible as I welcomed him and every bit of pleasure and pain he could dish out for me.

And when I woke up, in the small inn Cedar, Bastian, and I were staying in, I wiped the tears off my cheeks that I couldn’t hold back anymore. I tasted him on my tongue, and I felt the bite marks on my skin, willing them to stay longer than I knew they would. But I knew my soul would be back with me soon.

I was trusting the threads of fate.

* * *

T he Court of Ravens was nothing but sky. Wide open midnight blue skies filled with stars. The moon was only half full tonight, but she let off plenty of light for us to ride along the bumpy road into the city of Cainhorn where the ruler of the Court of Ravens lived.

I sent a quick prayer to any of the three Fates who may be listening that this went well—I’d been doing that a lot recently. After Cedar told me about his grandmama and what she believed, everything Allie had been saying made a lot more sense. Trusting the threads. It made me anxious, though, putting my faith into something like that. But at the same time, I was willing to do anything to make sure he was safe. Even if that meant trusting something I wasn’t fully convinced was real.

Paine, the ruler in the Court of Ravens, came to my mind. I hadn’t met him yet, but Bastian spoke highly of him and his bonded mate Arabella. Apparently, she was scarily powerful. At that point, I was gracious for any help I could come across. Especially in the form of people we could truly trust and according to everything I’d been told so far, we could trust them.

I shifted slightly atop my horse, watching as Cainhorn came into view in the darkness. Torchlight around the town let off a soft glow. I’d been to Cainhorn many times before, but never on this side of things—meeting with the ruler, being welcomed in as one of them. It felt… odd, to say the least.

The Court of Ravens wasn’t like Darkmoor. Where Darkmoor was a vast array of Gothic stone houses and cobblestoned streets, Cainhorn was soft rolling hills of green, vast open skies, and homes built into the landscape. It was a collection of small wooden houses along the Mistral River, and the castle Paine and Arabella resided in was truly a castle this time.

With light gray stone and rounded towers reaching toward the open skies, decorated with small openings that served as windows, it sat on a slightly towering hill above the rest of the town. One thing I did quickly take note of, though, was the lack of walls between the castle itself and the town. While their home was massive compared to those below it, there was no barricade of a wall holding the citizens of Cainhorn back from their rulers. They were within the town limits, together. Unified, as one.

It reminded me of the manor, where the only thing separating us from the city of Darkmoor was a small bridge over the river.

Swallowing back the small level of anxiety I had as we neared the castle, I glanced over at Cedar. He’d been taking shifts between shifting and taking flight to see ahead, and riding beside me. Having him as a constant source of comfort had been a life raft I wasn’t aware I needed until we’d left Darkmoor behind.

“Don’t be anxious, Silv,” Cedar said gently, reaching over and squeezing my hand.

“I’m fine,” I replied quickly.

He smiled sadly. “You’re not, and that’s okay. No one would blame you for that. Paine will understand, though, Silv. You’re not alone in this pain. Please don’t forget that.”

He didn’t press it after that, and I was thankful. I couldn’t talk about it anymore, and the only one who seemed to understand it was Bastian.

The male who’d thrived on chaos and bad jokes hadn’t spoken much since he’d woken up from the venom sleep he’d been stuck in. I missed his jokes, but I understood. I hadn’t been myself either. He was here, and he was ready to do whatever was necessary to help us find Raiden. That was all I needed from him right now.

“Is there anything else I need to know before going in, Bastian?” I asked as we crossed into the official line of the town. More houses came into view as we rode by.

Bastian didn’t reply for a moment, and I wondered to myself if he’d heard me. He looked over at me before finally speaking. “Just be yourself, Silvana. Don’t put on a front with what you believe they want to see. You aren’t a meek little female, so don’t act like it. Speak your mind, be straight with what you’re after, and don’t hide your love for him.”

I thought over what he’d said. Be yourself.

“What if being myself ends up having the opposite affect?” I asked, my tone giving way to the anxiety I felt in my gut.

Bastian shook his head for a moment. “Did you know that when Raiden saw you that night in the alley, he sat in his office for almost the full day sketching your face? He didn’t know your name, but he said it took him almost half that time to get the fire in your eyes on the parchment correctly.” He was quiet for another moment. “Raiden doesn’t love easily, Silvana. After his family… I think he’s afraid to love anyone who doesn’t have the ability to protect themselves. That may sound selfish of him, but trauma will do that to a person. He loves that fire, Silvana. Don’t put it out for anyone. He’d never forgive himself if you did.”

I looked away from the agony in his eyes and toward our destination. I let the anxiety go as much as I was able to because Bastian was right. Raiden had loved me from the moment he saw me torture another male for information. I couldn’t stop being that person just because I was nervous about how others would perceive me. He needed that female, and so did I.

As we neared the castle, I thought back to the dream I’d had of him. He knew I was coming, and he didn’t have a doubt in his eyes about my abilities.

We met with a few guards once we neared the castle entrance. Sliding off my horse, Cedar greeted the guards by name, letting them know why we were there and who I was. Nodding, they turned to summon someone to escort us in.

A few moments later, a small willowy female in a light green cotton dress that stopped just above her bare feet returned to meet us, a smile upon her face. She had flaming red curls and bright spring-green eyes. She didn’t look to the males on either side of me, though, she just stared into my eyes—as if she’d seen me before and was eager to do so again.

“Hello, Silvana, I’m pleased to know the ice queen has arrived safely to our borders. Please, come inside. I’m Anwen.” Her voice was soft and melodic, exactly as I expected it to be. Everything about her screamed kindness, but the fact that she knew the nickname Raiden had for me set me on edge.

Instead of responding, I just dipped my chin in acknowledgment and followed her inside the castle.

Walking inside the vast estate was exactly what I imagined. While the gray stone should have made the space cold and intimidating, the residents had it tastefully decorated in deep shades of forest and moss green with small silver accents everywhere.

Small torches lit the hallways along with long, sage-green carpets to warm up the stone throughout. Small vines peeked in through the windows and wrapped up along the walls and sconces. I smiled at the small bits of nature they allowed to enter their home.

We passed many doors that branched off from the long hall, but eventually, the hall opened up into a large square room. The ceilings were tall, and small balconies came out along the upper level that wrapped around the edges of the room. I assumed people stood up there to watch the court proceed because this was clearly a throne room. A dais took up the back half of the room, where two equally sized beautiful plush thrones sat. They were made with dark wood and accented with deep forest green seats. I’d need to tell Raiden to upgrade his throne; those looked more comfortable than his onyx stone.

The windows were much larger in this space, letting in moonlight as we entered. I silently wondered what they did during the day to block out the sunlight.

“If you take a peek into the sides of the windows, we have stones that slide out before the sun rises, closing up all the windows. It makes the castle feel like quite the tomb, but of course that’s better than being dead,” a male voice sounded from across the room, a hint of amusement in his tone.

He was a tall male, nearly as tall as Raiden, but slim. I had an idea his muscles were more toned than bulk, though. He exuded power, and I knew off instinct alone that this was the ruler of the Court of Ravens. Paine was pale, with dark brows and a matching bushy beard that covered most of his face, small braids were intertwined into it. The rest of his head lacked any hair, though, which just made his light hazel eyes pop even more. There was no denying he was a handsome male, but the female walking out next to him? She was in her own league.

She was the same height as me. Her long hair was in many tight tiny braids that reached all the way down her back. Her skin was the color of a dark brown hessonite stone and her eyes were a deep glimmering amber. She smiled at me from beside Paine and something about this female just screamed family.

“Silvana. I’m Arabella. I’ve been so looking forward to finally meeting with you,” she said, her voice breathy and full of innate power. She crossed the room and took my hands gently in hers—normally I hated being touched, but something about her screamed we’d been here before together.

“I know it was a long journey and you’ve been through quite the ordeal lately.” She glanced back at her mate, nodding slightly, and then back toward me. “I know it sounds pathetic, but I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. However we can help, please just let us do so.”

I was overwhelmed and unsure how to even begin.

“I’d like to speak to the visionary you have, if that’s okay with you both. Micah told me they might be able to help,” I said, trying to imbue confidence in my voice that was lacking. I wasn’t expecting these people to be so kind, and it was breaking down walls I normally kept solidly in place.

Arabella nodded, but Paine spoke up first. “Absolutely. Although, you’ve already met her. Our visionary is Anwen.” Paine pointed to the small redhead that led us into the castle. She was sitting on the ledge of the dais, a smile on her face as if she just knew it was all going to be just fine.

I stared at her for a moment, unsure where to even begin. Hi, can you tell me how to get my mate back? Is he okay? What the fuck is going on? None of those sounded like a good attempt at receiving help from the female.

She tilted her head to the side, a curious look in her eyes. Her hands folded in her lap. “Have you had any strange dreams lately, Silvana?” Her melodic voice asked.

“Strange dreams like what?” I replied.

A knowing smile curved her lips. “I believe you know exactly the type of dream I seek to know of. Don’t worry, Ice Queen. Your mate will be along shortly. You fed him after all, and nothing empowers males more, isn’t that right, Paine?”

I looked quickly at Paine, trying to figure out what riddle she spoke.

“Can you two dream share?” Paine asked with a brow arched and a smile curving his face.

I felt the blush reach my cheeks as I recalled the dream I’d had before the sun set this evening and the marks I’d woken up with indented into my skin.

“I-I wasn’t sure if it was really him or not… but I woke up with marks that only could’ve come from him.” My heart started racing at what Anwen was implying. I’d been too anxious to hope it was real, even with the evidence. False bravado had been my friend with this entire situation prior to now.

“Oh, I have a feeling Raiden will be along shortly.” Arabella smiled. “Let me show you to your rooms. I’m sure you’d love to get cleaned up. Then we have much to discuss. Anwen, this evening?”

The visionary looked off in the distance for a moment and shrugged. “Many variables. Perhaps. Even so, you two have more to discuss prior to all of that.”

I stared at all of them for a moment and then looked over at Cedar and Bastian. They seemed just as confused.

“I mean no disrespect, but I don’t want a room. I want to find my mate,” I stated plainly.

Anwen smiled as if she expected some resistance from me. “You will, Ice Queen. Don’t fret.”

I was so confused but so mentally drained. I followed Arabella out of the throne room and down another hall. She showed us to a few rooms that we could use, as well as a bathroom where a large tub awaited.

Trying to relax and not go after my male went against every single thing in my soul. Instead of dipping into the large tub like I wanted to, I dug through my bag. Pulling out a whetstone, I sharpened all of my knives. I started going over maps I’d obtained of the Court of Ravens and the Court of Ice, trying to find places where Raiden could be held.

A knock sounded at my door, but before I could open it Cedar and Bastian came strolling in.

“We’re here to help,” Cedar stated. “We couldn’t sit still either. So, use us.”

Bastian nodded in agreement.

I smiled sadly and handed them a map. “Help me find where he could be.”