CHAPTER ELEVEN
SHE'S BEEN OUT FOR ALMOST a whole day and I haven’t been able to leave her side. The moment that cursed necklace was removed from her delicate neck… making room for my hand—nope, not the time for inappropriate thoughts—she passed out and she fell for me.
Well…
She fell and I caught her.
Semantics.
I tried to take her to my room, but both Killian and Aemon thought it would be better if she woke up in her own bed.
Either way, I haven’t left her side. Except to quickly relieve myself, and I made Nero promise to keep her safe.
I swear that bird wanted to claw my face off.
I approve; she has the best familiar. I just know that he has a little violent streak with the way he guards her and that eyeball that sits in a fluid-filled jar on her bedside table.
I knew there had to be a reason why I’m so obsessed with her.
My eyes trace her face, the soft curve of her pink pouty lips, the sharp cut of her cheek bones, right down to the way her eyelashes rest against her too-pale face.
She’s a lot older than the six-year-old bossy princess I remember.
She’s gorgeous, and I know my little prankster is hidden away in there somewhere.
I just can’t believe she’s actually here with us.
Alive. After all these years we thought she was dead.
We may have only spent six years with Maeven but we somehow all grew impossibly close.
It was like the fates themselves had begun to weave our bonds even then.
Our souls knew, even if our minds couldn’t fully comprehend the whole situation.
Close enough that it broke us when we heard the news. It changed us in ways we will never be able to fix.
Now, she’s our mate. All of ours, I’m pretty sure that includes Killian—even though he hasn’t said anything.
In fact, the reason he hasn’t said anything is how I know I’m right.
The male retreats when he begins feeling anything but anger.
And Maeven still being alive, living her life in a backwater village as a null named Ravina, would definitely cause those feelings.
A soft grumpy groan comes from the small female next to me and I’m out of the chair and on the bed next to her, and so is her raven.
“Jesper, what are you doing in my room?” she mumbles with her eyes closed.
A smile breaks out across my face. “And how do you know it’s me, Little Mouse?”
The next words out of her perfect mouth have my heart squeezing with joy. Seriously, it might as well be pulverized with how happy I am.
“I would know your scent anywhere… I remember everything,” she whispers as she opens her eyes, looking confused and hurt. “I remember my parents’ faces. I remember you.”
Unable to help myself, I dart forward, pressing my lips against hers.
She freezes before relaxing into my touch, kissing me back.
Her hands run up my chest and wrap around my neck as she pulls me closer, opening her mouth just enough for my tongue to whisper against her lips before she’s pushing me away.
“I-I’m sorry. I can’t. I want to. It’s just too much,” she stutters, her chest heaving as her pale checks turn an adorable shade of red.
Leaning back, I smile. “You never need to apologize. I’ll wait until you’re ready.
But fuck if that was not the most delicious kiss.
You taste like my dreams come to life, and I’ll crawl on my knees for you until you let me taste you again,” I whisper, running my thumb across her bottom lip which is slightly swollen now.
Her breath stutters and my heart stops for a whole different reason now. “Why didn’t you come for me? Any of you?”
Nero caws, puffing up as he takes a step towards me.
I hold my hands up, keeping an eye on the bird out of the corner of my eye.
“We tried. We thought you were dead. As far as I know—which I just found out, by the way—Aemon was the only one who knew you were still in the realm and not with your parents in the aether.” Yeah, I threw him under the carriage because he let me think my best friend and now mate was dead for twenty-one fucking years.
The bastard deserves a bit of a hard time if you ask me.
The moment Talyn gets here I know that white-haired bastard is going to be in for an ass kicking.
Ravina’s expression changes in the blink of an eye from hurt and confused to anger. “Oh I figured as much, the dream-invading asshole. Do you know how much—” she cuts herself off. “Please leave. I think I need some time away from all of you to think about what’s happened…”
My gut sinks but I nod, getting up from her bed. “I won’t be far,” I tell her before her insane bird flies at my head talons first, cawing up a storm with his plumage puffed and feathers exploding around the room. “Okay! Okay! I’m leaving, you feathered rabbit!”
I manage to escape with my life and both of my eyeballs, and the moment the door closes, the tears start, heartbreaking sobs penetrating through the door right into my very soul—what’s left of it, anyway.
My head presses against the solid wood. I’m so sorry, Rav.
I know deep down that these tears aren’t the cries of a female who has been hurt.
These are the tears of a female who’s lost everything, including herself, grieving for what she could have had, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she comes out the other side stronger.
I need to talk with the others. But first—and I’m proud of myself for admitting this—she doesn’t need three overbearing males. She needs her friends. At least until she can trust me, trust all of us again to keep her darkness at bay.
AFTER THREATENING HER friends to sit outside her door until she was ready for company, I stride around Aemon’s family castle on a mission.
Hearing her tears, it broke something in me.
And yes, I’m fucking livid at Aemon for keeping her existence from us, but she’s going to need all of us to work together and get our heads out of our asses.
Look at me being the responsible one for once.
It’s weird. I’m not sure if I like it, but for Ravina, I’ll be anything she needs me to be.
Anything.
Thankfully, I find both males out in the courtyard.
I’m not sure if they’re trying to kill each other or if they’re just training.
Killian definitely isn’t pulling his punches and shadow boy keeps ducking into who knows where before reappearing for another strike.
After watching, I realize Aemon is taunting him. Oh, what a sick game. I want to play.
My head tilts as I sink into my magick, summoning a fully grown basilisk that begins coiling around Killian. Just as Aemon disappears I spin, breaking my concentration from Killian and raising my dagger to parry his blow.
“It’s about time I got your attention. We need to talk,” I tell Aemon before skirting to the side to see Killian charging at us. “You too, big guy. Ravina needs us. She remembers her childhood as Maeven. She remembers us,” I yell, holding up my blade in case he doesn’t stop.
I push into his mind hard and fast and I know he’s going to get me back later for it, but Killian isn’t here right now, he’s in his head, in the past. So I do what any best friend would do and make him feel like he’s falling into an endless void by making him believe the ground opened up beneath him.
He doesn’t scream like I expect but falls forward and twitches a bit.
Ah, he’ll be fine.
“This is a good thing, is it not? She remembers us. That means we can move forward and not have to worry about her spying for your fathers,” Aemon says as he watches Killian spasm with a cocked head.
I sigh and flick him on the ear. “You realize she’s now remembering everything she’s forgotten? She’s grieving. She doesn’t have much training, no purpose right now. Fates, I don’t even think she realizes she has mates. Which we can tell her now, by the way. In case you’ve forgotten.”
Aemon’s head snaps towards me and he holds a small dagger to my neck.
“I could never forget that she’s my mate.
” His eyes seem to take on an unrealmly glow.
“But she’s not ready to have four mates thrusted upon her.
It’s why I’ve been keeping my distance. She’s been through the void and back, all because I didn’t look into her life harder.
She had nightmares but I thought she was safe where she was. ”
Her scars flash before my eyes and I almost debate on giving up this truce that I’m trying to create and kill the motherfucker.
“So we train her to fight. Give her a routine here. Help her overcome whatever demons are in her head. We’ve all been dealing with ours.
It would be fucked up of us as her mates if we didn’t at least give her the same opportunity.
She needs to learn to ride her beast and care for it and so do her friends.
There’s a war happening around us that destroyed her family.
This is the very least we can do. And I will be telling her about my mate-bond to her.
I refuse to hide that from her any longer.
She doesn’t need secrets. She needs us. Her family.
” I just need to find the right time to tell her.
As I talk, Aemon’s brows grow higher and higher on his forehead, practically disappearing into his hairline. “Jesper… Did you get possessed by Talyn’s spirit? Do you have a fever?” He tries to touch my forehead, but I swat his hand away.
“Don’t remind me,” I mumble. “I don’t think I like this serious role. I’ll leave that to Tal, for when he gets back and joins us.” I shiver. “But I’m serious. She needs us.”
I cut off my magick and hear Killian groan. “I’m going to fucking get you for that,” he grunts, hoisting himself off the floor. “But I won’t be helping. Not yet.” He picks his blade off the floor and disappears back into the castle.
Aemon’s shoulders rise and then drop as he shifts his weight to the side. “He’ll come around. Now, you mentioned training. What do you have in mind?”