CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Astrid
When I zip back to Aravelle that evening, Rave is sitting against our bed’s headboard, his elbow resting on his knee, whiskey in his hand. He’s naked, and the position gives me a glimpse of his muscled thigh, and my mouth waters.
“That kind of day, huh?” I ask, removing my boots and sitting down on the bed. He puts his glass on the side table and pulls me on top of him so I’m straddling his hips. His hard, thick cock pokes at my stomach, but he ignores it, instead lifting my chin with his rough fingers and looking me dead in the eye.
“Tell me,” he demands, clearly done waiting for answers. “How did you know my father was dead before anyone else did? You were by my side. There’s no way you could have known…”
I lick my lips, and his gaze drops to the motion. “There are things I haven’t told you, Rave.”
“I don’t want any secrets between us…” he murmurs. Then, when my eyes narrow, he adds, “Anymore.”
Fuck it, I need to just come out with it.
I lower my voice as I tell him the truth. “I’m a seer, Rave. My mother told me never to tell anyone about it, so I didn’t. Sometimes, I get random visions and see things, flashes of the future.”
His eyes flare, and confusion and disbelief flickers in them. “A seer?” he mutters to himself, absently stroking his thumb along my jawline. “Wait! Is that why you ran from me?”
I swallow hard. “Yes, I saw a vision of you. The same one for years. I was on my knees, and you were standing over me with a crown on your head. You took my power, left me weak, and—”
“That will never happen,” he promises me, a muscle working in his jaw. “I would sooner give up my power than leave you without.” A hint of shame passes over his expression. “Once, I did consider such a thing… before I met you.”
“The future is always changing,” I whisper, resting my hands on his chest. “That was the pathway I saw at that time. That’s why I ran. Going to you was a death sentence.”
He closes his eyes and rests his forehead on mine. “From the moment I saw you, I loved you, Astrid. I could never harm a hair on your head. You are the only person aside from Vale who is completely safe from me no matter what you do.”
“I know that now,” I admit, kissing his lips gently. “But back then, I didn’t. And clearly, neither did you since the thought had crossed your mind to take my magic for your own.”
“I’m ashamed to admit that,” he rasps, his eyes darkening. “But I only want honesty between us now. Does anyone else know about this?”
“Only August. I told him just before I met you,” I say, ignoring the darkness surrounding us. “I know how kings treat seers, Rave. Just look at Laurel. I was scared if your father found out, he’d try to use me, and—”
“You did the right thing by not telling anyone,” he admits, running his hands down my back and holding me close. “But you’re safe with me, baby. I would never use your gift if you didn’t want to. You’re incredible, you know that? There are seers, and there are healers. In the history of our realm, there has never been one who is both.”
I knew that.
As far as I am aware, I am the first.
“Just how strong is your seer gift?” he asks, studying my face.
I scoff. “Well, let’s see… I saw a vision of Vale and thought he was my child, our child, so not very.” He stills against me, the muscles in his body tightening. “I see things, but I don’t always understand them. And threads are always changing. So sometimes, if I tell people what I see, it might cause it to change. It’s hard to explain.”
“You saw a vision of Vale and thought he was yours?” he asks, his throat working as he swallows.
I nod. “Yes, that’s why I agreed to bond with you. I thought—”
His large body trembles, and his eyes bore into mine with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. “Fucking hell, Astrid. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I whisper, resting my cheek against his shoulder.
“It’s not fucking fine,” he growls out, his eyes now pitch black. He gently lifts me off him and places me on the bed. “I need a minute.”
He disappears into a cloud of smoke, and I lay back on the silk sheets, sighing heavily. I didn’t tell him to make him feel bad, but now the truth is out there like it needs to be.
I don’t know how much time passes when Rave returns or where he went to cool off, but when he returns, he’s covered in blood and heads into the bathroom to wash up. I find him braced over the sink, naked, his eyes closed. His muscles tense and relax as he takes a deep breath, and his eyes open when I run my hand down his strong back, admiring the pure masculine perfection that is my mate.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, pressing a kiss against his spine.
He turns around, holds me tightly against him, and kisses the top of my head. “I just needed to clear my head.”
“By killing?”
He stays silent for a few moments. “Thank you for telling me your secret. I hope it goes without saying I would never use you or take advantage of your magic. My father would have wanted to. I wouldn’t have let him, but I see why you chose to keep it a secret. From now on, I want nothing else between us. It fucking kills me you shared that with August and not me. That you didn’t trust me. And after what happened with Vera and Vale, I understand why. It hurts, but I fucking understand. You are my queen, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Nothing . You hold my shadowed heart in your hands, Astrid. You thought I was going to take your power, but the truth is, you took mine. I’ll give you all that I fucking have.”
“All I want is you,” I whisper.
“No more secrets.”
I nod. “No more.”
He lifts me, and I wrap my legs around him. I feel him harden against me, but he simply holds me and carries me back to bed, tucking me against him.
He doesn’t need to tell me all the things he’d do and give up for me because I already know. Rave isn’t perfect, and neither am I, but we love each other. The fates deemed us perfect for one another, and I can see why.
He’d never give up on me.
And in our world, having someone like King Rave at my side is worth its weight in gold.
***
My throne sits next to Rave’s, and while his is dark and ominous, mine is made of gold with soft black velvet. It’s both comfortable and regal, and as I sit in it, I realize that things are already changing with his reign, and I’m being considered a leader in my own right, unlike Rave’s mother, who had to sit on Tane’s throne like an accessory. Rave looks at me from his Shadow Throne, winking in my direction. He’s not wearing his crown, and I told him I’m only going to wear mine for special events as well, but the black silk tunic he’s wearing is open at the chest and is giving me ideas of riding him right on that throne. He must feel my arousal through the bond because he shifts in his seat and sends me a heated look. Clenching my thighs, I clear my throat and try to think of something other than his delicious tongue he woke me up with this morning and his thick, hard cock that fucked me from behind right after. He had my arms pinned behind my back with his shadows, and the flashbacks that roam my mind make me want a repeat.
We then had breakfast with Vale and my first council meeting shortly after, where we discussed the war with the vampires and the position changes in the castle. Soren is now the king’s right-hand man and advisor, and Sinda has stepped up as the head of the royal guard. His three brothers are now council members, and I know he’s building a crew of people we can trust. Some of his father’s older men have been sent into retirement, and the younger generation of fae is taking over.
“You look beautiful sitting there, my queen,” Rave says, giving my black gown a slow perusal. He lowers his tone. “I can’t wait to take it off you when this is over.”
I send exactly how I feel through the bond, and he mutters, “Fuck” and looks over at Soren. “How many more fae are waiting to speak to us?”
“There’s still a long line,” Soren replies, smirking. His twin swords peek out from behind his back. “I think you have several hours to go.”
We’re seeing and meeting with the kingdom’s people, hearing complaints and settling disputes. Some people have just come to meet us and introduce themselves. It’s been nice, even though it’s been a long day already. I noticed some of the common faes lack pointed ears, and I think it pleases them to see someone like me on the throne for the first time in history. But, on the other side of the coin, I saw some higher fae stick their noses up at me. I just ignored them because I truly don’t care what they think. They are no better than me just because my ears are round like a human’s.
“Good things come to those who wait,” I reply, my lips twitching.
Rave groans, then sits up straight as the door opens and more fae enter. I feel lighter after our chat last night. Rave now knows everything about me, and I know I can trust him. It’s a beautiful feeling.
After hearing about an issue on a local farm, Sinda approaches me.
“My queen, the Witch Queen is here to see you,” he says, and I look over at Rave, who nods. Standing, Sinda escorts me out of the throne room and into the hallway where Pandora is leaning against the wall, absently running her finger over the scar on her lip.
“Is everything okay?” I ask as I approach, pulling her in for a quick embrace.
She rests her hands on my shoulders. “Yes, I just wanted to check in on you. It’s been a very stressful week.” She grins and adds, “Hasn’t it, Queen?”
“You could say that,” I sigh, tucking my hair behind my ear. “There’s so much going on I don’t even know where to begin.”
Pandora twines her arm in mine and leads me to the dining hall. “Your father is worried about you. I think he wants you to be in Chaos with him. Although every time you go there, it seems like someone tries to kidnap you.”
“There is that, not to mention we’re at war with the vampires, and nobody even knows where the queen is. The only person who did know, they killed,” I start, frowning. “And then, on top of that, we need to figure out who exactly is behind my kidnappings.”
“Bane is working over Rion, trying to figure out that one for you,” she admits, giving me a side-eye. “He is not a male I would want to mess with.”
Soren appears and says something to Sinda, who heads back toward the throne room.
“Don’t you have your own kingdom to run, Pandora?” he says, his eyes narrowing. I don’t know what history the two have, but the tension around them is always heated. Pandora told me that Soren doesn’t like witches, but surely, he couldn’t be so discriminatory against a whole species of magical beings, even if a witch is the one who cut him across his neck, leaving him with the thick scar as a souvenir.
“I do, but I wanted to see my friend,” she replies, staying calm. In fact, she always seems to be nothing but patient with Soren, and he normally stays as far away from her as much as he can but is usually still polite. It feels like something has changed. But what?
“What’s going on with you two?” I ask, putting them on the spot. Pandora mentioned that she knows what kinky stuff Soren is into in the bedroom, and I never once questioned how she knew that. “I feel like I’m missing something.”
Soren crosses his arms over his wide chest and licks his lips. “You’re not missing anything.”
“Have you both hooked up in the past?” I blurt out.
Pandora shakes her head. She suddenly looks like she would rather be elsewhere, and I regret saying something.
“No, she hasn’t gotten around the entire group just yet, just August, as far as I know,” he replies, his jaw tensing.
And then it all suddenly makes sense.
Soren doesn’t want Pandora, but he also doesn’t seem to like the idea that she fucked August either.
Meanwhile, he’s fucking all his blondes and calling them his pets .
Males.
"Pandora is allowed to have fun with who she wants, just like you do,” I fire back, scowling. “She is a beautiful, single woman. She owes nothing to anyone.”
No one is going to slut-shame my friend. He can take his double standards and shove them up his ass.
“Astrid—” he trails off, his eyes flickering with rage as he looks closely at Pandora’s neck, his nostrils suddenly flaring. “Who the fuck did that to you?”
My brow furrows, and I step closer to see what he’s talking about, frowning when I notice the bruise marks on her. It looks like someone has tried to choke her.
Pandora’s eyes widen as she steps back, her fingers stroking the purple marks. “As if you care.”
“Who?” Soren grits out, his dark temper giving his voice a sharp, dominant edge. I remember he once told me he has some persuasion, and I hope he wasn’t trying to use his magic to get answers out of her. “Who dared to touch you like that?”
My easy-going friend is angrier than I’ve ever seen him.
And he apparently hates witches.
Defiance flashes in Pandora’s violet gaze, and she steps forward with her hands on her hips, looking him dead in the eye. “Someone with my permission. You’re not the only one who likes it a little rough in the bedroom.”
I let out a low whistle.
Soren’s jaw tightens, his fists clenched by his sides, but he says nothing. His stormy gaze drops to her neck once more before he turns and walks away.
I don’t know what the hell that was, but I think they have some explaining to do.