31. Raven
Raven
Iroll out of bed, trying not to sigh in exasperation. Honestly, I like sex as much as the next person, but I swear, some of these alters just want to have cum oozing out of our pores.
I go into the bathroom, muttering in distaste as I clean myself with wipes and promise that I’m going to go to the nearest sex shop and get a chastity belt and hide the fucking key.
I yank on my clothes and slip out of the house.
Pix appears from the shadows and crooks a finger. I follow him in the dark to where he indicates a black motorbike. It is so pretty, I want to go and cuddle it.
“I’m driving.”
“Not a chance in hell. You’re riding bitch. You have a temper, and I don’t want us to get caught,” Pix says firmly.
I consider that and agree. “Fine.”
He climbs on, looking damn fine in his reflective black helmet with his leathers on and curled over the powerful engine. I swing my leg up and over, pressing myself against his back and wrapping my arms around his waist.
He starts the bike and takes off, quickly reaching speeds that make me feel like I’ve got wings. I do wish I could fly.
The key with our alphas is distance.
It is always distance. As fast as is humanly possible.
But Pix was built for speed and stealth. He gets us far very quickly, and then he settles to a comfortable speed and just cruises.
He parks the bike a long way from the city apartment I’ve already sussed out.
We walk down dark streets, moving between yellow streetlights, ignoring feral cats and hungry rats.
The city stinks after spending so long in the country, and the smells assault me in a way that reminds me vividly of some jobs I’ve already compartmentalized.
Pix glances at me. We don’t need to talk to each other to communicate now; everything’s done in the minute movement of a facial muscle or a glance of an eye. The flick of a finger.
If we fuck this up, we might never find him again.
I climb the stairs, taking them two at a time. I reach his window and pause. The glass is broken. There’s blood on a sharp shard, glittering ruby in the light. I duck through the hole and into the mess.
My boot crunches on glass. The furniture isn’t broken; it’s destroyed. The walls are painted with graffiti, and it's filled with a myriad of scents, none of which belong to the one I’m looking for.
“Who are we here for?”
“Korax.” I purse my lips and crouch down, lifting a scrap of material and revealing a brick with blood on it. “He’s a friend, I think. I needed to make sure he was still alive. That nothing had happened to him.” Technically, he’s as close to a brother as I’ve ever had.
Pix moves fluidly through the mess, not disturbing anything. He lifts a hand and studies the wall before he punches it hard, and suddenly, the wall splits apart and reveals a dark shape. The ghostly figure made of dark shadows and danger explodes out, shoving Pix back.
“Wait!”
He pauses, and for one long second, we stare into each other’s eyes, and then he’s gone. That quickly.
I blow out my cheeks and put my hands on my waist. “Well, I guess that was a waste of time.”
“Seems like it.”
I groan and rub my face. “Our alphas are going to kill us.”
“Yes, cute that you think they aren’t down there in the alley.”
I look up slowly. “They aren’t, are they?”
“I am not the only skilled person in our group. Neither are you. Detective. Blade master. Fighter. Very talented alphas. So, maybe a couple of them are stalkers, and I’m fairly certain Roseland put trackers in us.”
Pix cups my face and leans down, kissing me.
I forget all about the alphas.
“We’re going to get into lots of trouble,” Pix whispers against my lips.
I smile against his. “Oh, no. Whatever will we do?”
“We could run away.”
“I mean, you could try, but that would end up with you getting tied up and spanked again, which we both know you would enjoy, and then we’d end up in a sweaty fuck-a-thon.”
Rolly stalks out of the dark, looking more dangerous than I think I’ve given him credit for. It suits him.
I sidestep, but he captures my wrist, moving with me easily.
“Where are you going, Raven?”
“How did you know it was me?” I ask, honestly surprised.
“It’s always you sneaking off in the night, and you smell less intense and more like a glimmer of something I can’t quite reach. Ah, I know, it’s called rebellion, it’s a perfume that reeks of ‘come fuck me’.”
His fingers tighten around my wrist and tow me closer until we’re chest to chest.
I’m actually so overwhelmed I’ve lost the ability to form coherent words. Has he always been this pretty?
“I was worried.”
Three words. Three little words that convey so much anger, rage, and fear. His hand slides up my body, leaving flames licking in its wake.
The conviction that had me so certain doing this was right shakes and leaves me feeling like it might crumble and break. Suddenly, I’m sorry I didn’t speak to them.
“Would you have let me come here?”
“Of course, I would have. But we would have come with you.”
“You would have spooked him, and we would have ended up without him, anyway.”
“How is that any different to what is happening now?” Rolly growls.
Pix steps forward, but Rolly snaps his head in his direction. “Go see Roseland.”
“You can’t tell me-”
“Go see Roseland!” Rolly barks.
Pix inhales sharply, fury filling every line of his body. He turns on his heel and stomps off, muttering nasty comments about arrogant alphas.
Rolly moves closer, and a slice of light from the world outside shines across his jaw, illuminating his mouth.
I am mesmerised by the shape, the way his lips part, and I see the faintest hint of his teeth. I sway with the feeling that I should run, anywhere.
Just when I’m about to make my move and break free, his arm wraps around me, a living band of warmth, and I’m suddenly in his arms, staring into those eyes, wondering what he’s going to do.
And to be honest, the fact that I’m in trouble is as thrilling as it is disconcerting. A part of me never saw this dangerous side of this alpha before, but now I can see it. Just because he’s been gentle and soft with me so far doesn’t mean that he is that.
I slap his hand off my wrist and spin out of his arms, but he catches me by the hair and yanks me back. When I thrust my elbow into him, he just laughs and grips my hip, twisting me so I have no choice but to spin to face him.
“Put your arms around my neck, Raven.”
“I don’t think that would be a healthy life choice,” I murmur.
“You think defying me would be?”
I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t smile and raise one hand to grip the collar of his T-shirt, tugging on it.
“Beta,” he warns.
I don’t know why it gives me such a thrill when they acknowledge that I’m not like the rest of my alters, but it does. I slide my other hand up his chest, hesitating for five heartbeats before I slide them up around his neck.
“Good girl.”
I immediately remove my hands. Red flag. All the red things. I pull back, but his fingers clamp down, holding me tight.
He spins me around with one arm across the top of my chest and walks me towards the window. “Since you aren’t going to behave, we’re going to do this the hard way.”
“What’s the hard way?” I am far too curious.
I feel a sharp prick in my shoulder, and then a black bag is put over my head.
“Rolly! What the fuck are you doing?”
The world spins, and I get weak and then woozy. Compliant. He lifts me up, and I hang loose in his arms.
“Bad alpha,” I slur.
“Oh, just think of all the ways you can get off punishing me later,” he murmurs.
“So bad.”
“You like that word. Bad. I am bad, very bad. I’ve been very good up until now, but I don’t like it when what’s mine disappears.”
The bag is ripped off, and I find myself on a bed. How did I get here? Where are we?
I stare up at the ceiling, watching it spin.
Rolly wanders around, yanking off his tie and then his shirt. Is he going to fuck me? He moves over to the bed and climbs up, straddling me. His gaze leaves my skin flaming everywhere it touches.
“You are so beautiful, I love that rebellious, always-plotting mind of yours, Raven. Slipping away, always thinking that you have to be alone, fighting the war yourself. And all the time, you command a small army of alphas who would gladly do your bidding.”
“Get off me.”
He ignores me.
“See, commanding doesn’t work,” I grumble.
“Ah, well, I’m a rebellious and slightly oppositional kind of alpha myself. I like to be difficult.”
He leans down and presses the softest ghost of a kiss to my lips.
“You were looking for someone. Who was it?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Ah, a secret from your pack, even?”
“From everyone.”
Rolly frowns, sitting back so he can look at me. “Including your alters?”
I nod, but my head wobbles, and I groan at the warmth flooding through my veins.
“What did you give me?”
He leans over me, smiling. “Feels good, doesn’t it? Nice and relaxed?”
“Mmm.”
“Consider this a lesson.”
He reaches out and smooths his hands up my body and onto my shoulders, squeezing lightly.
“Don’t worry, I’m all about consent. Nothing is going to happen, even if you want it to.”
I’m almost disappointed.
“But I can see how much you are begging, so I will give you a teaser.”
He leans over me, grabbing my thigh and dragging me down, hitting his hips to mine as he undulates.
I moan again.
Rolly bites my chin. “Naughty, naughty beta.”
“Rolly,” I pant.
He pulls back, grinning. “Ready…set…show time.”
He rolls off me as the window shatters, and a dark shape slams into him. Rolly laughs, and the two of them go around and round in the dim light. They slam into walls and twist and turn. I can’t keep up with them. They are dark blurs.
Rolly pins him and stares.
“Korax…” I whisper.
The stranger’s eyes drop to me. They are all in shadow, but I can feel them.
“Means raven.”
Rolly glances at me sharply.
“Fly! He’s coming.”
Korax snarls and shoves Rolly off him before pausing beside the bed I’m lying on.
“You came all this way to tell me that?” His voice is dark and dangerous. A whisper of impending death.
“Caught the other birds,” I roll, reaching out for Rolly.
His large hand covers mine.
Pix slides into the dark room, I can feel him there. He moves the opposite way to Korax, until he’s kneeling on the bed, lifting me up.
“Run, Korax.”
He snarls, but then he whirls and runs for the window, throwing himself out into the night. Disappearing like a raven in flight.
I glare at Pix.
“Rolly drugged me.” I pout, feeling myself tear up.
“You make the most adorable bait.” Rolly pats my head. “Good job, Beta.”
“You drugged me!” I accuse.
“And you are so adorable, all cute and drugged. Next time, I’ll get consent and have my wicked way with you.”
My heart leaps at the way he says next time.
“You’re a bad alpha.”
He laughs and yanks me up. “Wearing off?”
I inhale shakily and let out a deep growl. “Yes.”
“Do you want to punish me?”
I…well, yes, yes, I do. Drat him.
He grabs my hips and lifts me. I overbalance, but he uses my momentum to throw me over his shoulder. His hand lands hard on my ass.
“Oh, you are fucked now, Alpha,” I hiss.
“Well, not yet, but I sure hope to be.” He squeezes my ass hard and then walks to the window and tosses me out.
I let out a screech, but I’m caught by hard, enormous arms.
King strokes my hair back while I struggle with my racing heart.
“I’m going to kill him,” I snarl.
Rolly, the psychopath that he is, just stands framed in the streetlight and laughs.
He’s lucky he’s so cute.