by EE Silver
The Raven God’s Gift
A Vale Valley Romance
EE Silver
Contents
Untitled
Blurb
Follow Me
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Thank You
About the Author
Also by EE Silver
Want more Vale Valley?
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by EE Silver
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected].
First ebook edition December 2019
Cover design by Cate Ashwood
www.idkmybff.com
Blurb
Blinded and traumatized on a covert mission five years ago, alpha werewolf Trey has been living in Vale Valley as he tries to piece his life back together. Most days, his only company is his assistance dog and his therapist. But he can’t forgive himself for failing his men, and he can’t forget the perfect mate he let slip through his fingers.
When a prophecy sends Hunter Norn, one of Odin’s own ravens, to the valley seeking a very special baby, the last thing he’s expecting is to find his lost mate. Five years earlier, Hunter vowed he’d wait for Trey as long as it took, and it seems like all of his patience has finally paid off. Now all he has to do is figure out how to make up for all the lost time.
But Trey has no idea about the divine forces that rule Hunter’s world, or the extent of his lover’s abilities. There’s no telling if he’ll even accept the truth once he learns.
The Raven God’s Gift is book three of the fourth season of Vale Valley, where magic is real, pregnancies can take both years and mere weeks to happen, and where love is the greatest gift of all.
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To Gia, professional hand-holder, work-wife, and awesome cohort. I’m blessed to have you as my friend and to join you on this adventure.
Chapter One
Hunter
San Francisco – Five Years Ago
Once, hundreds of years ago, no one would have thought twice about a god indulging in a little bit of revel. Especially not the god of the present, of thought, and of battle strategy. Hell, the old tales were full of stories like that, and even though it was more than a little contrary to his godly nature and his Imperium, Hunter couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic for those days gone by. There was something inherently wrong with how he not only had to hide his divine light under a basket, but how he’d probably have people trying to get him sectioned if he tried to be open about his nature
These days, Hunter spent more time on the battlefield than not, sprinkling inspiration and strategy on his warriors and pretending he didn’t miss his army of Valkyrie riding on the thunder in his wake. But sometimes, the moment pulled him in unexpected ways. Tonight, he found himself surrounded by joyous, unabashed expressions of youth and life instead of the usual blood and mayhem he’d grown used to.
The full moon was only a few days away, and the local shifters were all on edge. That was nothing new, of course, but ignoring it was never a good strategy. Once upon a time in centuries past, Hunter would have used his Imperium ability to sense a shifter’s true form and gathered together a few young ones for a run to burn off the energy that came from the instinctive anticipation of their time. But in these modern days, where humans were everywhere and almost entirely ignorant to the true nature of the world around them, the best he could do was rent a building, hire a DJ and a couple dozen bartenders and servers, and then tell all the right people to spread the word that this was the place for shifters to be.
The music wasn’t Hunter’s usual, but at least it wasn’t blaring in the head-splitting volume common in human clubs. The base line jumped and shuddered, making his pulse race and tempting Hunter with the crowded dance floor. But still he held back, waiting. For what, he wasn’t sure; the night was thick with promise, and Hunter was sure if he asked his little brother, Rowen would have something to say about it. But Rowen hadn’t come to the rave. He never did. The younger god always had other plans that never involved cutting loose and getting laid.
“What’s got you looking so pissed off?” a guy next to him asked.
Hunter looked down at the short, lithe omega, his soft brown eyes just as wide and beguiling as his deer form no doubt would be. Not his usual type, but the way the stranger’s hips were moving to the music was enough to wipe away any reservations. “Lost in thought,” he finally said, holding out his hand. “Care to distract me?”
“Hell yes.” The young man wrapped his fingers around Hunter’s and tugged Hunter onto the dance floor. “I’m Greg.”
Plastered against Hunter’s thick chest, his slender arms wrapped around Hunter’s neck, it took his dance partner a few seconds to get a good whiff of Hunter’s pheromones, but when he did, the surprise on his face was worth it.
“You’re an omega?” And true, Hunter didn’t look the part with his height and his muscles, but come on.
“That a problem?” Hunter cocked an eyebrow at the cutie. “Don’t tell me you buy into all that stereotyping nonsense.”
“To be honest, all I wanted tonight was to have some fun and dance until my feet hurt,” Greg said. “Since you’re not going to try to breed me, mate me, or eat me, I figure you’re the perfect guy. For now, at any rate.”
Hunter laughed at Greg’s refreshing honesty, and gave him a little twirl to help him show off. “Oh, there’s more than a few alphas here ready to gobble you up in all the good ways,” he said, taking a step back to get his own shimmy on.
Instead, though, Hunter stepped down hard on a booted foot, drawing a muffle curse from the man behind him. He spun around, flustered; he literally couldn’t remember the last time he’d made a misstep. Not in a millennium, at least.
“Damn, I’m so—” The apology died on his tongue as Hunter took in the alpha werewolf behind him, big and tall and built like a brick house with muscles that strained against the olive-green t-shirt and snug blue jeans he wore. He had dark brown skin that seemed to shimmer in the multi-colored lights, close cropped hair, and pale eyes that made Hunter think about vats of molten gold ready for pouring. He was gorgeous, and Hunter wanted to lick him from head to toe.
“So, what?” the perfect specimen of shifter asked, a grin lifting his full lips.
“Huh?” It took Hunter’s brain a few seconds to fire enough synapses for him to figure out what the guy meant. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I’m not normally that clumsy. I’m normally an excellent dancer, actually.”
The werewolf’s buddies elbowed him and waggled their eyebrows, but he ignored them. “Yeah?” he asked Hunter, like they were the only two pe
ople on the dancefloor. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”
“That sounds perfect,” Hunter said, drifting closer. He barely suppressed a shudder when the alpha’s hand curled over his waist, the instant connection between them telling him that this stranger was not only the perfect dance partner, but most likely was his fated mate, too. “I’m Hunter.”
“Demetrius. Trey.” Trey put his other hand on the other side of Hunter’s waist, and then froze. “You sure your date won’t mind?”
Hunter blinked up at him, confused for a moment. Then he looked back over his shoulder at Greg, who had already found another dance partner. Greg gave him a thumb’s up as the new guy pulled him deeper into the crowd, and Hunter laughed. “Not my date,” he said. “We just met. Besides, he’s not my usual.”
“And what’s that?” Trey asked, hands pushing up Hunter’s shirt until his bare palms came into contact with Hunter’s skin with a tingle that travelled straight to Hunter’s groin. “Your usual, I mean.”
By now, they were dancing, hips grinding together in time to the sensual beat, and Hunter was about thirty seconds from teleporting them somewhere private, secrecy be damned. Instead, though, he hooked a hand behind Trey’s neck and pulled his head down the couple of inches difference between them to press his lips right in front of Trey’s ear and whisper his answer. “Play your cards right and you just might be.”
“Yeah?” Trey laughed and turned his head so he could kiss right in front Hunter’s ear. Then he inhaled deeply, rumbling low in his chest. “You don’t smell like a wolf, my not-so-little omega.”
That’s because I’m not. “What do I smell like, alpha?”
“Hmm…” Trey grinned, but played along, dipping his head and whuffing against Hunter’s neck. It was a rough, primal scenting, and Hunter wasn’t ashamed to admit his knees went a little weak when Trey licked once over his pulse point. “Not sure, precisely,” Trey murmured. “All I know is you smell like you’re mine.”
Before Hunter could do much more than think fuck, that’s hotter than it should be, they were kissing. Trey kissed like every soldier Hunter had fucked before – storm the defenses, take no prisoners, have no mercy. But so did Hunter, and the clash of their mouths meeting with equal fervor and want should have been a disaster. Instead, they somehow settled into an even push and pull, taking turns plundering one another’s mouths, drawing needy sounds from each other until they were both hard and trembling, the beat of the music completely ignored in favor of their pounding hearts.
Hunter slipped a hand into Trey’s back pocket, squeezing the firm globe of the alpha’s ass. “Want to get out of here?”
He felt more than heard Trey’s answering groan. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” Trey said, pressing his very promising hard-on against Hunter. “But I didn’t drive, and I’m not fucking in the bathroom.”
“My car’s out back,” Hunter said. He was going to add that there was plenty of room for what they both wanted, but then Trey kissed him again. The hot swipe of Trey’s tongue across Hunter’s lips had him gasping, welcoming the rough, strong possession. Not everything had to be a fight, after all. Still, Hunter managed to pull his mouth away, lungs heaving and his hand grabbing desperately for Trey’s to lead him off the dance floor. “Come on. This way.”
Distantly, Hunter was aware of Trey’s friends calling advice as they made their way out the door and into the cool night air. But none of that mattered when they were only a few stumbling and eager feet down the alley from Hunter’s waiting vehicle.
Trey paused, checking out Hunter’s ride. “This is a stretch Hummer,” he finally said, both eyebrows climbing up his forehead. “What kind of raver takes a stretch Hummer to an underground shifter party?”
Hunter snorted. “The kind who organized and paid for the whole party,” he said, tugging Trey along. “My driver’s inside the warehouse. This is as much privacy as we’re going to get unless you want to stop long enough for one of us to get a room.”
“Oh fuck that,” Trey said, growling playfully as he followed Hunter into the back of the Hummer. “No way am I wasting that much time.”
“Good answer,” Hunter said, pulling the door closed behind them. The low interior lights gave him enough to see Trey’s eyes glittering as he watched Hunter’s every move as he tugged off his sweaty white t-shirt and popped the button on his jeans. Hunter paused and looked at Trey through his pale lashes, hoping the combination of muscles and faux omega innocence would get his playmate in gear. “I thought this was a party of two?”
Trey cursed, but got with the project, yanking off his shirt and opening his jeans before he closed the distance between them and pulled Hunter close, kissing his neck. “You know exactly how hot you are, don’t you?”
“I don’t see how that’s a problem,” Hunter said, grinning against Trey’s mouth as they kissed again. “Otherwise I might think you were out of my league.”
“As if.” Trey snorted, and stretched Hunter out across the leather bench seat, covering him with his heavy body. Instead of feeling trapped, Hunter groaned happily and arched up into the pressure. He spread his legs so Trey could slot into place, and the alpha growled happily in the back of his throat as their kiss deepened.
“Fuck,” Hunter muttered when they broke for air. He hooked a leg over Trey’s, grinding against the promising hardness hiding behind Trey’s jeans. “That’s a hell of a weapon you’re packing there.”
“Don’t worry, baby,” Trey said, reaching down to finish the job on Hunter’s flies. “I’ll get you all wet and ready for me first. I’ll make sure you have a good time.”
Hunter scoffed. “If you really want me to have a good time, you won’t treat me like I’m made of glass.” He grabbed Trey’s ass in both hands and squeezed. “Give it to me hard, don’t even think about holding back, and that’ll ensure I have that good time you’re promising.”
Trey’s answer wasn’t much more than a groaned swear word, but at least it sped things up, the two of them managing to get their pants down far enough down their thighs to clear the way for Trey to roll a condom on and work his pretty damn impressive cock into Hunter’s ass.
Despite the slick Hunter was leaking all over the place, it was still a painfully tight fit thanks to the way his jeans wouldn’t allow him to spread his legs very far. It was fucking perfect. Hunter’s eyes rolled back from the exquisite pleasure as Trey took him at his word and gave it to him hard and deep after barely giving Hunter a few shuddering breaths to get used to the stretch.
After that, time lost meaning for Hunter. The only thing that matter was the mind-blowing way Trey was playing his body. Hunter had the fleeting thought that this was too good for an anonymous backseat hookup, but he wasn’t going to question his good fortune. Not when he had a gorgeous alpha werewolf working him over like a pro, his hands pushing back on Hunter’s thighs so hard he’d be bruised in the morning if he were mortal.
“I’m close,” Trey finally ground out past his clenched jaw. “What do you need?”
Hunter managed to work a hand between them, stripping his own dick with tight, hard strokes until he came, body arching up as he cried out. Trey growled and adjusted his angle, drilling down into Hunter’s clenching body as he chased his own peak. He thrust once more, burying himself deeply with a shout.
At first, Hunter thought what he felt was just the normal pulses of the other man filling the condom. But soon enough, he had to admit the stretch was growing, pushing until was Trey was clearly locked inside Hunter’s ass, his knot swelling more with each passing second until every shift of their bodies both pushed against Hunter’s already over-stimulated prostate and pulled awkwardly against his rim.
“Stop moving,” he hissed when Trey tried to pull back. “You and I both know you’re stuck at least for a little while.”
“Fuck, I’m so—I’m sorry,” Trey stammered. “This hasn’t happened since I was a teen and still figuring out what my dick was for.” He paused. “So. P
otential mates. That’s kind of an unexpected complication, huh?”
Hunter sighed. It was way more complicated than Trey thought, and he didn’t know where to begin. Most one-night stands wouldn’t be all that keen on hearing they were matched with an immortal god. Still, at least that explained why Hunter couldn’t see anything around Trey. The sisters had always said his Imperium would fail him with his Fated One. He grinned up at Trey. “We should probably exchange last names, to start with.”
“At the very least,” Trey said before he lost it and started giggling, forehead pressed against the bunched denim around Hunter’s legs, still folded between them.
“Glad you have a sense of humor,” Hunter said, pretending to be annoyed, but he couldn’t help chuckling himself as they struggled his jeans off one leg so he could at least straighten his legs out. Almost immediately, Trey sprawled on top of him, kissing Hunter’s neck in between his still fading laughter.
“Let’s go somewhere and get some food,” he murmured into Hunter’s skin. “When we can get dressed and walk again, I mean.”
“Pretty sure that’s backwards,” Hunter said, grinning stupidly up at the ceiling. “But I wouldn’t object to a refueling before round two.”
“I do like the way you think,” Trey said. “Burgers sound okay?”
Surprisingly, they did manage to get dressed and go for food once Trey’s knot went down, even though Hunter wasn’t the only one having trouble keeping his hands to himself. Then again, it wasn’t every day a guy met his fated mate after literally thousands of years of waiting. All he could think about was getting his werewolf alone and getting the both of them naked again, this time taking his time exploring the gorgeous body that was going to be his to enjoy for all time.