by Claire Marta
“Nearly there,” he reported. “I should have the last stones laid in place by this afternoon… unless ye have another vampire hunt for Cayden and me to go on.” They were usually the two assigned to deal with the undead. Last Thanksgiving, Zac and Aiden’s mate Morgan had been kidnapped by one. The cadre here—The Order of the Phoenix—and their visiting brothers in The Order of the Gryphon and The Order of the Sphinx had flown to her aid and rescued her. Things had been blessedly quiet since they’d cleaned out the nest...
Quiet as far as the undead were concerned. Instead, the Citadel had two pregnant women, one soft-hearted and one naturally combative, to contend with.
After they were dismissed, Killian pulled Cayden aside. “While I’m working on the labyrinth, see if you can talk to Casey. Find out what she knows of Raven and her daughter. It may be nothing more than their names, but they looked too comfortable with each other to be total strangers—or so it seemed to me.”
“Wishful thinking,” Cayden hummed. “Like all the women who’ve gone before. I swear ye’re a cock-eyed and cock-hard optimist when it comes tae the fairer sex.”
Killian didn’t argue.
It took most of the day to finish installing the labyrinth, patterned after the one in Chartres Cathedral in France. The power of its sacred energy had already drawn the attention of the Fae. Dragonflies were constantly flitting about, steeds for the fair folk who were riding them. He saw at least one gnome step from the south side of a tree, more interested in the stones than anything.
This close to MacArthur Park, the Citadel was often frequented by things humans no longer saw or believed in. They’d lost the ability. Lost the gift of magic when their DNA devolved. It would be gradually restored as the species returned to its twelve-strand potential. Their four-strand activation marked a quantum leap in the process.
Cayden found him setting the last few stones in place.
“I hae news,” his partner informed him.
From the Scotsman’s serious expression, whatever he learned wasn’t good.
“Casey made Raven’s acquaintance last year, but I’m nae sure ye’re going tae like how.”
“Tell me,” he demanded, wiping the dust from his hands.
“They met at a dinner while Casey was undercover with the Bratva. Raven is divorced now but her ex-husband Colin Burke is the next in line tae take over the Irish mob.”
Killian frowned, unsettled by the revelation that she was involved with dangerous humans. This could complicate things further. They’d already had to face the Russians. Tobias would not like them getting entangled with another crime element in the city.
“What of the daughter?”
Cayden swiped a hand across his face and blew out softly. “Willow is from a previous marriage. Raven was widowed before. She took back their daughter’s name when she got divorced from Burke. We’ll need tae dig around tae find out more.”
For now, they’d have to be content with trying to get to know the brown-eyed colleen. Killian felt nervous. He’d bedded plenty of females but this was different. This woman was theirs. The fated mate destined to complete them. For all his smooth-talking charm, he hoped his words wouldn’t fail him tonight.
The cadre had spent two days setting up and decorating for Casey’s party. Ribbons hung from branches, and fairy lights were strung between trees. The women wanted to wait to eat and have a buffet in the garden for the party. Gael had spent the afternoon working on the cake and preparing foods for tonight. Iosefa had set up a DJ table for music. It was going to be an evening none of them would forget. More importantly, it was something Casey would enjoy. After all the heartache she had endured, she needed some happy moments with her mates.
Morgan had been kidnapped, too, but at least she had the love and support of her family. After losing her godmother, Casey had only her mates Malik and Iosefa, her best friend Morgan, and the rest of The Order of the Phoenix.
Killian showered and changed in the apartment he shared with Cayden on the second floor of the building. It was the home they had created for themselves and their future mate. He hoped Raven liked it when they eventually showed her around. They could turn one of the spare rooms into a bedroom for her daughter. There was plenty of space for a nursery when the time came for them to give her brothers and sisters.
Killian envisioned having a large brood. Plenty of wee ones to chase around and guide. They’d gotten a four-bedroom apartment because of it. Iosefa had made one of his and Malik’s into a studio and left two rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls to come. The first two were on their way, whatever they were. So far the twins’ ultrasound images had been portraits, not profiles. The parents still had no clue as to their gender.
Theo knew, though. The first time their psychically gifted Greek had felt the babies kicking, he’d discerned who was inside there. Casey swore him to secrecy before he had a chance to say anything. Leave it to her to make the rest of them suffer through the angst of wondering. There would be no relief until the babies turned during an ultrasound or she decided that she’d made the men suffer long enough.
Given her proclivities, they could be waiting until the babies were born.
As if on cue, he heard Santana’s “Evil Woman” blasting through the sound system speakers as Iosefa did a sound check.
Killian looked at his watch. It was ten to seven. Raven and her daughter would be arriving soon. He needed to be downstairs and ready with Cayden to greet them. Smartly dressed in a pair of jeans and a casual black shirt, he was ready to impress. Unbuttoning the cuffs, he rolled the sleeves up his corded forearms to reveal the tattoos decorating his skin.
Leaving the apartment, he hurried down the stairs to join the rest of the cadre in Elijah’s extensive gardens. Long tables had been placed beside one of the wide, flagstone walks that wound around the property. Under a banquet tent, Gael was fussing over the arrangements, putting fuel canisters under the chafers to keep the hot dishes warm. Tubs with ice in the bottoms already held an assortment of cold foods. The requisite jar of dill pickles sat near the end, ready to be raided by the two pregnant women.
Morgan and Casey had mocktails in their hands and were chatting with their mates. Both women had a radiant glow about them.
Pregnancy suited them.
He found Cayden near the edge of the building, his gaze on the front gates.
“Tobias is waiting for them to arrive,” his partner informed him. “My guess is he wants to look them over. Check them out before he lets them have the run of the place. He’ll set boundaries if he’s not comfortable with them being here.”
Killian hoped their superior didn’t set too many.
At exactly seven pm, the gate was opened to permit Raven and her daughter onto the grounds. Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and an emerald green top, the midwife looked as beautiful as he remembered. The barest hint of makeup accentuated her natural beauty. The only jewelry she wore was a slim gold watch on her wrist and the silver Claddagh ring on her finger. Two hands holding one heart.
He hoped one day soon her heart would be theirs.
Looping her shoulder bag over her neck, she balanced a tray of cookies in one hand and guided the little girl with her across the grass in their direction.
Killian’s attention skipped to the child. She was wearing a fancy pink party dress, its skirt covered in flower fairies, and a pair of sparkly shoes to match. Large blue eyes filled with wonder as she gazed around her. Her blonde hair curled into locks that tumbled past her wee shoulders.
He could see her mother's features in her face but others belonged to another, possibly her father.
Before he and Cayden had a chance to greet them, Casey dragged Morgan over to the newcomers, taking the tray of cookies from Raven and introducing the two women. With their superior hearing, it was easy enough to eavesdrop on the conversation. Any other time, they might have turned a deaf ear and given them privacy, but Raven was their fated mate. They were already committed to helping r
aise her child as well.
Although Willow would remain human. Unless she was someone’s fated mate and underwent the transformation to accept four-strand DNA, Willow would grow old while her mother watched.
Eventually, Raven would lose her. Morgan was facing the same terrible part of the future, watching family members age and die while she aged much more slowly. These vehicles were designed to last three hundred years. The two fated mates who had bonded with their brothers knew this. Knew it and had grudgingly come to terms with it. But losing parents, siblings, and friends was nothing compared to losing a child. Killian considered it a crime against nature, something no parent should have to endure. If Raven proved to be their fated mate, they would be condemning her to a future without her daughter.
Holy Mother-Father. Could they bear to do that to her? She would hate them for it. Fated mate or no, she might never forgive them. What kind of an existence would any of them have if they lost Raven because of it?
They needed to think about this. Pray about this. Listen for guidance, the voice of Divine Will. They needed to be ready to let her go if it was for the Highest Good.
They watched the child dance with excitement when she saw the dragon flying from its crystal cave. Malik and Iosefa had built a fitted removable board floor and placed a bench inside for someone in need of crystal therapy. Willow stayed inside for quite a while—long enough for her mother to be deep in conversation with Casey and Morgan. The child burst out of the cave like a wyvern and flew over to him and Cayden, her blonde curls bouncing behind her.
Her bright blue gaze was locked like a laser on his tattooed arm. “I have one,” she announced, lifting her sleeve to reveal a candy-colored unicorn on her biceps. “Does your mummy help you put yours on?”
Killian grinned. “No,” he said. “Mine are different. Like a permanent marker, eh? They won’t wash off like yers.”
Willow looked behind her at the dragon and back at them. “I don’t have wings,” she sighed. “I can’t fly. I could with someone else if Mummy would let me.”
Slicing her gaze, she cut to Killian’s arm that had less ink. “My name can go here,” she told him, tapping the flesh under his sleeve.
Jaysus. She sounded like Theo, seeing things.
“It’s pretty,” she told him. “All flowery like the playhouse. It will be over there. You can both come to tea. You and Mummy and me. Do you have dogs here?”
“Nay,” Cayden answered, slowly, gauging the child the same as he was. “No dogs.”
“No dogs yet,” she said, getting that same kind of faraway look that Theo got when he was channeling. “Soon, though. We’re going to have so much fun! Oh, look! A squirrel! I need to go talk to him!”
Just that fast, she was off and running, headed for one of the red squirrels that nested in the tallest oak tree.
“Christ almighty,” Killian swore. “The girl’s a visionary. Clairvoyant at the least. Possibly a mystic.”
Cayden agreed. “We should hae Theo talk tae her. A person of power recognizes the same in another. He’ll ken if she has gifts.”
The Greek was their resident artist and Emmett’s partner. Emmett was their librarian and future schoolmaster. Theo was their psychically gifted creative genius—a dancer, mural painter, and bas relief sculptor who made their home increasingly beautiful. He’d just finished working with Casey to create adult playspaces on the fourth floor. On the opposite end of the hall from Tobias’s five-bedroom apartment, the two Dungeons were already put to use by the two fated mates and their partners.
Until recently, Morgan and Casey had been roommates. Morgan was still finishing up her master’s degree in psychology but Casey had left the ATF and was now managing The Secret Garden Club, an exclusive BDSM club that she’d inherited from her late godmother.
She had wanted to experience sounding before she allowed it at her club. Helping Malik and Iosefa get started required Cayden to get up close and personal with their mate’s shaved pussy. The experience was fresh enough, he turned crimson to see Casey fully dressed and sucking on a pickle.
Killian found the medic’s blush amusing. Knowing Cayden would welcome the distraction, he suggested they seek out Theo.
They found the Greek enjoying a drink with his partner Emmett. “Theo, would you speak to the child?” Killian asked, unable to hide his excitement. “We think that Willow might be gifted.”
The Greek set down his drink, his blue eyes alight with interest. “With pleasure. I haven’t encountered a human like that for a while.”
“And never one so young,” Emmett commented, pushing up his glasses.
Turning back to where they’d last seen her, Killian frowned. The child was nowhere in sight. Wondering where she could have run off to, he scanned the garden, searching for any sign of pink.
“There.” Theo pointed toward a tree.
A pair of legs could be seen ascending the branches of the ancient oak. How she had climbed so high, so quickly was a mystery... until Killian caught sight of the ladder leaning against the trunk, almost out of sight.
Whoever had used the ladder instead of their wings to hang lights had left it to take them down again. And Raven’s daughter had found it.
Killian and the other three men moved as one toward Willow. Tobias had warned them not to reveal themselves, but a fall from that height could be fatal. A sick sense of dread gripped his stomach to think of her body lying broken. Even as the image formed, one of the ravens that were always hanging about landed in the tree next to the child. Startled, Willow lost her balance and screamed.
Watching in horror, he saw the girl freefall, limbs flailing.
Everything happened in slow motion.
Raven spun towards the sound, moving instinctively, her face twisted in fear. Morgan and Casey looked on, horrified by what was happening. Killian reached for his shirt, ready to rip it off—Tobias be damned—when the unthinkable happened. Tobias moved in a flash, catching Willow in midair, his wings spread wide from the tattered back of the shirt he’d just ruined.
Her child was safe but what she had witnessed was too much for Raven. Her knees buckled and she went down, lost to consciousness.
Cayden caught her in his arms.
Willow clung to Tobias, her little arms hugging his neck. “Can we do that again?” she laughed. “That was fun! You have dragon wings! I want wings but Mummy said I have to wait until I’m grown up to fly. I’ll be five soon. Maybe we can fly for my birthday. Or get a pony ride.”
Furling his wings, Tobias kept the little girl with him, listening to her rattle on, keeping her turned away from where her mother lay, passed out, overcome by the shock of near-tragedy and witnessing the unimaginable.
“Take her inside,” Tobias called over his shoulder. “Theo, why don’t we get young Willow here some cake?”
The child’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Mr. Squirrel was going to give me a nut from his nest, but cake sounds so much better!”
Cayden lifted the unconscious woman, cradling her in his arms. With his strength, she weighed next to nothing. Leaving her daughter in the capable hands of his superior, he carried Raven quickly into the building with Killian in his wake.
Chapter Four
Raven was having the loveliest dream.
She was at a party with music and dancing, floating through the air, warm and safe in her prince’s arms. He laid her sleeping, on a divan and knelt down beside her, whispering how beautiful she was, begging her to wake up, and kissing her when she didn’t.
Jaysus. His kiss. As electric as his touch, it sent bolts of lightning to her core. She quickened, weaving her fingers in his hair and kissing him back, moaning into his mouth when her body demanded more.
“Easy,” he crooned, the brogue of Scotland in his voice. “Easy, lass. Ye’ve just had a fright. Willow is safe, enjoying the party in the garden. How do ye feel?”
Raven came to her senses with a jolt. Eyes opening, she found Cayden kneeling beside her where she lay on
a couch with five fingers buried in his hair. Her other hand was cupping his face, mere inches from hers.
Coloring in embarrassment, she dropped her hands as if she’d been burned. “Sorry.”
“‘Tis alright,” he murmured, his green eyes flickering, the medic in him assessing her condition. He put his hand on her throat and felt her pulse leap beneath his fingers. No anomaly, that. Their reaction to each other was undeniable. Awareness practically sizzled between them.
Looking past his shoulder, she saw that he’d taken her into the Citadel’s library.
“‘Twas closer tae carry ye here than take ye tae the infirmary,” he explained. “And muir inviting tae awaken surrounded by books if ye’re anything like Belle from Beauty and the Beast.”
If she was Belle, she had to wonder if they were beasts, too. She’d seen Tobias. No amount of words could explain away what she’d witnessed.
Scrambling up on the pillows, she put distance between them. “I saw… you had… I need my daughter. Where’s my Willow? We should go.”
The Irishman stepped into view behind Cayden, his blue eyes intense, his brow furrowed with concern. “The wee colleen is safe enough. She’s in back, eating cake like a princess in the crystal cave and talking to the dragon. Ye’ll need to make her understand that she has to keep our secret. She can’t go repeating what happened here tonight. You either. The only ones who know about our kind are the fated mates, Morgan and Casey. And now Willow and you,” he added, the look in his eyes enigmatic.
Drawn helplessly toward Killian’s gaze, Raven shook her head and crossed herself. “Saints preserve us, I’ll tell no one I saw demons in this place.”