by Claire Marta
From Killian’s expression, he was in full agreement. “Well, whoever he is, he’d best be keeping his distance. If he had anything to do with her kidnapping attempt, he won’t be wooing her at all.”
Theo looked skeptical. “You can’t prevent a fated mate from being claimed if it’s something she wants.”
“She’s our responsibility,” Cayden reminded him firmly. “Prince or no prince, she’ll nae be going anywhere wie anyone unless we’re satisfied tha’ he’s the right choice and tha’ when she comes of age.”
Tobias chuckled, watching them with amusement. “Why do I have a feeling all my men are going to be this overprotective with their children?”
“Of course, we’ll be protecting them. They’re bairns!” Killian reminded their superior. “Innocents! Who better than The Order of the Phoenix to keep them safe?”
His partner had that right. Their brothers hoped to find mates and start families. It was a commitment that they did not take lightly. They’d only just met Willow and already Cayden could feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders for keeping Willow safe, happy, and healthy. Protecting her. Teaching her. Loving her.
Neutralizing threats and fighting off males who were interested in her for whatever reason.
Five years old, and it had already started.
Jaysus.
Maybe it was a good thing that Raven was barren. He swore he could feel his blood pressure rising. He honestly didn’t know how parents handled the stress.
They did because they had to. But whatever price they paid would surely be returned threefold in the joys to be had. Constant chatter aside, Willow was a delightful child who promised to be as beautiful as her mother and aunt.
Tobias nodded. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll issue assignments to protect the newest fated mate and her daughter. From this point on, one of us will be watching each of them, making certain that nothing happens, and staying vigilant, ready to intervene if it should. I guarantee there won’t be any more attempts like today. They won’t have another chance to get that close to her.”
Cayden released the breath that he’d been unconsciously holding. “Thank ye,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion. “We’ll rest better knowing that they’re watched and protected. There’s no one with them now. Do ye want us to go back?”
“No.” Tobias shook his head. “Zana and Lukas can take the first shift. They won’t be as obvious if they’re spotted. If Raven has a fraction of her daughter’s gifts, she’ll likely feel it when the two of you are watching.”
Cayden had wondered about that. Were the powers handed down generation to generation in varying degrees? If that was true, why had they seen nothing in Raven?
Perhaps it was a gift from Willow’s father. They’d have to speak more with Raven to learn the truth. And it might be like twins, strong in every other generation—or every seventh generation—and skipping the ones between.
He was curious which it was.
“Bye the bye, she claims we have unicorns hanging ‘round the apple tree in the back. Just so ye know,” Killian informed him. “We need to do something about those ravens if they go to scare her again. The child loves animals but when we picked up a toy crow in the zoo gift shop, she shuddered and told us the bird at the party was scary. She didn’t know why we’d invited him. He wasn’t very nice, she said. That, I can believe. They’re always hanging about. Watching. We started with one. I swear there’s a conspiracy now.”
Goosebumps stippled Theo’s arms. “A group of ravens is an unkindness or a conspiracy. Either one seems to fit these birds. I agree. We need them gone.”
Tobias sighed. “We can’t shoot them. If we have someone relocate them, I fear they’ll just come back. The only thing I know to do is to have Malik and Iosefa make scarecrows to plant around the property. I’ll ask them tomorrow what they’ll need. By the way, Theo, Monday is the start of Ivan Michalov’s trial. Casey will be attending as a witness for the prosecution. Malik and Iosefa will be with her, but I want someone a step removed with her, too. Keep them from doing anything foolish that could jeopardize the outcome. If justice prevails, he’ll be sent to prison for life. Cayden, you’ll need to keep a close eye on her. Make certain that she’s handling the stress of it all without endangering the new lives growing inside her. We need the three of them healthy and Ivan gone for good.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her blood pressure and have Malik and Iosefa make certain that she’s drinking enough water. We’ll have to watch for retention and dehydration if she doesn’t. If Gael could hold off the pork dishes for a while, it might be wise. She needs to watch her sodium as much as her sugar. At least her birthday’s past.”
Gael’s cake was worthy of a bake-off show but it didn’t hold a candle to watching Willow dig into hers. Raven had ordered the perfect cake for her precocious daughter.
Their business concluded, Tobias dismissed them. Movie night was about to start, and Casey and Morgan had something special planned. They’d been trying to share films that would help them woo and win a mate. Tonight, they were watching Dirty Dancing.
It was a shame Raven couldn’t watch it with them. When they finally got her to the Citadel, they could take turns being with Willow while the other two did movie nights. Better yet, they could talk Darcy into babysitting here while they had a mates’ night out. That way, no one would have to miss it.
Cayden rubbed his knuckles, still feeling the satisfying crunch of bone shattering when he’d hit Willow’s would-be abductor. If he hadn’t taken off like a bat out of hell, he’d have turned him into zoo security and had them call the police. His escape left them without answers. Who he was. What he was. How he knew it was Willow’s birthday and how long he’d planned his attempt to take her.
Worse was wondering what he intended to do with her if he had succeeded.
The cadre was committed to ensuring that he’d have no second chance. Willow was under their protection now. Her mother was a fated mate. Both of them were precious in God’s sight.
Cayden’s mind was still on Raven and her daughter when they entered the Citadel’s home theater room for movie night. Rows of reclining chairs and sofas had been installed facing the wall-sized screen. The sound system that Iosefa had engineered made the experience as close as they could get to a real cinema.
The scent of freshly popped popcorn filled the air. A table in the back held a popcorn machine, stacks of empty bowls, cans of soda, an assortment of chips, a crock pot of nacho sauce, a jar of jalapeno peppers, a bigger jar of dill pickles, and boxes of candy. Things to feed the men and humor the pregnant women.
Cayden took his usual seat. Sitting beside him, Killian called across the aisle to where Theo sat with his partner Emmett. “We want to know more about this prince,” he told Theo.
“Aye,” Cayden agreed. “Everything you know.”
Emmett shot them a censorious look over the top of his eyeglasses. “Not tonight he won’t. We’ve been looking forward to this film all week.”
“Shhh!” Morgan turned around from where she sat with her mates Zac and Aiden and glared at them in warning. “It’s about to start. Quiet, please!”
Casey wasn’t quite as polite as her best friend. “Can it!” she growled. “Listen and learn, gentlemen! This movie shows how a mismatched pair finds common ground. Lord knows you’re going to need help finding it, too.”
True enough, thought Cayden. Although their backgrounds gave them an edge when it came to Raven. Killian was from Dublin, and he’d spent the past few hundred years at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland. It was all well and good until the Da Vinci Code was published and the tourists who came were less interested in spiritual things and more in pop culture and conspiracy theories. It got to the point when he heard about the Next Genesis Project, he had readily volunteered, even though it meant taking on a robe of flesh, leaving Rosslyn, and relocating to New York City. Killian had arrived soon after. They’d been partnered from the first, both coming from Celtic countries a
nd having similar mother tongues of Irish and Scots Gaelic.
And now they had found an Irish fated mate. God in his wisdom had sent Raven to them. They just had to show her they were meant to be together.
Killian pursed his lips and looked over his shoulder toward the cadre’s version of a concession stand. “I need something,” he growled.
“Grab me some popcorn while ye’re at it, please?” Cayden asked. There was no sense in both of them disrupting things.
Leaving his seat to check out tonight’s offerings, Killian returned bearing gifts. Chocolate-covered raisins, two bowls of popcorn, and cans of cola to have with the movie.
They watched the story unfold on the screen, the human female insecure about her looks and desirability, forced to watch her prettier sister being wooed by a man who was unworthy of her. Baby was soft-hearted like Morgan. Zac and Aiden’s female was visibly upset when the dancer chose to terminate her pregnancy. Casey, less so, but the shift in both women’s energy was palpable. Casey threw popcorn at Robbie and called him a bastard, using the movie to vent her anger at the man who’d kidnapped and raped her.
Feeling the unhealthy shift in her energy, Cayden threw a piece of popcorn at Casey, trying to distract her. And the fight was on. The air was filled with puffy white missiles being lobbed on all sides until Tobias roared to cease and desist.
“Enough!” he growled, glaring at his men and the two fated mates. “You will sit. You will watch and learn and when this is done, Cayden and Killian will clean up this blessed mess! Is that clear?”
They watched the rest of the movie in silence, wishing Zana was here to see how dance allowed the two characters to connect and express their growing attraction to each other. The movie left them wondering what happened at the end of the summer when Baby went home with her family and Johnny Castle’s seasonal job was finished. It felt like a final parting to him, the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
Emmett and Theo were discussing the movie, too, whispering to each other as they got up from their seats. Theo looked flustered. Emmett took his hand to settle him and pulled Theo after him, headed for the library or the third-floor apartment that they shared.
Morgan and Casey were right behind them, talking to each other while their fated mates followed, shaking their heads at the two pregnant women.
Gael and Elijah started breaking down the concession stand, wheeling the popcorn machine back to the kitchen for cleaning. Tobias was the last to leave, but not before he had a final word with them.
“I know what you did,” he told Cayden. “I felt it, too. Although I don’t approve of the mess you made, you were successful in distracting Casey and helping her energy diffuse in a healthier way. Thank you for that much. I’ll leave you two to clean up.”
“Jaysus,” Killian huffed. “Now I know how Malik and Iosefa feel. They’re usually the ones cleaning up after their mate starts things. She can’t go shooting things up, but she gets her target practice every Friday night.”
“And gets spanked fer it,” Cayden murmured, wondering if that’s why she kept doing it. “Nae much of a deterrent, if ye ask me. If anything, the promise of a spanking only encourages the lass. Malik and Iosefa managed tae find themselves a painslut.”
“A very rich and kinky painslut,” Killian noted. “That club she inherited is worth a small fortune, and there’s a lot more money where that came from. Maybe she’ll let us take Raven there. At The Secret Garden Club, we can see how she reacts to things. Learn what sparks her interest and makes her wet. We’ll make certain the Citadel’s dungeon offers the same when we finally get to show it to her.”
Cayden sighed. “I’m hoping she’s nae vanilla,” he murmured. “It will be easier fer us if she’s a submissive in need of a Dom or two.”
“She moaned when I fisted her hair,” Killian recalled. Remembering their tryst in the bathroom, he reached to adjust himself. “There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s submissive and open to kink. What kinds and how much are the questions.”
“Aye,” Cayden nodded. There was so much to learn about their fated mate. The sooner they saw her again, the better.
Chapter Eight
Monday, May 4, 2020
Raven released the shaky breath she’d been holding and read the text message again.
Get close to the men at the Citadel if you value the safety of your daughter.
It had been waiting this morning when she’d awoken, sending her into a blind panic. She didn’t know where the messages were coming from. She was sure it had something to do with the men's secret. Did they have enemies? Maybe the government had discovered them. No. They were more likely to storm the building than blackmail a midwife.
The trouble was, she’d been married to the Irish mob. There was nowhere they could run to, nowhere they could hide. Eventually, someone would find them. For better or worse, their life was here. Her work was here. She had patients who depended on her to monitor their health and bring their babies into the world.
Patients who included Casey Andersson, a woman whose body had been transformed. Who was carrying hybrid children. Babies that might have wings…, only they’d look more demon than cherub.
Jaysus.
Not for the first time today, Raven felt her insides knot. It’s like every instinct was screaming at her to run as far and as fast as she could… except it was too late. She’d slept with Cayden and Killian. She owed them for rescuing her daughter. Instead, she was being blackmailed into betraying them, ordered to gather information about the Citadel in order to keep her daughter safe. She couldn’t tell them without putting Willow at risk. Somehow, she needed to find a way to keep Cayden and Killian out of it.
If she could.
She had to try.
Pushing the blackmailer’s demands to the back of her mind, Raven glanced out the car window to see how close they were to her destination. Rather than drive and pay for parking, she’d taken a lift to the Federal courthouse where Casey was scheduled to testify. The former ATF agent would be appearing as a witness for the prosecution in the trial of a Russian arms dealer. Attending as her primary caregiver, Raven would monitor her status, ready to intervene if it proved to be too much for her.
It was nearly too much for Raven. She’d struggled to leave Willow with her sitter this morning when everything in her wanted to gather her child close and keep her safe. Her calling as a medical professional meant that her wishes came second to her patient’s needs. Casey was already under enough stress being pregnant. Today, she’d be fighting to see a criminal brought to justice.
Casey’s reaction to the sight of the defendant was not what Raven was expecting. Instead of being angry, she was visibly shaken. The brash, ballsy former ATF agent disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Casey had gone from a woman in control to a woman still held hostage by her traumatic past.
The day went from bad to worse when Raven’s ex-husband Colin entered the courtroom. “Why is he here?” she murmured.
Casey knew who she meant. “Defense witness,” she whispered. “Ivan’s alibi.”
Raven listened as witnesses for the prosecution testified to the Russian Bratva member’s many, many misdeeds. The list of charges against him was as long as her arm, but the most personal were the ones that involved Casey. The poor woman had to recount her ordeal, doing her best to avoid looking at the man who had kidnapped and raped her, who’d taken her to his boss’s house and tried to frame her for his murder.
Ivan kept his head turned toward Casey, keeping his eyes on her while Malik and Iosefa did the same, hands fisted, no doubt fighting the urge to unfurl their wings and whisk him away to dispense Divine justice.
If looks could kill, Ivan was a dead man walking.
Knowing what they were, Raven wondered why Ivan was still alive and here on trial instead of six feet under—especially after what he’d done to a fated mate. When he watched Casey come down from the witness stand, the man was actually smiling, his gaze fastened on her
gravid belly. He looked… pleased. Oh, God. Surely he didn’t think…?
Jaysus. He did. He thought that he’d gotten her pregnant. According to Cayden and Killian, that was impossible. Her body had already been transformed when Ivan had taken her. She had four strands of DNA. She couldn’t possibly have conceived Ivan Michalov’s child but he had no way of knowing that. The sight of her pregnant had given him false hopes that would need to be crushed, Raven feared. Now that he’d seen her, he looked like a man who would fight for what he believed was his, including Casey.
The woman was pale and shaking when she got off the stand, creeped out by the look that Ivan had given her until his attorney forced him to turn around.
Sensitive to their mate’s needs, Malik slid over one seat so that Casey could sit by Raven. She wanted to hold her hand and reassure her patient—and she would—but first, she needed to take her vitals. She strapped a wrist monitor on her arm and activated it, frowning at the reading displayed on the digital screen.
Casey’s pulse was up but her blood pressure was dangerously high.
Raven took out a small notepad and ink pen and passed a note to her. Your pressure is higher than normal—unless it’s your new normal. Should I be concerned?
The look on Casey’s face was answer enough. Evidently, blood pressure norms were unchanged despite the flux.
Casey looked at her, eyes troubled and brow furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together. Taking the pen, she wrote, I can’t leave unless it’s a medical emergency.
It hadn’t reached that point but it was close enough to make Raven nervous. Breathe, she advised her patient. Do your best to ignore the outside, focus inside. Close your eyes. Release and let it go.
Casey obeyed, shutting her eyes and inhaling deeply through her nose, holding it, and exhaling through her mouth.