Raven: Guarded Hearts Book 3

by Claire Marta

  If Darcy let them. She’d be next of kin unless they married. Would Raven even have them now? Things were so nebulous, their future unclear.

  The thought of losing their mate during labor made him break out in cold sweats. Raven’s refusal to talk to them only made matters worse.

  “Damn this, I won’t wait any longer,” Killian grumbled, raking his fingers through his black hair. “This is killing me.”

  “Ye ken what she said,” Cayden warned. “Driving her away will do us no good.”

  “Ye’re sure what ye saw?” the Irishman question for the millionth time. “It wasn’t a trick or faulty equipment?”

  Cayden huffed out a ragged breath. “She’s pregnant, there’s no denying it.”

  Killian scowled. “So what are we supposed to do? Wear a hole in our floor while she tiptoes around, avoiding us?”

  “We must talk tae Tobias,” Cayden decided. “He’s the one we must answer tae, whatever else is done.”

  It would give them someone to rant to as well. Their leader was patient and knew more about these matters than they did. It was the reason he had been picked to lead this mission.

  Leaving their apartment, they headed up to the fourth floor, bypassing the dungeons and the guest suite being used by Raven. Tobias’s apartment was larger than the others. The only time they had seen it was when they had first moved into the building and helped him with his boxes. No one had been inside since. Where he was always in his office or around the other floors, there was no need.

  Cayden rapped on the door gingerly, knowing it was still early. Listening intently, they heard an Italian Baroque piece from the 1600s playing softly beyond the walls. Cayden remembered Barbara Strozzi’s music from their superior’s office.

  As beautiful as it was, Tobias swore it didn’t compare to hearing her perform in person.

  When the door opened, they discovered their superior fully dressed, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Yes?”

  “We need tae talk tae ye,” Cayden began. “It’s about Raven and no, it cannae wait.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Tobias surveyed them. “Come in, then, and take a seat.”

  He stepped to the side, allowing them to enter his inner sanctum. Cayden eyed the space beyond the foyer with curiosity. Already he could see an eclectic mix of styles. Paintings on the walls ranged from Da Vinci and Titian to Art Deco and Magical Realism. An alcove in the foyer held a collection of erotic bronzes, statues of satyrs and nymphs.

  Stepping into the living room, Cayden admired Killian’s work anew. Ahead of them, accent rugs softened the stone floors that he’d laid. On their right, a pair of antique armoires flanked the fireplace he’d built. He’d used matching stones for the left wall of the living room, creating a large arched doorway that framed the gourmet kitchen beyond.

  Gael wasn’t the only one here who could cook.

  Tobias showed them to the sofa facing the fireplace. The space between held a glass-topped display table filled with antiquities. Toys like children in Pompeii or early Rome would have played with. An antique game board. A deck of cards from Renaissance Italy. Ivory dice. Dolls from different cultures and time periods. Clay and colored glass marbles. A vintage teddy bear.

  One glass-topped end table held a collection of antique coins that looked priceless and rare. Another held books, from papyrus scrolls to first editions of Dante’s Inferno and Paradise Lost. But it was the large iron wheel mounted on the far wall that commanded their attention, as tall as a man and perfect to use like a St. Andrew’s cross for kink.

  Cayden took a seat on the sofa, Killian joining him. Tobias was content to stand, his long fingers wrapped around the mug he was clasping.

  “Raven’s pregnant,” Killian blurted out before Cayden could speak.

  Tobias smiled wryly. “I know.”

  “Do ye now?” Cayden questioned in confusion.

  “She’s staying on the same floor as my apartment. You really think I haven’t heard her talking? She’s not the quietest female I know. That would be Morgan. Your mate is almost as loud as Casey. Almost.”

  Palming the back of his neck, Cayden grimaced. “Ye’d hae heard her crying last night, then.”

  The older man nodded sagely. “Not tears of joy as one would hope. I understand, though. Things have happened quickly and unexpectedly. Having doubts and fears is natural. It will take time for her to work through what she’s feeling. Time and your unconditional support.”

  “Aye, that’s the thing. She won’t let us near her.” Killian’s tone was brimming with impatience. “How are we supposed to show her that everything is going to be alright if all we get is a door in the face?”

  “How could this hae even happened?” Cayden asked. “Did ye ken this was possible?”

  “No,” Tobias conceded, his lips pursed with thought. “The transformation we trigger is far more powerful than we believed. The Eden Foundation will want to know every detail. You’ll have to gather data and report on her progress the same as you are already doing with the other females.”

  Cayden frowned. “Aye, that’s all weel and guid but none o’ tha’ will happen if she leaves. She’s already threatened it this morning.”

  Taking a sip of coffee from his mug, Tobias didn’t answer straight away. “Theo has advised you to be patient. This is a must. Trust in your mate to do the right thing. Her heart will know when it is ready. Right now it's shrouded in doubts and fears. This will pass, and she will see that her true path lies here with us.”

  A frustrated groan vibrated in Killian’s throat. “But…”

  “You came to me seeking guidance,” Tobias cut him off sharply. “I cannot control your actions in this. Do what you must but make sure it is not for selfish reasons. Impatience is not a virtue.”

  Cayden shifted where he sat. “And what of her ex-husband? Thanks tae Calodin, we ken that he murdered her first husband. He’s dangerous. Wie the knowledge we now possess, she shouldnae go anywhere near him.”

  “She will have to be told,” Tobias agreed. “Subtly,” he stressed. “She is already fragile. This news will come as a blow. Raven married and lived with the man who killed her first fated mate. She shared his life. Shared his bed. When she learns the truth, she’ll blame herself for Michael’s death. Humans have a way of doing that even when logic tells them things are not their fault.”

  Would it push her further away from them? That was Cayden’s concern. Their mate had already endured so much in her life. This revelation could crush her fiery spirit. Change her. It was not something he wanted to see happen.

  “There’s also the matter of the Fae,” their superior continued. “She needs to know the truth about Michael. I do not believe he ever told her of his Fae origins nor of the union he arranged that would see Willow and Calodin joined.”

  “When she’s eighteen,” Killian snarled, his temper peaking. “Until then, he can bloody well wait.”

  Clasping his partner's shoulder, Cayden attempted to calm him. “I’m just as frustrated about the situation as ye are but this is nae what Raven needs.”

  He recognized Killian’s urge to be close to their mate and protect her. The same impulses battled within him. Primitive, passionate. Things he had never experienced before. It was all heightened. A potent mix.

  “I overheard their plan to sneak out tomorrow and have a day away from here. The park and a picnic. It is best if we let them have this freedom. Allow Raven to not feel threatened or caged,” Tobias decided. “Give her the space she needs. Those of us watching over them will remain hidden. This way they will be guarded but still able to enjoy their time together uninterrupted. Go. Shower. Change and report downstairs for breakfast. From the look of things, you’ve been in those clothes all night.”

  Cayden tried smoothing a wrinkle from his crumpled T-shirt and cringed. “Och aye. We didnae sleep and nothing else has come tae mind since we learned we’re tae be fathers.”

  His stomach churned in knots. Instead of feeling happy like he
had at the start, all he could seem to do was focus on the negative. The what-ifs. Thinking like that wasn’t benefiting anyone but he couldn’t help it.

  Killian rose first, Cayden trailing after him as Tobias showed them to the door. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Both men nodded. Stepping into the hall, they turned to walk back the way they’d come and hesitated, feeling the pull of their mate in the guest suite. Knowing it was wiser to ignore it, they descended the stairs.

  A fast, hot shower helped. Clean, groomed, and dressed, they made their way to the dining hall ahead of Raven, Darcy, and Willow, who was carrying her ever-present stuffed unicorn. Like her shoes, it held a tracking device that Zana had managed to slip inside. One way or another, wherever Raven tried to sneak off to today, they’d be able to find her.

  The three females chose to sit at a table farther from them and closer to Malik, Iosefa, and Casey. Willow was giving the two rehabbers tips for building her castle. She couldn’t wait for it to be done.

  Daily orders followed breakfast.

  Cayden stepped into Tobias’s office to the sound of applause. The cadre members were beaming from ear to ear, looking at them as if they’d just won a cup or a title of some kind.

  Which it felt like they had.

  Their brothers rubbed Killian’s shoulders as they passed, like Lincoln’s nose or Buddha’s belly, for the luck of the Irish, he supposed. Once the murmured congratulations died down, Tobias prepared to issue their daily orders, beginning with announcements. “It is an auspicious day,” he told them. “Another fated mate has been found, and our numbers will be increasing. Six babies on the way, the first of their kind. We must do everything in our power to keep their mothers safe, happy, and well. Now that Morgan’s spring semester is done and her Master’s degree completed, she has volunteered to stay with Casey and free Malik and Iosefa to work on the playground. I will be getting bids to cover the atrium with a domed roof so the space can be enjoyed year-round now that we have children to use it.”

  Willow first of all.

  “Zac, you’re on security detail today. Malik, Iosefa, Theo, Lukas, and Zana will be working on the construction of the castle. Cayden and Killian, you’re assigned to look after your mate and her daughter. Emmett is curating books for Willow, preparing to homeschool her if her mother agrees. Gael is in charge of the kitchen. Elijah will be working in the gardens. Aiden, you’re the gofer today. At the women’s beck and call, should they need or want anything. Oh, and if you’re sent for pickle and peanut butter ice cream, buy extra to have on hand.

  “Gentlemen, are there any questions? No? Then you are dismissed.”

  Cayden and Killian hung back, wanting to talk to Tobias. They’d kept their ears tuned to the door and had known exactly when Raven and Willow snuck out to hide in Darcy’s SUV.

  “Let them have their day but keep them safe,” Tobias ordered. “And be discreet. I don’t want headlines in the morning about strange sightings in the sky, yes?”

  Killian grinned. “We’ll do our best, sir.”

  It was no surprise to find Darcy waiting with Willow’s puppy when they came out of Tobias’s office.

  She greeted them with an innocent smile as if she wasn’t their mate’s partner in crime. “I’m going to take Prince to the park,” she told them. “I want to check into obedience classes for him while I’m there. I need someone to open the gate, please.”

  Cayden looked at his partner. “Aye,” Killian answered. “I’ll see to it.”

  And Cayden would keep an eye on their mate from above.

  Darcy’s first stop was a grocery store with a gourmet deli department. She stayed outside with the dog. Clutching her birthday unicorn, Willow went inside with her mother. Raven came out with two loaded bags and a cheap Styrofoam cooler that went in back of the SUV. Safely buckled in once more, they eschewed MacArthur Park in favor of one much farther away. Too early to eat, they left the food behind in the cooler. Raven shouldered her purse, Willow carried her unicorn, and Darcy handled the dog.

  Prince wanted to make friends with every other canine that he saw.

  “Bitches,” Killian hmmphed.

  Cayden shot him a look.

  “The dogs,” he drawled. “Looks like Prince is sniffing out the females early on. He’s going to be a handful if she leaves him intact.”

  Cayden nodded. “Seems a shame to snip him.”

  Just the thought made his balls draw up tight.

  After the drama of yesterday, it was good to see the women relaxing, enjoying themselves. The morning was warm enough to be comfortable with light jackets that they quickly shed. It was early enough, the crowd was thin. Being a workday and a school day, there was no competition when Willow wanted to feed the ducks. Raven held her toy to free her daughter’s hands. Fishing coins from her purse, she put them in the machine that dispensed food.

  Hearing the grain drop, the birds came flocking to Willow. The koi fish did, too, gliding through the water and gobbling any bits of food that the ducks missed.

  It was perfect and peaceful for a while until a loud ruckus broke it.

  Cayden scanned toward the sound from his vantage point, safely hidden in a copse of trees. A gang of boys formed a circle. They looked like street urchins, faces dirty, clothes worn and stained, legs kicking viciously at something on the ground. With his keen eyesight, he could make out the small, curled-up figure trying desperately to protect himself.

  Another boy was yelling at them to leave his little brother alone.

  Hearing the cries for help, the women and child changed direction, heading for trouble. Sensing it, Prince barked wildly, pulling on his leash.

  “They’re going to intervene,” Killian murmured from beside him. “Be ready in case things turn nasty.”

  A boy tugged at the arms of the bullies, trying to stop the attack which only earned him a punch to the face. Blood gushed, spilling from his nostrils. Still reeling from the blow, he held his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

  “Leave him alone!” Darcy’s voice boomed as they came into view. As if by magic, the gang of bullies scattered, taking off in different directions. Lying on the ground, the smaller child who had been the center of their violence cried pitifully for his mother.

  Cayden tensed when Raven rushed to the boy’s aid. The healer in him wanted to assist but circumstances forced him to remain a passive observer.

  “We were minding our own business and did nothin’ to them,” the bigger boy with the bloody nose explained. “That’s my brother.”

  “Are you two alone or are you here with someone?” Darcy asked. She had her hands full, trying to calm Prince and keep Willow back.

  Meanwhile, Raven was talking to the younger boy soothingly, checking him over. Blue eyes peeking out from the locks of his blond hair, he grimaced when she touched his ribs.

  The older brother pointed east. “Our mom went to the ladies’ room. She let us stop to play before our dentist appointments. We’re supposed to stay close and not go too far.” He looked at Darcy. “Can you come with me, please, ma’am? I can’t go inside the ladies’ room but you can. She’s wearing a purple dress and sunglasses and looks like me. You’ll know her when you see her.”

  Cayden watched their mate look up from where she knelt. “Go on, Darcy. And take Willow, please.”

  Spoken like a mother, trying to spare her sensitive child the sight of suffering.

  “I’ll wait here with Matt.” Raven turned from her cousin to the older boy. “He tells me you're Billy.”

  Billy nodded, his eyes wide with worry. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Yes, I think so,” Raven assured him with a smile. “But you need to find your mother. She should take him to be seen by your own doctor.”

  Willow stared at Billy with a solemn gaze. She had her toy unicorn clutched tightly to her chest.

  “Be a good girl for Aunty Darcy and help keep an eye on Prince.” Raven blew her daughter a kiss and sent the three on their
way.

  It seemed that every creature stopped to watch the scene. A squirrel above him clung to a branch with a discarded French fry in its mouth. A pair of falcons circled soundlessly overhead. The ducks on the lake went silent, listening to it all.

  Killian shifted, pushing away from the tree he was leaning against. “I’ll watch them. You stay with Raven.”

  Cayden kept his attention pinned to their mate. “I will,” he swore, admiring her skills as a physician and feeling her mother’s heart ache for the hurt child she was tending.

  They couldn’t ask for a finer fated mate. He’d do everything in his power to make her happy, keep her healthy, and protect her from all harm.

  Whether she liked it or not.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raven helped Matt stand. The six-year-old was battered, wobbly, and still shaken, but there were no serious injuries that she could tell. Shouldering her purse and lifting him in her arms, she carried him to the nearest park bench and sat with him, certain that his mother would come back soon.

  How long could a restroom break take?

  The boys who’d attacked him looked like street urchins, a gang of homeless youth who’d banded together for survival but turned into the bullies they’d sought to protect themselves from. She was certain that Morgan would have a field day with them, trying to rehabilitate them. One of the psychology major’s pet projects was The Lighthouse Youth Center, which provided services to homeless and wayward children.

  Their mother still wasn’t back when Billy reappeared. “Come on, Matt. Time to go,” he told his little brother. “Thank you, ma’am. Oh, and there’s a man looking for you. He says you need to talk to him.”

  Billy pointed behind him. Over his shoulder, she saw Colin standing with two of his goons.

  He was holding Willow’s unicorn.

  Oh, no.

  No no no no no!

  There was no sign of her daughter, Darcy, or Prince. Fear coiled around Raven’s rib cage, constricting her lungs. Struggling to breathe, she rose from the bench on shaking legs.