It stretched toward her, lethargic and twisting.
She staggered back.
And took a step into the darkness.
A warm, wet, sticky substance adhered to her back and blocked her passage. Brenna yelped and tried to jump forward, but something thick and slippery coiled around her waist and glued her shirt to her chest. It held her firmly in place.
A nightmare.
Waldrom’s words resonated in Brenna’s head.
At rest, the soul wandered through dimensions. Some good, some evil.
And if this was a nightmare…
Brenna screamed. She thrashed forward, trying to free herself, but another tendril wrapped around her neck and dragged her backward, away from the light. The darkness would consume her, she realized. It was going to pull and poke and tear until she was a part of it.
Brenna let out a choked sob.
With a flash of blue-green, abruptly the shadows let her go.
Brenna lurched forward. She ran for the light, tripping over her own feet along the way. When she was close enough, she threw herself forward and hit the ground. The candlelight bathed her in safety. She wept in relief.
“Hatchling?” Corbin asked from above. Soon enough, a reassuring hand stroked Brenna’s back. “Hatchling, you’re fine. It will be fine. We told you that we would be there, waiting. We told you that we would protect you. We didn’t lie. Don’t cry. You’re safe and loved.”
Brenna cried anyway. She curled up tight, ashamed and frightened. How long had it been since she’d had a nightmare?
Given the circumstances, she was surprised she hadn’t had one earlier.
“I am here,” Corbin promised. His hand stroked Brenna’s back. “I am here. You have nothing to fear. We’re fine now. We’re fine.”
But everything wasn’t fine. Everything had fallen to pieces, and Brenna wasn’t sure what to do about it.
“Corbin,” she said through her tears. “Corbin, I—”
Brenna sat up, heart pounding.
She was at Dr. Kilpatrick’s house, in bed. The air conditioner hummed in the window, but her body was still damp from sweat. The dream had abruptly disappeared.
“Corbin,” Brenna whispered. “Corbin, I’m sorry.”
But Corbin did not reply.
When she fully woke up, Brenna felt more frustrated than ever. She'd recovered from the bad dream. She'd seen one of her princes. She'd formulated her thoughts and organized them, and had said everything she wanted to say to them…
And she didn't know whether her raven princes had heard any of it.
More than anything, Brenna would like a reply.
At the very least, an acknowledgment that she'd been heard.
Nothing.
At least she was clearer in her own mind about a way forward for them.
The next day, Jade, the blond by West Point’s window with the chai latte, was sitting next to another young woman. They looked similar in age, and by their relaxed posture, they were good friends. They sat close and touched in a way that was familiar.
When Jade saw her through the window, she waved energetically and grinned. Brenna had been considering getting back in her car and driving away, but now that Jade knew she was there, there was no escape.
Brenna entered the cafe.
“Look who’s here!” Jade beamed. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it. Now sit, sit. I’ve got someone to introduce you to.”
The brunette turned in her chair. The strange green ring in one of her eyes burned brightly, almost too green to be real. Momentarily, Brenna wondered if she wore colored contacts, then realized the idiocy of that thought. She’d met people with naturally iridescent hair and who sprouted wings at will.
In Beaumont, the most likely explanation wasn’t a colored contact.
“Hi. I’m Lauren.”
“Lauren!” Jade groaned. “How am I supposed to introduce you if you introduce yourself?”
“Sorry. I guess I’m a little too enthusiastic. Or you're too slow.” They bumped shoulders together.
Taking a seat opposite them, Brenna sat at their table. “I’m Brenna.”
Jade covered her face with both hands. “Both of you are terrible at letting me introduce you. What’s the point of me being here if you’re just going to introduce yourselves to each other?”
“Don’t mind her.” Lauren wrapped her hands around her cup of chai. “She’s melodramatic.”
“I’ve met her once before, and I'm starting to think you’re right.” Brenna smiled. “I didn’t know you were going to be here today, but it’s nice to meet you.”
Jade peeped out from behind her fingers. “That’s what I was talking about on the phone when I mentioned fate. The one person I wanted you to meet was coming to meet me right when you called asking if we could talk. Coincidence? I think not. Also, I like what you did with your hair, by the way.”
Brenna ran her fingers through it out of reflex. “Thanks.”
Lauren was looking, too. There was a distant look in her eyes like she was processing something, but then she shook her head and leaned toward Brenna on her elbows. “How long have you been here?”
“Just a few months,” Brenna said. “I’ve been house sitting for Dr. Kilpatrick, but he comes back in a few days.”
“Oh.” It sounded like Lauren didn’t think Brenna had answered the real question.
Did she mean in this world? Brenna bit down on her lip.
“I’m from Riverside,” Brenna volunteered, hoping to clear the air. If Lauren knew about other dimensions, it was possible she knew about the ravens. Maybe she mistook Brenna for one. “This is my first time in Beaumont.”
“She’s been spending a lot of time hiking.” Jade hitched a brow suggestively and tipped her cup to her lips. “In Beaumont woods.”
“Have you?” Lauren met her eye. Brenna was taken by the singular green ring. What was she? “So you’ve spent time exploring the forests?”
“I… have.” Brenna wasn’t sure how much information she wanted to volunteer. “I haven’t been back in a while. I had a bad experience.”
“Oh.” Lauren looked down. “Yeah. Sometimes that happens. But you know, sometimes when you’re visiting some place new, it takes a while to adjust. Newness doesn’t always mean badness.”
“I don’t know. When I came to Beaumont, I felt like I’d found somewhere that suited me perfectly,” Brenna said. “And now it’s like… it’s like I’m not certain.”
They spoke between the lines, but Brenna felt sure that their conversation had moved onto weightier, more important matters. It wasn’t just a question about fitting in at Beaumont or having poor hiking experiences—Lauren seemed to share her insight into the difference between worlds.
Or maybe Brenna was projecting.
Either way, Jade’s satisfied smirk led her to believe that there was more to the conversation than appeared at surface level.
“I was new to Beaumont, too, when I moved here in high school. I had some of the same hesitations that you did, questioning what I wanted from life. I think you get that whenever you do something that goes against the grain. But um…” She took a sip of chai, then lifted her gaze from her cup to look at Brenna. “In the end, I've come to the conclusion that the choices I make might be life-changing, but they’re not binding.”
“What do you mean?” Brenna asked. She knew that Lauren was onto something, and she desperately wanted to understand it.
“Well.” Lauren tapped her fingers on her cup. “If you take moving to Beaumont as an example… You moved here, right? You said goodbye to your family and friends in Riverside, and came here on your own. You live your life, but then, after months, years, decades, whatever, if you decide you don’t like it you can move away. It might be hard to start again, but you can always move back. You can always do something to better your situation. So… that’s how I'm thinking about my future right now. I'm trying something. If it doesn't work out, I can move back.”
You can alway
s move back.
Brenna blinked.
The way Lauren phrased it, it sounded obvious and easy. When she was with the princes in the palace after the ceremony, it all felt stifling and permanent. Lauren was right.
The server came to their table. It was a different woman than last time she came here. Brenna ordered a chai latte. Lauren and Jade shook their heads to the offer of something more.
“I think, sometimes, it’s a lot to take in all at once, but if you don’t try, you don’t know, right?” Lauren said when the server walked away from their table. She cleared her throat. “And if you’re anything like me, you know that no matter what, we will rise above. When times get tough, we soar.”
Brenna’s eyes widened. Lauren smiled knowingly, then shrugged a single shoulder and took a sip of her latte.
Brenna gazed down at her fingers. It was what she'd tried to explain to her men; she had free will. she could choose to live with them, and if it didn't work out, she could move back. Each day she was in the ravens' palace, she could be there because she chose to be.
“So, Jade,” Lauren said once she set her cup back down. “How’s the dating situation going?”
“Oh my god,” Jade uttered, exasperated. “Don’t even get me started.”
They both knew. They'd all talked in a roundabout way, but these girls seemed to know exactly the dilemma Brenna faced, and it sounded as if Lauren had experienced similar.
They knew. And now Brenna did, too.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ever since parting from the raven princes, after that last heartbreaking moment they'd spent together, Brenna had looked out on the forest at the back of the garden many times every day. She'd rarely seen a raven. Sometimes she glimpsed one amidst the trees but only for a fleeting moment.
Crossing the backyard, Brenna aimed for a place only a few feet beyond the lawn, convinced a raven would be there. The exact location in the woods where she'd last seen Waldrom was visible from the house. His departing message assured Brenna when she looked; she'd find him right there, waiting for her where they'd parted. It seemed so long ago.
As soon as she stepped under the cooling canopy of the trees, two ravens came into view. She hadn't seen them a few minutes earlier, not even as she crossed the lawn. They sat on a branch overhanging the spot and intently watched Brenna's approach.
They flapped their wings, and both flew down to the ground.
Brenna could tell at once neither bird was one of her men.
The ravens jerked their heads and twisted their necks a number of times before stopping as still as stone. It was as startling to watch as the first time, and now she saw the transformation in double. Before Brenna's eyes, the birds grew and changed. Black features receded and were replaced by pale skin.
Having seen some strange things over the past few months, Brenna expected the change. Nevertheless, it still shocked her. It looked surprising, painful, and extreme. She wanted to avert her eyes, but transfixed, she couldn't stop watching.
In a matter of seconds, there stood an undeniably beautiful naked woman in place of one of the black birds and a slightly taller handsome man alongside her.
Only then did Brenna recognize him as the same creature who'd previously transformed in Dr. Kilpatrick's house. Despite being sent to guard her, last time, Brenna recalled this raven was not altogether friendly.
The male said nothing but crossed his arms.
The female looked her up and down in a way that, while not exactly hostile, seemed dismissive and rude.
Brenna had witnessed the deference which all the subjects showed towards Waldrom. However, she sensed a stark contrast in the attitude toward herself. She wasn't sure whether it was indifference or disdain.
"I will inform the princes you are here and waiting to see them." The lady turned away and started to run toward the forest. After a couple of strides, wings appeared and seemed to lift her slightly. A few feet further and the transformation back to raven was almost complete.
Transforming while in motion was delightful to watch.
She stood there with the man in silence until it had stretched out too long for Brenna's comfort. She said, “How long will it be before I see a prince.”
“Our prince will be here very soon.” The damn raven-man didn't even make eye contact.
“Do you have a problem?” asked Brenna, annoyed.
“I do not. I am loyal to our noble royalty, and I have no problem undertaking the prince's orders, which were to wait here for you.” The man glared at Brenna as he spoke.
Impulsively, Brenna responded instantly. “You said you are loyal, are there some who are not loyal?” And regretted her haste; she should've thought her question through.
The raven-man stared into the space above Brenna's head for an unnerving moment. “All of the Congress are behind our royal family, but we face troubling times. There are some who question our leaders' judgments on many things, not just one.”
“Am I one of those things?”
The raven fixed a cold stare on Brenna. “An unbreakable bond entwines your souls, we all know that.”
The answer was too vague. Brenna crossed her arms and huffed. “And what else is on your mind, exactly?”
“It is not for me to question why the princes mate with a human woman.” The raven spat out the last two words.
The raven looked around at the surrounding forest before focusing on Brenna. “Many of our kind would have made suitable partners to mate with royalty. Our kind understands the great honor the princes have bestowed upon you. Whereas you insult them like this.” The raven cast out his hand, indicating Dr. Kilpatrick's house on the horizon.
It dawned on Brenna that her behavior may have been open to misinterpretation by the ravens. “I certainly meant no disrespect to you, your princes, or your people. I had commitments I had to attend to here.” She wondered about saying more. If she was to live with the princes as part of the royal family, Brenna thought she ought to win over their subjects. However, she owed this man no explanation and wanted to sort things out with her three men first.
At that moment, looking incredibly majestic for a naked man with huge black wings, Victor stepped out of the shadows, putting an end to the conversation.
Without a word, she nodded to the ill-disposed raven. As quickly as he'd transformed into a man, the subject returned to his corvid form and flew away. They watched him disappear into the forest, flying in the same direction as the previous bird.
If possible, with his smile and sparkling eyes, Victor looked even more gorgeous than Brenna remembered and within a matter of seconds they were touching. Victor wrapped his arms around Brenna, who in turn placed a hand on the prince's face as if to check he was real.
She'd like to stroke those feathered wings too but wasn't sure of the etiquette involved around stroking a person's wings.
They gazed at each other and Brenna saw immense love in the prince's eyes.
“I've missed you, Victor. I spoke to you in my dream, but I don't know whether you heard me.”
“Before Corbin snatched you from your nightmare, he heard you, my hatchling. He came for you as soon as you spoke in that dreamscape, but you were not in the same dimension, and it took time for him to reach you. He told us what you said.”
“I wanted to tell you I love you, I feel what we have between us, and I want to give us a chance.” Up next to the man she loved, Brenna experienced an overwhelming longing to get even closer.
“We understand, Brenna. We have missed you and thought about you and talked about you daily.”
Touching, smelling the scent of the man, and hearing his voice all captured and held Brenna's attention, while she longed for more, to get closer and to taste him.
“Are you now ready to come to our world?” Victor asked. The heat of his voice teased across Brenna's face.
Resolutely, Brenna stepped back and shook her head. She took hold of Victor's hands and squeezed. “I want to come home with you soon, but no
t right away. Not today. Where is Waldrom? I expected him here.”
A little of the joy seemed to slip from Victor's features.
“He is on his way. Corbin will come too. We have taken turns to wait here for you with additional help. Hierax has left now to fetch my brothers.”
Brenna nodded. “I can't come straight away. I've commitments here, things to sort out before I leave. Please come back to the house where we can talk.” She released of one of Victor's hands so she could lead him across the yard.
They walked toward the back of the house.
Nudity had started to feel natural in Victor's company. In Brenna's world, however, bringing a naked man across the backyard and into Dr. Kilpatrick's house still felt weird.
“There are important matters I must attend to in my realm, hatchling. I can only stay here a short time. If we didn't have a great responsibility for others, we would stay with you in any world you chose.”
“I'm starting to understand that.” Brenna opened the back door and led her prince into the kitchen. "I have so many questions.”
“I doubt I can answer all of your questions at once, but ask, and I will try.”
As they stood in the kitchen, Brenna wondered what to do next with her extremely desirable nude guest. Seeing Victor after their time apart stirred a great need within her.
Brenna wanted to talk but, honestly, instinct dragged her in other directions.
In Dr. Kilpatrick's house, entertaining naked strangers downstairs didn't feel natural. “When we first met, in my dream, you came wearing clothes. How come?”
“I dress when it suits my purpose. It is customary to wear clothes in many worlds. I undress, also when it suits my needs.” Victor grinned, his black eyes sparkled with mischief. “I knew you'd like me like that. You liked watching me undress, didn't you, hatchling?”
Brenna didn't need much of a reminder of the things she liked in that regard. She gulped as her temperature rose and her pussy throbbed.
Victor had taken control and served Brenna her greatest fantasies. Her gaze dropped, and as it did so, it fixed upon the prince's hard nipples and stiffening member.
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