by Laurie Roma
The heat had a light sheen of perspiration coating her skin and she could feel her hair sticking to the back of her neck. She would have pulled it back, but she knew how much all three of her mates enjoyed seeing her curly hair loose so she left it down.
She smiled as she finally saw him. Tristan was sitting at a table in a shaded corner, focused on working on something that she couldn’t see as she approached.
“Tristan,” she called out through their bond, shielding her mind enough so he wouldn’t know she was there yet. She watched as his hands stilled and his head lifted. One of his hands moved to rub against his chest as if his heart hurt and it filled her with sadness.
“Good rising, Raven,” Tristan replied, sending his words with a feeling of warmth and welcome.
“I was hoping we could spend the day together,” she said.
She could feel his surprised pleasure and her mood lifted.
“I would love that, little one,” Tristan said quickly. “Shall I come find you now?”
“I’ve found you,” Raven said aloud, watching him freeze. His head whipped around and his glowing eyes blazed with hunger when he saw her.
“Raven,” Tristan said, standing quickly. “It is too hot for you in here. Come, let me take you away.”
She smiled at him as his eyes roamed over her outfit and felt a surge of lust through their bond. When his eyes met hers, his narrowed. “Your eyes…”
Raven stiffened in alarm. “What? What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“They have silver and gold flecks in them now. How is this possible? I have dreamed of your beautiful green eyes since I last saw them. The flecks were not there before.”
“Oh, umm…does it look weird?”
Tristan’s expression softened. “Nay, I did not think it was possible for your eyes to get any more stunning, but they are. It is as if there are stars shimmering in your beautiful green eyes now. It was just startling to see.”
Wow, who knew Tristan was a poet? Still, it would have been nice to have a heads up that her damn eyes had been changed during the conversion. Or was that because of the Gods’ blood? Either way it was another thing she could thank Silas for. “Err…I can explain that, later.”
Or at least she’d try to.
Desperate to switch the subject, she looked around. “Kadan explained that the three of you try to help with the work here at least once a week. I wanted to see what you were doing.” She noticed him shift to block her view of the table. His lack of expression and tense body had her hesitating. “If now isn’t a good time I can go. We can meet later—”
“Nay!” Tristan yelled. He blew out a breath and his massive shoulders slumped. “I had just finished making something for you. I would have waited until my brothers were with me to gift it to you, but—”
Oh, crap…
“I ruined your surprise. I’m so sorry, Tristan. I just wanted to come and surprise you.”
He smiled at her and made her heart speed up. In her peripheral vision she noticed her guards falling back a few steps, giving her and Tristan as much privacy in the corner as they could.
Tristan held out a hand to her. “There is nothing to apologize for. It was a good surprise. Come, little one. Let me show you what I have made for you.”
Raven stepped forward and took his hand, allowing him to pull her closer to the table. He was very careful to respect her space and she hated the distance that she felt between them, emotionally and physically. Propriety be damned, she snuggled up to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. He looked down at her with such love and happiness it made her knees go weak.
“Tristan, I forgive you. Please don’t hold back with me,” she said softly. “I want us to start over. Clean slate, okay?”
Tristan smiled, his eyes glowing with pleasure. “I would like that very much.”
He turned back to the table and lifted the most gorgeous necklace Raven had ever seen into his hands. It was an intricate torque made of thin, woven threads of a deep gold the same color of his eyes. The threads held three large gems the color of dark silver that sparkled in the sunlight.
“This is a mating torque,” Tristan explained quietly. “These are called ironstones. They are extremely rare and can only be found in the heart of a volcano. We create holes on the other side of the mountain range every few months so the volcanoes never erupt, but as the pressure builds the minerals in the earth combined with the lava create these.”
“It is so beautiful,” Raven breathed out. She looked up at him in awe. “You made this for me?”
“Aye,” Tristan said, his voice rough with emotion. “Savitar told me that it is customary in your world to wear rings to announce you have taken a mate, but here we gift our mates with a mating torque. Will you wear it for us, Raven?”
Tears stung her eyes and her throat tightened. “I would be proud to wear it, Tristan. Thank you for this gift. It means the world to me that you made it.”
“I would try to bring down the stars from the sky if you only asked, mate.”
Tristan moved around to her back and Raven reached up to gather her hair so she could raise it. Tristan gently placed the torque around her neck. It fit snugly, but it was a comforting feeling to feel it. It meant she belonged to her mates.
To all three of them.
Tristan placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck that sent a shiver of desire racing up her spine. “My mate,” he whispered.
“Mine.” Raven turned, clasping his face in her hands and kissed him hard, sharing all the passion and love she felt for him. He growled in response and his tongue stroked against hers. He took control of the kiss, shoving his hands in her thick hair to hold her still as he ravaged her mouth. It was a kiss of possession, of love, and it set her body on fire.
When he pulled back they shared a grin.
“I want to see it. You can’t give me bling like this and expect me not to check it out,” Raven said, making him laugh.
He led her over to a work station where four warriors were making a gilded frame around a large mirror. After asking them to hold it up so she could see the torque, the males quickly complied.
All of the males smiled as she cooed and awed at the sight of the beautiful necklace around her neck. With her leather outfit she really did look the part of a warrior queen. She would wear it with pride knowing that Tristan had made it with his own two hands.
Another man joined them who looked identical to Damos and Kell. Tristan informed her that he was their brother, Malik, Nyla’s other mate that Raven hadn’t met yet and his personal guard when out of the palace.
Raven instantly liked Malik just as much as she did the other two of the triplets. Malik threw his head back and laughed when she told him that he had his work cut out following Tristan around since she had a feeling the two of them often found trouble when they were together. Tristan and Malik’s innocent smiles didn’t fool her. Malik’s smile turned into a wince when she mentioned that he and his brothers had obviously gotten all the common sense out of all of his siblings.
He bowed his head in shame. “I am deeply sorry for the way my younger brothers and sister behaved the other day. I—”
“No worries, Malik.” Raven said. “I don’t blame you, Kell, or Damos for the way the others acted. Not even a little bit. Everyone has an asshole or two in their family. I certainly did. You can’t pick your family.”
Tristan rubbed her back as Malik shot her a look of gratitude. She noticed that Malik wore a thick, plain gold torque around his own neck, similar to the ones she had seen on Nyla’s mates. When he noticed what she was looking at, he smiled.
“These are what mated males wear, my queen,” Malik explained.
“Please call me Raven.” She then turned to Tristan with a frown. “How do I go about getting one of those for you guys?” She switched to saying the rest of her thoughts through their bond so the others couldn’t hear. “I’m not about to wear your torque and have you three run around without one like yo
u’re single so other females can continue to lust after you.”
Tristan raised a brow. “Jealous, mate?”
She growled at him.
Tristan laughed. “My brothers and I have made matching torques for you to give to us. You have only to ask and we will proudly wear them.” He stroked her cheek with his hand. “You never have to fear that any other female would ever come between us. Even though we have not physically spent any time together since that first day, you have been in my thoughts every moment. You own my heart, Raven. Body and soul, I am yours and only yours.”
Raven laid her head on his chest, not caring that the other males were watching. Tristan’s arms wrapped around her, surrounding her with his warmth and love. She pressed her lips to his chest, right over his heart and felt a shudder of need wrack his body. She could feel the depth of his feelings for her and knew that his words were true.
He was hers, just as she belonged to him.
“Aye, we belong to each other.”
She pulled back and saw that Tristan’s glowing eyes were blazing with emotions. “You heard me?”
He nodded. “Aye, you opened your mind to me.”
“I meant it, Tristan. Mate.”
Tristan’s mouth lowered to hers and she went up on her toes to meet him. The kiss was gentle and sweet, saying all the things that both of them wanted to convey to the other without words. A roaring cheer filled the building, startling Raven into pulling back. Tristan’s arms remained around her, comforting and offering support.
“Honor to your mating!” the males in the building roared out, loud enough to shake the rafters.
Like when she had addressed the elite warriors, she bowed her head then recited the formal acceptance and thanks. The warriors working in the forge roared out another cheer and her guards, Arkady, Tirk, and Jordyn beamed at her with approval.
“Well done, my queen,” Malik said.
“My queen,” Tristan whispered. “My heart.” The pride in his voice made her feel ten feet tall.
Raven and Tristan were waylaid as more males came over to greet her. They were curious to meet their new queen and she took the time to speak to all of them. Word had obviously gone out that she demanded to be spoken to directly, because each male looked her directly in the eyes when asking a question. They were still very respectful of Tristan’s presence and she noticed that all of the males stood a healthy distance away from her, and the unmated males even further back.
It could have been because of Tristan’s fierce frown or the way he kept his arm secured around her waist the entire time. No matter the cause, she liked the way he stood by her side, protecting her while still allowing her to talk to his people.
Tristan called a halt to the conversation when he noticed that Raven was starting to get affected by the extreme heat inside the building. The males bowed to them then went back to work as Raven, Tristan and their guards left.
“What would you like to do now, little one?” Tristan asked once they were standing outside the building, their guards trailing behind them.
“There is somewhere I’d like to go with you,” she said.
Tristan’s face paled slightly when she asked him to take her to the mating pool. “We cannot go there without my brothers, Raven. It is a sacred place and—”
“Savitar and Kadan know we’ll be there. They will meet us there later, but I told them I wanted to spend the day with you alone first.”
Tristan’s glowing eyes brightened with lust and hope. “Are you willing to complete the mating ritual with us?”
Aware they were standing on the street, Raven fidgeted. “Ah…can we talk about this later?”
She silently cursed when Tristan’s eyes dimmed. Shit, she really didn’t want to have this conversation here out in the open, but she could feel the rejection Tristan tried to hide from her and had to say something. She shot a glance at their guards. “Guys, can you give us a minute?”
“Of course, my queen,” Jordyn said from where he was standing a few feet away.
“Jordyn!” Raven complained.
Jordyn turned around and smiled at her. “I forgot, my…Raven.”
“My Raven! She is mine!” Tristan growled.
Jordyn blanched and backed away quickly. “Aye, my king. Forgive me.”
He and his brothers hurried to move further down the street, where they could still protect her yet far enough so they wouldn’t hear their conversation. Malik shook his head at Tristan before strolling away casually.
Raven sighed when she was standing alone with Tristan. “Yes, I want to do the mating ritual with you guys, but it seems sort of strange since you and I haven’t even spent any time together yet, Tristan. Plus, anal sex is new to me and I’m still sort of weirded out by the whole thing so I’m asking you to be patient.”
Tristan sent her a sheepish smile. “Aye, that had just occurred to me.”
“I do want to be with you. Even though we haven’t had much time together I feel that I know you, inside and out. I’m just asking for some time to let my head catch up with my heart.”
Tristan nodded solemnly. “I can do that. Forgive me pushing too hard. I am just anxious for you to truly be mine. We can take this as slow as you need.”
Chapter Twelve
“Can you pull over right there, right before the trees?”
Raven’s arms were wrapped tight around Tristan’s waist as they flew over the terrain on a hover-cycle. It was an exhilarating feeling, far better than being on a regular motorcycle. They were literally flying. When they had first taken off on the hover-cycle, Raven had let out a loud whoop of joy that had made Tristan laugh. She loved seeing the sights of the city as they flew through the streets, but loved the rush of speeding over the sand even more once they were out of the Citadel.
They had traveled a few miles outside of the city when Raven pointed to the place she wanted Tristan to stop. He halted the hover-cycle right before the tree line that surrounded the small clearing where the mating pool was hidden. The six guards following them also came to a stop, surrounding them in a protective circle.
Raven got off of the back of the hover-cycle and stretched her arms over her head, making Tristan snarl at the guards when he noticed they were watching her. Malik grinned before looking away. Even though Malik was Tristan’s personal guard whenever he left the Citadel and he took the king’s safety very seriously, she could tell that they were also close friends by the way they constantly pushed each other’s buttons.
Raven picked this as the stopping point because she could feel the pulse of magic in the air, signaling that they were at the barrier where Lunaria’s safeguard began. Perhaps it was the Gods’ blood running through her veins that allowed her to feel it because it seemed like no one else seemed to be aware of it.
Malik made a move to follow them as Raven took Tristan’s hand in hers. She came to a stop and shook her head at him. “I’d prefer it if you guys stayed here.”
“Nay, my queen. We cannot protect you if we do not go with you.”
She laughed at that. “Do you honestly think that Silas would let anything happen in the sacred place that Lunaria blessed?”
Tristan shot her a curious look. “You speak of the God of the Sun as if you know him. Aye, this is sacred ground, but as the royal ruling family we are always in danger, Raven.”
Raven blew out a breath. This was not how she had planned to tell him. Still, she knew safety was a major concern so she could understand his hesitation to leave the guards behind. “I sort of do.”
“You do what?” Tristan asked, not understanding.
“Well, I kind of met the Sun God this morning.”
All the males stared at her in shock.
She held up a hand before Tristan could speak. “It’s a really long story, which I was planning to tell you, but I’d really prefer to do that when we are alone. I’d guess there has never been an attack here in these woods or at the clearing, am I right?”
Tristan no
dded slowly, his eyes wide. “Aye, you are correct.”
“Trust me, we’re safe here.”
He studied her in silence for a moment then nodded with conviction. “The guards stay here. We will be fine without you.”
“My king—” Malik began to protest, but Tristan cut him off.
“My mate has requested you remain here, so you will. I trust her,” Tristan declared.
Raven smiled then walked with him into the forest as the guards set up a perimeter around the forest. It felt right. She realized they were taking the same path that she had walked with Silas and thought that perhaps he had meant for her to come here with Tristan today.
“Can you tell me what you meant by saying you met the God of the Sun?” Tristan asked when they were out of hearing distance from the guards.
Raven told him of her experience earlier in the clearing and of her time with Silas and Lunaria in the Isle of Dreams, leaving out the part about what she had seen in the scrying pool in the garden. When she got to the part about drinking a drop of both Silas and Lunaria’s blood, Tristan stopped as if he were struck by lightning.
“The Gods shared their blood with you?” he asked, incredulously.
Oops. She forgot to tell that part to Savitar and Kadan earlier when she’d told them she was converted. “Umm…well, yeah. They said the conversion would hurt but if I did it there they could shield me from the pain.”
Tristan shook his head. “It is not that. Raven, do you understand that you now have the blood of the Gods running through your veins? This is unprecedented!”
Raven quickly told him about her suspicions that they had done it because of their inability to have children of their own.
“I do not even know what to say about this.”
Unable to help herself, she grinned up at him. “Just remember, if you piss me off, Uncle Silas might come down here and kick your ass for me.”
She watched the color drain from Tristan’s face. “Uncle…Silas?”
She laughed and hugged his arm to her as she started walking again, pulling him along with her. “I was kidding, Tristan. Lighten up. They chose me out of all the women on Earth because they thought I would make a good mate for you and your brothers. That tells me he thinks pretty highly of you or he would never have gone to the trouble of bringing me here.”