The Raven Queen

by Emma Jayne Mills

  “Hmm, I see your point.”

  The airfield Hunter had managed to locate was abandoned. Zane landed the plane on the private landing strip in the Greek countryside, surrounded on all sides by olive and lemon groves and only an hour’s drive from their meeting point with Lykos. The place had clearly not been in use for several years, making it the perfect entry point for the team. Having first sent out Jax and Marco in wolf form to scout the immediate area, the shifters disembarked. Jax and Marco were already on the ground, back in human form and were dressing when the others joined them.

  “Tell me you arranged a vehicle.” Marco looked around the deserted airfield. He never had been a fan of long flights, preferring the speed of a helicopter over a cramped aeroplane seat.

  “Actually, I thought the walk would be a nice change, dick weed. What do you take me for? A fucking amateur?” Hunter jogged away from the group, towards a small hanger. He leaned on the door, gave it a hard shove with his shoulder and disappeared inside.

  “See if you can get those other doors open, a place to hide Janet would be useful.” Zane wanted to move fast, hanging around in such a large open space was dangerous.

  “Janet?” Melaina frowned,

  “The plane, she’s called Janet.” Zane walked away from the group.

  “What is it with you lot and naming all your vehicles?”

  “Don’t you name all your toys?” Marco waggled his eyebrows at her and jogged off towards the hanger.

  “Names don’t give away a huge chunk of information. We use women’s names because they aren’t generally seen as a threat. Present company excluded,” Cole explained, with a wink at Aurora. “We’ve found it can work in our advantage not to give away our transport situation.”

  “A woman’s name also implies an extra body for us to protect,” Jax continued, as they walked towards the hangar.

  “A possible weakness. Causing the enemy to underestimate you.” Aurora nodded, understanding the reasoning behind it.

  “Any points scored over the enemy are a bonus. Not that you’re a weakness, obviously,” Cole blustered.

  “We get it, Cole, we’re not offended.” Aurora returned his earlier wink.

  “Any time today!” Zane yelled from the doorway of the aircraft, spurring them into motion.

  Within a few minutes, the group of shifters had concealed Janet inside the old hangar and clambered into the seven-seater vehicle produced by Hunter, it was best not to ask from where, and were on their way to meet Lykos.

  The hotel was, naturally, one of the most expensive in the city and seven shifters, dressed for combat, didn’t go un-noticed in the foyer of the grand establishment. Their rubber soled boots scuffed the pristine marble floors, earning them disgusted looks from the elite clientele as they approached the front desk, en masse. One Chanel drenched woman, who was probably close to Aurora’s grandmother’s age, pulled a rosary from her delicate handbag and began to pray when Jax walked towards her. She crossed herself when he passed by and continued straight to the bar area to scope out the exits and look for potential threats.

  “We have reservations,” Cole told the haughty receptionist.

  “Name?”

  Cole turned to Zane, who shrugged and looked at Aurora. “He said you would know.”

  Aurora rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming and stepped forward. “Koraki?”

  “Party of seven, I have you right here, Mrs Stratitori.” The receptionist smiled and tapped the screen in front of him. Hunter blew out a breath and rolled his eyes.

  “Excuse me?” Aurora struggled to remain polite, that ridiculous man just couldn’t let it go.

  “Your husband is waiting for you in your suite. Your security team have rooms on the same floor.” The dark-haired young man smiled again and laid an envelope containing room cards on the desk. “These are your keys. Take the elevator to the fourteenth floor, your husband has secured the entire floor for your stay. If there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to call reception.”

  “Thank you,” Aurora hastily picked up the envelope and turned on her heel, unrealistically hoping that Jax hadn’t heard the conversation.

  -Jax?

  Silence.

  -Jax, I am not ok with this. You must know that.

  More silence.

  -Just don’t fly off the handle, ok? Let me deal with him.

  Jax, having maintained a thunderous silence during their ascent to the fourteenth floor, stormed through the elevator doors, straight towards the suite at the end of the hall. He paused, to listen to the inhabitants of the room. Satisfied he’d found his mark, he lifted his booted foot and with one firm kick, opened the door.

  “For fuck’s sake!” Aurora sped after him, while the rest of the team followed at their leisure, in no hurry to stop Jax from his mission. The men on the team were very much in favour of seeing Lykos get what he had coming.

  Jax headed towards the only occupant of the room. Another time, he might have drawn his weapon, unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to kill this fucker and Jax made a point of never pulling his weapon unless he intended to use it. Besides, he wanted the satisfaction of fists connecting with skin.

  Lykos stood, having been seated in a sunken living area and prepared himself. He knew what was coming and had accepted his fate. The punch was more powerful than he’d anticipated. He’d underestimated the other shifter’s strength and made an on the spot decision to never do so again. On connecting with his chin, the hit sent Lykos staggering backwards a few steps. Jax’s momentum didn’t falter and he followed until he was in Lykos’s space. Fisting his hand in the other man’s shirt he lifted him off his feet and threw him backwards. The surface of the glass coffee table shattered, flinging shards of glass and fractured wood through the air. Lykos found himself lying on a bed of crushed glass.

  Aurora’s shout was muted under the sound of crunching glass and went unnoticed. Jax surged forward and stood over Lykos, his voice was low, threatening, and full of the power of his alpha wolf. “If you ever presume anything with my mate again, if you flirt with her, touch her, look at her without my approval, try to fucking claim her, you will have a lot more to worry about than a hotel bill for damages. Are we clear?”

  “You have made your point, little king.” Lykos got to his feet, feeling the glass dig into his back and brushed himself down with hands that were covered in tiny cuts.

  “What did you call me?” Jax fumed, standing eye to eye with Lykos.

  “A slip of the tongue… Jax. You have my word I will respect your mate bond. Unless Aurora asks me otherwise.” Lykos smirked, despite receiving a further punch to the chin. He reached up and rubbed the spot, smearing blood over his face and fully expecting Jax to hit him a third time.

  “Enough!” The female alpha’s powerful voice reverberated around the room, the vibrations causing the light fittings to shake.

  The shifters in the room lowered their eyes, unable to refuse. Lykos fought it for a few seconds, eventually giving in to a power much stronger than his own. Jax didn’t feel the pressure to submit in the same way the others did but lowered his eyes through choice and respect for his mate. Aurora released Melaina’s hand, having protected her from the alpha’s order and stepped in between the two men, glaring at each one in turn.

  “Look at me, “Aurora commanded.

  Both men met her eyes. She burned her anger in to Jax’s mind and he uttered a silent apology, although that apology wasn’t extended to Lykos. She understood his actions, but she would not tolerate them. Her gaze moved to Lykos, who, after a few seconds, bowed his head in submission.

  “Thank you,” Aurora stated and turned away from them. “Lykos, a word.”

  Aurora led Lykos a few steps away from Jax, she faced the window, arms crossed and he stood behind her. Looking out at the darkness enshrouded skyline, she let him stew in silence for a few seconds. Finally, turning to face him, she threw a punch of her own. Landing a solid hit between his eyes, she backed up and watched
him recover. He raised a hand to his face, his fingers coming away sticky with more blood from the wound she had opened across the top of his nose. Lykos looked from his hand to Aurora and held her gaze.

  “Chairetismata, agapi mou. Greetings, my love. You’re beginning to make a habit of greeting me with a punch. I live in hope that one day it will be a kiss.” Lykos sniffed through the blood pouring from his nose, ignoring Jax’s vicious snarl. They looked silently into each other’s eyes for a few minutes, Aurora penetrating her anger into him, until Lykos smiled and bowed his head again. “Understood, Aurora.”

  “For future reference, I throw my own punches,” she addressed Jax.

  “For future reference, I enjoy watching you throw your own punches.” Jax’s thoroughly amused eyes sparkled and he flashed her that lazy grin she loved. “The ones I threw were for me, wild thing!”

  “Are you done? Shall we be grown-ups now?” Unaffected by Jax’s flirting, she looked between her mate and the man who was now nursing a broken nose. “Do you want to shift, Lykos?”

  “No, I can wait, you hit hard, but I am no stranger to pain.” He looked at her through blackening eyes, a smile glinting in the corners of them.

  “Suit yourself. Then let’s pretend to be civil, shall we? Everyone, this is Lykos. Lykos, meet the team.” Aurora moved to stand behind the bar in the corner of the room and poured herself a large glass from an open bottle of red wine.

  “That is a hell of an idea. Is there food? I’m wasting away here,” Hunter commented, joining her. Opening the fridge, he began pulling out bottles of cold beer and throwing them precariously over his shoulder, knowing his teammates would catch them. If they didn’t, what was a little bit more broken glass among friends?

  “Does Ambrosios know we’re here?” Zane asked Lykos, popping the lid from the beer and taking a deep drink.

  “His home is on Crete, he doesn’t often have need to leave the island. I don’t know if he will be at the auction. Sometimes he attends these things, others he leaves it up to his beta. He and I haven’t spoken since we were children. I have no reason to return, he has no reason to suspect my presence. I deliberately chose a human hotel to divert attention, a shifter establishment may have contacts of his in residence. His is the most senior ranking pack in Greece, he will have allies all over the country.” Lykos paused to look at Aurora, his need to care for her warring with his common sense to stay away and not provoke her mate further. “Koraki, your journey was long, allow me to order room service for you all. We have a long night of planning ahead of us, we should do so in comfort.”

  “Food does sound good.” Marco rubbed his stomach and Melaina agreed.

  “Should we get someone to clean the mess up?” Cole indicated the shattered glass of the table. Lykos shook his head, murmuring that he would deal with it when he checked out of the hotel.

  Lykos handed Marco a menu and room service was ordered, while Lykos went to the bathroom and cleaned the blood from his face. The bruising had already begun to fade, a shift would heal him completely, but a broken nose and a couple of black eyes weren’t serious enough injuries to risk shifting around unfamiliar people. It was decided, since the auction at the museum wasn’t until after dark the following evening, the shifter’s animals would be introduced to the new wolf the next morning. There was no getting around the fact that Lykos and Jax’s wolves would have to meet sooner or later. Although both men were keen, Aurora wasn’t the only one with reservations about it. Zane was dubious about the introduction and wanted to keep it to just him and the two wolves. It was Jax and Lykos’s agreement that if things got out of hand, the one person who could calm their wolves would be Aurora, that secured everyone’s presence at the introduction.

  The table the group were seated around was littered with plates of Greek mezze dishes, wine glasses, water bottles, several mobile phones, pens, paper, and three laptops. Hunter was using one of the laptops to work out a flight path and find a secure landing site on Crete. Cole was using another to hack into the CCTV inside the museum.

  “The dagger is located on the ground floor of the museum, on this side of the building.” Lykos pointed to a photograph that flickered on the screen of the third laptop. “This is the only exhibit placed in the auction. Viewing is by invitation only, as is the auction.”

  Lykos clicked the mouse. The picture switched to a plan of the building that housed the museum. He pointed to the screen again. “It has been on display in this room for several weeks, so it can be viewed by possible buyers. There is only one door and the room has no windows. Almost every item in the exhibit belongs to Ambrosios, he inherited these weapons from our father. Three of Ambrosios’s personal guards are a constant presence. My brother’s pack is at least fifty strong, I anticipate many of the males will be in attendance as security during the auction.”

  “The dagger belonged to your father?” Aurora’s eyes snapped up.

  “It did.”

  “That’s how you knew it existed,” she nodded, fitting things together. “Wait, was it the one…”

  “No, Koraki, that one is in my collection, in Ireland.” His smile was intimate, as though they shared a secret. Jax swallowed his reaction.

  “Do they know the dagger’s purpose?” Aurora continued with her questioning and, much to Jax’s relief, did not return the smile.

  “I don’t believe so. My father wasn’t interested in the history of the weapons he collected. He simply wanted the most sought-after items so that he could demand the highest price. Monetary value was his only concern.”

  “And Ambrosios?”

  “I have reason to believe he is of the same opinion as my father.”

  “What reason?” Jax wanted to know.

  “I anonymously placed a valuable piece of my own in the auction to get a feel for the buyers we’re going up against. A few have shown interest. Ambrosios has requested a private sale on the item in question.”

  “And what have you told him?” Zane asked.

  “Does he know it’s you?” Melaina asked.

  “No, he does not know I am the owner. All correspondence has been via email,” Lykos answered Melaina. “I told him I am merely a representative and that I must speak with the owner to arrange such a thing.”

  “So, what’s our next move?” Cole asked around a mouthful of dolmades, Greek stuffed vine leaves.

  “We make contact and possibly arrange a meeting during the auction,” Zane supplied. “We tell him we’re interested in exchanging his dagger for the item he desires.”

  “Are you happy to relinquish this item of yours?” Jax asked.

  “No, but needs must and I am confident I can get it back at a later date.”

  “What if we just take it?” Hunter spoke up. “There are enough of us, pick a quiet time at the museum, walk in, grab it and walk out. The only shifter guards are Ambrosios’s men, we can cover them.”

  “And what happens when a human sees one of us shift, or hit a guard a little bit too hard?” Zane raised his eyebrows at Hunter.

  “Vampire? Drake gave you his card, figure he owes us a favour after we get hold of this dagger.” Hunter grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t think it would be quite as straight forward as that.” Aurora, who was seated next to Hunter, shoved his shoulder. She turned to Lykos. “How did you find out about the auction?”

  “You saw my business. I specialise in this type of work. Gaining access to the item I require is something I do well.” Lykos spoke with a fondness in his tone that set Jax on edge again.

  “Secrets, Lykos.” Aurora’s smile was without humour.

  “Everyone must have their secrets, Koraki. Life would be dull without them.”

  “What about the guards? The location? How do you know their positions? If viewing is by invitation only, that exhibit isn’t open to the public and you already said you can’t use your name to get in.” Aurora was digging for something, Jax realised.

  -Rory, what’s wrong?
/>
  -He’s hiding something.

  -Want me to kill him?

  -You’re not funny, Jax.

  -I’m not trying to be.

  “He’s already accessed their CCTV,” Cole supplied, flashing a wry smile in Lykos’s direction.

  Aurora raised an eyebrow at Lykos, he had the decency to look sheepish and nodded once, to acknowledge Cole was correct.

  “We’re a team, Lykos, we don’t have secrets,” Zane told him, firmly.

  “Of course, commander,” Lykos said.

  “As you are aware, my name is Zane,” Zane corrected. “The team only uses rank if we’re on a job.”

  “Again, I apolo…”

  “Fucking hell, Lykos, we both know you’re putting on a show here.” Aurora’s patience snapped and she threw the pen she’d been holding down on the table. “This submissive bollocks isn’t fooling anyone. You want nothing more than to fly across this table and rip Jax’s throat out. You won’t, because I don’t want you to, but don’t pretend you aren’t sitting there fantasizing about killing him. I know for a fact he’s doing exactly the same to you. I defended you to this lot, told them you had balls, skills that would make you an asset, but you’re not showing them any of that and I don’t appreciate being made to look like a fucking idiot!”

  “To make you look foolish was never my intention, Aurora. You’re right, this situation is more than a little difficult for me. These men all care for you very much, as do I.” Lykos was cut off by growls and protests from the other men in the room. He waited for them to finish before he continued. “My actions, both recently and during my shared history with the commander, have made this a hostile environment. I wish to work with you and I hope that eventually we will move past these tense beginnings. For now, I will continue to tread carefully. I am one among many. I know, should the shit hit the fan, as you so eloquently put it, I will be the one fighting alone.”

  “You’re wrong,” Jax’s reply was cold, lacking in emotion, but his words were meant. “If you’re part of this team, we will accept you as one of us. We will fight alongside you and expect you to do the same for us. We have each other’s backs, and we will have yours, just as we do any other member of the team. Personal issues don’t come into it when we’re working.”