The Raven Queen

by Emma Jayne Mills

  “Lykos, I heard you were in attendance. It has been a long time, brother. What brings you home after all these years?” An ingenuine smile slithered over Ambrosios’s face and Melaina moved away. She positioned herself next to Marco, who wound a protective arm around her waist.

  “You’re looking well, Ambrosios.” Lykos feigned fondness for his brother, aware that the feeling was mutual. “I have an interest in an item in the auction.”

  “Well, don’t we all?” Ambrosios smarmed and his eyes roamed over to Aurora. “If the rumours are true, I hear you have settled down.”

  “Ambrosios, I would like to introduce my mate, Aurora Byrne.” Lykos squeezed Aurora’s hip as she extended her hand to Ambrosios, a hand that Lykos knew to be as lethal as it was delicate.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Aurora charmed the man, whose eyes she felt crawling all over her skin.

  “My queen,” Ambrosios took her hand and placed a kiss over her fingers, bowing slightly at the waist as he did and holding on to her hand for several lingering minutes. “As beautiful as anyone could have imagined, more so…”

  -Jaysus, he’ll be drooling in a minute.

  -I’ll get him a napkin.

  -Going to need his hands off you, wild thing. His brother I can tolerate, not him.

  -I’ll take care of it, Jax.

  Aurora extracted her hand and moved her body closer to Lykos, putting on a show of timidity at the other man’s advances. Ambrosios continued to sing her praises, moving closer and attempting to pry her away from Lykos. Until Lykos let out a vicious snarl and stepped in front of Aurora. Marco and Cole immediately took up protective stances and Marco moved Melaina behind him. Ambrosios, seeing the men’s moves, stepped back, defensively.

  “My dear brother, I apologise, I meant no offence. It is an honour to meet our queen, I am a great supporter. My excitement carried me away for a moment.”

  “How can you support someone you know nothing about?” Aurora frowned, wrapping her own arm around Lykos’s waist, and bringing them side by side once more.

  “My queen,” he began.

  “Aurora,” she interrupted, feeling Lykos relax somewhat and loop his arm back around her, pulling her against his side, protectively.

  “Aurora, your reputation as a fierce hunter and tracker precedes you. The Morrigan Prophecies have long been talked about in the more elite circles of the shifter world. We have awaited your coming for many years. It is a privilege to finally come face to face with our saviour.”

  -Can I just shoot him now? Are you getting this shit?

  -I’m getting it. Probably not a good idea to kill him yet, Rory.

  “Actually, we have some business to discuss with you,” Lykos ventured. A meet to discuss a private sale had been vetoed by Ambrosios before the auction. Emails had gone unanswered after that and the team had been left with no choice but to attend the auction.

  “Ah, is this where you tell me you are the mysterious bidder on our father’s dagger?” Ambrosios eyed his brother.

  “Indeed.” Lykos nodded and turned an adoring gaze on Aurora. “A gift, for my beautiful mate.”

  “I see.” Ambrosios rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. “I am afraid there is much interest in the dagger this evening. I would not be a good businessman to simply take the first offer.”

  “I can assure you, I will better any offer in the room.” Lykos grew impatient. “There is also the matter of the pendant.”

  “Ah, yes, the item of jewellery you stole from my mother,” Ambrosios accused.

  “I did not know who it belonged to,” Lykos said, with disdain.

  “No, of course not,” Ambrosios looked around the room. “As I said in our email exchange, I think it is best if we put our bids in officially, dear brother. A fair price for both items is guaranteed that way.”

  Any further discussion was halted by the announcement that they were being moved into the next room to view the items for auction. Ambrosios excused himself, insisting with overdone politeness that they gather after the auction to continue their introduction. Lykos agreed, although he had no intention of still being in the building at the end of the auction. A fact Marco agreed with him upon.

  -Exchange is a bust. Get Hunter set up to bid.

  -Roger that.

  Aurora almost snatched her fingers away on instinct, when Lykos locked them with his, stopping herself in time and accepting his hand to walk through to the next room. The items for auction were displayed in glass fronted cabinets and arranged in rows. Aurora and the others roamed along the aisles, looking for the dagger. Row after row of jewels and weapons and pottery with intricate, hand painted designs were laid out before them.

  “This thing could be anywhere,” Marco huffed.

  “Did you just come to whinge?” Melaina snapped, irritated by the wolf’s constant moaning. “Fine, you’re not happy about the situation, none of us are, but we’re here. Deal with it and get the job done!”

  “Go and fix that, the last thing we need is to be arguing amongst ourselves.” Aurora reprimanded her brother when Melaina walked away, her eyes flicking over his shoulder while she spoke.

  “What do you see, Koraki?” Lykos leaned in behind her, sensing her mood change and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Sucker,” Aurora hissed, ensuring her words only reached the ears of her companions.

  “Got him,” Cole stepped in beside Marco. “Is that?”

  “Yeah, it’s him.” Aurora confirmed Cole’s suspicion that the vampire in question was Eldon.

  “We know him, I take it?” Lykos asked and received a nod from Aurora.

  “Marco, get Mel back. I got a really bad feeling about him last time we met and I don’t trust him, I want her in sight.” Aurora instructed her brother who moved away without question. “I need to update Jax.”

  “I’ll watch him, talk to Jax,” Cole told her.

  -Jax, we have a problem. The vampire is Eldon.

  -Has he seen you?

  -He knows we’re here, he must, but I had a thought, what if he is the one selling the book?

  -That would mean he’s betraying Drake. Unless he’s in on it too, which makes this whole thing a set up.

  -I trust Drake. Can we get hold of him? Ask him why Eldon would be here?

  -Leave it with me.

  -Thanks.

  “They’re going to contact Drake, see if he can explain Eldon being here. It makes no sense that he would be here on Drake’s instruction, not when they asked us to find the dagger,” Aurora reported.

  “This whole thing could be a set up,” Cole pointed out. “We need to be on our guard or this could go so far south we’ll be in fucking Libya by morning.”

  “That’s what Jax said,” Aurora replied. “I don’t know, I got the sense we can trust Drake.”

  “Found it,” Melaina announced, looking overly excited, as she returned with Marco, who had filled her in on Eldon’s presence. “End of the third row, in a show cabinet against the wall. It’s stunning!”

  “Show me,” Aurora, stepped away and linked her arm through Melaina’s. “Give us some space, two women alone might get more mouths to wobble.”

  “Aurora, I don’t think it is wise for us to separate,” Lykos argued and the fact that Marco looked as though he agreed with him almost made her change her mind.

  “We won’t be out of sight, stay close but not too close. Have I told you how good you look in a suit?” She paused to wink at Lykos, reaching up to straighten his tie and press a kiss to his lips. “Don’t panic, old man, I stink of you. Nobody is going to challenge that.”

  “They’d better not,” he grumbled and followed, at a short distance, keeping half an eye on the other items in the display cases. You never knew in his business when you were going to come across something important. There was one particular piece he’d been seeking for several years but hadn’t quite managed to get his hands on.

  Cole and Marco split off in different directions, staying wit
hin sight. They moved along the aisles towards the cabinet Melaina had indicated, listening out for anything that could be of interest. Aurora and Melaina reached the end of the room and paused at the cabinet. There was no other word that could describe the dagger than exquisite. With its platinum blade and delicately hand painted hilt, it was quite possibly the most beautiful weapon Aurora had ever seen. It would be a shame to tarnish it with the blood of evil. Yet, the thought of the vampire king’s blood drenching the blade made her positively giddy with anticipation.

  Wolves, if you were to believe opinion among the shifter world, tiptoed the fine line between humanity and savagery. Teetering on the edge of the cliff that could take them spiralling down the slope of madness, losing control and giving way to the animal’s instincts to hunt and kill. In part, it was true, the skill lay in maintaining your balance on that line. Never be seen to be weak, for your own safety, yet never fall over the edge. A wolf’s capacity to love played its part in anchoring the animal to humanity, but Aurora had only ever been hurt by love. She had, however, been raised by wolves, even if she wasn’t one and had inherited the blood thirsty desire to hunt.

  “You are attracting attention, my love,” Lykos’s breath was warm against her neck and she shivered at his closeness. Suddenly noticing what he had seen, she felt like an animal caught in a trap, all eyes on her. Aurora had become the exhibit and Lykos was nervous, she could scent it on him.

  “What’s wrong?” she turned her face to the side and whispered across his cheek.

  “I’m feeling protective, Koraki, my wolf does not enjoy the attention his mate demands from this room.” His hands snaked around her waist from behind and she leaned into him.

  “Well, now you’ve ensured we both have an audience,” she smiled and reached back to caress his face, cupping his cheek in her hand. “Anyone would think you wanted to put on a show, agapi.”

  “I merely wish to remind them who you belong to,” he murmured, turning his mouth into her hand to kiss her palm.

  “I don’t believe you,” she whispered, lifting her chin, and returning the kiss with one on the corner of his mouth. He turned his head, catching her mouth with his and heating the moment by devouring her lips. His hands roamed, one on her back, moving down, while the other slid into her hair. A moan escaped her lips when his fingers closed loosely around her throat.

  -Rory!

  -Just making it look good.

  With his arms still wound around her, Lykos asked, “How do I score this time?”

  “Hmm, I think you’ve managed to get an eight.” She smiled, cheekily.

  “You forget, I have your scent, Koraki,” he whispered next to her ear. “That was at least a nine.”

  “Arrogance is not an attractive quality, Lykos,” she charmed.

  “And yet, my arrogance excites you,” he made a performance of inhaling her scent. “I will have a ten from you before the evening ends.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, if you would care take your seats in the auction room.” A murmur went through the crowd with the announcement and they began to move, like sheep, in the direction it had come from.

  “Koraki,” Lykos stepped back from Aurora and held out an elbow to escort her, while Marco joined them to escort Melaina. Cole had stayed close but hadn’t joined them yet.

  -Drake has no idea why Eldon is there, keep an eye on him. If I hear any more, I’ll let you know. Hunter is set up to go.

  -Roger that.

  -And Rory?

  -Yes?

  -I’m going to have so much fun marking you later. You’re going to feel me all over you. There won’t be any part of you that isn’t branded by me.

  Aurora felt the flush cover her body and she sucked in a harsh breath. Lykos may prompt a physical reaction from her, but Jax could trigger both a physical and an emotional one, without even being in the same room. His laughter echoed around her head and she silently fumed at him. She took the seat that Lykos pulled out for her, at a round table near the back of the room. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek as he took his own seat and lifted an eyebrow, questioning her sudden flushed appearance. She avoided his look and immediately reached for the bottle of champagne sitting in the centre of the table.

  “Allow me,” Lykos took the bottle and filled her glass and another for Melaina, who sat on his other side, between him and Marco.

  After a few minutes of wandering the room, Cole joined them and took the remaining seat at the table, on Aurora’s left.

  “Sucker has a front row table,” he murmured as he sat. “No clues as to whether he’s buying or selling yet. Anything from Jax?”

  “Yeah, Drake has no idea why Eldon would be here,” Aurora supplied.

  “So, he might be our vamp and he might not be,” Marco surmised.

  “Ambrosios is at the front too. I asked a few questions and it seems he never stays for the auction unless something else interests him,” Cole added his findings.

  “I think we know what he’s interested in,” Lykos seethed. He might not be Aurora’s mate, but he felt like a mate would where she was concerned. His brother was not to be trusted and he was certain the evening would not continue to go as smoothly as it had so far.

  “Yeah, nothing that’s for sale,” Marco said, draining his champagne, and pouring another glass. He offered the bottle around the table, adding to Melaina and Aurora’s glasses before setting it back down. “So, goes without saying we need to keep our eyes open.”

  “Here we go,” Aurora said, as the auctioneer greeted the room and announced the first item.

  -The book has been withdrawn from the auction.

  -Any details?

  -It was listed as a last-minute entry, the nature of which to be revealed at the time of sale. All we can see is that it was withdrawn in the last few minutes.

  -Suspicious

  -Very, Eldon still there?

  -Yes, he hasn’t made contact but he has to know we’re here.

  -Don’t engage, we’ll dig around about the book after we get the dagger. It’s not priority tonight.

  -Agreed.

  The auctioneer ploughed through the first hour and a half. Item after item sold like wildfire, every drop of the hammer bringing them closer to the dagger. Aurora relayed the information she had gathered from Jax, other than that, conversation around the table was hushed and limited to few words. The group were hyper-aware of paranormal abilities that could pick up information they weren’t willing to give. All eyes in the room regularly focused on Lykos and Aurora. Lykos, only doing his job, obviously, lavished Aurora with affection, nibbling her earlobe, caressing the back of her neck, trailing kisses along her bare shoulder. Anyone who watched them would see a devoted mate pairing and their friends, not a group of warriors who were likely to blow the place up before they left.

  -Hunter is set up to bid online. If Lykos doesn’t get it in the room, we’ll get it that way.

  -Okay, it’s up next.

  The team had discussed bidding during their initial planning stage the night before in the hotel. It was decided that while Lykos would oversee the biding in the auction room, showing off for his new mate and securing the dagger she absolutely must have, Hunter would send in online bids to keep any other parties out of the bidding. Once everyone else dropped out, Hunter would too, ensuring Lykos won the dagger. Of course, there was also a plan b in case things went wrong, which basically consisted of Aurora, being the fastest, grabbing the dagger and taking to the skies while the others fought their way out.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the next lot is our piece de resistance and the final lot of the evening.” A murmur went through the crowd at this announcement. There was a lull in proceedings and a few people stood to leave, their eyes lingering on Aurora as they did. Aurora picked up a feeling of uneasiness among some of the guests, several of them seemingly wanting to speak to her as they passed by their table but thinking better of it.

  “Something’s not right,” she whispered to the others, ensuring Jax
also heard.

  “Ambrosios is gone,” Lykos observed, not having seen his bother leave.

  A commotion caught the attention of everyone in the room. Those who had stood to leave hurried their pace and others retreated to secluded corners, some moving behind the stage to look for a way out. One large shifter, a lion, not an alpha, was Aurora’s feeling, shoved his chair back so hard it hit the floor. His companion followed and both men made their way over to Aurora’s table.

  -About to go noisy!

  -Standing by

  The shifter slammed his hands down on their table and roared loudly. No words, just a deafening holler. Lykos, Cole and Marco remained seated and calmly prepared for confrontation. Security around the room rushed into motion and all eyes were on Aurora and her companions.

  “You,” the man glared into her eyes. “I wanted the information first, but the book is gone and the prize is worth it. I’ll just take you now instead”

  “De-ja-vu!” Aurora sighed and nudged Lykos’s knee with her own.

  “With one major difference, Koraki,” Lykos watched the slobbering beast leaning towards them across the table. “This time we are on the same side.”

  “She is not yours, wolf,” the lion turned to Lykos. “She is up for tournament at her father’s order.”

  “I’m up for what?” Aurora stood, fixing the man with fierce eyes.

  “Tournament, my queen,” the raging beast within him quelled when faced with the alpha queen. He became calm and respectful, realising quickly that he had taken on more than he could manage. “Your father has ordered you are to be returned to your home, where a tournament to claim you will take place.”

  -Did you know about this, Jax?

  -No, but judging by his reaction, I think Zane might have.

  -Tell him I want everything!