Chapter Six
TOR HAD NO idea whyhe hadn't sensed what Raven was earlier other than to say she was probably unknowingly responsible for it.“You’re not just a remarkably strong dragon seer, but you possess an overwhelming amount of Celtic godliness and Ancient dragon magic.”
It was all there, clear for anyone to see now.
And it was more powerful than anything he possessed, let alone Revna and Cian, which was telling. Revna was head seer with good reason. Up until now, they had thought her the most powerful seer on Midgard. As to Cian, Tor sensed his magic more by the moment. Profound sorcery that leaned dark but could just as easily work toward good under the right circumstances.
Raven, without doubt, being those circumstances.
He had never been so furious, conflicted, or jealous in his life. Furious at Revna for deceiving him. Conflicted over realizing the deep love he had felt for her was actually for Raven. Worst of all, though, he felt overwhelming jealousy toward Cian. Whatever the man’s role in Raven’s life, it went deeper than that of a lackey doing her bidding. Cian didn’t just respect her but loved her.
Which meant they had a past every bit as much as Raven and Tor did.
A past that might get in the way depending on how Raven felt in return.
“In the way of what?”she grumbled into his mind.“I don’t feel anything for anyone yet.”
She might say as much, but he knew better. If she had possessed Revna these past few years, then she most certainly felt a great deal for him. Looking back on it, everything made sense now. Why Revna seemed so in love with him some times, and other times not. Her behavior toward Loki these past few weeks. Above all, why she had refused to lay with him. It had been brutal. Made no sense. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he was impressed or disgusted. The whole thing was damn unnerving.
“For you and me both,”Raven muttered before focusing on what had just been revealed about her. “I’ll admit I’ve got some skills when it comes to magic, but I always thought it was just my inner dragon.” She frowned at her sisters. “How could I be any stronger than you when I could barely step outside half the time for fear of my negative energy getting dragged too low?” Her frown deepened at Revna and Cian. “And where the hell did I get Celtic godliness and Ancient dragon magic from?”
“My guess?” Maya volunteered. “It had to have come from our initial creators, Destiny, and Leviathan. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But we all came from them Forging in Fire,” Raven reminded. “What would make me so different?” She perked her brows at Revna and Cian. “Care to share?” She gestured at her ethereal form. “And while we’re at it, how about telling me why I’m a ghost? Because it’s getting old.”
“’Tis a safeguard.” Cian switched from ye to you, something Tor's MacLomain descendants did to make it easier for twenty-first-century women to understand them. He glanced up as if he sensed something dire looming. “A safeguard you put in place to keep anyone unsavory from finding you before you arrived here. A safeguard that would ignite when it was time to begin your journey.”
“Right,” Raven said a tad sarcastically. “So I can discover my truth and make my way back to my mate.”
“I thought you said Tor wasn’t your mate,” Jade teased.
“Who said I was talking about Tor?” Clearly as frustrated with him as he was with Revna, Raven shot Tor a not-so-sorry look and shrugged. “After all, whether I was possessing Revna or not,hewas the one who willingly fell in love with her when he knew he was destined for a woman from the future.” She offered Cian a nauseatingly flirtatious look. “Where others only ever had my best interests at heart.”
“A heart destined for a dragon,”Tor ground out.“Not a wizard if we have any hope of fulfilling Loki’s Forge.”
“Or so one would have thought,” Loki mused, doing Tor no favors. But then the god likely held a grudge against him because of Revna, whether she was possessed or not. “Now I wonder.” He crossed his arms over his chest and considered the situation. “Perhaps the Forge would be better off with a Celtic wizard such as yourself, Cian.” He gestured between Raven and Cian. “Best powered by two souls coming back together who clearly knew each other well.”
“While I agree,” Cian said far too bluntly and with too much emotion for Tor’s taste, “that is not what Raven wanted.”
“So I was given the choice?” she murmured, considering the wizard. “You did...docare for me?”
“Tá,and you will remember soon enough, mo chroí.”Though reluctant, he gestured at Tor.“It was always your dragon love,do ghrá dragon,that you wanted.” He paused, obviously struggling with how much he should share, but, alas, told her what she deserved to know. “For you were hisanam beag fieryor, as he eventually came to call you, hisghrá is mó.”
