Page 71 of Heart of the Raven Prince

There is a rushing, ringing noise that fills my ears, and just as my eyes are pulled shut, I hear her say, “Congratulations, my son. Your pet passed the first trial.”

This woman is going to be the gods-damned death of me well before she kills me.

I’m stalking after her as she hurries through the empty city streets, keeping my presence hidden. The first trial was only yesterday, and I spent all night healing her, just to wake up to find her missing. I didn’t have to think too hard about where she would go, so it doesn’t shock me when I see the walls of the Alley looming ahead. She darts into the Alley, her braided locks swaying behind her as she moves. I get stuck momentarily watching the tail ends of her braids swishing above her ass, which is perfectly accentuated in the leather leggings she’s still dressed in.

I should bend her over my knee and—

I grunt, shoving that thought aside, even as my cock twitches and grows hard as images fill my mind of her perfect ass wiggling in front of me, of her crying out in ecstasy as I slap it. Shoving my hand into my pocket, I yank out a cigarette and stuff it between my lips. I don’t even bother striking a match, sending a spark of my power to the tip and lighting it. The moment I do, I see Fawn falter, her back going rigid. She whirls around, whipping her head back and forth as she scrutinizes the shadows, but I am perfectly hidden.

Because it never occurs to her to look up.

Scowling, she huffs, and continues down the streets of the Alley. I jump between the rooftops, following close behind. I should swoop down and scoop her up. Fly her back to my apartment. Lock her in her room. Fuck, I should be training her. She barely made it out of that first trial with her life. Fuck me for thinking she would desire a moment to rest. A moment she is now squandering.

The city streets are mostly empty. The fae residents that occupy this part of town prefer to stay indoors during the late evening. But the Alley is alive with humans darting in and out of shops. Their work never ends. I expect her to make her way to the Barracks, and I think that’s where she had intended to go, but once again I see her freeze. Only this time it is not because of me. A man walks out of a storefront. He’s human, easily several decades Fawn’s senior judging by the gray in his hair and beard. His eyes are harsh as they narrow at Fawn, and he says something I am too far away to hear.

Fawn’s hand curls into a fist, but she gives a curt nod. Jerking his head to the store, she follows him inside. Spreading my wings, I shoot into the sky and fly to the store that man led Fawn into, and drop down silently on the roof. Walking to the back of the roof, I peer down just as he and Fawn are crowding into a small alley in the back of the building. Taking a long inhale on my cigarette, I blow out a cloud of smoke, listening as he begins to speak.

“Tell me, how much did the bastard prince give you to make you betray your people so quickly? I’m truly curious what the going price for a nation is.”

I’m instantly bristling at his tone; at the way he crosses his arms and sneers down at her.

“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about,” she says, holding herself tall, refusing to be cowed. My lips pull into a smug smile at the way she doesn’t back down.

Magnificent.

“Have you fucked him already like that traitorous whore in the seamstress shop?” he asks, and I am moving to launch myself over the edge and punch his head through a wall when Fawn’s words still me.

“If you think I would ever willingly touch him then you really have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”

My chest burns, like the heart that no longer resides there is trying to burst. I suck in a sharp breath, rubbing at the ache caused entirely by her words. My mind is filled with thoughts of her pillowy lips, of the way her tongue felt dancing against mine. She reached for me, before I pulled back. She reached for me. Or…at least, I thought she had.

“Your people no longer trust you, if they can even still be called yours,” he scoffs, taking a domineering step toward her. She stiffens but holds her ground.

“They will always be my people. I am their queen. I am your queen.”

“Well, we don’t want you,” he says, and I see the hurt flash across her eyes, watching as her throat bobs and her lips thin in an attempt to keep them from frowning. He continues to take slow steps toward her, an ugly smile that looks closer to a sickened grimace stretching across his face. “They want me. They want a ruler who will actually protect them. I have been the one to keep us together. Me, not you.”

“Everything I have been doing since the moment Gaelynn fell has been done to protect them, and you,” she hisses, trembling in anger.

“And what do you have to show for it? What have you done to help us? You position yourself near the prince, near the queen, and you’ve left us completely blind in the process. You missed a castle so much you went to your knees for the first cock that could put you in one.”

“I am not at liberty to divulge my plans,” she says, refusing to respond to his lewd insults, but I hear her voice faltering. I see the blush of embarrassment creeping to her cheeks. The cigarette sits forgotten in my mouth, burning away as I watch her beginning to struggle. “I sent word when I could.”

He lets out a sharp, sarcastic laugh as he closes the distance between them, looking down on her and grinning. “A measly sentence with false promises of celebrating Bealtine? Did you think for a moment that would satisfy your people?”

Fuck, I want to beat that look off his face.

“Believe it or not, Bryan, I am trying to make sure I don’t get you killed. I cannot explain my actions without risking putting you and anyone else who hears it in harm’s way. Whether you trust me or not does not change the fact that I will see us all back on Gaelynn’s shores.”

“And you’ll face a mutiny the moment you do,” he says. This prick has the fucking balls to let his eyes begin to roam, sliding openly over her body as he says, “Unless, of course, someone your people truly trust is aligned with the throne.”

Her face pales, and I shoot my narrowed gaze to his hateful fucking smile. Is he suggesting…

“I’m not marrying your son,” she scoffs, shaking her head. Then that bastard raises his hand, and trails a knuckle down her cheek.

“Who said anything about my son?” Before she can react, he moves away. He’s walking back into the store as he calls, “Think on it, princess. Until you decide, don’t bother returning to the Barracks. We do not want you there.”

The door slams shut behind him, and I consider lighting the whole building on fire.