Page 34 of Lyric of Wind
“No. Raven, no. You’re a wonderful kisser. But if we keep kissing like that I’m going to want to kiss you everywhere. I’ll want to kiss you until all thoughts leave that busy brain of yours, and all you can do is feel, and then when pleasure comes, it’s my name at your lips.”
“Oh…” Raven’s eyes grew wide. “That doesn’t sound awful.”
“It’s not. I promise you it’s not. But it’s too much for you right now. We’ll get there. If you want to. But in your own time. For now, let’s try a hug.”
With that, Raven allowed him to pull her onto his lap. He cradled her against his chest, his lips at her ear, and together, two lost souls, they watched the storm play out below them.
15
Raven
“When she sings,queens will fall, daughters by blood, end them all.”
Lily blinked at Bianca and Raven who stared at her across the table. They were back in the library the next morning, using every possible moment to try and find any hidden gems that might help their ritual. A chill crept across Raven’s skin at Lily’s words. It sounded so…epic. Final. Catastrophic. Maybe this was the end of the world, after all, and Raven was just slow to catch up. Granted, it had only been a matter of days since she’d arrived in the Fae realm, while the others had been fighting these battles for years.
“Ladies.” Seamus poked his head in the door with a grin. “You are formally invited to Alicorn racing training.”
“No way!” Lily exclaimed, jumping up and clapping her hands in delight. “We get to ride them ourselves?”
“It occurred to us that you may be called upon to ride one of these beautiful creatures. Particularly if we fly them into battle. While the Alicorns are quite adept at keeping riders on their back, it’s best if you have at least one ride under your belt.”
“You’re taking the Alicorns to battle?” Raven’s stomach dropped. An image of the chubby alicorns playing in the field popped in her head, and she worried they’d be left without their family to look over them.
“Some, yes. It’s their choice,” Seamus said, understanding crossing his face as Bianca went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Kellen has promised me that they are in control. If they don’t want to go, they are free to stay here under the protection of the royal guard.”
“Of course they want to go. They’re just full of bravery and light, aren’t they?” Bianca sighed. “I’ve seen a lot of cool things since I’ve come to the Fae realm, but the Alicorns might very well be my favorite.”
“Did you know they glow at night?” Raven asked, stretching her arms above her head to work out the tension in her shoulders. Today she wore the same buttery-soft leather pants, but her jumper was a soft muted grey that matched her eyes.
“How do you know that?” Bianca asked, tilting her head at Raven in question. “I thought we weren’t allowed in the stables at night.”
“Kellen took me.” Raven said the words without thinking and then realized her mistake when Bianca shooed Seamus from the room, and the two women cornered her.
“Tell us everything,” Bianca demanded. “Leave nothing out.Nothing.”
“Unless you want to, of course,” Lily added.
“What? We just…” Heat bloomed on Raven’s cheeks, and she ducked her head, but not before Bianca’s eagle eyes caught it.
“Something happened! Oh, I’m dying to know.”
“She doesn’t have to tell us anything,” Lily persisted.
“I know, I know. But if she felt like telling us, she could. Or even throwing us a wee tidbit, surely that would be what friends do?” Bianca wheedled, and Raven laughed. Shedidwant to tell them. She’d been bursting with the news all morning, barely having slept that morning when they’d returned to the castle after a quiet night on the cliffs. All she knew was that she wanted to kiss Kellen again and needed to work up the courage to ask him for it. Or maybe she’d just do it. Surprise him with a kiss. But that would be bad, wouldn’t it? She didn’t like it when people forced affection on her. She’d better be respectful of his space then too. Raven worried her lower lip as she thought about it.
“We kissed,” Raven said, finally, and both women cheered.
“I knew it. I called it, didn’t I?” Bianca all but preened, pumping a fist in the air. “I’ve got a good eye for these things.”
“How was it?” Lily asked, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “Are you happy about it?”
“It was…” Raven brought a hand to her lips, as though she could still feel the kiss. Her firstrealkiss. “Wonderful. Like…I don’t even have words. I just…”
“Told ya,” Bianca nodded knowingly. “The Fae. They know what they’re doing.”
“He said he likes me,” Raven rushed out, holding her hands up helplessly. Again, Raven considered Kellen’s words from the night before. “You, Raven, are heartstoppingly, achingly beautiful. When I look at you, like this, with your guard down? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a more beautiful woman in all my life.”The words had stunned her then, and they were stunning her now. “What am I supposed to do about that?”
“Awww.” Bianca fanned her face.