Dominic was passionate and a little kinky still. At least, that hadn’t changed. But the sex had somehow. Raven had had sex before, but she’d never lost the ability to make sound. Or see. But if it meant feeling like that, she would welcome that again. No one ever told her that her clit could have a noticeable pulse and how enjoyable it was to feel. Or how distracting it could be. She lay in bed wondering if he’d had sex with her to distract her from her emotional crisis of earlier. Well, it couldn’t have been that much of a burden by the way he was humming in the shower right now. Dominic seemed to be in the best mood she’d seen him in since well ever. Raven didn’t remember ever seeing him like this. Dominic left the bathroom and threw himself onto the bed when he realized she was awake. “Okay, are you still blaming yourself for something you couldn’t have known anything about? Or said anything about? Really Pet you need to stop thinking that you ar
Dominic got a frantic call from Paul hours later. “Dom we’re having problems here there have been several attacks on our people. I think they’re looking for Raven. Trying to draw here out.” Paul’s voice came from the phone hiding none of his annoyance or his anger. He wanted permission to do his worst. “Who are they Paul? I need more details than that to tell you what moves to make.” Dominic didn’t give out blanket orders without knowing the full details. Because he wanted to know what happened and who was guilty. That was how he split the hairs between him and a common criminal. Dominic had rules and a code to follow. Of course, it was complicated by the existence of the supernatural but that was a given. “It’s the little green buggers with help it seems from someone bigger. Their messing with our deliveries to all our businesses.” Dominic leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Paul’s insulting term, green buggers, was f
“The first reports are in, and it looks like we are narrowing the playing field faster than we thought. Also, there are more individuals and groups coming forward willing to help with working on this plan. I’m glad you’re here Raven. There’s no way I could do all of this and keep my sanity. The dreams and visions are enough to handle without the people asking the questions. Then try and match the questions to the visions so that the answers can go to the correct people. It’s a tall order on the best of days. Now I’ve got the other visions added in too.” Raven listened to Lily ramble tired as she was. She didn’t control her visions. They came when they decided to. It’s another reason why Stryker was always around, someone had to catch her. “What other visions? Lily, you’re not making as much sense as you believe you are. So, what’s going on?” Raven wasn’t sure about what Lily was talking about. Lily was far too tired to talk about anything. But she was determine
Raven sat down at the conference table with Dominic beside her. The room was loud and full. Loud described a great many things within the room right now. The volume of everyone’s voices, the colors of most of everything within the room, and the demeanors of the people. It seemed that was a telltale sign of most of the Dreamers. They were creative and expressive. Which made Raven uncomfortable and concerned about herself. Because if she was anything, she was nothing like them. If she was anything, Raven was the reverse of all of them. Their mirror image. Had she been so screwed up that she’d not grown into her own? Now she felt somehow, she’d had her potential stolen from her and she wondered what that would have looked like. “Raven, hey Raven. Earth to Raven. Hello! What’s got you woolgathering?” Ellie Jenkins waved a hand over the table trying to gain Raven’s attention and pull her from her thoughts. Her orange and purple streaked hair bobbed as sh
“Someone, pinch me and tell me I’m not dreaming we really made it here.” Leisha, a tiny mage who came with her ‘talentless’ sister Dreamer said as she poked at things. Before this the closest she’d ever come to the Dream Realm in her life was a trip through a Mage Portal. Which was closer to tiptoeing along the doorjamb rather than entering the portal or skimming between two realms. A mage before this would never dare to enter this space in their physical state. That would stay to a spirit type or Dream State like the shifters. It had to do with who set up the realm as a hub to travel, and that was the Fae. They’d used it when they were active in this Realm. To move between places, but as their slaves’ travel was limited so the Fae could pull their slaves along if they wished, but the only ones who could use the realm were the early species. The ones made before the Fae learned their lesson. The Dragons and the mages. Each successive species their control of magic changed,
It took time to get there, but in this realm, time was not, and space wasn’t the same. It was all jumbled as if the people that created it didn’t understand the concept of linear time and the idea that only one thing could occupy one space at a time. This realm looked eerily like their realm but frightfully off. New buildings stood beside crumbling old ones. Only the new buildings hadn’t existed for decades, and the crumbling ones were now just being built. There were no insects or small animals moving about. No birds singing, just eerie silence broken up by a nightmarish scream or howl. The sky too was off. The fog lingered there too in streaks of gray-black sprinkled with patches of stars. But what made the sky noticeably different was the lack of a sun or moon. This realm had no day and no moon. The light came from a glow that emitted somehow from everything. From the flora to the structures. Even the very dirt that made up the ground itself. It was like a low level of
They weren’t far from the ornate gates. Welcoming as they looked, there always appeared to be an imposing and even menacing appearance to them. Raven could see the stone appeared slick, wet with something. The Princess Gates she knew were white or light grey, and ever present. The angel is a guardian for veterans and a monument to the human military. She didn’t claim to understand the backstory, but she knew this place carried a lot of the city’s, province’s, and country’s early history. Innovation, progression, creativity, and social change have been, are, and will be showcased here all in a curious atmosphere of celebration and fun. The perfect place to attract the Fae. A breeding ground for wild magic. What better place to base the restoration of this place from? So close to where the damage was done and such a powerful center. “I think we found the most likely location where they are basing the rebuilding from.” Raven said. As her eyes caught sh
“So, at some time they did the same thing in here as the humans did in our realm, but for the purpose of gathering wild magic. Like nine-day battery recharge or something?”Tom asked as we looked about the ruin. Like everywhere else the place was ruined and quiet. Until it wasn’t, Raven didn’t know how it happened or why, but the lighting, music, and a jarring number of sounds commenced at once. Like the others her senses were overloaded, and they were forced back into the now bright corridor. Stumbling over the mess they moved on through the building as the sounds settled into a steady more even pattern and the lighting dimmed to a more manageable level. “What is going on here? I don’t get this place. It looked dead like everywhere else. No plants or bugs. But that thing must have lived at one time.” Luke pointed back the way they’d come. With the lights on they now saw the remains of the displays. Dominic shifted then back to his flesh
Raven stood beside Dominic as they waited for the Pack to arrive and find their places within the great room. She’d been pacing behind him for the last twenty minutes as they prepared for this meeting. They’d not told anyone what this meeting was about but had told them that this was a mandatory meeting. Raven wouldn’t tell anyone when they called her and tried to pry the information from her as if she would betray her mate.It was too hard to believe that she was so loyal to Alpha Dominic which had several wolves scratching their heads. But they were struggling even more because he seemed more devoted than even before. The Pack in general were left scratching their heads as Raven had earned the loyalty of the other Pack leadership as well.“I am glad to see you at least are smart enough to attend this meeting.” Dominic hadn’t liked hearing confirmation of the odd opinions and complaints. The wolves shouldn’t have been concerned. “I’ve had several mixed feelings these last few we
Raven had gone to the meeting with Dominic and they’d discussed the situation along with as many of the complications as they could predict. Gregory had expressed his appreciation that they’d brought this idea to him before they had put anything into play. It meant he and the Council of Alphas could make plans to counteract any negative fallout.She had to admit she wasn’t sure if they’d be welcome to bring their Pack into the Dream Realm. Or if they would leave this realm entirely. It’s too early to know how they would proceed with this plan.The Dreamers had spread out and had begun to use their training. Stabilizing the timelines, dealing with the more aggressive shadow creatures, and learning about the abandoned things within their area. They had to record everything and the state it was in. With their contact with the mages it wasn’t difficult to reach out to other species who possessed magic. Much of the lost magical items were responding to one kind of magic or another.
“Brigid says she’ll be in touch soon with scheduling so we can have a rotation of sorts. That way we can have a consistent rebuilding going on inside the Dream Realm. So, how are we going to run this place around all that? I don’t even know what anyone thinks about all of this because no one’s dared to speak to me. It’s like they think I’ll unmake them or something.” Raven said to Dominic as she returned from the Dream Realm where she’d had a meeting with Brigid and the other Dreamers. Dominic had seen the changes in her and the Pack. He’d said nothing to anyone about his idea of taking the Pack into the Dream Realm and becoming part of the enforcement powers there. He could see their Pack as a foundation of a future power.He wanted to support Raven the best way possible and he didn’t think he could do it from here.“Raven, love. Everyone is in shock because nothing is how they thought it was. They’re trying to figure out where they and you now rest in the world. People have
“Dominic, don’t worry about it. I know you don’t have to explain to me. When you disconnect your call with me I received a message from someone that explained what was happening.” Lily said as soon as they returned and she made them sit down to eat a meal.“Then can you explain it to us?” Dominic practically begged Lily to explain what they had witnessed even though she hadn’t been there to witness So, he wouldn’t stop the stow for anything and allow her to explain what she’d pieced together through some of her very odd channels, not that any of this was straight forward.“Please tell me she isn’t doing the biggest mistake of all time.” Raven stepped in now and she was practically begging to know that they weren’t letting her do something foolish. It was something they’d all been questioning since Brigid first said she was going to investigate the situation and she didn’t want anyone else going with her, because she didn’t like the idea of the risk. She had Het’ Tur and she didn’
“Does this mean that the danger is over?” Raven asked Brigid as she looked over the woman’s shoulder to see the males in the golden armor.“My family is gone and they won’t be offering the Dream Realm to the Fae again as a travel hub. But there’s still other dangers that they and the Fae abandoned in my realm without my permission. Then there’s the instabilities within it created by their interference and war of Dreamers. Add in now I have the dimension version of surprise boarders complicating all of this.” Brigid glared at the male standing in the golden armor watching her explain this to them.He stood with his guards in eire silence. They hadn’t drawn a single weapon or removed a piece of armor including helmets.“You have got to be kidding. How exactly are they dead? Did he say how he killed them? I mean if he killed your father. How is he alive? Why was he in the prison and not on the throne?” Heather didn’t sound like she bought the story he’d given Brigid.Brigid blink
“What about my brothers? Or brother? What ideas do you have to deal with them?” Brigid didn’t blink, but her tone was her reminding him of the situation she faced rather then asking him for help with a solution.“When I got through with him. He knew I was your mate, but he couldn’t do anything about it and he’d not be the one to sit on your father’s throne.” Het’ Tur said. He was smiling and trying not to laugh. He’d been angry with the brothers. They’d been so focused with their plans and emotions. This was why her brother was going to kill her. She was alive to work for him, but when she escaped he acted like like she’d betrayed him. Or she’d tried to kill him. Het’ Tur knew Brigid had never done anything to betray or hurt any of her relatives.“Het’ Tur, how did he ever learn about where you were or that you were my Fated mate?” Brigid didn’t understand how her brothers would have discovered him among the masses. Or that he was connected to her. That’s what she was asking, but
“That? Is your reaction Lady Brigadetta?” Het’ Tur asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Brigid winced at the name he used to her question before she looked at him in disbelief.“The woman no longer exists and you know that. She hasn’t existed for so long that I can’t tell you the last time I heard someone say her name. The noble house died ages ago and the few that didn’t have been fighting each other trying to finish the job of ending that noble house. I’ve been surviving in my own way doing my own thing until recently. But I will not answer to that name ever again.” Brigid stood up to him. She didn’t want to be that woman. Her past would stay there and she was determined of that.“Do you have a choice to do that? Really?” Het’ Tur asked in disbelief that she would believe she could believe change her life like this.“Welcome to the modern era and a new realm Het’ Tur. Here, I have the right to chose the way I lead my life. I choose how my life unfolds here.” Brigid s
Dominic didn’t know how to ask Brigid about Het’ Tur. If she didn’t know he was her mate. How would she react to his claim? She must help him get Raven back. First Dominic wanted to contact Lily. He wanted her thoughts on Het’ Tur. Did she know anything about him or what he was talking about? Could she tell if he was lying about anything? Any confirmation of facts he’d been giving out would be appreciated by him.Lily answered faster than he expected. “Lily, I don’t know where to start. Well, I do. Raven’s been kidnapped by a creature who says his name is Het’ Tur and is Brigid’s mate. He wants to exchange Raven for Brigid. Who is he? Do you know him? Do you know if he’s telling the truth?”“Oh, wow. I haven’t heard that name in a long time. A very long time. He was the Head of the Crystal Lord’s Guard. He disappeared when the Crystal Lord did. Mind you that time period is a historical mess. There’s a lot of deaths and missing persons. Missing treasures and all that. He’s ther
“We are stronger together than he can ever be. After all, the fool killed his mate and his offspring. He has nothing, but the fool believed that because he can’t die from old age that he’s all powerful.” Het’ Tur shrugged and acted like he found this entertaining as anything. “Wait, he’s immortal. But not eternal. Is that what you’re saying?” Dominic waved a hand momentarily distracted from his need for his mate by the discovery he’d learned. The big bad wasn’t as big and bad as he’d thought. “That is exactly what I have said. My mate understands this, but her brother appears to not understand it. I want to use it against him once and for all. He seems to use it easily enough against his relatives. I see no reason why I can’t use it against him before he uses it against my mate.” He seemed at ease with the knowledge that death was a lot easier and permanent than it was expected to be. Dominic wondered if he understood how permanent. Permanent was.