Page 28 of Raisa's Cursed Ravens
“We’re yours to command,” I say, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “Tell us what you want, and it’s yours, Princess.”
Shade gives me a look. “Don’t get greedy, Bran.”
Raisa’s cheeks flush scarlet, but she doesn’t look away.
I want to rip them all apart, make them watch while I lay claim to her body and soul. But I know the rules—we share everything about her. Always have, always will.
Still, the urge to stake my own claim is so strong I can taste it.
Sable circles closer, his voice teasing. “I bet you want to know what happens next.”
Raisa squares her shoulders, finally finding her words. “I want to know…what you want from me.”
Shade’s eyes glitter. “You already know.”
Rune’s voice is a purr. “We want you, Princess. However you’re willing to have us.”
She looks to me for guidance.
I lean in, my lips at her ear. “We want to spill ourselves inside you, claim every inch of you as ours so nothing can ever come between us.”
She shudders, and I know it’s not from the cold.
The circle draws tighter. The woods are silent, as if even the animals have stopped to watch.
I feel the others’ hunger rolling off them like a physical force, but I see the way Raisa’s body responds—her eyes are dilated, her nipples peaked hard against the cotton of her nightgown, her pulse flickering at the base of her throat. She’s as wild with wanting as we are.
I run my hand down her spine, slow and steady, letting her feel the heat crackle through her.
“I…want that,” she says.
Grim groans, a low, desperate sound.
“You’re not afraid?” I ask, daring her to admit the truth.
Her breath catches. “No,” she says. “Not anymore.” Her eyes meet mine, huge in the moonlight. “I feel like I’ve been dreaming of you my entire life.” Her gaze shifts to my brothers. “All of you.”
“Once you’re ours, you can’t ever go back again,” Rune says, as if he’s warning her.
“Maybe I don’t want to go back.” She swallows, her voice cracking. “Maybe I want to be where I’m wanted.”
“You’re wanted, Princess,” Onyx groans.
She nods as if she expected that answer. “Show me.”
Silence hangs over the clearing for a long moment, none of us even breathing. We’re frozen, feet rooted to the spot, suddenly afraid to take what we’ve waited so long to claim.
“Please,” she whispers, a hint of vulnerability in her voice that’s intolerable.
That soft plea breaks whatever spell roots us in place. Like I told her, we’re hers to command. Always. Not because the curse demands it. Not for any reason other than love, so fierce and bright it eclipses everything else.
I take her hand without hesitation, my brothers forming a living wall around us. The moon is so bright it makes her skinglow. The sight of her standing there, barefoot, trembling, but unbroken, shatters something inside me.
I let the mask drop, just for her.
“You belong to us now,” I say, watching the words sink into her bones.
Her answer is a nod, sure and steady.
