Page 123 of Rage of Her Ravens

Chapter Twenty

The guards broughtNikkos and Draevyn to Draevyn’s opulent bedchamber. It was decorated in a far darker fashion than my bedchamber, with rich mahogany furniture. The bed was big enough for all four of us with tall bedposts and crimson velvet drapes. After the guards had left Nikkos and Draevyn in the bed, Blaze and I shared one more kiss before he said he had to go to the battlements. As the second-born son, he was acting Lord of the Manor until Draevyn recovered. I shuddered to think Blaze had almost been named Lord of the Manor, and that Draevyn had only been a few breaths away from death.

Mrs. Euphemia brought the girls to me. I kissed their boo boos and inspected them for anything serious, relieved they only had a few scratches. Mrs. Euphemia had already bathed them and put a poultice on their cuts. Aurora confessed she’d deliberately defied Draevyn’s orders and teleported her sister outside. The girls told me Bertram and Sol had captured Ember, and that Draevyn had almost given his life to save her—for surely he would’ve died if Nikkos hadn’t reached him in time.

I thought about lecturing Aurora but decided to wait until the morning. I knew they were too terrified to leave the castle again. I was just relieved they were safe, and I had a feeling Aurora had learned her lesson.

I kissed the girls once more before Mrs. Euphemia took them away for their bedtime. Then I sat by my mates’ bedside, keeping vigil while they slept. I suddenly realized that I’d thought of Draevyn as my mate. I didn’t know how that happened, but the thought of mating with him didn’t seem so horrible now. After fatigue threatened to pull me under several times, I finally surrendered to sleep and crawled into bed between Nikkos and Draevyn.

I awoke to the sound of wings fluttering and looked into Nikkos’s eyes illuminated by the overhead candlelight.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

“Tired, but good.” He grasped my hand, kissing my knuckles. “How are you?”

“Relieved. Worried. Tired.” I sat up, looking down at Draevyn who still slept.

Nikkos turned his gaze to his brother. “He looks healed.” He slanted a smile. “Thanks to your bossy siren.”

I laughed. “And your healing magic.”

He shrugged. “My magic was a fraction of the strength it is now thanks to you.” His lips brushed my knuckles again as he peered up at me with those sweet, sensual eyes. “You make me a better mage.”

I cupped his cheek, kissing his full lips. “And you make me a better siren.” When he let out a low growl, I knew we would have to contain our desire before I straddled him next to his sleeping brother. “You should probably eat something,” I said, backing away from Nikkos. I knew healing magic took a lot of energy.

He grasped my hand when I reached behind me to ring for the servants. “It’s late. Don’t bother the servants,” he said. “I’ll go to the kitchens.”

“You sure?” I was concerned about those dark circles under his eyes. He needed more rest.

“Yeah.” He dragged a hand down his face. “Where’s Blaze?”

“The battlements.”

“I’ll join him after I eat.”

I understood his unspoken words. Bertram and Sol were just the start of bigger threats to come.

I swallowed back my fear. “Will Malvolia come here?”

He grimaced. “I have no doubt she will.”

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