Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains Book 4) (22 page)

Caden was standing to the side, glowing like a demon in the firelight, chin lifted high, eyes full of raw triumph as he watched his people bleed the Novak Raven.

She would kill them all to see Weston live. Kill them all to save one.

Avery swooped lower, dropped the camera into a fern, and flapped furiously toward the battle, pain be damned. Weston Changed into his human form right before he hit the ground, and he fought savagely. His face was full of intensity, not fear, as though he knew exactly how to fight a war like this. The hoard of ravens lifted as Weston ducked, hit, and grabbed. He never missed, and he was so fast he blurred.

And when he ran and leapt into the air with ravens trailing, Avery tucked her wings and smashed into the closest two. Their talons had been out, ready to hurt him mid-Change, but as Avery barreled into them, the power of Weston’s shift blasted through her. Everything slowed as she stretched her wings to catch the currents and Weston, just under her, flipped upside down and stretched for her, war in his eyes. She cawed at him.
It’s me, my love
.
I’m here
. The death-bringer in his eyes softened. He answered with a strong, bellowing battle cry, and then he arched his back and fought the hoard following them. Taking his cue, Avery bowed her back and flew over the flock of blood-lusting ravens. She caught one by the outstretched claws and spun the raven around, slammed it into a tree trunk and searched for the next. Weston was engaged with three, flapping his wings desperately, trying to keep them all from slamming back down to earth. He couldn’t bear more weight, so she dive-bombed the fourth, knocked it off course. Above, ravens circled, cawing constantly, drawing more and more of the flock into the battle, and it was her and Weston against the entirety of Raven’s Hollow.

She was hit from behind, and another raven clashed with her front, holding onto her with nails dug deep into her flesh. Avery ducked the sharp beak as she flapped desperately under the new weight. Her wing was injured, though, and she wasn’t as strong as Weston. She was going down hard. In a desperate move, she Changed to her human form right before she struck the earth. She slammed into the ground, and the air was shoved forcefully from her lungs. She was too close to the bonfire, and heat flared up her legs as she thrashed and grasped for the ravens. There were too many now, but she could see him coming—Benjamin. He was naked and streaked with dirt and blood. His eye was swollen closed, and it looked as if he was crying rivers of crimson, but hate flashed across his entire face. When the ravens lifted from their attack on her body, she could see Benjamin was holding an ax in his hand. Avery tried to force her body to move, to scramble away, but the wind was still knocked out of her, and her body was frozen in fear.

Three more long deliberate strides, and Benjamin lifted the ax gracefully over his head, an evil smile on his face, the fire illuminating his ruined eye. This was it, the end, and it would hurt so bad to die this way. Avery drew her hands over her face and flinched as the ax began its arch toward her.

And then Weston was there, human, his great weight covering her body protectively. He cupped her head tightly against his shoulder, shielding her.

A sick
thunk
sounded, and Weston’s body jerked.

“No!” Avery screamed, tears burning her eyes.

After a horrifying second of silence, Weston eased up, his eyes wide with shock. He jerked his gaze over his shoulder, and Avery could see it, too. The ax wasn’t buried in the man she loved. It was hanging limply from Benjamin’s hand, and he was looking down at his chest in shock. The handle of a knife was lodged against his sternum.

Benjamin sank to his knees, and above, the battle song of the ravens wrenched up in volume.

Weston looked behind Avery toward the woods, flickering in an orange bonfire glow. Avery followed his glance, grasping his tensed arms desperately.

A man stood there with blazing green eyes and dark hair. In his hand was another blade, ready to be thrown. He stood to his full, imposing height and bared his teeth. His face looked like a predator’s, twisted and wild. In a booming voice, he said, “You won’t be layin’ another hand on my boy.”

A woman stood behind him, long, dark hair streaked with silver and waving down her shoulders, her eyes the pitch black of a raven. Avery recognized her from the picture she had. Aviana Novak. And that meant the man—the wild one who’d just saved Weston from an ax blade—was none other than…

The man opened his mouth and yelled as an enormous silver grizzly bear ripped out of his skin. His bellow tapered to a roar that shook the woods.

Beaston.

Above, the ravens’ battle song turned panicked and disjointed.

Beaston and Aviana weren’t alone. Harper melted out of the woods flanked by Lexi. Then another bear answered Beaston’s call, and another. Alana’s dark-furred bear followed Wyatt’s and Aaron’s out of the tree line, and a massive snowy owl stretched its wings against the wind and landed on a branch above Beaston.

“Move,” Weston said low.

The instant he grabbed her arm, she gasped at the pain. His eyes flashed wide when he laid eyes on the glass sticking out of her shoulder. Look away.”

After she squeezed her eyes tightly closed, he pulled the glass from her in a quick jerk. The pain drew a sharp yelp from her lips, and then he was pulling her up, pulling her away from where Benjamin had fallen to the side, his one eye staring vacantly at her. It was still filled with hate, even in death. Caden was walking closer, flanked by the rest of the council, but Weston picked her up like she weighed nothing and strode toward the Bloodrunners.

Avery stared in horror over his shoulder at the council coming for them.

Rage-filled eyes on Aviana, Caden screamed, “Kill them all!” to the ravens above.

But something moved just beyond the trees, and Weston skidded to a stop, his heart pounding hard against her shoulder. “Holy shit,” he murmured.

Avery twisted in his arms. In the shadows of the trees, barely lit by the bonfire, behind Beaston, Aviana, and the Bloodrunners, something massive and serpentine moved through the woods. A low rumble filled the forest, and a huge eye opened, the elongated pupil constricting as it focused on Caden. The eye was the color of gold fire, and the scales of the monster dragon were as dark as night.

Terrified, Avery whispered, “Is it Kane?”

“No,” Weston murmured. “That’s Rowan of the Gray Backs.”

The gray-scaled dragon pushed up on massive legs until her back blocked out the moon. Her long neck unfurled, and she lifted her enormous head into the air. Long, arched horns extended from face, and her back was covered in razor sharp spikes. A few terrifying clicks sounded, and she bellowed a roar, blowing a stream of fire and lava into the air.

The circling ravens scattered like ashes in the wind.

“That’s as much warning as you’ll get,” Harper shouted at Caden, fury tainting every word. “Come another step closer, and you’ll get a war you aren’t prepared for.” She planted her feet near Aviana and Beaston and leveled her glowing gaze on the leader of Raven’s Hollow. “You’ve done enough.” She gestured to the limp ravens scattered across the clearing around the bonfire. “You’ve caused great loss to your people in the name of vengeance. Save what remains of The Hollow and let us go in peace.”

“She’s mine!” Caden screamed, jamming a finger at Aviana. “And she’s mine.” He pointed to Avery.

Beaston’s bear snarled and circled his mate tightly, his glowing green eyes promising death to Caden. Weston set Avery down and held her protectively behind him as he backed her toward the safety of the crew. Weston’s voice came out a feral snarl. “My mother was never yours. My mate was never yours. You’ll let them go for good, or your last breath will belong to me.”

Caden was alone in the clearing now, his countenance enraged, his thick crop of silver hair disheveled, his chest heaving, fists clenched at his sides. His council was on the run, his protégé was dead, and his War Birds had abandoned him, yet still he faced the Bloodrunners, insanity in his dark eyes. And in a flash, his glare on Weston, he leapt into the air and burst into a raven.

Weston took two steps, jumped and morphed into his raven in an instant. He hit Caden full in the chest, locked his talons onto his and flew them up higher and higher.

Heart in her throat, Avery moved to Change, but Harper was there, hand resting on her forearm. “Let him end this,” she murmured, power in her words.

And her animal wanted to listen. She wanted to obey Harper, not because she was bullying her into submission like the ravens had done. She wanted to listen to Harper because her words were wise. Weston needed to defend Avery, to end her hurt because that’s what real mates did. She’d had the same instinct, to protect him from everything. But also Harper’s words had fused with some deep instinct to expose her neck and obey for the good of Weston. For the good of the crew. She’d always wanted to fight submission to the ravens, but this felt so right. So important.

Harper was Avery’s alpha now.

Lifting her eyes to the sky, she squeezed Harper’s hand as hard as she could and watched her mate avenge her. And when the birds tumbled from the clouds, locked in war, beating their wings and slamming their beaks into each other, she didn’t run to fix this herself. Weston was good at battle. He was capable. Avery winced when they reached the ground, but with a booming thud, one raven lay limp near the fire, and the other, the biggest raven of all, spread his wings, arched upward, and ghosted the ground before lifting up on the air currents victorious.

Caden and Benjamin were gone, and never again would Avery have to fear The Box.

Never again would she have to fear anything.

Weston glanced over at Avery again, just to make sure she was okay for the hundredth time. She was huddled into herself, staring out the window as the Smoky Mountains blurred by.

“We’re almost home,” he murmured, wishing he could take her pain away.

She rolled her head across the seat and gave him a tired smile. There were ghosts in her eyes, though.

Today had been hell. She’d gone to battle with the flock, been hurt escaping The Box and defending him, and then she’d spent the entire day in the Damascus Police Department, making her statement and answering questions.

She’d done so fucking good getting the video. On it, Benjamin had admitted so much, not only for himself, but he’d unknowingly testified against Caden, too.

She was a phoenix now, just like he’d always known she would be.

“What will happen to the ravens?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

“Caden and Benjamin are gone, and the council has been arrested for their involvement in what happened, not only when you were growing up, but in the calculated manipulation of law enforcement and the attack on both of us. The leadership of The Hollow has been dissolved, and the raven shifters have a real shot at changing their ways. They can grow, join modern times, and respect their women, or they can fail and fall back into darkness. The choice is theirs, Avery, but at least they have a choice now. You gave them that.”

“My mom said she’s proud of me,” she murmured. “She said she hopes that someday she can be strong like me.” Avery sniffed and wiped her cheek on her bandaged shoulder. “I never thought she would say something like that to me.”

Weston slid his hand over her thigh and squeezed. Avery didn’t see her worth, but he did. She had so many layers to her. She was sweet and sensitive, caring to a fault, but when it had come time to let her inner raven loose, she had no fear. She’d viciously fought her own people to protect him. She’d willingly gone into The Box to protect the crew. She didn’t realize how tough she was yet, but she would someday, and he was so damn proud that he got the chance to watch her rise up from the ashes of her past. He was so damn proud she had chosen him to hold onto all these years. So proud she’d chosen him as her mate.

He pulled to a stop in front of 1010 and gave a two-fingered wave at the truck that passed carrying the other Bloodrunners.

It was full dark in Harper’s Mountains, but the glow of 1010’s lights beckoned, welcoming them home.

Avery slid from his truck like she was boneless. She looked exhausted. All Weston wanted to do was bury himself inside of her and make her forget the horrors of the past couple days. He wanted to empty himself inside her and banish how close they’d come to losing each other. But Avery looked wrecked, and he wouldn’t relieve his needs on her when she was so raw.

She stumbled, but he was there, picking her up and cradling her against his chest as he made his way into 1010. With a soft sound, she slipped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest. “I don’t want you to leave tonight.”

“I won’t leave, Ave. I won’t hide from you anymore. I know you can handle me after the visions now.” Little phoenix. He wished she could have seen herself in action tonight. She’d been a beautiful, relentless weapon. She’d bought him time, but also time for his parents, Rowan, and the Bloodrunner’s to reach them. Da had dreamed of circling ravens and Benjamin swinging the ax at Weston’s back, but nothing more. Nothing to tell him the fate of his son was sealed. He’d brought Ma and Rowan with him for back-up. Weston had told the Bloodrunners to stay back while Avery was in The Box. He thought they would draw too much attention while his raven would blend in. Weston had been ambushed, though, as if the ravens had known exactly where he would be waiting for her.

If the ravens had succeeded in killing him, Rowan and the others would’ve laid waste to the entire shifter species to avenge his death. The inhabitants of The Hollow didn’t realize it, but by Avery saving him, she’d saved them as well.

He carried his mate inside and readied for bed with her, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He was so fucking worried about her. What if she had bad dreams tonight? What if she’d been scarred even more on her insides? What if she started crying and he couldn’t help her to stop?

But she didn’t. His brave little phoenix crawled under the covers and lifted the comforter up for him to slide into bed with her. She didn’t cry or moon over what had happened. Instead, she told him, “Tomorrow I’ll give you my letters, and you can see all of me. And tonight, if you have a vision, you can wake me up and tell me about it, and I will love you even more.”

And after she laid her cheek on his chest against his drumming heartbeat, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. Weston sighed and looked up at the dark exposed rafters of the bedroom and sent up a silent prayer that he would have no visions tonight. Because he wouldn’t hide from her anymore. He would tell her about every vision, the good and the bad, because she deserved to see all of him, even the dark parts.

If the Fates could let him rest easy tonight, Avery would be able to sleep peacefully beside him. And after everything she’d gone through, his Avery deserved peace.

****

Weston flinched under her, and Avery’s eyes flew open in the dark. Every muscle in Weston’s body was tensed. He felt like a stone under her searching hands.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up in bed.

His heart was pounding hard under the palm of her hand, and his chest heaved with each breath. In the dim light of the bedroom, Weston’s eyes were wide and shocked.

“Is it a vision?” she asked, panicked. God, what if he’d sustained more injuries than she’d thought. His body was covered in cuts and gashes now from the raven war. What if he’d been damaged internally? “Weston, say something. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he huffed out on a breath. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “It was a good one.”

Avery sighed with relief and sagged against his side. Slowly, she straddled him and locked her arms against his chest. “What was it about?”

“You,” he uttered in his deep, sexy sleep voice. “It was short, just a small glimpse of a bigger scene. You and I were dancing, and you were smiling so big. You were so fucking beautiful and happy, I couldn’t keep my eyes off your face.” Weston swallowed hard and brushed her long hair off her shoulder to expose her claiming mark. “You were wearing white.”

Avery didn’t want him to see her tear up at that beautiful vision, so she curled her arms under her and cuddled against his strong, warm chest. “Maybe ten-ten really is magic, like you said.”

Weston rubbed gentle circles against her spine. “What do you mean?”

“Ten-ten gave you a good vision for our first whole night together. It might not always be like this, but it gave us a gift.”

Weston chuckled, the deep sound vibrating against her cheek. God, she adored that sound. Feeling emboldened by his vision, Avery sat up and arched her back, rocked her hips against his.

Weston groaned and gripped her hips so desperately, his fingers dug into her skin. His dick was hardening by the second under her so she offered him a wicked grin. She loved that he was sensitive to her touch, always ready for intimacy in seconds. Leaning forward, Avery sucked on his nipple, flicking her tongue against his piercing. His body turned to water, rolling against her like a wave. She lifted up just enough to pull his briefs down his powerful hips. His bright white smile flashed in the dim lighting as she pulled her sleep shirt off and tossed it to the ground.

Cupping the back of her head, Weston pulled her down to him, pushed his tongue past her lips immediately, then sucked hard on her bottom lip. He stroked into her mouth, setting a fast, hard rhythm that had her rubbing against him. He dragged his rough kisses down her neck and grabbed her breast. He sucked on one nipple hard as he bucked his hips against hers.

She let off a long, helpless moan and arched her back, giving him better access. Weston laved his tongue over and over her sensitive skin to the pace he set with his hips, and she was getting closer, the pressure building until she was right on the edge.

As if he could tell how close she was, Weston grabbed her hips and pulled her forward until she was hovering just above his face. Before she could balk, he pushed his tongue deep inside of her.

Avery was already gone. All she could do was grip the headboard and roll her hips to meet his deep thrusts. She cried out as he plunged into her time and time again. Orgasm pulsed through her, but he didn’t stop. He ate her until every aftershock was done. Until she was twitching and bucking erratically against his mouth. Until her grip on the headboard was weak and shaky and she was panting his name mindlessly.

Oh, they weren’t done yet, but she needed to buy her body some recovery time. She locked her gaze on his and then worked her way down until her breasts brushed his dick. It throbbed between her cleavage, and he let off another sexy sound, lifted his hips to her. Weston rolled her over on her back so fast her stomach dipped. He gripped her hair and straddled her chest, shoved his huge dick between her breasts. How was this so fucking sexy? Dominant brawler man burying himself over and over between her boobs. This should do nothing for her, but she was getting wetter and wetter. Avery moaned and arched against the mattress, shoving her tits together to make it tighter for him.

“Fffuuuuuck,” Weston moaned, smoothing out his thrusts, making them shallower. “How do you want me to come,” he gritted out. “Tell me quick.”

She was desperate for him to touch her. To bury himself balls deep inside of her and make her come again. His dick was so hard against her, so tempting. “In me,” she gasped out.

Weston pulled away from her breasts and positioned himself between her legs. He wasn’t gentle or slow. He slammed into her wet heat, his eyes riveted on their connection. She could see it, too, his wet dick sliding in and out of her, pounding her. His abs flexed every time he pumped his powerful hips. So fucking sexy.

“Ooooh, right there,” she groaned as her release built up hard.

Weston dropped down to her, wrapped his arm around her ass and hit her deep, kept it there with shallow thrusts, hitting her clit over and over, so fast. He gritted out her name, slammed into her, and froze. As her orgasm exploded through her, his dick pulsed inside of her, shooting heat straight to her middle. Avery sank her nails into his back as he pushed into her erratically, his shaft throbbing, filling her as he rammed her up the bed.

His lips went to her neck, sucking hard as he grunted and pushed into her again. He drew out slowly, then rammed into her. Over and over, he did that until both of their aftershocks were through.

Weston rubbed his cheek against hers, his short stubble scratching her. Rough mate. He held her hands over her head as he worked his lips up her throat along her jaw to her mouth. Affectionate mate. He ran his fingers down her ribs and massaged her breast as he kissed her gently. Perfect mate.

He adored her until her body buzzed. Until her eyelids grew heavy and her chest hummed with the heat of their unbreakable bond. Happy and satisfied down to her marrow, Avery nipped his neck possessively. “Mine,” she growled.

He chuckled deep in his throat and rolled them over, squeezed her against his impossibly strong chest. “Possessive little beasty,” he accused.

“Damn straight,” Avery murmured. She nuzzled his throat, inhaling his scent.

Weston brushed her hair off her cheek. In the dim, dawn light, his expression turned to one of surprise. “You make me happy.”

He said it so tenderly her heart thumped faster in her chest, and the butterflies in her stomach beat their wings double-time.

With her fingertips, she traced the sharp lines of his jaw and whispered, “Good.”

“Just good?” he asked, eyebrows arched high. He tickled her ribs until she squirmed and laughed.

“I mean you make me happy, too. You make me happy, too!”

He released her, but her giggling trilled on. This complicated, incredible man had her whole heart. As she settled on her side, facing him, Weston drew his arm under his cheek.

His smile reached all the way to his eyes when he said, “I can tell you’re happy here.”

“How?”

Weston brushed his fingertips over her cheek, as though he was memorizing her face. “Because when you first came here, your eyes were hollow and scared. You smelled sad, and when you walked, you looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“And now?” she asked.

“And now you look like you’re free.”

And she was. Avery kissed Weston’s palm and pressed it against her cheek. He was right. She was different now. She’d felt it for a while, but she’d undergone massive growth since she’d come to Harper’s Mountains and dared to give her heart to the Novak Raven.

She’d always thought freedom meant being away from her people and on her own.

But freedom wasn’t being alone as she’d assumed.

Freedom existed in moments like these that she shared with the man who protected her heart.