An Unkindness of Ravens

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

An Unkindness of Ravens ISBN # 1-4199-0604-6 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. An Unkindness of Ravens Copyright© 2006 Sahara Kelly Edited by Briana St. James. Cover art by Syneca. Electronic book Publication: May 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning: The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme). S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination. E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature. X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

AN UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS

Sahara Kelly

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Audubon Society: National Audubon Society, Inc. Corporation

An Unkindness of Ravens

Prologue His name was Raven and it suited him. His eyes were dark, his hair a slick of black silk, falling in this particular time to the middle of his back. He was a warrior, fit and tanned with muscles better suited to wielding a sword and shield than caressing a woman’s breast. And yet he caressed her breast, tenderly and with delicate expertise, following his touch with the tiniest erotic flicker of his tongue. She was beneath him, nestled into the soft furs that covered the ground inside his tent. The kiss of the pelt against her spine was a sensual counterpoint to the harsh rasp of his chest hairs as they grazed her belly and her thighs. He pinned her, hands holding her wrists high and wide, as easily as he would hold a warhorse still and ready. His strength was tempered when it came to her, she knew this—sensed this, even though no words were ever spoken. She smelled his particular scent, the one that seemed redolent with a fruity sweetness blended with musky male and some tropical flowers. It was uniquely Raven’s, a fragrance that aroused her every time she breathed it deep into her heart. For the truth was his mere presence aroused her. Whether he was a knight, a peasant, a warrior or just a man, he held her captive within his soul. He knew how to touch her, where to love her, when to kiss her. He knew how to bring her heat to a boil, how to arouse her body to fever pitch and how to stroke her to the edge of madness.

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How often had she shuddered on the very brink of that magnificent precipice? She’d lost count. How many times had she parted her thighs and thrust her wet pussy up towards his cock, desperate to be filled, completed, plundered by this man who haunted her—she’d lost count. All she knew was that yet again her dreams had called him and she was in his embrace once more, trembling with erotic arousal, desperate to be taken, to be loved, to be—in a word—fucked. And yet again, it was not destined to occur. With a cry of frustration, Renny Piccione woke in her own bed, in her own apartment, the taste of her Raven fading from her lips. It was enough to drive her insane. More than enough to drive her to seek help. She lay back on her pillow, panting, trying to tamp down the heat that suffused her. Beside her bed in the little drawer of the nightstand was her vibrator. A trusty friend that she’d ridden to completion on many occasions just like this. It was either jack off with the toy or die of unfulfilled desire. Renny had opted for the technological solution. But it was a stopgap measure at best and she knew she needed professional assistance. Most everything else had failed. She crossed her fingers that the weather wouldn’t keep her from the appointment she’d made for that afternoon. And that in the meantime she might get an hour or so of dreamless sleep. It wouldn’t do to arrive at a psychologist’s door looking like death warmed over…

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Chapter One He watched her, dark eyes fixed on the figure approaching his front door. Swathed in a winter coat of some practical tweedy color, he could tell little about her body, or much else if it came to that. New England winters did not encourage revealing fashions. Not even a lock of hair escaped the knitted hat pulled low around her ears and the scarf wrapped around her neck was tucked snugly into the collar of her coat. He knew who she was, of course. She was his destiny. And he’d waited over a thousand years for her to come to him. Or perhaps he’d not waited any time at all. It was hard to tell. A clatter from behind him attracted his attention and he wrenched his gaze from the dark figure in the white snow to the equally dark figure in the shadows of the room. “What is it, Jakob?” The bird hopped off its perch onto the desk and sauntered to the letter lying there. With a couple of swift taps of its beak, it made its point. He sighed. “I know. She wasn’t exactly enthusiastic, was she? I sense desperation in her words. She certainly doesn’t realize what awaits her. Or who we are.” He turned back to the window and watched her once more. “She doesn’t realize who she is, either.” The bird squawked harshly. The man smiled. “Quite right. We will have to educate her.” He licked his lips. “I can’t wait.” There was another squawk, a rough and abrasive sound. Two jet-black eyes fixed the man with an unblinking gaze. He met it—keeping his expression blank. “I know

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that too. I do not gamble lightly with my life, you know. But isn’t the risk less than the reward?” There was a moment of what seemed like silent communication between man and bird. The man was the first to look away. “I care not, Jakob. You know—you of all creatures in time and space—you know what this means to me. What she means to me. Or will mean to me if I am not cheated by the fates once more.” He sighed. The bird ruffled its wings, waggled its tail feathers and fluttered back to its perch. The movements were a little reproachful but mixed with a resignation that was almost human. “Don’t try the guilt thing. It won’t work.” The man shifted and stood. “She’s almost here. I must go and answer the door.” A lean body unfolded from the window seat and stretched a little, white hair falling freely around a lined face. “I wonder what she’ll think when she first sees me?” A sound curiously like a snort came from the perch and the man grinned, sending a fretwork of wrinkles to crease his eyes and cheeks. “Yes, I know. An old man with an interest in the human mind.” He crossed the room to the door. “But when she meets both of us…ahh, Jakob. That’s the look in her eyes I want to see.” He opened the door and closed it behind him, leaving the bird sitting quietly on its perch. The feathers were sleek, black in some lights, blue in others. The eyes were bright jewels, onyx cabochons that saw everything and revealed nothing. The shape—familiar. A raven. A bird possessed of great intelligence, said many an expert. A bird possessed of a reputation mired in gothic tales of mystery and darkness. A bird…well, in this case, Jakob the raven ignored all the mythology. He knew who he was. He was his master’s heart, his master’s vulnerability and his master’s passion. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, his master’s lust. And the two of them had traveled together for eons through time and through worlds uncounted to arrive at this particular moment. Sometimes they’d traveled as 8

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man and bird, others as different forms. Whichever way it had been, they were inseparable. No one could cleave a man from his desires. None who had tried had survived. And yet their joining could not be completed without that unique something that had thus far eluded them both. Hence the arrival, even now, of a woman at their door. A woman who might possess the one thing that would bridge the final gap between the two parts of a man and unite him. A woman who might become the vessel of transportation, their route to unification. And who would have to willingly risk her life if such a thing were to be accomplished. The raven closed his eyes and ruffled his feathers comfortably once more. He doubted she was the one. Being a bird wasn’t such a bad thing—flying was exhilarating and this world had much to offer. He particularly enjoyed taking to the air amidst others of his present kind—of being part of what was called an Unkindness of Ravens. If he’d possessed the ability he would have smiled wryly at the unintended humor. He didn’t want to be unkind. Neither did his master. Only time would tell, however, if they’d both live up—or down—to that reputation. Only time and the carnal desires that had driven them in their quest. Whether they would survive the events that marked the end of that quest…well, that remained unclear. A loud clang from the ground floor heralded the woman’s arrival and the raven tucked his head beneath one wing. It was time to rest—to gather what strength he could in sleep. For it was certain he would need every drop of energy he had over the next few days. Once it began, there would be no real rest at all. For any of them.

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“Dr. Corvo? Dr. Greydon Corvo?” Renny Piccione blinked at the elderly man holding the door open. “Yes. You must be Renny Piccione. I’m so glad you made it in spite of this dreadful weather.” He stepped back and gestured for Renny to step inside. “Do come in and let me get you something warm. It’s quite brutal, isn’t it?” She brushed the snow off her arms. “It’s New England. We have to expect it, I suppose.” “It has its appeal too.” The door closed solidly behind her. “This way. I have a fire going in my study. We can make ourselves comfortable in there if you don’t mind the informality?” “Not at all.” Renny followed him down a long hallway, steps muffled by a faded carpet that had obviously lain exactly where it was for several generations. “This is quite an interesting house.” She felt some sort of comment would be appropriate. “I like it. I was lucky to find it on the market actually. There’s something charming about this Victorian effusiveness, isn’t there?” He glanced at her with a grin as he led her up an over-embellished staircase. “Good description.” Renny couldn’t help returning his grin. He was nothing like she’d expected, older for one thing, but every bit as erudite as his letter had suggested. There had been one moment when he’d first opened the door—silhouetted by a dim glow from inside the house—when she’d almost believed she’d seen something… But that was why she was here, after all. To settle her concerns. Reassure herself that she was not losing her mind. To deal with her dreams and her visions and put them all to rest. So that she could, finally, sleep. Dr. Corvo’s study turned out to be a perfect representation of what a learned and educated gentleman’s study should be. Tall bookshelves filled to overflowing with a

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haphazard array of volumes, windows with heavy drapes drawn shut against the rush of the storm and a magnificent desk littered with papers, pens, a coffee mug, several half-open books and a laptop with a screensaver flickering softly across its monitor. It should have been incongruous—an intrusion of technology into a place of quiet and scholarly contemplation—but oddly enough it wasn’t. What did strike Renny as odd was a rattling sound from a dark corner and she turned in the middle of removing her hat and scarf as the noise caught her ear. The light from the desk lamp didn’t penetrate far enough for her to make out the source of the sound and she glanced at Dr. Corvo. “The wind?” He chuckled. “Not exactly. Let me take your coat and I’ll introduce you.” Renny stilled for a moment then continued removing her coat, keeping her movements slow and studied. She had no idea what was in that corner, but she hoped the whatever-it-was liked visitors. Her heart thudded, adrenaline pushing her body’s responses to a higher state of awareness. She recognized the “fight-or-flight” reaction, a natural answer to a perceived possible threat. “Jakob. Would you care to say hello to Miss Piccione?” Renny gulped. For a moment there was nothing but the howl of the wind outside and the soft crackle of the logs in the fireplace. Then there was a rattle, a clatter and a quick flutter of wings. Renny found herself staring at a bird, a large raven, who stared back at her with equal interest, head tilted curiously to one side. “Good heavens.” She blinked. “Hello, Jakob.” The raven moved a little, fluffing chest feathers and spreading his wings slowly as if stretching. His eyes never left Renny’s face and she found herself breathing rapidly as the shadows seemed to swell behind Jakob. “I…I…” She lifted a hand to her forehead, feeling the heat of her skin as she began to sweat. The bird still fixed her with his gaze, but he seemed larger now,

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growing…dominating her vision…filling her senses, her thoughts…her brain…those black eyes…oh God… Catching herself completely by surprise, Renny fainted awkwardly onto the carpet of the study as the good doctor and his raven watched. Then Dr. Corvo smiled. “Good, Jakob, good. All is as it should be.” He picked her up easily off the floor and carried her from the room.

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Chapter Two Renny moaned and the sound brought Grey to her side. “How are you feeling?” He ran his hand over her forehead in a paternal kind of way. She swallowed roughly and tried to lick her lips. “Dunno.” “Here.” He slid an arm behind her shoulders and lifted her a little. “Drink this. It’s just water.” She blinked and reached for the glass, her hand still weak. She settled for resting her fingers over his in an effort to regain her equilibrium. “I’m so sorry.” She sipped and slumped backwards onto the cushions. “I don’t know what came over me.” “Don’t worry about it. The cold snowstorm, the heat of the room—I doubt you were expecting to be introduced to a raven within five minutes of arriving, either.” Grey smiled at her. “Nothing here is quite what I was expecting.” She tilted her head to one side then reached upwards. “You unfastened my hair.” “I had to. It hurt me to see it pulled back so tightly.” Grey glanced at the riotous spread of white-blonde curls that had fizzed out of containment when he’d pulled them free of that absurdly rigid bun. “Feels good.” She absently rubbed her scalp. “Thanks.” “So what did you expect?” He pulled his chair close to the couch on which she lay and settled back comfortably. “Well, to not pass out on your study floor, for one thing.” She glanced around. “Um…where are we?” He lifted a hand dismissing her question. “In the parlor. What did you expect, Ms Piccione?”

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She winced. “Please, we’ve written to each other enough. I think you can call me Renny. I’m stuck with that last name but I don’t have to like it.” “No? It’s Italian for dove, isn’t it?” “Also pigeon. Don’t think I didn’t hear about that from the kids in my first language class.” He smiled. “It’s amazing how so much of our lives can be shaped by the relatively small portion of them that we spend in school. But…” Once again the hand lifted, as if turning a page in the conversation. “To return to my original question, what did you expect?” Renny’s shoulders lifted and fell with her breath and her eyes turned more gray than green as she thought about her answer. “I’m not sure I had too many preconceived notions, Dr. Corvo.” “If I’m to call you Renny, then you must call me Grey. I dislike Greydon…awfully butler-ish, don’t you think? What-what?” He let a British accent slide over his words. She laughed, a little snort of amusement that made him smile. “Very well. Grey it is.” She sighed. “So when do we start, Grey? You know I’m here for your help. I need it. Badly.” “Direct and to the point. Like your letters.” Grey nodded. “We’ve already started, Renny. But I’d like to hear the story from you. In your own words.” “So that you can read my body language as I speak? Deduce more intricate facets to my psyche from my facial expressions?” “Something like that.” The curves of Renny’s face hardened for an instant. “I’m not insane, you know. I doubt that I’m any more psychotic than the next woman.” A slight twinkle lurked in the back of her eyes. “Depending on what time of the month you ask her, of course.”

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“I’m not even going to attempt to respond to that comment.” Grey smiled back. “Suppose you just relax and tell me what’s been going on with you. Tell me, Renny. In person. Why can’t you sleep?”

***** Renny stilled at Grey’s question—the root cause of so many of her problems. How honest should she be? How honest could she be with this man? He knew a lot, but not all of it. She’d ended up writing to him after a long series of failed attempts to deal with her insomnia. Drugs had made her groggy and she’d hated taking anything anyway. The usual stuff—aromatherapy, yoga, scotch—all temporary fixes that had worked for a night or two. She’d found some sleep “experts” in her psychology department and consulted with them. Their findings weren’t encouraging. “Nothing wrong with you,” they’d said. “No deep-seated anxieties that we can find.” They’d written more prescriptions she’d torn up as soon as she’d left their offices. Then she’d turned to the Internet—and found Dr. Greydon Corvo. A small site, listing only an email address but offering something Renny hadn’t found thus far. An ear. Non-judgmental too. She’d written him, pouring her need for answers into her letter and he’d responded with interest. They’d exchanged emails, sharing more and more of Renny’s anxieties. She’d found herself intrigued by his knowledge and his calm acceptance of her occasionally frantic rantings. Over time, she’d become very comfortable discussing a variety of things with Grey, so that meeting him seemed less like introducing herself to a stranger and more like reconnecting with an old friend. The interest he’d displayed in her situation had been alluring, his honesty refreshing. Could he help her? He said he didn’t know but he’d like to find out. She discovered she would as well, since the final step would have been to participate in a

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sleep-lab study. Spending a couple of weeks wired for sound while she tried to sleep wasn’t her idea of fun. In fact it was her idea of hell. Because if she did sleep… “Renny?” His gentle voice recalled her to the present. “Sorry. Just trying to assemble my thoughts.” She settled more comfortably. “As you know I have difficulty sleeping. I think I qualify as an insomniac but oddly enough I can still function just fine in my everyday environment. I’m tired, but not as tired as somebody who hasn’t slept in ages ought to be.” She turned her head. “Does that make any sense whatsoever?” He smiled. “Yes. It tells me right off the bat that regardless of what you may think, you are getting some sleep.” He steepled his fingers together in a scholarly gesture. “When did this all begin?” “That’s an easy one. It began on the one and only dig I ever went on.” She paused. “I did mention that I’m an archaeologist, didn’t I?” He nodded. His silence was an encouragement for her to continue. “I went to England two summers ago. They’d got a small dig going just outside of Avebury. It’s in Wiltshire, not far from Stonehenge, and there’s always somebody digging up something from around there. A very active site, many layers, many settlements, going back to Druid and pre-Druid times I believe.” “And?” Renny’s thoughts turned inwards, recalling the scene. That scent. Overwhelming, heady—tropically erotic… Renny had grasped the small piece of pottery and been swamped by it. She’d almost fainted, the air had shimmered around her and she’d glimpsed—well, she still wasn’t sure what she’d seen. “Can you describe it? Just give me a few words—your thoughts—it doesn’t have to be precise.” She frowned. “Is this necessary?”

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“Renny, this is where it all began. Yes, it’s necessary. Start from the beginning for me. Paint a picture of what’s happening in your mind and perhaps I’ll be able to sort out the colors for you.” She sighed. “Okay. It’s…it’s rather…um…personal…” Grey inclined his head. “I understand. There’s a strong sexual component here, isn’t there?” Grateful he’d brought it out into the open, she nodded. “Yes. Another of the things that puzzles me.” “So tell me. You had the piece of pottery in your hand…” She closed her eyes. “It was smooth and oddly warm, just lying there in the trench I’d been working that morning. I was hot, figuring that was strange because I’d always imagined England to be cool and rainy. It wasn’t. That day the heat was quite savage. Anyway…” She shook off the memory of the hot sun on her shoulders, turning once more to the events that followed. “Anyway, I saw it, white and shiny against the dark earth. It was clearly shaped by a human hand, soft at the edges, decorated with some odd type of markings. I was excited and I picked it up…” “What happened then?” Grey’s voice kept her centered, focused. To her surprise, Renny found herself more relaxed in the telling of this event than she’d ever imagined she could be. “The world around me changed. The scent first—instead of hot earth there was sweet perfume, kind of like a really strong tropical flower. Like gardenias or jasmine only sweeter. Then I saw…” “What did you see, Renny?” “I saw—him.” “Describe him for me.” It was a command, surprising Renny a little with its urgency but keeping her on track with her recital.

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“He was—he was—” What was he? How could she put his appearance into words? “Tall. Very bronzed—as if he’d lived an outdoors life. His body was muscled—not bulky, but solid—the shape of a man who is active, builds things perhaps or hunts. I don’t know.” “Go on, you’re doing great.” “His eyes were dark, darker than I ever remember seeing on anybody ever. And he was staring at me as he brushed his hair away from his face. Long hair, silky to his shoulders and past them a little I think—it was hard to tell. I couldn’t look away from his eyes.” She paused and looked around for the glass of water. Just thinking about him made her throat dry. Grey passed it to her silently and retrieved it after she’d taken a swallow. “Thank you. Well, he was just there, in front of me, but not really there. I think I knew that but at the time it was almost as if I’d stepped into another world. He stared at me for what seemed like hours, his eyes moving over my body. I could almost feel his gaze like a touch against my skin. Where he looked, I ached. I yearned. In those seconds I learned what it was like to desire somebody with every fiber of my being.” Renny interrupted herself with a snort. “This sounds so stupid, doesn’t it?” “Not at all. Please go on.” She risked a quick glance at Grey. His eyes were hooded, revealing little of what he might be thinking. But his relaxed pose was reassuring, one of scholarly interest. Renny took a breath. She was indeed going to “go on”. “I remember feeling dizzy, aware of nothing but his eyes, his body and the piece of pottery digging into my hand. Oh, then he swallowed.” She laughed. “How silly is that? To remember the way a man’s throat moved. But I do. Clear as day.” Uncomfortable, Renny moved a little, easing the cramp that had begun low in her calf. Without realizing it, the muscles of her body had tensed as she’d begun her recital. “Anyway, I have no idea how long I stood there. I was vaguely aware of being in some sort of village, or town perhaps. There was movement around us—and heat. Strong 18

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heat, like I was in some tropical place. As if—as if—” Renny struggled to give words to the unexplainable. “It was as if I had lifted a curtain and was looking out into another world. Another time, maybe, or even another planet. And he was there, waiting for me. Wanting me every bit as strongly as I wanted him.” “How do you know?” She snorted again. “I knew. It was in his face. It was in the way his body shifted a little, changed as he stared at me. And since he was wearing little more than a light loincloth I could tell when his arousal began and…how hard he got.” “Okay.” Renny knew she was blushing but he’d asked, dammit. “Anyway, we were both— turned on, I guess—and when he reached for me I…I…” She bit her lip. “God, this is difficult.” “Almost done. Finish the story for me, Renny.” She gulped. “All right. He reached for me. He touched me, touched my breast. And when he did—I came. I climaxed. Right there on the spot. I orgasmed. And then I fainted.” “You passed out?” “Yep. Just like I did earlier today.” She frowned. “Honestly I don’t make a habit of fainting, you know. This is only the second time it’s happened.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I woke up in the dig first aid tent with a medic checking me out. They said it was heat exhaustion. I went along with it.” Glad to have the whole thing out in the open at last, Renny shifted on the couch and sat up more formally. “From that point on, my attempts to sleep have been haunted— and that’s the only word I can use to describe the phenomenon—haunted, Grey, by this man.” “In what way?”

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On less controversial ground now, Renny willingly continued. “When I fall asleep, he’s there. It seems to take no time at all before he’s in my dreams. My understanding of a normal sleep-cycle is that I should have some down-time before entering the REMstate—the dreaming part of my night. I don’t seem to have that time. I doze off and wham. There he is. Looking at me, playing with me, touching me—arousing me to the point where I wake up in physical pain many times…or at least with an ache that dreams can’t fulfill.” “So he’s arousing you every time you see him in your sleep, yes?” “Yep. And the settings aren’t always the same. He’s stripped me naked on some sort of temple balcony. Then he touched me in the waters of a jungle pool. Once he covered me with flowers in a garden someplace and another time he laid me down on the warm furry covers of a tent that seemed to be smothered in cold darkness.” Renny sighed and looked at Grey. “He haunts my dreams with erotic fantasies that are never realized. Tantalizes my body with his hands and drives the woman in me crazy with desire. He tantalizes my brain and the archaeologist in me with the places he takes me to. Places I want to see, to live in—to be a part of.” She squared her shoulders. “I thought perhaps I was going insane. Suffering some sort of post-traumatic disorder, maybe. Or succumbing to a fantasy world of history and far-off places as a method of avoiding reality.” She lifted her chin as she stared at Grey. “But my reality was quite nice. Certainly nothing I’d want to escape. I was granted my doctorate, accepted a Research Professor position and have been happily teaching ever since. I like what I do, Grey…” She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees as she fixed him with a firm gaze. “I like teaching, I like archaeology. I have a nice life, thank you. Except for…” Grey finished the sentence for her. “Except for your dream man.” “Yes. Except for…Raven.”

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Chapter Three Grey’s body jerked—once. “Why do you call him that?” How he kept his voice level, he had no idea. Thankfully, Renny hadn’t noticed his reaction. “I’m not sure. Sometime during this whole experience, the name came to me. He’s never spoken directly—we don’t communicate like that. It’s more the impressions I receive. This one came in what I’d describe as an early Middle Ages environment. Lush forests, tall trees, quiet glades—I just picked up the word Raven as he touched me.” She closed her eyes. “He’s been Raven to me ever since. I had to call him something, didn’t I? Somehow calling him Chuck didn’t seem to fit.” As she opened her eyes once more, the expression in them was almost pitiful despite the bravado of her words. She was beseeching him, asking him for permission to surrender to her fantasies. He willingly provided it. “Yes, you did need a name for him. And Raven is as good as any.” He paused. This would be—difficult. “Renny, I have to ask you one question. Clearly this…this Raven…has aroused you, caressed you erotically. His entire presence in your dreams seems linked to enhanced sexual awareness.” She nodded. “That’s correct.” “And yet he hasn’t…” Color filtered into her pale cheeks. “No. To be blunt about it, he hasn’t fucked me. Not in my dreams. We get so near, so close and then…poof. I wake up. Alone.” “Forgive my impertinence, my dear, but there are a few ancillary points we should clear up. You’re not a virgin, are you?” Renny blinked. “Is anybody anymore?”

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He choked down a laugh. “Okay. Next question…you wake from these dreams, and I would have to assume you’re in an advanced state of arousal yourself.” She nodded, not meeting his gaze. “It would be natural of you to bring yourself some relief. May I hazard a guess that you do so?” “Yes.” It was a whisper, but one that went straight to Grey’s gut. He fought the vision of Renny pleasuring herself. Too much distraction for right now. “Good. At least you are physically releasing the tensions.” “But not mentally. I sleep—he’s there.” “Always?” “Almost always. There have been a few nights when he’s not around. But not many. Not enough to guarantee me the rest I need.” “Are you…involved with anybody right now, Renny? I would imagine a relationship under these circumstances might be a challenge…” She shook her head. “No. There’s nobody. To be honest, I haven’t been interested in dating or relationships since this whole nightmare started. How can I? No matter who I see, or who I sleep with, how the hell are they going to match the experiences I have with Raven?” She sighed, a deep and morose sound. “Even though we haven’t done the deed, Grey, he has become more my lover than anybody I’ve ever actually slept with. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just an…intimacy, if you will…a closeness that we’ve developed over the past couple of years.” She curled her lip wryly. “So it’s not real, but damn, he knows me very well. Very well indeed.” She moved once more, a firmer shifting of her hips. She was getting her thoughts back together, Grey could see, finding her feet once more. “So. Do you think there’s hope for me? Anything you can recommend?”

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Grey-green eyes lifted to his, the heat in them acting like a punch to his gut. He sucked in a breath. “Oh yes. I have some ideas of things we might try.” Oh do I ever! There was a squawk from down the hallway, which Grey ignored. “To begin with, I will extend the hospitality of my house.” He nodded around. “The storm shows no signs of easing at all, in fact they’re predicting white-out conditions for this evening. So if you’d accept an offer from an old man, please stay here for a day or so? Let me begin a program of treatment with you. Try a few ideas…” Renny looked uncertain. “I didn’t expect…I…” “I know. And it is a rather unconventional approach too. But you will be quite safe…” She smiled at him. “I know that. I trust my instincts more often than not and right now my instincts are telling me that I can trust you.” “I’m glad.” He smiled back, pouring every ounce of his you-can-feel-relaxed-withthis-elderly-gentleman skills into his grin. “There’s actually quite a nice guest room adjoining this one—my niece stayed there a few weeks ago and left some things. Please feel free to use them. I know she won’t mind in the least.” Renny stood. “You’re sure? She wouldn’t mind?” “Of course not. She’s probably forgotten they’re here anyway.” He turned. “Make yourself comfortable, Renny. Grab a robe or whatever Milly left in the wardrobe. You need to be totally relaxed for our first session. And I’m thinking I’ll medicate you too.” He smiled as she automatically opened her mouth, holding up one hand to stop the flood of words he knew trembled on her lips. “I’m planning on administering a rather nice Cabernet Sauvignon.” She laughed. “Ouch. That was a gotcha.” “Yep. I know.” He felt smug. “Come downstairs when you’re settled. Jakob and I will toss something together for food. Probably sandwiches for us and birdseed for him. All very informal.” He paused at the door. “You’ve presented me with an interesting

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challenge, Renny. But I think that together we might be able to find some answers that will suit us both.” “I hope so, Grey. I do hope so.”

***** Hope remained within Renny as the door closed behind Grey. He was kind, she thought. Understanding too, seeing more with those dark eyes of his than people probably realized. He was older than she’d expected, perhaps sixty or even more. It was hard to tell. His face wore age well, though, like one of those male movie stars who only gained appeal with age, not wrinkles. Life could be bloody unfair to women sometimes. She darted a quick look into the tall mirror. Nope. No wrinkles for her yet. She hoped when they did arrive that she could wear them as gracefully as did Grey. He’d suggested she use this room—a lovely guest room with subtly elegant furnishings. There was a small bathroom through one of the doors, and a large closet through another. Whoever his niece was, she had good taste. Renny looked at the small selection of creams, lotions and a perfume or two. All pricey, all looked new and all—she thought as she indulged herself with a quick swipe of moisturizer—the sort of thing any woman would want in her bathroom. She wandered over to the closet and peeked inside, finding a couple of lightweight dresses that wouldn’t do for a snowy winter night, one pair of extremely expensive shoes—not her size—and a robe. Obedient to Grey’s instructions, Renny undressed, folded her clothes neatly and put on the garment. It smelled of flowers, oddly familiar flowers. But it was just a quick whiff, not enough for Renny to identify the bloom. The fit was good too. She tied the belt around her waist and walked once more to the mirror.

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The robe was purple, the deep rich color of royal jewels. The outside was silk, embroidered here and there with a smattering of paler purple and white petals twining within a small green vine. Next to Renny’s skin was a soft and warm lining—if it was wool, then it was the softest wool she’d ever felt. Cashmere perhaps or something even softer? Renny didn’t know. All she knew was that it snagged on the rough cotton of her simple underwear. Without thinking much more about it, Renny untied the robe, took off her panties and her bra and retied the robe around her naked body. There. That was so much better. The sensual caress of the softness against her body was a delight, a snuggle of warmth that cocooned her in luxury. The sleeves were the perfect length, the color brought out the different shades in her eyes—Renny smiled at herself in the mirror. Finally her mass of curls looked—right. Her stomach gurgled, reminding her that she was hungry. Something she hadn’t really paid much attention to lately as her issues with this whole sleep thing had gotten out of hand. Somehow, coming here to visit Grey and telling him her story had lifted a weight from her shoulders. She could breathe once more, believe that there might be hope ahead—and feel hungry. Little things to most folks, but big things to her. She also felt—excited. Feminine. A little aroused. Womanly at least. Her hands skimmed over her silk-covered thighs. She was warm now, warm and relaxed and caressed by softness. Her breasts were kissed everywhere by soft fabric lips, her buttocks stroked by the fall of the robe over her bare skin as she moved. Each step was a tiny loving lick of cloud-like fuzz, a stimulus to feelings Renny had pushed away, deliberately, as the erotic nature of her dreams increased. Sleep brought her more decadent sexuality than she felt she could handle. She’d deliberately avoided any sensuality or stimulus while awake. She had been afraid of overload. And yet now—now she was thoroughly enjoying the sense of delightful need that was simmering deep in her belly. There was nothing she planned on doing about it, but she could appreciate it nevertheless. 25

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Her nipples hardened beneath the robe as she walked around the room looking for her shoes. Finding them, she slipped her feet back into them and grimaced. They were still wet from the walk to the front door. The ones in the closet didn’t fit, so there were two choices. Barefoot or wet leather. She wrinkled her nose. Neither seemed particularly appealing. Perhaps the bureau—Renny carefully opened a couple of drawers, wondering if Grey’s niece had left anything else of use. Her curiosity was rewarded in the third drawer—a pair of oversized knitted socks that had odd little soles on them. They looked small, but she found them a perfect fit, holding her toes firmly and cushioning the soles of her feet. Now she was ready to eat something, drink a little of Grey’s “medication” and perhaps start down the road to a more balanced life. A life where sleep was just that— sleep. As she opened her door and started down the stairs, Renny refused to acknowledge the little pang of pain she felt at the thought of saying farewell to Raven. She wouldn’t be lonely, she told herself. She would be free. Free to sleep, free to love, free to experience whatever desire struck her for whomever appealed to her. Free to close the door on a man if she didn’t want him in her life. There would be no more nights spent sweating under an exotic moonlit sky while familiar hands stroked her thighs and her breasts. No more baking under strange suns shielded only by a hard body looming over her as he kissed her breasts. No more shivering as large hands scooped handfuls of snow and dribbled the melting droplets onto her nipples and her clit. No more writhing and yearning—no more gut-shattering hunger for a cock that could never penetrate her.

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No more taste of hazelnuts and strange fruits as kisses from a man she didn’t know forced her lips apart. No more dueling with his tongue and laughing as he licked her navel. No more…no more… No more sleepless nights. No more fumbling for the vibrator that lived in her bedside table. No more sobbing sense of incompleteness and loss when she awoke to her own cold bed—alone. Renny sucked in a harsh breath. This was going to be a double-edged sword, this treatment of hers. And the cure. There would be relief that it was over. And yes, there would be pain that it was over…but which would be greater, the relief or the pain, was yet to be determined. With that question uppermost in her mind, Renny turned the handle to Grey’s study and peeked inside. Only to meet the basilisk stare of the raven. He looked at her—into her—and at that instant she realized something dark and a little frightening. He knew the conflict in her soul. In spite of her robe, she shivered.

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Chapter Four The room was warm, the food almost gone and Renny’s glass just about empty— again. Grey was pleased. This was exactly what he’d wanted. “Would you like coffee? Tea? Anything else?” The façade of the polite host was slipping but Grey fought to retain it, at least for a while longer. Renny shook her head, making her halo of curls shimmer in the candlelight. “No, thanks. This was just perfect.” She reached for her wineglass. “I probably shouldn’t have had those refills, but you were right. This is a delicious wine.” He smiled, wondering if the predatory heat suffusing his body showed on his face. Jakob muttered from his perch. Oh yes. He could see it well enough. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He stood. “Renny, if you’d join me by the fire, I’ve been thinking that we might start addressing your problem this evening with a small experiment.” “An experiment?” Renny stood also, swaying just the tiniest bit but obediently following Grey to the large black leather sofa that shone in the firelight. The power had flickered and gone out earlier, but neither Grey nor Renny had been overly concerned. They had candles, a plentiful supply of firewood and weren’t planning on going out into the storm that continued to wreak havoc outside. “Come, sit.” Grey led her to one corner, settled her and lifted her feet onto the cushions. “There. Comfy?” “Mmm. Very.” She nestled her head into the large arm of the couch and crossed her legs at the ankles. “I borrowed these sock things, by the way. I hope your niece won’t mind…” She frowned. “Sorry. I’ve forgotten her name.” “Er…Mabel. And no, I’m sure she won’t mind.” Renny blinked. “Are you sure? I could’ve sworn…” “Renny.” 28

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“Mmm?” She relaxed even more. “Close your eyes, Ren’na’ila.” Grey’s throat nearly closed as he spoke her name for the first time. She closed her eyes, smiling, unconcerned that he’d used a name not her own. “We are going to summon him. The Raven. He will be here this evening. He will join us.” Grey reached out and let his hand rest on her ankle, sending vibrations through his arm and into her body. Vibrations of soothing warmth, pleasure and relaxing sensations of pleasant anticipation. A smile crossed Renny’s face. “All right.” “You are perfectly safe here. Nothing will harm you, nothing will threaten or frighten you. This will be a good experience, a happy time for you. Do you understand that?” Slipping deeper into the thrall of his voice, Renny nodded. “I do.” Grey eased back. She was under now, under the combined spell of the herbs he’d slipped into the food and her wine and the hypnotic suggestion he’d placed in his voice. It was nearly time. There was just one more thing left for her to do… “Ren’na’ila, my cherished one. Where would you like to go this night? Where would you like to meet your Raven?” Her lips parted on a soft breath. “Oh anyplace would be good. Anywhere he is. That’s where I want to be.” She paused. “But you know, we’ve always seemed to be at our best when we’re around water. A lake maybe? Or no—I know. A beach. A moonlit beach…I remember being there with him once…” “I know the beach you mean. We shall go there. He is waiting for you, Ren’na’ila.” “He is?” “Yes. Can you not see him yet?” Grey stood and held out his arm. With a flutter of wings, Jakob left his perch in the corner to fly to his master, landing on the outstretched limb and cackling softly. 29

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“It is time for us to fly together, Jakob.” Grey reached inside his shirt and grasped a small object that hung suspended from a silver chain. “Do what you must. The time is now.” The bird lowered his head and thrust sharply downwards, breaking the skin and drawing his master’s blood to the surface. Slowly he lowered his beak into the wound and froze, still as a statue, linked to Grey’s body—linked to his soul— Grey threw his head back as his entire form shivered into a mass of glowing particles. The room spun around him, the air shifted and changed, and the bird on his arm became a dark shadow that funneled into his veins and arteries as they reassembled themselves into his true form. With a sigh he looked down. Waves lapped softly at his feet and a splash drew his eyes. She was already in the water. “Oh wow. This one is even better than I remember.” Operating on past experiences, Renny was simply enjoying the illusion of what she’d come to expect from her dreams. A moonlit beach, white deserted sands just waiting for the imprint of a human foot and himself—a fantasy lover who had no base in any kind of reality. He was simply a figment of her imagination. Or so she thought. She turned and walked from the ocean towards him, a naked vision of blonde perfection, dappled with droplets of water and moonlight. “This is just perfect, Raven. The water is warm. You’re looking better than ever. And I’m gonna have to do double duty with my vibrator when this is all over, no doubt about it. But shit, it’s worth it.” She grinned at him and moved closer. “I just wish this wasn’t a dream.” Clearly she wasn’t expecting a response because she jumped clean off her feet when she got one. “Supposing I told you it’s not a dream?” And then he kissed her.

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***** Being kissed by those full lips was everything Renny remembered and more. His tongue, strong and demanding, sliding past her teeth and into the heat of her mouth, to duel with her own in a tangle of sensation. His taste—sweet, rich—full of flavors she couldn’t put a name to but loved all the same. His body, hard against hers, holding her as he always did. Forcefully, strongly, yet tenderly as though she was his most precious captive. But the sound of his voice was still ringing in her ears and she wrenched her mouth from his. “You said something. You spoke to me.” Firm hands slid down her spine to cradle her naked buttocks. “Yes I did indeed, Ren’na’ila mine.” “What did you call me?” “Ren’na’ila. It is your name. The name you were given by our high priestess at your birth. The name you have carried in your heart and your dreams for so many lifetimes.” “Huh?” Renny stared at him, confused as much by his voice as his words. “You’re speaking to me.” She just couldn’t get past it. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t quite grasp the fact that her dream Raven was speaking to her. Making noises and moving his lips and uttering sounds that made sense. She wanted to smack herself upside the head to make sure everything was working correctly. Like her brain. “You’re talking.” He rolled his eyes. “Yes. I’m talking. Can we move on?” “You’re not supposed to be talking.” Obviously she couldn’t move on. Not quite yet, anyway. “You’re supposed to arouse me, drive me crazy and then poof me back to my sleep. Whereupon I wake up frustrated and horny and do myself with my vibe.” “Uh…” “This is so weird. You’ve never said a damn thing to me before. All the quality dream-time we’ve spent together and you’ve never said a damn word…”

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“Renny. Shut up.” She wasn’t going to get the chance to talk much, it appeared, since once again his lips found hers and ate at her with ferocious need. His cock dug into her body, his hands trailed over every inch of her nakedness and she found all thoughts of conversation vanishing as she fell into a fog of desire. He’d touched her this way so many times before and yet now—this was almost as if they were together for the first time. He learned her, strumming her curves with the consummate skill of a virtuoso, sending shivers of delight through her nerve endings and all with just a kiss and his hands. When he pulled back and slid a hand to her breast, she almost passed out from the sensation. “Such beautiful breasts. So full. Womanly.” His fingers curved around the soft globe as he took the weight in his palm. She followed his gaze, seeing the contrast of her white skin against his bronzed and tanned hand. It was a chiaroscuro of erotic textures, a delineation of the fundamental differences between them. Male and female. Soft and hard. Light and dark. His thumb stretched upwards, finding and flicking her nipple—back and forth, catching it with the nail, encouraging it to bead and harden beneath his caresses. “Look at that, Renny. Look.” Renny looked. Her voice seemed to have died in her throat. No words would come, no responses clogged her airways. Instead a flood of need swamped her from head to foot, emanating from where his thumb still rubbed her swollen breast and ending somewhere beneath her toenails. In between, her pussy was hot, sensitive to the slightest whisper of air, dampening with her own body’s tears of passion. Her belly churned, her breasts were on fire—she was becoming as aroused as she could ever remember being. With a groan she reached for him. “Raven…”

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This time—this time perhaps… She wanted him so badly the wanting was a hunger within her, consuming her thoughts, her deeds, everything that she was. Night after endless night he’d toyed with her, loving her in his own way yet always shortchanging her out of the natural ending to such loving. Tonight—tonight she would not let him go. She would demand he fuck her, plunge that wonderful cock of his deep inside her. Fulfill her, take her out of her dreams and into the reality of orgasm. Together. He tried to move, to separate them, but she held tight, digging her fingernails into the flesh of his upper arms. She pressed her groin hard against his cock, lifting one leg so that he would be in no doubt of her desperate need. “Fuck me, Raven. For pity’s sake, fuck me.” She scarcely heard her own words. The swirling red cloud of arousal was already enveloping her, fed by the touch of Raven’s hands. “Yes, my desired one. Tonight the answer is yes.” His mouth found hers as he lifted her clean off her feet, rocking her into his arms and stumbling into the warm dark waters of their little piece of the ocean. She lifted her legs, crossing her ankles and clasping him tight, rubbing her pussy against him urgently. Her mouth moved, her hands sought all of him that she could touch and her tongue thrust into his mouth, anxious to taste him, take him, feel him throughout every inch of her body. She was wild in his arms, trembling with need, pussy lips swollen and grinding against his cock. “Yes, my lover, that’s the way…” His hips thrust back, pounding against her, churning the waves around them. He paused and slid a hand from beneath her to where his cock sought a home—the dark entrance to her cunt.

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Within seconds she felt the swollen head pushing, stretching her, parting those swollen lips, demanding entry into that place that awaited his presence. “Raven, for God’s sake…” She tore her mouth from his and screamed to the skies. And he was there. With one plunge he was in her, filling her, expanding her cunt, rubbing the walls of silk that caressed him. The water frothed and churned around them as he pounded his hips against her, holding her so that he could plunder her darkest treasure, withdrawing his cock and then thrusting it deep once more. Her weight supported by the water, Renny could simply enjoy the ravaging, parting her thighs as wide as she could, clasping and releasing Raven’s hips as they fucked in a rhythm older than that of the tide that washed around their naked bodies. Her clit throbbed and pulsed as Raven’s groin abraded the delicate flesh again and again, driving her to a state of sobbing, trembling-on-the-edge madness. If he stopped now, she’d never survive. His head lowered to her breast and he sucked hard on a nipple, adding just one more wild thrill to her already-thundering arousal. It was enough to tip her over— down—around and around and finally into an abyss of lights and sensations. Renny knew she was screaming as her orgasm took her. She could feel her vocal cords protesting and yet she could hear nothing—nothing but the booming of her own blood as it pulsed loudly in her heart, in time with the savage spasms that were starting to rack her body. They rose within her, a welling of tremors originating where her body embraced Raven’s cock with a kiss that held him fast. She didn’t know if she was more stunned by the ferocity of the climax or the fact that they’d actually gone and done it—they’d fucked each other. And very enthusiastically, not to mention successfully, as well. To judge by Raven’s rigid stance and parted lips, not to mention the slight crossing of his eyes, it was good for him too.

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Matching tremors rocked his cock as it burrowed deeply into her cunt. Renny sensed the explosion of his come as he let go and flew with her into madness and exquisite bliss. The pulsations stimulated her anew and she whimpered as aftershocks shuddered their way through her body—little orgasms that kept her from falling apart in a mess of exhaustion. She was wired tautly, still strung out on the endorphins her body had flooded itself with and only just able to focus on the man who’d caused it all. The man whose head was thrown back now, whose eyes were closed and whose throat seemed to be moving. Whether he was trying to swallow or scream, Renny had no clue. Either or both were probably impossible right about now if he was feeling half of what she’d felt. His hands finally eased their savage grip on her hips and he moved at last, a sigh of content forcing its way out of his mouth matching the groan from hers. He fell softly free of her body and Renny let herself float for a moment, just easing down fully into the warm ocean water as she panted and tried to pull the bits and pieces of her brain back together. Raven did the same thing, collapsing loosely into the waves, spreading his arms wide and breathing, his chest rising and falling in sympathy with lungs that Renny knew were as starved for air as her own. She snorted out a laugh. “We’re a fine pair. Anybody’d think we’d never done this before.” He turned and she caught the glitter of his raven-dark eyes in the moonlight. “But, Renny, my Ren’na’ila, we haven’t. And that is why our lives have taken a sharp turn this night. From now on…” He paused. “From now on what?” Her words drifted over the water that lapped between them And she woke up.

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Chapter Five Grey sagged limply in the chair as Renny slowly opened her eyes. He was exhausted, happy, satisfied for the first time in countless eons and more tired than he’d believed possible. “Holy shit.” Renny breathed the words as she looked at him, then blushed and straightened the skirts of the robe, which had become tangled as her legs thrashed on the couch. “That was some vision you induced, Grey.” “I’m glad…” His voice jammed somewhere around his tonsils. He coughed and tried again. “I’m glad it worked. You saw him, did you?” The color on her cheeks deepened and she pulled herself upright. “You could say that, yes. It was a very—strong interaction this time. More powerful than I’ve ever experienced before.” She glanced at him and her eyebrows drew together in concern. “You look—pretty damn awful, if you’ll pardon my saying so.” There was an answering flutter from the corner of the room as Jakob settled on his perch and carefully preened his ruffled feathers. “See? The bird agrees with me.” Renny frowned. “I think you need rest. And to be honest, I’d like to see if I can sleep now too. After what I just went through I’m hoping that for tonight I might be able to get a little uninterrupted shut-eye.” Grey nodded. “All right. Let’s adjourn for this evening. I think we’ve made progress, Renny. Tomorrow we’ll take a longer look at this Raven of yours and see why he’s in your dreams.” She stood with difficulty and grabbed one arm of the couch for support. “Um…okay. I’m good with that.” Wincing a little she walked tentatively across the room, holding her robe tightly across her body.

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Grey was struck with the notion that she was holding herself together. That if she let go of the purple silk her nerve endings would explode into more orgasms. He sympathized. Just watching her hips sway beneath the soft fabric was every bit as stimulating as seeing her naked in the ocean. Heat unfurled in his gut and in spite of his rigid control, he hissed in a breath through his teeth. He stood, refusing to allow the weakness in his legs to prevent him from acting normally. “Good night.” Renny dipped her head and left the room. Her scent, sweetly blooming with the fragrance of her arousal, remained behind to tantalize Grey’s nostrils. He dropped back into his chair like a stone, only to have Jakob flutter from his perch and land across from him on the edge of the sofa. The bird’s squawk was eloquent, soft though it was. “I know, I know. Too much too soon.” Grey stared into the fire. “I couldn’t stop it. Once I saw her, touched her—there was simply no other choice.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s drained me. Drained us. We must rest.” Another squawk greeted that statement. “No, I mean it. Really rest. We have to sleep. She’s here now, close enough to us for the next step. She’s touched us, been with us, fucked us. Now it’s time to find out if she can dream-wander.” Grey gritted his teeth and managed to move from his chair to the couch. It still bore the heat of Renny’s body, the soft lingering traces of her perfume. He sighed and settled himself. “I can’t make it to my bed. This will have to do.” He closed his eyes and tugged a soft blanket across his legs. “Bring her to me, Jakob. If she comes to me, then I shall regain some of my strength by taking hers.” He felt a weak chuckle bubble in his throat. “She might not like it, but I surely will. My little Ren’na’ila is in for some medieval discipline.” Jakob rattled his wings and made that odd little sound that told Grey his bird was wiping his beak on his perch. He had no idea why Jakob—or any bird for that matter— would do that, but they did. Jakob had never explained the reason behind it, so Grey let 37

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it go. And now he took comfort from the familiar noise, since they were both about to go into unfamiliar territory. It had been so long. Renny’s dreams had become home to Grey, a place where he could at least play with the object of his desires. Fucking her tonight had been an achievement of historic proportions—the culmination of centuries of foreplay. For “Raven” it was a dream come true at last. For Grey it was a step along the road to his death. But he did not care. Nor did he care that should Renny manage to invade his dreams, she would also weaken. She’d had so long to build her psychic muscles that one night together in his otherworld would scarcely harm her. Or so he hoped. It was all part of an overall plan, a pattern of events that had been started so many generations ago and so far away. They would have to return there—to the beginning. If there was to be any chance for them at all, it would be there that they would find it. But for now, Grey had somewhere more—risky in mind. Somewhere he could explore the darker parts of their relationship. And somewhere he could harvest enough strength to last for these next few days. Because if he died too soon, all would be lost. And that would be a really, really bad thing.

***** Renny sank onto her bed in the guest room with a sigh of contentment. She was tired, relaxed and thoroughly fucked out, not to mention a little stiff in an assortment of odd places. Tonight she really would find those elusive zzzs and with a smile on her face she closed her eyes and tumbled happily into the arms of Morpheus. Where she stayed for a

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while until she began to toss and turn. Groggily, Renny punched her pillow and snuggled back under the tumbled covers. Once more she fell asleep. Only to dream. But this time, it was an extraordinary dream, detailed and vivid. And it was so much more than she’d ever imagined a dream could be…

“Here’s the bitch now.” “Oowwww…” Renny’s knees hit stone with a thud that rattled her eyeballs. If this was a dream then it had some pretty damn realistic effects to go along with it. Tears flooded her eyes and she had to blink them away to look around her. She was in a shadowed chamber, lit by only a few torches flickering weakly high on grey stone walls. She was on her knees before a dais on which there were two chairs, both occupied. Behind her somebody held her down, her wrists shackled by hard cuffs linked to a heavy chain that dragged at her shoulders. She felt her hair loose around her and a quick glance told her she wore little more than a torn and dirty tunic of some sort. “Why not kill her now, my Lord?” Renny blinked and looked at the woman who sat in one of the two chairs. Her hair was a fiery red, her lips lushly pouting and her body voluptuous. A jeweled neckline barely covered white full breasts, pouring a river of glitter down past a small waist and onto a lap where hips that could kindly be described as “child-bearing” spread comfortably. The woman was staring at Renny with contempt in her gaze. “Or better still, let me do it.” She turned to the man in the other chair. “Please, my Lord? ‘T’will take no more than an instant. I will be merciful, quick with my knife…” The tiny transparent veil fluttered around the woman’s head as she leaned to her companion. “Then we can retire to my chamber. I find this sort of thing…excites me…”

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A white hand caressed the valley between the magnificent breasts and the woman’s tongue flickered across her lips in an invitation that was unmistakable. But her intended lover did not respond. And as Renny turned her head to look at him, she realized why. It was Raven—her Raven. And he was staring at her with all the hunger she’d seen in his eyes for so many of their dream nights together. As she watched, he shook off the woman’s arm. “You are too ready to kill, Avrille. Why waste a life? There could be value in it.” The pout returned. “She is naught but a slave. And a traitorous one at that. She would slice your throat as soon as look at you. I know the type.” “I’m sure you do.” Wry humor crossed his lips for a moment as he stood, but it was wasted on his companion. “Leave us. I shall deal with this woman.” “But, my Lord…” “Leave us.” His tone of command left no room for argument and within moments, Renny found herself alone with this version of her dream man—Lord Raven. He walked around her as she knelt on the cold slab. “You have been accused of being a traitor. Of attempting to collaborate with the enemies of this castle.” His hand drifted to her hair and played with it, letting it fall over her face. She half-turned. “Not true.” A savage jerk on the lock of curls he held brought tears back to her eyes. “I did not give you permission to speak, slave.” Renny gasped. This felt extremely real. Real enough to make her bite back a cry of pain. He ignored her but did release her hair. “I’m advised to dispose of you.” He shrugged. “Not a deed I would willingly do, since I happen to believe that life—all life—matters to somebody, somewhere.” Once again he walked around her as she

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lowered her gaze, watching his soft leather boots appear and disappear before her eyes. “But I have been presented with sufficient evidence to support the claim that you conspired with my enemies. Fucked your way into the garrison of Lord Seule—perhaps even to his very bed.” His hand crept from her hair to encompass Renny’s neck—and tightened. “Did you, Ren of the Doves? Did you give away secrets to Raven Castle? Did you spread those white thighs of yours for my enemy? Offer him the cunt that should, by rights, belong to me?” This is just too damn freaky for words. Renny gulped. She had no idea where all this medieval shit was coming from. She didn’t read that many novels, certainly not historical ones, and her archaeology expertise was much earlier than this period. Yet it seemed so detailed, so realistic, that she could well have believed herself at the mercy of some feudal Lord. One who was, at this moment, gently rocking her back and forth with his hand on her neck. A hand she could sense was quite strong enough to snap her bones like twigs should he so desire. “I…I…” She struggled for words. “You may speak, little dove-girl. You tend my dovecots. It seems you may have tended business beyond the birds. Tell me your secrets. I would hear your confession.” His grip on her neck tightened and he drew her up to her feet, turning her so that her face was inches from his chest as he stared down at her, never releasing his hold. “I have nothing to confess, Lord. I would not betray you or this castle.” Renny devoutly hoped that the woman whose life she’d accidentally stepped into was innocent. Wandering over her body, Lord Raven’s gaze was hot and dark, caressing her with a look as silky as his black hair. Almost casually he reached for her tunic with his free hand, ripping it from neck to hem and pulling it away from her naked body.

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She flinched, but he held her fast, that hand around her throat nearly tight enough to hurt—but not quite. “Very nice, little dove-girl. Very nice indeed.” He cupped a breast. “You are as white as the doves you care for.” He stroked her skin and teased the nipple. “And as soft.” She shivered as his thumb continued to flick the sensitive bud. “Thank you, my Lord.” What else did one say to a man who had just stripped one naked in a medieval castle chamber? His grip on her breast tightened and his thumbnail caught her nipple sharply. “So—I ask again. Did you betray me?” She winced as he scraped her nipple. A tiny and arousing pain that made her shiver. “No, my Lord. I did not. I would not. I…I could not…” “We shall see.” He released her breast, his fingers leaving red marks where he’d gripped her so tightly. Stepping back he pulled his own tunic off his body and kicked away his boots. “Perhaps I shall fuck you tonight. I might find out that your body has been well used. What do you say?” He stripped, leaving Renny with a mouth turned dry and a mind that had blanked out the minute she’d seen his chest. Hewn from slabs of hot marble, he had the muscles of a warrior. It was no stretch of the imagination to see him wielding a mighty sword with ease. His shoulders rivaled a Clydesdale for sheer rippling strength and although Renny had seen Raven in many times and many places, it was as if she was looking at him for the first time tonight. Nude, he stepped back to her, letting the hairs on his chest brush her nipples. “Oh yes. I think I will fuck you, little dove-girl. But first you will tell me the truth about you and Lord Seule.” Renny found the chains behind her seized and pulled painfully away, her arms stretched taut backwards and she nearly stumbled as Raven half-dragged her to one wall. There, he lifted the chains, leaving her wrists no option but to follow. Her bonds 42

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were secured to a hook above her head and she found herself chained, naked, before him. The stone was icy cold against her back, but his gaze was fire on the rest of her. And when he picked up a strip of leather, her pussy flooded hotly. What would he do? Would he beat her? Hurt her? Or would he arouse her, the way he seemed to be able to do with just a look? His arm lifted, the thong cut through the air with a tiny shriek and she jumped, crying out as the leather slapped firmly around her hip and caught her ass. Oh God. She shuddered. Oh God. Please let him do it again…

***** Raven flicked the whip with loving skill, enjoying the sound of the leather as much as the shivers that racked Renny’s flesh. She was there with him, knowing what he might do to her, anticipating it with a need that was inescapable. He could smell her scent, hot and arousing, as her pussy flowered and shed tears of excitement to dampen her thighs. Jewels of moisture sparkled on the hair between her legs, clear evidence that she was ready and willing for whatever punishment he chose to administer. Carefully he flicked just beneath one full breast, savoring her moan of pleasure like a goblet of the finest wine. “It’s arousing, isn’t it, little one?” He flicked the other breast. “Like the tongue of a lover, the hard tongue that lies between teeth ready to nip that sweet tit of yours…” Renny sighed out a broken gasp. “Raven…” He flicked downwards, caressing more than striking, letting the leather wander where it would on her silky white skin. He watched as tiny red lines bloomed beneath the surface, only to fade away as quickly as they’d risen.

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He had his rhythm working now, a steady stream of light blows from her knees up the outside of her thighs to her belly and her breasts, only to return the same way. She was glowing, the blood rushing to the surface of her body, responding to his touch, melting as he heated her with his punishment. Her hips were moving—an automatic response she probably was unaware of—and he broke his swing to let the thongs lash between her parted thighs and into the shadows of her pussy. She screamed, a cry of pleasure and pain. “God, Raven…” Her legs spread wide, opening herself, inviting more of the same. “Yesss…oh lord, yessssss…” Her chains clanked and jangled as she begged him to continue. He obliged, stepping nearer and flicking the leather firmly between her legs. He knew he was catching her clit and her pussy lips—he could see the fire burning behind her gaze. He was arousing her, letting the delicately painful licks of the whip do what another man’s tongue would do. Letting the tiny bolts of lightning he knew were fluttering around her belly awaken a deep desire in her. She was wet, her juices shining on the soft skin of her inner thighs and turning them to glazed marble. He could smell the tang of her pussy and the sweetness of her sweat—as much of an arousal to him as her nudity and helplessness. He wanted her, wanted to fuck her hard and long and make her scream out his name. He wanted to ram his cock into her cunt as she crashed against the hard wall and feel her thighs clamp around him as he thrust deep. And he would do all those things. Very soon. He stepped to her and grabbed her shoulders, turning her in a quick and rough move to face the wall. “Press your tits into the stone. Feel the cold against you.” She hesitated a moment too long and he lashed the whip across her buttocks, a blow not tempered by delicacy. She grunted out a smothered cry and moved to the wall, pressing her breasts into the slabs as he’d ordered.

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“Good.” Once again he struck her ass, watching with excitement as red lines marked his claiming blows. “I will not harm you.” It was a promise he knew he could make, even though the force behind these lashes was stronger. “I know.” Her answer was confident. Her ass could take it, take the strength of his need. His cock swelled painfully as she pushed her buttocks back toward him, a silent acknowledgement of her ability to withstand whatever he chose to give her. She would not surrender—only acquiesce. Raven understood the difference in that moment. She would give him what she chose to give him, let him do what he chose to do. It was a collaboration of equals driving down a road to sexual fulfillment. Or was it? Raven licked his lips. Perhaps it was time to give his little dove-girl a surprise she wasn’t anticipating. He reached for her hips and pulled them away from the wall, making her slide her ankles apart even more and bend at the waist. Her luscious ass glowed whitely in the candlelight, the cleft a dark line of shadow between the two rounded globes of her buttocks. Oh yes. This would be perfect.

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Chapter Six Renny’s brain whirled and jerked with each blow of Raven’s whip. She had no idea this would turn her on like wildfire, but it did—she was so ready to explode into an orgasm that her teeth were thrumming with the force of it. Her toes curled frantically against the stone floor and when he turned her and forced her breasts into the wall, she had to bite down hard on the inside of her mouth to stop the shudders from erupting. She didn’t want to surrender until he gave her permission to come. It would be at a time of his choosing if she could hold it back until then. And it would be one helluva gift too. The lashes across her ass hurt, but she was so sensitized now to every breath of air, every movement he made, that he probably could have bruised her flesh with a sneeze. She whimpered and writhed, her pussy aching and her cunt empty—waiting, both waiting for the moment when his cock would fill her void. His hands were rough against her skin as he grabbed her and pulled her away from the wall. She stumbled and almost fell but he held her firmly, positioning her so that her ass was toward him and her arms outstretched within the manacles. He was going to take her from behind. A rivulet of hot honey trickled from her pussy at the thought. He’d go deep, deep into her cunt, touching places that only he could reach. She nearly sobbed at the thought of it—the pleasure he’d bring her and the mighty cataclysm she was so ready to enjoy. His cock brushed her buttocks, a light touch against the skin which burned a little from his lashes. Renny jumped and moaned. “Raven…take me, for God’s sake.”

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He laughed behind her, a harsh sound. She wished she could see his face and twisted her neck, but to no avail. He had her where he wanted her, naked and vulnerable and open to his pleasure. “I will take you, little dove-girl. Believe me I will take you. I want you. And you…” he ran his fingers between her legs and drew her moisture up behind her over her buttocks and between them… “you want me too. Your body tells me how much.” Hot licks of electricity danced through Renny as Raven’s fingers caressed her tight little anal muscles. “Shit. Yes, I want you Raven. Jesus God that feels…” His fingers pushed, thrusting past the snug ring into her body. “How does it feel? Tell me…” He moved his hand, caressing her darkness. “Does it feel good? Painful? Arousing? Tell me…” “It feels…” Renny choked as he withdrew his fingers and then returned. She was soaking with her own slick juices and no words could convey her sensations. It was extraordinary, sending every nerve ending in her body into overload. “It feels amazing.” She’d done this before, but never after being spanked or punished. She’d never known how much the sensation of anal penetration could be heightened. A part of Renny’s mind tried to analyze, to rationalize what was happening. The rest of her simply surrendered. “Do it, please, Raven. Do it.” “I will.” A hot and slick cock replaced Raven’s fingers, nudging its way into her ass, slipping between her cheeks, entering her darkness and filling her in a way that defied description. She froze, afraid to move, afraid that one heartbeat would send her rocketing off the edge of infinity. Afraid that she might not be able to return. His cock continued to slide into her, checked by nothing except the natural smallness of her ass. It was a tight fit and the stretching sensation added to the tension she fought, a tension that was far greater than she’d ever imagined.

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When he let one hand drape around her hip to find her pussy and her clit, she knew she could not withstand any more of his sensual assaults. “I’m going to come, Raven…” How strange this was. To be chained to a wall and still experience an arousal that redefined what sex could be. How strange to tell the man whose cock was buried up one’s ass that orgasm was imminent. And how strange to be doing it all in a dream. For this was a dream—wasn’t it? Hard legs brushed the backs of her thighs as Raven pushed his cock home, seating himself impossibly deeply within her body. His fingers found her clit, teasing it, pulling it, stroking around it just enough to make her tremble. “I want you to come now, little Ren. Shatter into pieces, my dove-girl, while I fuck your white and beautiful ass. I will not let you fall…” He pressed his fingers to her clit and his cock to her soul. She flew—and shattered into a million shards of light within his hands.

***** As Renny’s ass went into spasm around his cock, Raven threw back his head and let out a primal cry. She squeezed him harshly, milking him, sucking his seed from his balls with orgasmic ripples that were nearly painful in their intensity. He couldn’t help but come with her, he was as far gone as she was and it would’ve taken much less than her climax to get him to release. As it was, they flew together, great explosions of his come spurting into her ass and overflowing around them both. Joined by their sex and their souls, Renny and Raven spiraled together into a void that swallowed them whole and spat them out again, a whirlwind of sensations that could not be described. As she sobbed and gasped her way through her orgasm, Renny’s ass poured energy from her psyche over his cock, the blinding intensity of the spasm forcing the heat up into Raven’s core. 48

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The place where he and Jakob were joined. A new vibrancy flooded his lungs, his heart thundered joyfully in his chest and his entire being resounded with Renny’s heat and lust and passion. This was what he’d needed—this influx of energy to maintain his existence while they explored their potential. He ended his orgasm stronger than when it had begun. His cock was limp, certainly, falling softly and regretfully from her anus on a flood of his own come. She sagged against the wall, legs trembling, body wet and smelling of her arousal and their sex. Carefully he unfastened the manacles at her wrists and let her slump into his arms, lifting her easily from her feet and carrying her to one of the chairs on the dais. He sat, cradling her in his arms, heedless of their stickiness or the sweat that clung to them. “Are you all right, little Ren of the Doves? My white bird?” He untangled a lock of blonde hair. “I don’t know.” She blinked at him and smiled, a tired little grin that burrowed to his heart. “I think so. But if you find any brains around here, they may be mine. You just fucked them out.” He chuckled and pulled her snug to his chest, loving the way her body fitted his, curve for curve. “I’m not sure who fucked whom this night, little one. We are both well spent. And t’was time well spent for both of us I think, yes?” She nodded. “Yes, my Lord Raven.” “Then sleep. Rest. For I shall want you again ‘ere long. And maybe again after that.” He stroked her shoulder, leaning back and letting her head grow heavy against his breast. “We have time now, little one. You have given me time.” He dropped a light kiss on her hair and listened as her breathing grew deep and steady. She slept.

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Raven closed his eyes, pulling himself from their fantasy back into his body—and his couch. He opened his eyes to see Jakob watching him. He grinned. “I’m well. It worked. She is the one, Jakob. She dream-wandered and it was—well, a gentleman never fucks and tells.” He stretched comfortably. “It was pretty damn fantastic. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?” The bird flounced his feathers and emitted what sounded suspiciously like a “tut”, then fluttered back to his perch on the arm of the sofa. There he hunkered down and fixed Grey with his onyx stare. “I don’t know what happens next, Jakob. I think it may be up to Renny. How she responds to tonight’s adventures will tell us a lot. Whether she trusts me as Dr. Corvo, how she feels about Raven—we have to make sure we fully understand these issues before we even think about telling her the truth about you and me. And the truth about—her.” Grey turned his head to look across the room at a small statuette. The alabaster figurine was a woman styled in an ancient form, with thick hair braided down her spine and ornamented by tiny winking gemstones. She was bare-breasted, full and feminine globes jutting smoothly from her chest, tipped with tiny rubies where taut nipples should be. A soft skirt wrapped her hips, secured by a cord that had been lovingly carved to cling to every curve and dip of her buttocks and her thighs. It was an artisan’s masterpiece, an ancient relic of a time when gods and goddesses were worshipped and given form by their supplicants. At her feet was a bird—a raven. And the man smiled. “She’s as lovely now as she was when I first met her, Jakob. Wouldn’t you agree?” There was no answer.

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The bird had tucked his head beneath his wing and gone to sleep. Grey tucked one hand beneath his cheek, took a last look at the figurine and did the same.

***** It was how Renny found them when she peeked in early the following morning. For a second she stared at the head on the pillow. Was that…could that be…? Then a squawk distracted her and when she looked away from the bird roosting on his perch, she saw Grey’s face turned toward her. “Good lord. I must have slept later than usual.” He looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, Renny. Will you give me five minutes?” She nodded. “I should apologize. I honestly didn’t mean to wake you. The power’s out though.” She gestured to the window. “It’s still snowing, if you can believe that.” Grey shrugged. “I’m not surprised. They said it’d be a big one. Go put something warm on and I’ll get the fire stoked up.” “Yes, sir.” Renny gave him a mock-salute and closed the door. She really must try to stop letting these dreams get to her. For a split second, she thought she’d seen her Raven on that pillow, not Grey. She shook a mental finger at herself as she tugged on her clothes, deciding to keep the soft slipper socks on her feet, since they were warm and she certainly wasn’t going anywhere today. A quick brush through her hair and she was done. She hoped she could take a shower later, but with no electricity it would be stupid to use up what hot water there was right at this moment. She settled for brushing her teeth and figured whatever else she needed could come later. She wanted to tell Grey about her dream. Well, some of her dream. The general setting, perhaps. On the way downstairs she wondered if it was wise to tell him anything at all. Trying to find the appropriate words to politely describe getting naked, whipped and fucked up the ass by a medieval dude would be a challenge, even for her. 51

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She giggled to herself. Damn, it had been good though. To dream and finally have that dream result in a super orgasm, not the endless frustration of unfulfilled lust. Sheeiitt. Perhaps tonight they could dream themselves into Shakespeare’s time. Or Jane Austen’s politely mannered society. Renny had always wanted to find out if those Regency dresses were comfortable or not. And Raven could take her to the stables and do her inside a carriage. She sighed. He could do her anywhere he wanted, any way he wanted. The end result was the same, finally. Bliss. Unadulterated sexual bliss. On that rather heady thought, she walked into the parlor to smell coffee. “Mmmm. How’d you make coffee without electricity?” Grey looked up from the fireplace. “See this?” He swung a bar-like object out from the fireplace. “Oh my God. I’ve seen those before. You hook a pot onto it and it cooks over the fire, yes?” “Right. So hook a sturdy coffee pot on there and you’ve got coffee. Not necessarily the best sort of coffee, but at this point in the morning do we care?” “Not me.” Renny grabbed a nearby potholder and carefully poured herself a mug. “As long as it’s hot, liquid and contains caffeine.” “Woman after my own heart.” Grey added another log and moved to a chair near the fire, waving Renny into its mate. “Sit. Tell me of your night. Did you sleep? Did you dream?” She blinked at him over the rim of her mug. “Yes to both. And forgive my saying so but I guess you slept well too. You look a helluva lot better than you did last night.” He grinned. “Slept like a log.” There was a rattle across the room. “Yes, Jakob, I know you did too.” Renny glanced over. “How long have you had Jakob? I understand that ravens are quite long-lived birds and really intelligent as well…”

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The bird preened. If Renny hadn’t known better, she could have sworn he understood every word she said. Grey laughed. “Don’t boost his ego too much. He’s already full of himself. We’ve been together for…well, a good many years now. He’s very bright, although a little on the small side for your average raven.” Jakob made an odd hacking noise. “He’s got quite a vocabulary too, when he chooses to use it. Ravens are noted for their variety of vocalization.” “If he quoths Nevermore, I’m out of here.” Renny smiled at Grey. “Poe was just another in a long line of folks to associate ravens with bad luck. They really did get a lousy rap throughout history. All they did was eat to survive. Unfortunately, what they ate was considered by ancient folks as evil. Cannibalism has never been popular.” “Ravens eat each other?” Renny stared at Grey. “Well, probably, but what I meant was that they eat carrion. Which—in long ago times—could be human in nature. A meal is a meal. A raven didn’t know the difference between a slaughtered soldier and a dead sheep. It was man who imposed the idea of evil on a natural part of the raven’s existence.” “And yet it didn’t happen to vultures so much, did it?” “No. But there are a large number of ravens everywhere, especially in ancient settlements. Vultures and buzzards tend more towards dryer, arid areas. They were less populated.” “Good point.” Renny nodded thoughtfully. “There are representations of vultures as gods of death and the afterlife in quite a few sub-Saharan cultures. And of course there’s the midnight black thing ravens have going for them.”

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Jakob’s eyes flicked between the two of them and he puffed out his chest, catching the light and making his feathers gleam with that oddly iridescent flame of green and purple. “Yes, very nice.” Renny chuckled. “As you said. Ravens have pretty much been vilified throughout history by ancient and not so ancient people, right down to old Edgar Allen himself. And yet here’s Jakob, a fine feathered friend, keeping me company through a winter storm.” Grey looked affectionately at the bird. “I don’t know what I’d do without him. He seems a part of me sometimes.” There was a squawky sort of croak from the bird. “See?” Grey smiled. “He agrees with me.” Jakob yawned and emitted a loud “caw” sound, making Renny jump a little. Grey laughed out loud. “That’s my boy. Did you know ravens mate for life?” He looked at Renny and just like that the tenor of their conversation changed. It was no longer about Jakob and Grey and the habits of a species of bird. It was about Renny and the dream man she called Raven. She put her cup down on the hearth and sat straight in her chair, staring at Grey. His face was empty of expression as he watched her. “I dreamed last night. Of him. Of Raven. And it didn’t stop mid-seduction. He took me to the edge of the world and held my hand as I jumped off.” She sighed. “It was beyond anything I’ve ever imagined or fantasized about. It was completely off the scale in passion and intensity. And it made me realize something.” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I’m in love with my dream Raven.” She opened her eyes once more. “I’m going insane, aren’t I?”

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Chapter Seven Grey schooled his features into polite concern, which was quite an accomplishment given that every little cell in his body was doing a hula dance and whooping its hand into the air. “Insane?” He found his voice someplace around his spleen and smoothed it into a sort of normalcy. “Not at all. For starters, people who are insane seldom acknowledge it enough to ask if they are.” He blinked. “Does that make sense?” “Um…” “Never mind.” Grey dismissed the confused thought. “No, I don’t believe you’re insane. You’re a normal healthy woman whose dreams are inhabited by an amazingly sexy and virile visitor.” He was rather proud of himself for saying that without blushing. He did ignore the muffled snort from Jakob. “You don’t have any current boyfriends, so what’s more normal than to become involved with your Raven?” “I suppose.” Renny looked doubtful. “Renny.” Grey leaned forward intently. “I believe that these dreams of yours are a little more than just yearning fantasies.” “You do?” “Yes. I believe that it’s possible you are actually visiting these places you dream about.” There was silence in the room, broken only by the soft popping of the fire. How would she take this idea? Would she dismiss it and him as some kind of crazy nutcase? “I don’t understand. Explain.” She leaned forward in her turn. Okay. So she hadn’t grabbed her clothes and run screaming from the house. It was a start. A good start.

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Grey considered his next words carefully. “I’m sure you’ve come across stories of people who can separate parts of their psyche and travel non-corporeally. You’re an archaeologist. Legends like these are not unusual.” Renny nodded. “Yes, there’s mention of that sort of dream-travel in several ancient cultures. The Tibetans used to refer to it as astral flying and related it to a third eye, I believe…” “Exactly.” Grey nodded, pleased at her comprehension. “So what’s to stop a person in our modern age—namely you—having that ability? Pre-supposing it exists?” Renny looked skeptical. “Nothing, but why should I have it? And if it does exist —a rather large pre-supposition, I might add—why don’t we hear more about it?” Grey raised an eyebrow. “Who you gonna tell? Your neighborhood tabloid? The government?” Renny wrinkled her nose. “Point taken.” “So basing our theories on that assumption, where you’re concerned you have established a subconscious contact with somebody—perhaps another person with a similar skill. A dream-wanderer, if you will.” She stared at him. “You mean Raven is real?” “Possibly. I can’t say. To you he is.” And to me as well, but I can’t tell you that yet. “Holy shit.” Renny slumped in the chair, her expression a blend of disbelief and desire. “Holy fucking shit.” “Quite.” Grey chuckled. “Sorry.” Renny colored as she realized what she’d said. “Don’t apologize. I’ve heard worse. Said worse myself. It’s understandable given these odd circumstances.” “Yeah, but…” She shook her head a little as if trying to rattle her brain into some kind of order.

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Grey could sympathize. This was pretty unique, even for an archaeologist used to dealing with ancient myths and legends. Of course, she had no idea how unique. She was about to find out though. “What do I do?” Her heart was in her eyes as she lifted her gaze to Grey and plaintively asked the ultimate question. “What do you want to do?” “I want…” She sucked in air on a noisy breath as she came to terms with it all. “I want…Raven. I want to know about Raven.” Her shoulders lifted and fell as she faced her truth. “I want to find out all there is about him and most especially whether he’s real.” She straightened in her chair. “If he is real, I want to know where he is and how I can find him.” A hand reached out to Grey in mute appeal. “I want to touch him, Grey. To be awake and know that the skin next to mine is his.” Grey took her hand in his. “All right.” He squeezed her fingers. “Let’s see what we can do.” “Really?” “Really.” Grey released her hand and stood. “I’m not sure if it’ll work, of course, but since this is a pretty unique situation, I’m thinking it calls for a pretty unique approach.” He crossed the room and opened one of the glass doors to a bookshelf. “I found this artifact many years ago. It has legends attached to it that are similar to what you’re experiencing.” Renny leaned in to look at the small vessel Grey handed her. “Oh, how lovely.” She ran a finger over the small jar, delicately caressing the engraved markings. “It’s alabaster, isn’t it?” She frowned. “I don’t recognize the glyphs…” “Pre-Sumerian, I think.” “Can’t be.” Renny shook her head. “There wasn’t any writing in pre-Sumerian cultures.”

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“It isn’t writing.” Grey rummaged some more. “There’s something else I need.” He picked up the small statuette from her shadowed niche. “It’s time, sweetheart.” He whispered the endearment then dropped a lightning quick kiss on the cold head and carried it carefully back to Renny. She was still engrossed in the little jar and spoke as if to herself. “But it looks like writing…like early glyphs…” “It’s music.” “What?” She looked up at him as he said that, surprise and interest alight in her gaze. “Music? How the hell can you tell that?” He grinned. “Trust me.” And the fact that the jar was etched with a song was going to be minimal next to her reaction when she saw the statue. And herself. “Here. Look at this.” He held the figurine towards Renny, glad to note that she was as careful with these pieces as he was himself. The archaeologist in her was fascinated as he’d known she would be. “Grey…” She breathed the word as her hands took the slim figure from his grasp. “She’s…she’s magnificent.” Even a sharp click and squawk from Jakob couldn’t distract Renny from her study of the piece. Grey glanced at the bird, frowned then looked back at Renny. “She is, isn’t she?” “The same period, I’m guessing. There are similarities in the markings…” Her fingers touched the decoration on the skirt of the figure and brushed upwards over the ruby-tipped breasts. “Are these rubies? They shouldn’t be. I’d expect carnelian or maybe even coral, but rubies…in this time period? That’s a surprise…” “Look at her face, Renny. Look carefully.” Grey knelt next to Renny’s chair, slowly lowering himself to his knees so that he could see her face—watch her expression as she learned the truth.

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He heard her swallow. And swallow again. She licked her lips before she spoke. “This woman—she looks familiar.” “Yes.” “She looks a bit like…” “Yes, Renny. Say it.” “She looks like—me.”

***** It was impossible. Completely and absolutely impossible. Of course it was impossible. There was no way in hell that a statue over four thousand years old could look like herself. It had to be the most incredible coincidence. “Yes, she does look like you. And here’s something else to consider—suppose she is you? Or was you?” Grey’s gaze was dark and intense as he stared at her. He was near, very near, close enough that she could see the iron-white hairs dappling his eyebrows and the lines radiating from the corners of his eyes. “Reincarnation? Is that what you’re suggesting?” It wasn’t a foreign concept by any means, but it also wasn’t something Renny had ever considered as applying to herself. “In a way.” Grey leaned back a little. “Suppose this woman was you, that essence inside you that makes you you. Call it a soul, a transcendental energy, whatever you want—it existed in this form thousands of years ago.” “Okay.” Renny nodded. This was outside of freaky, but she was also an archaeologist and knew that the past still held many secrets unrevealed to the present. It was foolish to think otherwise. “And supposing she could dream-wander?” “Now you’re pushing the edges of believability, Grey.”

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“Hmm. I wonder.” He took the statue and placed it next to the small jar on a table between their chairs. “Are you game to find out?” She looked at him. “I don’t know. How? What…Jesus, Grey. This is too unreal for words.” Grey nodded. “You’re right. It is. But aren’t your dreams pretty unreal too?” Renny ran a hand through her hair, distress evident in her eyes. “Yeah, but…” He gathered the rest of the supplies he needed from the bookshelf and closed the door. “It’s up to you. I have some herbs and tinctures here that I came across a few years ago when I was researching dream awareness states. They are harmless.” He flashed her a quick grin. “And mostly legal.” In spite of her confusion, she grinned back. “Good to know.” He sat down in his chair and pulled the table close, settling it between their bent knees. “I can produce a waking-dream state—I guess that’s the best way to describe it— and with your dream-wandering abilities I’m hoping we can direct you back in time to when you were her.” He nodded at the statuette. “I’m willing to bet that it’s when this whole thing began.” “You think?” She stared at the figure then looked back at him. “Dream wandering, huh?” “Yes.” “How can that be?” The reality she’d grasped was slipping away from her. “Grey…it’s asking a lot. I’m having a very hard time coming to terms with all of this.” “I understand. But only you know what your dreams are like, Renny. Only you can visit those places in such detail. They may seem like dreams but they were vivid and disturbing enough to bring you here. To me.” Her gaze dropped once more to the statuette as her brain fought for comprehension. She sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to go with the flow here. Suspend my disbelief. Believe in fairies or something.”

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He smiled. “Good girl. Now… back to her.” Renny pushed her doubts aside and studied the figure. “So this is me in some former life. Maybe four thousand odd years ago?” She glanced at him. “I doubt there was a lot going on before that time, Renny. You and I both know that civilization was cradled in Sumeria. That prior to that time there was little in the way of agri-societies or any kind of social structure other than hunter-gatherers. Certainly nothing in the way of representational art like her…” Unconsciously, Grey reached out and caressed one shoulder of the statue. “She’s too beautiful to have been an accidental piece in a sculptor’s hut.” “You think that I might find Raven there too? Or then…or whatever?” Renny blinked. “I never realized what a frickin’ hard time science fiction writers probably have with this whole temporal thing…” Grey just grinned and busied himself pouring things into the little jar and stirring them with a slender glass rod. “I can’t believe we’re seriously thinking about trying to do something which is so unbelievably…unbelievable…” She watched his hands. “If you’d told me I’d even entertain the idea of drugging myself up and going back in time I’d have told you to get some serious help.” “We’re not drugging up, as you so eloquently put it.” Grey looked mildly offended. “If we were gonna do that, I’d have a stash of brownies under my chair. And you know what they say. Once you’ve eliminated the impossible, what’s left is the likely possibility. No matter how improbable.” He blinked. “Or something like that.” Renny laughed, knowing full well that it was what he’d intended. To distract her a little, lighten her mood, remind her that he knew what he was doing. “Okay, sorry. Poor choice of words. Let’s just say we’re creating a temporal ambience.” “Oh niiiice. I like that.” He nodded. “Excellent turn of phrase.” He struck a match and dropped it into the vessel. “Now let’s see if our ambience works, shall we?” Renny gulped. “What should I do?” 61

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“Nothing. Just lie back and relax. Close your eyes if you want, or focus on the statue—anything that makes you comfortable.” Grey’s voice was calm, soothing the flutter of nerves Renny could feel just below her heart. He continued. “The herbs will produce a light smoke—scented with their unique fragrance. It’s not harmful, but it should make you a little dizzy, which is why I’m suggesting you close your eyes.” “Okay.” Renny leaned back and settled into her chair. She took a last glimpse of the statuette before lowering her eyelids and trying to clear her mind. “I want you to think about Raven, Ren’na’ila.” “What did you call me?” The scent of strange blossoms began to waft through the air around Renny’s chair. “Ren’na’ila. The name of the figurine. It suits you as well.” “It’s nice…musical…” “Yes indeed. Very musical. Ren’na’ila loved music. Loved to sing as she wandered through her town. Her people adored listening to her voice as she made up her own music…” The fragrance changed and Renny breathed in air that was pure and heated by a desert sun. It was unique, a dry and yet living scent that reminded her of the first time she’d been to the Great Pyramid in Egypt. “I smell…the desert.” “Yes, my beloved.” Raven spoke to her softly. Or was it Grey? Renny didn’t know. She tried to open her eyes or grip the arms of the chair in which she sat. Part of her knew she was still in a New England house, in front of a roaring fire in the middle of a snowstorm. But that part was growing less important now, more vague, more indistinct. Her lungs were filling with a new scent, that of a town where winds blew from high mountains and clean waters rippled from far away streams.

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Where there were people living lives far removed from anything Renny could have imagined. And yet where she felt at home. Where the smells were familiar and the sounds around her told her she was where she belonged. “Hello, my Ren’na’ila. Welcome back. I’ve missed you.” She opened her eyes, blinded for a moment by the sunlight. Then a shadow blocked out the fierce rays and firm lips descended on hers. His taste and his touch betrayed his identity. It was him. It was Raven. But this was a Raven who was living, breathing, his mouth claiming hers with a force and a taste that branded itself into her brain. He was there, holding her—she was firmly in his embrace. And he was real.

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Chapter Eight Holding her in his arms again brought the sunshine back into Raven’s life. The long weeks without his Ren’na’ila had been dark, without joy and without love. He kissed her long and hard, drowning in the sweetly tangy taste of her mouth, the heated warmth and softness of her body as it molded to his. “By the Gods I’ve been lost without you.” He muttered the words around her lips. She laughed softly. “Do not take me here in front of the world, my love. Let us at least go inside…” He grabbed her by the arm and rushed her into the small dwelling she called home. “Chagra, I’m back…” She called to her servant. “Welcome, Mistress, welcome. Blessings that your journey is ended safely.” An elderly woman bustled into the hall, arms wide in greeting. Ren’na’ila smiled and hugged her. “My things…will you see to them? I must talk with the Raven.” “Of course, Mistress. Do what must be done. I will bring drink and food.” “Thanks, Chagra.” She took Raven’s hand and led him to a small room where the walls were open to a garden full of color and fragrance. It was like Ren’na’ila herself, bright and cheerful, with a scent that aroused and soothed all at the same time. In spite of the seriousness of their situation, Raven couldn’t help but smile. “Your garden prospers, Ren’na. It seems you’ve seeded it well.” She flashed him a naughty glance. “‘Tis its mistress that’s been well-seeded, sir. A certain bird tends her needs most effectively.” His cock flexed beneath his robes and he moved to stand behind her, pressing his growing arousal into the cleft of her buttocks in that way she loved. True to her nature, she moaned and rocked against him.

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“Perhaps the bird’s beak is what pleases you…” Raven pushed back then slid his hands around her and cupped her breasts beneath her loose garment. He tweaked her nipples. “Or perhaps the little pecks and pinches of his talons?” She moaned again. “Everything this bird does is a pleasure, sir. I live to fly with him.” “Then flex your wings, little dove.” Raven couldn’t wait. He slid her skirts aside and pressed her forward to lean on the low wall. The flowers bloomed but their scent was nothing compared to the flowering of her cunt and the fragrance of her pussy. He slipped his cock free and pushed between her thighs, seeking the place he knew waited only for him. She sighed with pleasure as his swollen head found her opening and began to penetrate her secret places. “Oh Raven, I have missed you. Missed this…” Her hands lifted to her breasts and she covered his, squeezing their fingers tightly and forcing her nipples against his skin. He freed one hand and delved beneath her belly to the crisply curled hair, parting the folds and finding her clit, swollen and wet and protruding hungrily from its hood of hot silk. She sobbed a breath and forced her ass back into him, pushing his cock deeper inside her body. “Make me come, my love. Make me fly.” Her buttocks ground against him as he toyed with her, finding those spots that only he knew. His hand pressed and lifted her breast, more roughly now as her arousal flooded them both with liquids and her muscles hardened against him. Raven was blind to the garden, to the heat of the midday sun, to the birds and the insects—it could have been darkest night and he would not have known one from the other. His world was this woman in front of him and her body, welcoming him with a passion he’d still had difficulty believing and accepting. He let his hips move—back and forth—plunging now and adding additional abrasive friction to the sensual brew they were creating. He twisted, aligning his cock

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with her inner walls, rubbing them, finding that place deep inside that made her choke with heat as she boiled around him. “Oh Gods above—” There—he’d hit it, a small, yielding spot within her cunt that he pounded against, over and over again until she was crying out in his arms, writhing madly against him and forcing her hips into him in direct counterpoint to his thrusts. He pushed —she pushed. He withdrew—she withdrew. Their bodies slapped like the waves against the hull of a boat, soft and liquid yet demanding and unrelenting. Ren’na broke first. With a shudder and a muted scream she shattered, her body clamping down around his cock like a fist of granite. He couldn’t withstand her demanding cunt and exploded into her seconds later, filling her, flooding her, riding her waves of release down to his own flood gates. He roared his pleasure to the garden, scattering butterflies from the blooms and sending birds whirling upwards on a spiral that echoed his own passions. Spent, they sagged against each other and the wall. “My Raven.” Ren’na purred his name as she eased herself from his cock. “You have made me sticky and happy. Again.” She ran her hand over her thighs and held the shining palm up to the sunlight. “See? Our love made liquid. Mixed inside me by your ladle. I am the pot for your soup.” She chuckled. “And we create our own cooking fire when we come together.” Raven slid his soft cock back beneath his robes. “It will always be thus, my love. Always.” His heart ached with loving her. He could not remember a time when his thoughts had not been full of his Ren’na’ila. He turned to a low table. “I was busy while you were gone.” He reached for a small covered object. “I made this for you.” Hesitantly he took off the cloth and presented it to Ren’na. “I hope you like it.”

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With a gasp, Ren’na reached for the statuette. “Oh Raven…” Her hands caressed the alabaster figure, leaving tiny slicks of moisture on the woman’s body. “It’s a masterpiece. Your finest yet.” “Do you think so?” He was anxious, as any artist would be, wondering if her enthusiasm was genuine or merely polite. “By the Gods yes.” She reverently stroked the skirts. “See the folds in the fabric— it’s a miracle in stone. Truly a miracle…” She glanced at him, eyes wide. “And it is my likeness too, is it not?” “I cannot see another. Who else could it be?” And it was the truth. For Raven there was no other woman. Only Ren’na’ila. And she swore there could be no other man for her. Ever. Which put them both in a rather risky and difficult predicament. Because Ren’na’ila was promised to the Goddess. A life of dedicated service in the temple of Light. And once she’d taken her vows, she would never see Raven again. He wasn’t sure if he could survive without her. He also wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

***** Ren’na’s heart was heavy although her body still thrummed with pleasure. She did not have good news for her beloved and knew the time had come for her to tell him of her fruitless journey to the Temple. She sighed as they walked from the little room into the sunlit garden. “Raven, I have failed.” He paused, mid-pace. “She would not see you?” “Oh she saw me. The High Priestess always sees her neophytes before the claiming.” Ren’na curled her lips. “She was not—what I’d expected. She seemed disposed to like me, which is good.” Ren’na paused. She could not tell him of the

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discomfort she’d felt during the audience or of the requirement that she be naked prior to meeting the Priestess. She could not bear to remember the look on the woman’s face as she’d devoured Ren’na’s naked body with her eyes. It had been lascivious and made Ren’na squirm. “Yes, she definitely liked me. In her way.” He stopped her, hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Tell me the worst.” She nodded. “Very well. I requested an audience with the Goddess. Sometimes visitors are permitted into the Sacred Chamber. I was denied, however. I was sent directly to the High Priestess. Which is an honor accorded few, I should add. I suppose because I am promised to the temple, I qualify as one of the privileged.” “Go on.” “She is old, Raven. An old and bitter woman who almost seems to hate the Goddess she serves. I was—shocked.” Raven tugged her into a small alcove and pushed Ren’na down onto a stone bench. Shaded by an arbor of scented jasmine, he joined her, taking her hand in his. “Why were you so shocked?” “She’s the High Priestess. She should be the representative of the Goddess here to her worshippers. Instead, she’s…” “She’s what?” Ren’na sought for the right words. “Vindictive. That’s the best way I can think of to describe her. She talked to me as if I was stupid, ignored every request or explanation I tried to make, overrode my words half the time and barely listened the rest of the time. She…she wielded her title like a sword over my head, Raven. She threatened me, my family, you, your family, our village…she made it very clear that if I choose not to follow my prescribed vocation, then she will exact revenge on behalf of the Goddess.” Ren’na battled tears. “It was terrible.”

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Raven frowned. “It makes no sense. You are but one woman. There must be at least twenty or thirty other priestesses, aren’t there?” Ren’na nodded. “I believe so. I saw some of them. But I have to say, Raven, that I saw no young ones. A few were a little older than me, perhaps. Most were from our parents’ generation.” Raven stared at her. “I wonder why?” He thought for a few moments. “Is it possible that you are not the only one to ask for permission to withdraw from temple service?” Ren’na considered the idea. She had her own suspicions, but hearing Raven put her thoughts into words helped clarify the situation. “It’s entirely possible. In fact it might be quite likely.” She stood and paced up and down as her thoughts tumbled over themselves. “We know of no other from our village called to service, so we can’t tell from our people. But there must be other women, other girls unwilling to serve. What if too many have said no? What if the High Priestess sees her power waning as her neophytes dwindle? What of the Goddess herself?” “And why? Why are these girls refusing an honor? Surely they cannot all have found the one man they wish to wed?” He rose and took Ren’na’s hands. “I’m not mistaken, am I? You do wish to wed me?” “More than anything in this world.” She knew her voice rang with the force of her convictions. “Then wed we shall.” Raven dropped a kiss on each palm. “You have my pledge. We’ll find a way around this somehow. Find an escape for ourselves the High Priestess has overlooked. If worst comes to worst we can hide in the mountains. As long as we’re together…” “Yes. As long as we’re together.” Ren’na squeezed his hands back. It was all she wanted—the chance to be Raven’s wife. To bear him strong sons and beautiful daughters. To grow old at his side. To love him until breath left her body.

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Was it too much to ask? Her heart screamed no—that it was simply a life that anybody would choose. But her mind quailed. Raven hadn’t seen the madness in the eyes of the High Priestess. Perhaps this particular request was too much for the Goddess. And yet, she was the Goddess of Light, of goodness, of warmth and joy. One who radiated her face each day on the earth beneath and brought light to the darkness. How could a simple request be forbidden by such a one? They were questions Ren’na knew she should not ask, and yet her heart would not allow her to deny them. She knew she should bow to the will of the Goddess. It was not a good idea to do otherwise. The Goddess and her fellow deities held sway over Ren’na’s life and that of her people. In fact the entire world as she knew it paid homage in one way or another to the supreme beings upon whom their fate rested. Without their gracious kindness, there would be no light in the sky, no moon at night. No rain to water their crops or wind to pollinate the flowers. Ren’na knew all these things as surely as she knew her name. And yet at that moment, as she gazed into the dark eyes of the man who held her heart, she wondered. Wondered if there was not more in the world—answers to questions that she had not asked yet. Other reasons why the world was bright or the skies wept. And whether the Gods themselves were as powerful as she and her people had been led to believe. A chill breeze made her skin shiver and she shook off the heretical thoughts. It was not for her to question these things. She had her own immediate concern and he was standing right in front of her, agony in his eyes as he dealt with the possibility of losing her. She smiled bravely. “We shall find a way, my love. I will not believe it to be otherwise.” He smiled back. “I know.” 70

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A loud caw distracted them and they turned as one to see a raven perched on the high wall surrounding Ren’na’s garden. She grinned. “Your namesake calls for you.” He shrugged. “More like he’s calling for you. If he’s my namesake, that’s all he wants.” The sky dimmed for a moment and Ren’na swayed as her vision blurred. “Raven. I…I…” She held out a hand blindly seeking his strength. “You’re tired. The journey was long, you’ve not eaten…I can see I must take care of you myself.” Tenderly, Raven swept her off her feet and carried her indoors out of the strong sun. The shade felt refreshing, but Ren’na couldn’t rid herself of the notion that there was more than just a relief from the sun around her. There was a shadow now, something dark, lurking just out of her sight. A harbinger of something bad perhaps, a storm or an unseen evil. Ren’na lifted the little statue and held it tightly to her breast as Raven swept her past and to her room. This would bring her hope and light once more. It had to. It was made with love. She knew of nothing else as potent or as protecting. But would it be enough?

***** Raven knew he had to do something—something drastic and risky if he wanted to take Ren’na for his wife. In truth there was nothing more he wanted than that very thing. Without her, his life would have no meaning at all. He could not, much as he tried, find any reason why the Goddess should require this sacrifice of them both. So he made plans. Over the next few days he talked to some people, traded with others and finally had all the arrangements settled to his satisfaction. The moon was waning, the nights 71

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dark enough for his purpose. All he needed to do was persuade Ren’na to meet him at her garden gate. He’d take care of the rest. She was restless, unsure of the rightness of their actions but committed to their future together. She agreed that it seemed wrong to separate two people who had done nothing but fall in love. She also agreed that there were others who would willingly serve the Goddess of Light if asked. There could be no reason for the deities to be unduly upset. It all seemed to come down to the whim of the High Priestess. She lived miles away in another town. How would she ever know? Thus it was that Ren’na’ila crept from her house in a small village one shadowed spring night and into the waiting arms of her lover, Raven. They boarded a small wagon and quietly drove away from all that they had known into a future they hoped would hold happiness for them both. Sadly, it was not to be. As the wagon made its way from the village, two silent figures followed, easily keeping pace with the muffled feet of the beast pulling the small burden. They paused as the wagon took the northern road and one departed by another route, leaving his fellow to continue the pursuit. By the time dawn broke, Raven and Ren’na had traveled several miles, not knowing that each was spent in the company of a silent shadow. They also did not know that a reception awaited them at the fork in the river. They would have to stop there and lead the wagon across the water just above the falls. The valley walls were sheer at that point, offering no other way to continue up into the hills and north. It soon became abundantly clear that they were expected. The rising sun glittered off the handful of mounted guards surrounding the carriage of the High Priestess.

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Raven and Ren’na were upon them before they could stop themselves and as soon as they rounded the bend in the road towards the riverbank, savage-looking guards ran to the head of their mule and held it fast. They were caught, trapped by circumstances beyond their control in a situation not of their making. They barely had time to exchange glances before they were torn roughly from each other’s side and taken before the High Priestess. She glared down at them through eyes narrow with spite and filled with vengeful anger. “You dared defy the orders of the Goddess.” She pointed a bony finger at Ren’na. “You were told quite clearly what you were to do. What course you were to follow.” She turned and curled her lip at Raven. “And yet you threw it all away—for what? For this?” The Priestess rose from her carriage and stepped into the dusty road. She moved to Raven and looked him up and down, her expression scornful. “A mere man. Good for nothing but plowing the earth.” She ripped his robes from him and reached for his cock. “And occasionally plowing a woman’s furrows.” She squeezed him cruelly. “I doubt this one has seed that will survive.” She looked at the huge guards surrounding her with more approval. “At least I pick those with strength.” She turned to Ren’na. “You are a foolish child. The Goddess knows all, hears all, sees all. Sees into the corners of your heart.” She closed the distance between herself and Ren’na, oblivious to the others around them or Raven’s indrawn breath. “She knows what you think, what you feel and what you do. Do not ever assume otherwise.” She drew the gown from Ren’na’s shoulders, baring her breasts. “She is a woman, just as you are.” Ren’na’s shoulders rose and fell as she sucked in air. Raven struggled but was held fast by two men, strong and in service to the Goddess. They were firm of muscle and of intent and outweighed him considerably. Raven could do naught but watch—and ache for his beloved.

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The Priestess was fondling Ren’na’s body, thin hands lifting and cupping the white breasts, toying with the ruby nipples, making Ren’na shudder with distaste. She too was held fast, but clearly for the pleasure of the High Priestess whose eyes now glittered with a strange hunger. When that bony hand delved down to toy between Ren’na’s thighs, she cried out, unable to contain herself a moment longer. “Stay your hand, you foul creature. This is not what our Goddess permits…” Outrage lent strength to Ren’na’s voice and it echoed through the valley. Followed by the harsh sound of flesh meeting flesh as the Priestess lifted her hand and slapped Ren’na hard across the face. “How dare you tell me what the Goddess does or does not permit?” She tore the gown from Ren’na’s hips, leaving her naked and exposed to the gaze of not only Raven but her guard. “You are a mere mortal. You know nothing of the Goddess or her ways.” “Ren’na…be careful…” It was a whisper from Raven but she heard it and took courage. She lifted her chin and stared into the wildly angry eyes of the Priestess. “I know the Goddess is good. I know you are evil and you are corrupting her name and her Temple. I know that this is probably why you are so desperate for new priestesses. The others must know of your horrid ways. They are withdrawing from service. Aren’t they?” She nearly screamed the question, her anger all but choking her, heedless of her nudity or the danger of the situation. She saw the answer in the Priestess’ face. There was no need for words—it was all there. The decadent desire as black eyes roved hungrily over Ren’na’s body. The fury at the accuracy of Ren’na’s assumption. And the dark anger welling within the scrawny body, an anger that went beyond the restraints of what passed as civilization. An anger that was unbounded by anything resembling humanity. The Priestess stood straight, seeming to grow before Ren’na’s eyes. She stepped back and turned to her guards. 74

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“Kill him. Do what you want with her then put her in my carriage. Make it…interesting.” “Noooo…Ren’naaaaa…”

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Chapter Nine “Raven…” Renny screamed his name as she jumped up, disoriented, afraid, confused to find herself back in Grey Corvo’s study. She dropped back into the chair. “Oh God. Oh my God…” She bit back a sob and looked at Grey, only to see Raven’s eyes staring back at her. Then they shifted and changed back to Grey’s. Renny blinked as a piece of the puzzle dropped into place. “It’s you.” Grey nodded stiffly, flexing his shoulders. “And Jakob.” The bird flew to his side and perched rather proudly on Grey’s shoulder. “I’m out of my depth here.” Renny curled her arms around herself protectively. “What the fuck is going on?” Grey sighed, a deep sound of loss and sadness. “It is as you remembered, Ren’na mine. We were separated by tragedy many lifetimes ago. An evil woman, a thwarted desire and two souls were sent down the wrong road.” “You mean…” She swallowed. “You mean we’ve been searching for each other for thousands of years? Sort of?” “Yeah.” “Bullshit.” The modern woman in Renny stood up and snorted in derision. Grey ignored the expletive. “The guards did as they were told. But they didn’t dispatch me immediately. They made me watch, held me bound tightly as they raped you, over and over again.” His words were impartial, almost cold. His eyes weren’t. “They took their pleasure with you, all six of them, any way they wanted. It took several hours too, since a couple came back for more.”

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Finally he looked at her, a grief-stricken man recounting a horror too terrible to contemplate. “By that point you were unconscious. Torn and bloody. The last man picked up his sword—I’m guessing in an attempt to put an end to your misery—but the Priestess stopped him. She didn’t want him to worry about having killed a temple neophyte and she still wanted you.” He almost chuckled. “Strange, isn’t it? Rape, perversions, sodomy, my murder—but whatever you do, don’t kill a potential priestess.” Renny stared at Grey. “Shit. This is bad stuff, Grey.” “I know. I was there, remember?” She shook her head. “No. I remember the Priestess and I remember screaming your name. Then I was here.” “Probably a good thing.” He looked away and she saw his throat move as he swallowed. “Yeah. As a matter of fact—all things considered—definitely a good thing.” “So? What did happen?” Renny leaned forward. “I have to know, Grey. Please. No matter how bad it is, I have to know what became of me. Um…her. And…you.” Grey nodded. “All right. You were unconscious, broken and bleeding on the bank of the river. I was—beside myself. I wanted to hold you, to kill them all, especially the High Priestess, and then to die with you if you were gone already.” His hands shook as he folded them together in his lap. “I didn’t know if you were still alive.” “Please go on.” “I knew I was next. They took me to the edge of the river and slit my wrists, leaving me there to bleed to death and feed the vultures.” Renny blinked. “The vultures? Or the ravens…” His lips moved in wry acknowledgement. “Yes. This is where it gets really weird.” “Like it’s not weird enough already?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm. It held her down, anchored her to her own world, told her that reality was a fire in the fireplace

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and a snowstorm winding down outside. Even though she could still smell flowers that bloomed in strange lands and hear the waters of a river that probably no longer flowed. Grey swallowed. “I was dying. I lay half in the water and I could feel the life ebbing out of me. Then I heard…” “What, Grey? What did you hear?” “I heard a voice. Or music. I still—to this day—don’t know which it was. But instead of your bruised body, I saw you stand on your own feet, whole and beautiful. Then you walked into the water and told me to follow you.” Renny was silent as tears fell down over Grey’s cheeks. She wasn’t sure he even realized they were there. “I wanted to. Oh God how I wanted to follow you. But my strength was gone. There was a raven on my arm, pecking at me. I couldn’t feel it—couldn’t feel anything. Just my love for you. Then the voice spoke to me and told me I’d always be with you. That this separation was temporary. And that at some time in the future we’d find each other and be reunited. Forever.” He paused and absently wiped his face with the back of one hand. “I felt my soul leave my body, Ren’na. It was the strangest sensation. My love for you took flight with that raven as it left my physical remains on the riverbank. I soared over you as you walked into the river. You cried out my name as you fell over the rapids.” Grey lowered his head and stared at his hands. “You were gone. I was gone. It was over.” He raised his gaze to hers. “And then it began.” Renny stared back at him, lost in the depths of his strangely familiar eyes. Eyes that were changing even as she watched, going from pale to dark brown—almost black— then back again to the shade of aged whiskey. She cleared her throat. “This is…fucking hard to accept, Grey. You do realize we both sound completely and utterly insane, don’t you?” “Yep.” He nodded. “I’d agree with you a hundred percent if I was anybody else listening to this tale. But for me it’s all quite believable.” He leaned back in the chair. “I 78

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remember it all clearly, not as a tale told to a child or a story read from some ancient manuscript. I remember it as happening. I know I was there. I know you were there. From that time on I have waited—and dreamed.” There was a soft caw from the corner. “And I have had a companion with me throughout the ages.” Renny turned to look at the raven who stared back imperturbably. “Jakob. Your raven.” “Yes. I cannot remember a time when I did not have him at my side. I dreamed of you occasionally.” “Wait a minute here…” Renny held up her hand. “You remember past lives?” “Of course.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you?” “No.” “Well, to be fair, there aren’t that many to recall. People always seem to think we go from one life to the next without pause. Not so.” Grey gestured with his hand as if he was giving a lecture. “I’ve had maybe ten or twelve lives since we met. That’s all.” “Incredible.” Renny knew her eyes were wide and her jaw slack. “That’s all?” A thought occurred to her. “So when did you start dreaming about me? Um…her?” He smiled. “I have dreamed of you throughout my lives. My existence has always included you. But only recently have I begun to reach you on a more…intense level, shall we say?” Renny gulped. “Oh fuck.” “Quite.” She knew she was blushing. “Jesus, Grey.” She couldn’t meet his gaze. “You, me…in my dreams? Holy shit.” “Yes. You have an amazing ability to create erotic dreams, Ren’na’ila.” He cleared his throat. “I will admit they were fun. But I much prefer last night’s adventure. And the one we shared just now, even though it ended badly.”

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“Badly?” Renny screeched out the word. “We both died, you idiot. That’s worse than ending badly in my book.” “Well, I’m not exactly sure that’s true. About us dying, I mean. After all, we’re here now talking about it, aren’t we?” Renny sighed. “I don’t know, Grey. This whole thing could be just a fantasy. I may wake up in a straitjacket and a padded room, drooling on myself and burbling insanities.” “Makes you feel like that at times, doesn’t it?” Grey sagged a little in his chair. “Ren’na—I’m tired, love. There is more to this story. There also needs to be an end to this story.” Renny tipped her head to one side. “You don’t look too good. I guess I need to know it all, Grey. The whole kit and caboodle. Then we can figure out exactly what we’re going to do about it.” “That—whether we can do anything about it—remains to be seen. And it remains largely up to you.” The look in Grey’s eyes was not encouraging. Renny bit her lip as she studied him, this man who apparently had invaded her heart thousands of years ago, claimed her body and her soul and haunted her dreams ever since. Or had she haunted his?

***** Grey watched Renny as she heated water, stoked the fire and struggled with the coffee pot. She’d insisted he sit and do nothing, since she informed him in no uncertain terms that if he was going to tell her the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help him the Audubon Society, then he was going to need his strength. Jakob had shuffled his feet, ruffled his wings and fluttered to the back of her chair in approval. For once, his feathered friend had accepted a human other than himself. He wasn’t sure if he was pleased or hurt by the bird’s defection. 80

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So he kept quiet, let the warmth of the fire take the chill from his body and accepted the fresh coffee which was, all things considered, surprisingly good. “Now.” Renny settled into her chair, curled her legs beneath her and fixed him with a gaze as unblinking as Jakob’s. “Tell me the rest, Grey. Tell me all of it. About Raven and how he became Grey Corvo. And then tell me how we fix this mess. If it can be fixed…” He sipped his coffee and then realized he had nothing to gain and everything to lose by waiting. Or by withholding any information from his Ren’na. The more she knew the better for both of them at this point. “All right. So I’m living the lifetimes allotted me and dreaming of you occasionally. Then I begin this lifetime, become a psychologist—gosh I wonder why—and a couple of years ago this whole intense dream process begins. Probably around the time you found that pot shard.” “Stop there.” She held up a finger. “Why then? What did I find that set it all in motion?” “You tell me. Could it have been a piece like that?” He nodded at the table where the artifacts sat, silent witnesses to a story that was more fable than proven fact. She leaned over, frowning as she studied them. “It’s possible, I suppose. When I woke up from my fainting spell, one of the directors had taken the piece from my hand. I can’t remember seeing it again, now I come to think of it. In light of the dreams that started after that little event, I really didn’t pay much attention.” “Could it have been…” Grey reached inside his shirt and pulled out something on a slim chain. “…something like this?” He let the alabaster fetish figure dangle before Renny. He knew what she saw—a small, beautifully carved raven, with markings on its breast. “How lovely.” She shook her head. “No, I know I’d have remembered something so stunning. What I found was a piece of pottery. Definitely broken—but very smooth.

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Possibly alabaster, I can’t be sure, but it’s not unlikely. It did have markings on it, though. Markings that might well have been like this.” She leaned back. “So I found the pottery and started dreaming. And you came to me.” She blushed. “In my dreams.” “You summoned me.” “I did not.” “Did too.” Jakob squawked loudly and Grey blinked at Renny. “Sorry.” He felt a little embarrassed at his childish outburst. “Well, no matter who summoned which of us, the dreams began and yes, no matter what you say, I visited your dreams, not the other way around.” “Are you sure?” She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Ren’na. I am sure. Look at me. How old would you say I am?” She thought. “About sixty, give or take?” “I’m thirty-seven.” “What?” Grey sighed. “Each time I visited your dreams it took a little of my—life force from me. That’s the only way I can describe it. Last night I summoned you for the first time. Our…interaction in the castle room restored a little of my vitality, gave me some of my strength back. But each time we meet on what I can only refer to as a psychic plane, it affects us. Especially me.” Renny was silent, her face betraying her confusion. “I don’t understand, Grey.” He sighed. “Let me see if I can simplify it for you. In each of my lifetimes I’ve dreamed of you now and again. When I do, I am slightly weakened. This never mattered before, because the dreams have been fleeting and vague.” He shifted his position a little, easing a cramp in one leg.

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“But now, now that we’ve established a strong two-way dream contact, I’m being drained. Drained past what I can naturally restore.” Renny smiled. “Well, that’s simple. All I have to do is to come into your dreams and you’ll get your strength back. Ta-da.” She waved her hands around expressively. “If it were only that easy.” How to explain the inexplicable? Grey struggled for words. “I am half of what I should be, Ren’na.” He nodded at Jakob. “My feathered friend here holds a part of what I am. He’s a true familiar although I am no witch. In the body of this bird resides the passion and the love that filled my soul when I died so long ago. It waits, as it has waited for thousands of years, to be reunited within my breast. It waits for me to reclaim the other part of myself. It waits for me to become whole once more.” “Huh?” Grey bit back a smile. It was farfetched, absurd, ridiculous and beyond belief. It was also true. “Here’s my theory. Ready?” Renny nodded. “Sure. Shoot. After all this, what else can you tell me?” “Good point. So here I am dying on the riverbank and there you are jumping into oblivion off a massive whitewater cliff.” “Pretty Shakespearean stuff, isn’t it?” “Yes. But it wasn’t exactly our choice either. We were heading into the mountains to raise goats or something.” “Point to you. Go on.” “Well, my theory is that the Goddess of Light wasn’t quite so far away as that frickin’ High Priestess believed.” Renny raised an eyebrow sky-high. “C’mon, Grey. You’re kidding me, right? Divine intervention?” “You got a better idea? Any other way of explaining what I heard? The promise that we’d be together eventually? The fact that we’ve spent untold generations popping in

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and out of each other’s dreams?” He folded his arms and stared at her challengingly. “Well? Have you?” “Er…no.” “Hah.” Vindicated, Grey closed his mouth with a snap. He’d had long enough to go over this situation in his mind—several lifetimes in fact. He knew he was right. He just knew it. “Okay.” Renny stood up and stretched. “So the Goddess saved our souls from the evil Priestess with the understanding we’d be reunited at some later date. Later being like thousands of years, of course.” She lifted an eyebrow. “One has to assume that time is simply a concept to a Goddess.” “You are taking this seriously, aren’t you?” Grey tried to keep the doubt from his tone. “Hey. It’s my dreams you’ve been haunting in your Raven body.” Her eyes turned hot. “And quite a body it is too, may I add.” “Thank you.” Grey inclined his head. “I’d rather like to have it back. Think we could work on that?” “You have an idea, don’t you?” “A couple of them actually. One involves me back to my Raven-self and you, naked.” “Ahh.” Renny cleared her throat. “Yes. I could actually get behind that one as well.” “Okay then.” There was silence in the room for a moment until Jakob emitted a piercing whistle and gripped Grey’s arm—hard. “Ouch, damn bird. You’ll leave marks. I get the point.” Grey eased Jakob’s talons free of his skin. “I have to ask, I suppose. What can we do to reunite you with your…bird…” Renny nodded at Jakob. “And thus restore you to the Raven we know and would like to love?”

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“I think you’re already halfway there, Ren’na’ila.” Grey stood and squared his shoulders. “First, you have to love.” She swallowed. “You already know how I feel about Raven.” “I do.” He nodded. “But do you love him enough to die for him—and with him?”

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Chapter Ten “Uhh…” Renny swallowed as the impact of Grey’s question ricocheted through her mind like a wayward sniper bullet. Her legs weakened and she staggered back down to plop into her chair while staring at Grey. “Huh?” He ran a hand through his hair and looked at her intently for a second or two. Then he held out his arm. “Jakob.” There was a flutter and a loud caw, almost irate in its harsh overtones. “Jakob, I have no other choice. Come.” Grey rolled up his sleeve and the bird landed just below Grey’s elbow. As Renny watched, Grey reached for his tiny amulet and held it tight in his free hand while Jakob settled himself. Then began pecking at Grey’s arm. Hard. “Oh no, Grey…” Renny started from the chair, but a shake of Grey’s head sent her back again. “No. Leave him.” The words were sharply spoken and Renny found herself obeying, even though the sight of Jakob’s sharp beak breaking Grey’s skin was a shock. Blood flowed within moments and Jakob dipped his head, thrusting his beak into the wound. Renny had the absurd notion that he was drinking Grey’s life fluids. A frickin’ vampire raven, for God’s sake… But before she could truly absorb what was happening, Grey and Jakob began to blur in front of her eyes. She blinked and blinked again… The black shadow that was the raven had shattered into a cloud of brilliant ebony particles that funneled down into the open and bleeding gash on Grey’s arm. And as

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these particles streamed into his body, it too began to shimmer, changing, drifting, reassembling, doing things she couldn’t quite see with her simple human vision. It was as if another dimension was appearing before her where Grey was being reformed—re-created—as…as what? His eyes gave him away. It was Raven—her Raven—standing in front of her, as real as the floor beneath her feet and the walls that protected her from the storm outside. Which was nothing compared to the storm raging inside Renny as her dream man materialized less than two feet from her body. She couldn’t breathe—couldn’t think—could only stare at him, drinking in the sight of his broad shoulders, his soft dark hair, his grin—why hadn’t she seen how like Grey he was? Younger of course, more sensual perhaps, the twist to his lips as his gaze traveled up and down her body revealed his thoughts. Which, given that Grey’s clothing was tighter than tight around Raven’s younger physique, were running pretty much along the same lines as Renny’s thoughts. Desire. Lust. Need—the simple need of one human for the touch of another. That special touch that only a lover can provide. Renny finally got strength back in her legs and stood, reaching a hand to Raven’s chest and laying it carefully against him. She was afraid, afraid he’d disappear, afraid her hand would pass right through him, afraid she was losing her mind and this was all some cruel hallucination. He didn’t disappear, nor did her hand penetrate his body. He was real, all right. Real, hot, lovely and smelling just right. Renny’s heart thundered as she let her fingers drift to his skin and caress the tiny amulet still hanging around his neck. “Hello, Raven.” She croaked out the words as she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. “Hello, Ren’na.”

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His arms encircled her, pulling her roughly into his embrace. She went willingly. There wasn’t another place on the planet she’d rather be right at that moment. And when her gaze fell to his lips, she watched with fascination as they curved into a tiny smile before he bent his head and kissed her. He tasted—oh so good. Sweet and tangy, his mouth was familiar yet new, his tongue welcomed home by her own and explored with vigor. They dueled and touched, finding the warm wetness arousing and beguiling. Renny’s pussy ached with a ferocity that made her quiver in his arms and she could feel the rock-hard length of his cock thrust against her through their clothes. Finally, before she collapsed from the pleasure of it, she tore her mouth from his. “Raven…my God, Raven.” He smiled and leaned his forehead against hers. He was hot, very hot, heated by some internal fire that blazed through him. “Yes. I’m here at last.” “I don’t understand…any of this. But you’re here.” She ran her hands up and down his arms to reassure herself. Again she felt the heat. “And you’re running a fever I think.” Worried a little, she leaned back and stared at him, lifting a hand in the classically maternal gesture and touching it to his head. He burned. “God, Raven. You’re on fire.” “I know.” He sighed but refused to release her. “I am using energy, Ren’na. This melding, this joining of all of me into a whole…it uses a lot of physical energy. I cannot sustain it.” Dread seeped down Renny’s spine like a trickle of cold water. “How long?” “An hour. No more.” He lifted her chin. “But an hour with you is worth it. In the past, I have changed before sleeping. My body reverts naturally when I’m asleep. I wake tired and drained, but I do awaken.”

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“This time, you may not.” Renny understood the implications as Raven simply looked at her. He would not confirm or deny what she’d said, which was an answer in itself. “What can we do, my love? How can we fix this? Make it right, the way it should be?” Renny’s heart ached as she stroked her cool palm down his hot cheek. “How can I help?” Raven kissed her once more then took her hand and cupped it around his hardness between them. “Touch me, Ren’na. It’s been such a long wait. I’ve yearned for your hands on me. Dreams are all well and good, but they were your dreams. And just a little one-sided…” His grin was naughtily delectable and there was nothing Renny wanted more anyway. Touching Raven was no hardship, touching his cock was a pleasure she couldn’t wait to explore. She smiled as she tugged his clothing free and dropped it away from the body she remembered so well. “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do. But Raven…” She unfastened his pants and peeled them down his legs, letting him step free of them. “Giving you a blowjob isn’t going to fix our problem, is it?” She pulled down his underwear and freed his cock. “Oh my.” Raven cleared his throat. “Maybe not, but hell. I’ll settle for the blowjob.” She curved her hands around him. He was thick and swollen, standing proud and erect from a nest of silky curls that coiled around the base. The ridged head was purplered, glowing with desire and dewed by droplets of excitement. He was a work of art from the school of testosterone, a magnificently hewn tribute to masculinity. And Renny couldn’t wait to suck him off. “You’re a real guy, you know that?” She knelt more comfortably between his legs and glanced up, looking past the rippling abs and the muscular chest to the face and the dark eyes watching her. “I love you.” His hand brushed her hair and toyed with a strand of the pale blonde curls. “I’ve loved you for longer than I can remember. I have never loved anyone else.” 89

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She rubbed her thumb over the tip of his cock, spreading his own moisture gently around the silken tautness of it. “I know. I love you too.” Then she put her mouth on him and kissed him, stroking her tongue down to the base and back up, slicking her own saliva over him so that her fingers and her lips would slide over his velvety steel muscle like a well-oiled cog in a beautifully male machine. He groaned as she opened her mouth wide and took him inside. He tasted so—so divine, she wanted to just stop and relish it for a moment or two. But she could feel his body tensing hotly as she savored him and with a sixth sense of sorts, Renny knew he would prefer her to move. To run her tongue beneath the swollen head and tease the little dip she discovered in the ridged landscape of his cock. His body heat surrounded her, his fragrance filled her nose, the feel of the hairs on his legs as she held him—all these things heightened the experience and allowed her to accept that this was real. No dream could taste like his cock tasted. No dream could shudder like Raven did as she released him from her lips only to suck him strongly inside once more. No dream could burn the palms of her hands with his fire and no dream could cry out her name as she cupped his sac and gently rolled its precious cargo in time with long loving licks of his cock. Renny had never considered herself skilled at oral sex. But whatever she did to Raven, he loved. Whatever part of him she cherished—he welcomed. He sighed and groaned and touched her head, her hair—any part of her he could reach. And before too long, he eased himself away from her, making her frown and pout. She’d so wanted to make him come. “Don’t, Ren’na. I must not…” He released her, stepping away and panting for breath. “I don’t understand. Why not? Let me make you come, Raven. Let me finish you, take you to the end. Please? I really want to…” 90

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He shook his head, staggering a little. “Ren’na, I am afraid that the end, as you call it, may well be my end. That a release might overload me. And I’m afraid of what it might do to you if you were…touching me…at that moment. I’m afraid it would kill you too.” Renny rocked back on her heels as she considered Raven’s words. She thought, frantically turning over all the information she had, tossing ideas aside, considering others. Within moments she’d reached a conclusion. “Raven, it’s all about sex, isn’t it?” She stood and forced him to sit in his chair. “We love each other, but we were separated eons ago through no fault of our own.” He blinked at her and nodded. “Yes. I suppose.” Her hands went to her clothes and she began to strip. “So here’s my thinking. You have never come in my dreams. You’re worried that orgasm might shatter the fragile bond you create with your…raven half. Right?” “Uhh…yes. Sort of.” “And…” Renny struggled from her panties, kicking them aside and taking a rather perverse pleasure in watching Raven’s gaze home in on her pussy. “And that might be why we never actually fucked in my dreams. But we did in yours, yes?” “Well, yes. That’s something new, Ren’na. Something that has only happened since you’ve been here, near me.” “So…” She moved to Raven’s chair, naked now, warmed by the fire and the heat from Raven himself. “If we make love now that we’re real and not dreaming anymore, one of two things might happen.” Raven’s throat moved as he swallowed past some obstruction in his throat. Unable to speak, he watched silently as Renny knelt astride his lap and reached for his cock. “We’re going to make love now, my Raven. We’re going to finally fuck each other into oblivion. We’re going to consummate our relationship and get it back on the track

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it started all those generations ago. And I don’t care if it kills us both.” She leaned forward, brushing her breasts against him and her lips on his. Then she grasped his amulet and pulled his hand to cover hers. “There. We are joined around this little magical necklace. You and me.” Then she settled her legs more comfortably and parted her pussy lips with the head of his cock, sliding down onto the hardness of him in a slow thrust of pure pleasure. She sighed. “Now we are joined in the only other way a man and a woman can be completely joined, Raven.” He lifted his gaze and stared at her, eyes burning hot with desire and with love. “Yes, my Ren’na’ila. But I am still afraid …” “Don’t be.” She lifted a finger and laid it on his lips as she started to move her hips. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not.” She lifted up and sank down again, loving the way Raven’s cock filled all the empty places inside her. “Don’t be afraid, my love. Just fuck me. And have faith in the Goddess. She won’t let us down.” Renny prayed as she took Raven deeply into her cunt. She prayed that the Goddess was listening. Because if she wasn’t…

***** Raven tried very hard to focus. He really did. All the reasons why he shouldn’t be doing this were there somewhere, if he could only find them and think about them. But as soon as his Ren’na slid her body onto his and parted her pussy lips for him, he was lost. His brain went for a walk someplace and all he was left with was the sensation of her hot slick cunt tugging and sliding over his cock and driving him completely insane with lust. Dream wandering was one thing—having your woman on your lap, taking you inside her, fucking you with love and enthusiasm—well, that was another kettle of fish. Now he could smell the flowering of her body as she welcomed him into her dark and hot places. Now he could touch the softness of her hips and feel her buttocks move,

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clenching and releasing as she rose and fell around him. Now he could hear her breaths, watch her throat move as she swallowed and feel her breasts as they trembled and shuddered with each plunging thrust. He could hear the sounds of flesh on flesh, the soft kissing of their bodies as his balls met her swollen pussy lips and clung for a second, only to part then to meet once more. She cried out as he began his own thrusting rhythm, forcing himself deeply as she lowered herself down on him. She rode him skillfully—her body a mate for his, a joining that had been destined for thousands of years. It had been a long wait for both of them, but now it was ended and with each bounce of her body, Ren’na claimed her lover Raven once more. No dreams, no fanciful settings, just a comfortable old chair, a crackling fire and the wildly wonderful knowledge that the woman he loved was loving him back. If he had to die, to cease to exist, then Raven knew there would be no other moment quite as fitting. His heart was full, his body mated, his cock deep in the only cunt he’d ever desired. And when the electric stirrings began low in his spine and his balls hardened painfully, Raven knew his orgasm was about to erupt. He grasped Ren’na’s hand tightly, crushing the little fetish bird into her palm. “Hold me, Ren’na. It’s…happening…” She redoubled her efforts, grinding her clit into his body as she stroked them both fiercely. “I know…” It was a cry from her soul. “I’m coming too. Raven…oh Raven…” She threw her head back and screamed, going rigid around him and beginning a massive spasm deep in her womb that radiated outward, taking his cock into its coils and clamping down so hard he nearly sobbed. Nature left him no choice. He let go as well. Buttocks clenched tightly, Raven felt his sac explode as boiling jets of come seared their way through his cock and out into Ren’na. He lost himself, rocking into his

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orgasm, filling Ren’na over and over again and erupting in an almost non-stop stream of liquid passion. She shuddered around him, taking all he had, milking more and more with the vibrating inner walls of her cunt. She sucked him with muscle spasms, loved him with her body and wrapped her heart around him as she sailed off the edge of the world with him. Simultaneously they found bliss. And then Raven’s vision began to blur and shadows crept up behind him, surrounding him with darkness.

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Chapter Eleven Renny was rocking and rolling through the most amazing orgasm. She’d never been quite so sexually bold with anybody as she’d been with this—this Raven of hers. And she’d loved holding him, sucking him, touching him and finally jumping his bones. He was all heat and fire and cock—everything she’d known he could be from her dreams, but so much better in person. When they’d exploded together it had generated the white-hot furnace of a supernova, a galactic blast that had rattled her eyeballs and probably loosened a molar or two. And she was still shuddering from the aftershocks as she opened her eyes to see Raven paling beneath her. “Oh God.” She reached for him as his eyes opened—but they were white. There were no pupils, no color to them at all. “Raven!” It was a shriek of terror, torn from Renny’s throat by the sight of her lover fading away beneath her. She clamped her thighs tightly against his hips—or where his hips should have been. Instead of the heat of his body, there was a chill, like the slap of wet fog against naked flesh. He was dissolving like some bad special movie effect, even as their orgasm still trembled in the air around them. “No, Raven, no…please…no…Goddess…” The words tumbled from Renny’s lips, becoming a scream of pain as the mist expanded to fill her vision and any resemblance to a human form faded from the chair. She was left straddling a white cloud, her pussy wet and cold now that Raven’s cock had gone. 95

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“Noooooo.” She howled, an animalistic shriek of agony torn from her soul. How could she possibly live on, knowing that the man she’d loved for thousands of years was gone? She fell, tumbling to the floor in front of the fire, a tangle of limbs and sadness, crying hot tears, sobbing out her distress and fighting for breath to fill lungs that refused to work. In her hand she still clutched the little raven, the only tangible evidence that the man of her heart had once existed. That and the sticky dampness on her thighs. Her cunt was empty, her soul bleak and forlorn. And she crumpled, a small curled body tucked numbly in on itself. How long she stayed that way, she had no idea. Heat, cold, light, dark—she was oblivious to it all. She simply wanted to die—to join her Raven for eternity, wherever he was now. Eventually, she let the shadows of sleep claim her, still clasping the amulet—her only remaining link to the man whose neck it had once graced. She had done the unthinkable—united the two halves of the man she’d loved for centuries. Made him real. And now he was gone. She tried to understand, to comprehend how Jakob the raven had been part of her Raven. Had it contained his soul? Had it followed whatever incarnation the mind and body had taken throughout so many generations? Would he return to haunt her dreams once more or would he be gone forever? That was a pain she wasn’t sure she could endure. And if he was truly gone, what would her life hold in the future? These were questions to which Renny had no answers, only the deep despair of a love found—and lost. As she let go, her thoughts strayed to the mysteries of life and death.

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There is no death without life. There is no life without love. For love is the light that keeps the darkness of life at bay and banishes the shadows of death. Finally, Renny slept. Only to awaken to a firm hand shaking her shoulder. “Wake up, babe. This is a terrible place to fall asleep. You’ll get one helluva backache.” “Huh?” Groggily, Renny moved, easing the kinks out of her thigh and shivering as she realized the fire had gone out. “That’s the last time we have sex without electricity. Next time we either go to bed or wait for the power to come back on.” Renny swallowed and turned, reaching for a blanket that lay across one chair. She covered as much of herself as she could then looked up at the man standing in front of her. He was—almost Raven. He was—almost Grey. He was smiling at her with a face full of affection and love, seasoned with a definite belt of desire. He was so familiar to her, like a pair of slippers she’d worn for years. And yet she wasn’t sure she knew him at all. “Um…and you are…?” He chuckled and put the wood he’d been carrying into a large box by the fireplace. “Cold and horny, babe. We are on our honeymoon, remember. You haven’t yet had your fill of husbandly attentions and I have yet to explore the full range of my wife’s sexual perversions.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And if you don’t have any I can show you some.” Renny couldn’t help it, she laughed back. And as she moved the fire flamed up, light twinkling off something on her left hand. She lifted it and watched as the flickers illuminated a plain gold band and its partner, a simple solitaire diamond in an oldfashioned setting. “I never get tired of looking at this ring.” The words fell from her mouth, but Renny knew somehow that they were true.

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“I, Jake Corvo, take thee, Renny Piccione…for ever and always.” He knelt beside her and took her hand in his, running his thumb over the rings. “I take your heart. I take the rest of you too.” He leaned over and tugged the blanket away from her with his teeth, exposing her breast. His tongue found her nipple and played with it, arousing her slowly and making her smile. “And those rings look a helluva lot better on you than they did on my great-grandmother, I have to admit.” He gave her breast a final kiss and leaned back against the chair. Renny nodded. Yes, they did. His grandmother had a painting of her mother wearing them, but they did look a damn sight better on Renny’s slender fingers. All these things she knew in some odd way, and she was getting more certain of them by the minute. “Whatcha got there?” Jacob nodded at Renny’s other hand, which was fisted around—something. “Umm…” She spread her fingers and flattened the palm, holding it up to the firelight so that they both could see. “Well, I’ll be damned…” The tiny figure of a little alabaster raven lay there, warm from the heat of Renny’s grasp. “God, that’s lovely.” Jacob leaned over and touched it with his finger. “Where did you find it?” She blinked and looked up into his dark eyes. The world shifted for a second or two then straightened again. All was as it should be. “I’m not sure. Perhaps it was on the floor when I fell asleep. I don’t remember. Odd, isn’t it?” “Not really. Great-grandpapa had a lot of odd things in this house. Looks like he may even have kept a bird at some point.” Jacob nodded at a dusty perch rusting in one corner of the sitting room. “But we’ll have plenty of time to explore over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime…” He wrapped Renny securely in the blanket and lifted her from the floor into his arms. “You’re cold. You need a bath and there’s still plenty of hot water.” 98

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He strode to the door of the room. “It’s going to stop snowing soon too. They say its one of the biggest winter storms on record.” He strode up the stairs to the room they’d taken over for their own. “Of course, they say that about every darn storm that drops more than ten inches in one shot.” Renny laid her head against her husband’s neck and smiled. She was happier than she’d imagined, being a wife. Their wedding had gone smoothly, weather notwithstanding, and they’d arrived here at this New England hideaway just before the full fury of the snow had begun. Strong hands sneaked beneath the blanket and cupped her breasts. “Are you sore, love?” She shook her head. “Hell no.” His laugh echoed beneath her ears. “Good. I’m a bit grubby myself and I reckon we should conserve the hot water, don’t you?” “Absolutely.” Renny allowed Jacob to carry her into the bathroom and watched as he ran a tub for the two of them. She helped him strip then surprised him by dropping to her knees in front of him. “Something is telling me to let the bath cool for a moment or two. I have some unfinished business.” Jacob opened his mouth to respond but shut it again as she sucked him deep into her mouth. He tasted just as he’d always tasted. Hot, male, sweet and with a flavor all his own. And it gave her great pleasure to tease him to the very edge of madness, with her lips, her fingers, her hands and her tongue. And when he erupted into her mouth, she swallowed him, sucking him dry with relish, enjoying the sense of a task finally achieved. It was an odd but fleeting thought, yet it gave her inordinate satisfaction. As did Jacob when he finally rested her in their bed and insisted he return the favor. With his dark hair sliding over her thighs, Renny knew that only a foolish woman would argue. 99

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She was not a foolish woman. But she was a tired one. And so she eventually slept. And she dreamed a strange dream one last time…

***** The scent was heated like desert sands and redolent of flowers with no names. Renny was barefoot, sun-warmed tiles paving her way as she strolled in a garden that flourished within the confines of walls made from hand-hewn bricks. Beside her was a woman, garbed in the finest silk gown. They walked together, yet Renny was aware of her presence in an awed kind of way. This was not a casual acquaintance, nor a relative, but somebody she knew deserved respect and courtesy. “I am pleased that all is well with you, little Ren’na’ila.” The woman turned to her, a smile of pleasure crossing her starkly beautiful features. It would take little, realized Renny, to turn her to a fiercely cold warrior queen. A change of thought, a change of mood—it would be reflected in her demeanor. Respectfully, Renny nodded. “All is well, Mistress. I am happy.” “I am sorry for what went wrong. It was my responsibility to keep my High Priestesses pure and devoted to me, not themselves.” She frowned, allowing Renny the merest glimpse of her displeasure. It was enough to send chills down Renny’s spine. “It…well, I don’t hold you to blame, Mistress. And as I said, now all is well.” The woman nodded. “Which is good. I commend you on your ability to resolve the situation too. I despaired of seeing your Raven reunited with his desires.” Renny smiled. “It wasn’t hard once I had all the pieces of the puzzle. And it was most clever of you to save his heart in one place and his passion in another.” She bowed her head respectfully. The woman chuckled. “A moment’s snap decision. I could have come up with a much better plan if I’d been prepared. But that woman’s actions took me by surprise. I

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was determined not to let your love die. Had I more time, I could’ve saved you both. As it was…” Renny reached out a hand and gently touched the other woman’s arm. “As it was, the end result was the same. It just took a little longer, that’s all.” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Would that I had your patience. Several thousand years is a bit more than a little longer, even in my frame of reference.” Renny smiled. “Love is worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes.” The woman stopped at that and reached out a hand to Renny, stroking her cheek. “You would have made a wonderful High Priestess yourself, had your heart not been pledged to your Raven.” Renny obeyed her instincts and dropped a slight curtsey. “I’m honored you think so, Mistress.” “But you will be an even better wife. And, I’m sure, a mother too.” She reached inside her garment. “This is for you. To give to your daughter as I give it to you.” Renny looked curiously at the woman’s hand where a small alabaster dove rested. “The raven and the dove are united at last,” continued the woman, “and my blessings shall shine on them both.” She placed the amulet in Renny’s hand and curled her fingers around it. “Thank you, Mistress. I’m…well, I don’t know what to say.” Renny blinked at the gift. This was, she knew, quite out of the ordinary. “Say nothing. But remember me.” The woman walked away. “How? How shall I remember you?” Renny whispered after her, but she heard and turned her head a little to answer. “Remember me as one who has many names. Ashtart, Aphrodite, Turan, Kypris, Cythera, Hathor—it matters not what you call me. Only that you remember what I am.” “You are the Goddess of Light.” Renny stared after her. “Yes.” A laugh floated on the breeze through the flowers. “And what else?” 101

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“And…love.” “Right again. Farewell, little dove.” “Goodbye, Mistress…”

***** “Hey. Shouldn’t that be hello, Master?” A hot tongue slicked around Renny’s ear, waking her from her dream. She snorted. “I don’t think so, buster. But keep hoping.” The tongue made its way down to the little spot where her neck met her shoulder and was promptly followed by a nibble from white teeth. “On the other hand, keep doing that and I’ll call you whatever you want.” Jacob chuckled. “You were dreaming.” His hands slipped to her breasts and rested there, cupping them gently as they snuggled beneath the covers. “Good dreams?” “Oh yeah, Jake. Really good dreams.” “I was in them, huh?” Renny giggled. “You’re always in my dreams, big boy. Didn’t you know that? You’ve been in them for thousands of years.” “Riiiiight.” He laughed and squeezed her, gently arousing her nipples with his thumbs. “Good answer, though.” A certain part of his body was already awake apparently, since Renny found herself nestling up to a rather nice length of cock, hard, erect and ready for action. “Mmm. Well, well. What have we here?” She parted her thighs and rubbed her pussy against him, hooking one leg over his hips. “Aha. You have discovered the secret weapon of mankind everywhere. The instrument of magical mystery and desire. The tool of passion that has been specially designed to bring women bliss, ecstasy and lots of throbbing spasms.” “You’ve been reading my romance novels again, haven’t you?” “Nope. If I had I would’ve called it the purple-helmeted warrior of love.”

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Renny exploded into laughter. One of the best things about her husband was his ability to make her laugh at any time without preamble. He’d just come out with something unexpectedly outrageous and send her into hysterics at the drop of a hat. “C’mere and bring your purple-helmeted warrior with you. I’ve got some ideas about that fella…” She snuggled close as Jake snuggled even closer. “Okay.” “You’re a gift from the Goddess, you know that?” Renny sighed out the words as Jake’s cock slipped inside her and made itself at home. “Yep. I’ve been telling you that for ages.” Renny smiled with pleasure. “You have no idea how right you are. Now why don’t you let that warrior of yours invade and conquer me?” “You’re gonna have to put up with the purple helmet, you know…” “That’s okay. I love it all.” Renny gripped him tightly for a second before relaxing into his passion. “I love you. And that’s the only thing that’s ever really mattered.”

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Epilogue Dr. Jacob Corvo ran his hand through his hair and stared at his wife. “Do you really think this would work?” She closed the folder and leaned back in her chair. “Yes, I do, Jake. I really do.” Her hair was pulled back neatly this morning, much to Jake’s displeasure. He liked it loose and preferably lying messily over some naked part of his body. “Look.” She tapped her fingers on the cover of the folder. “Your papers and your research have given you a reputation as a psychologist with an interest in sleep issues. I have my archaeology, which helps give me a background in history and the past. I don’t want to go away from you on digs or anything and teaching would eventually bore the crap out of me…you know that as well as I do.” Jake chuckled. His wife was volatile, beautiful, intelligent—and in this case right. “Okay. So you don’t want to be bored.” “So this house—we can get a good price on it from your grandmother. You know she’d be ecstatic to sell to us. We buy it and open our own little mini-institute.” Renny’s hand pushed the folder back over the table towards him. “The licensing isn’t too bad because we wouldn’t be a medical facility. You know you’re fascinated with sleep stuff and dreams and things…” “Are you saying I take you to bed too much?” “No, and stay on subject here.” Renny glared at him. “Sorry.” He grinned unrepentantly. It was true, however. He couldn’t get enough of his wife and he’d be damned if he’d apologize for it. “Jake, I have this…this feeling…call it gut or intuition or whatever…” Renny turned serious, biting her lip for a moment as she chose her words carefully. “I just have this

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gnawing notion at the back of my mind that there are people out there who have problems with their dreams. Like I did when I was little.” Jake nodded. Renny had told him of her extremely realistic dreams and how she’d gone through a variety of therapies to understand and eventually eliminate them. It had been difficult for her though, since sleep was essential to physical and psychological health and development. Her hand crept up to the little dove she always wore around her neck. It matched the raven he wore around his and he knew when she reached for it, she was feeling intensely about something. “I really believe you and I might be able to help, Jake. This is an area where we’ve both had some experience albeit on different levels. Even if we just offer a place for dreamers to come and talk about their dreams without being judged—that would be something…” She waved her hand in a wide gesture. “And this house—it’s perfect. Lots of rooms, far enough off the beaten path that our guests could enjoy some privacy…it’s in a beautiful setting…” Jake stood and paced to the window, looking out over the winter landscape and noting the mud where the snow was melting away. It would be spring soon. And he knew Renny was right. “Okay.”

Jake did not know that earlier that morning a writer in Boston had just finished her latest novel. It was a romance novel, although fortunately the writer was good enough that she’d not had to invoke any warriors of love, purple-helmeted or otherwise. Set in the Regency, this novel would probably join the six other titles of hers on the best-seller lists and garner reviews that repeated a refrain—comments that had begun to appear when the first book hit the stores five years before.

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“Fabulous characters, hot and believable storylines, the amazing Maura Donner has created a Regency romance that defines the genre. With an attention to detail that is stunning in its depiction of a long-ago time, Ms. Donner easily transports the reader back to London in 1810…” It was true. Maura Donner wrote as if she had been standing on the pavement outside Almacks. As if she had stood in the foyer of Devonshire House. In fact—she had. Most nights she found herself in London during the Regency. She dreamed vividly, seeing everything in detail, remembering it clearly. And it was in her dreams that she’d fallen in love. Idly, Marianne Donovan—also known as Maura Donner—turned over a prescription form in her hand. It was for a strong sleep aid and she’d begged her doctor for it, citing stress and the need to get some quality rest. She knew that too many would guarantee her rest—for eternity. And she was seriously considering the notion. Because it was hard to love a man from the past, who existed only in one’s dreams. And it was even harder to watch him die—over and over again…

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About the Author Sahara Kelly was transplanted from old England to New England where she now lives with her husband and teenage son. Making the transition from her historical regency novels to Romantica™ has been surprisingly easy, and now Sahara can’t imagine writing anything else. She is dedicated to the premise that everybody should have fantasies.

Sahara welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Also by Sahara Kelly A Kink In Her Tails All Night Video: For Research Purposes Only All Night Video: At Cross Purposes Beating Level Nine Detour (with S.L. Carpenter) Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis II anthology Flame of Shadows Georgie and Her Dragon The Glass Stripper Guardians Of Time 1: Alana’s Magic Lamp Guardians of Time 2: Finding The Zero-G Spot The Gypsy Lovers Hansell and Gretty Haunting Love Alley (with S.L. Carpenter) The Knights Elemental Lyndhurst and Lydia Madam Charlie Magnus Ravynne and Mistress Swann Mesmerized Mystic Visions Partners In Passion 1: Justin and Eleanor Partners In Passion 2: No Limits

Persephone’s Wings Peta And The Wolfe Scars of the Lash Scars of the Soul Sizzle The Sun God’s Woman Tales of the Beau Monde 1: Lying With Louisa Tales of the Beau Monde 2: Miss Beatrice’s Bottom Tales of the Beau Monde 3: Lying With Louisa Tales of the Beau Monde 4: Pleasuring Miss Poppy Wingin’ It

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com