Reaper: A raven paranormal romance (Crookshollow ravens Book 2)

by Steffanie Holmes

  Tap tap. Tap tap.

  The door vibrated under my fists. I leapt back, terror clinging to my chest.

  Someone – or something – was tapping at the door, from the outside.

  I whirled around, but there was nowhere to run. The tapping grew louder, more insistent. I flung out my arms, desperately searching the darkness for some way out. I tripped over something and toppled down, sprawling across the lid of the coffin as it opened and sucked me inside—

  I flung my body upright, gasping for breath. My heart hammered in my chest. It took a few moments for me to realise I was no longer inside the crypt, but back in the French bed in Morchard Castle, the sheets soaked with sweat from my dream.

  Tap tap, tap tap.

  You’re just remembering your dream, I told myself, pressing my hands against my temples. But no, there it was again, louder this time and terrifyingly real. Tap tap. Tap tap. The sound had followed me into the waking world.

  It was coming from the window. Something was tapping on the glass.

  I slid out of bed, my heart pounding. I knew that it couldn’t just be a tree brushing against the glass, for I’d checked on the first day and found no tree anywhere near the window. I searched around for something to use as a weapon, and saw the heavy ceramic base of the bedside lamp. It would do in a pinch. I tore the lamp out of the socket and held it behind my head as I inched closer to the window.

  I sucked in a deep breath, and yanked back the curtains. The lamp fell from my hands and smashed against the floor.

  A very familiar black raven perched on the sill, tapping the class with his beak.

  “Cole?” I could hardly believe it. There he was; he’d come for me. Emotion rushed through my body: warmth and relief and desperate love.

  In reply, Cole tapped the glass frantically, flapping his wings a little. He wanted me to let him in. I unlatched the window and pushed it out as far as it would go, just enough to squeeze my fingers out. “Victor screwed it shut,” I told him, tapping the hexagonal screw on the frame. “I can’t open it any more than this.”

  He tapped the glass once, and then fluttered away. I peered through the glass, squinting to try and see anything in the darkened courtyard below. Everything seemed normal at first. Then I realised that the walls were empty. The birds had gone.

  Panic gripped me. Had they flown away? Were they right at this moment swooping through Crookshollow, attacking anyone who dared walk the streets?

  Cole returned a few moments later, carrying something long and metal in his mouth. He bent down and dropped the object on the sill, then used his foot to slide it under the tiny gap in the window, where I caught it and lifted it into the moonlight.

  It was a spanner.

  “You think of everything,” Grinning, I bent back over the bed and turned on the overhead lamp, giving myself just enough light to see to my task. The screws were new, and came out easily, although it took some time as the shape of the window meant I could only do a half-turn at a time. Cole paced impatiently across the sill.

  Finally, the second screw fell out into my hands. I pushed the window open, and Cole flew inside. He landed on the rug in front of the fireplace, and began to change.

  I’d seen Cole’s transformation several times by now, but it never failed to take my breath away. The way his muscles grew and shifted, the black feathers retracting back into his skin. The way his face formed from the raven’s poised expression, a hooked beak one moment, and Cole’s strong jaw the next.

  Before the last feathers had retracted into his skin, I dashed across the room and leapt into his arms. His warmth enveloped me as his lips sought mine, devouring me with a fierce hunger. His hands explored my body, skimming my thighs, cupping the edges of my breasts, wrapping around my neck to pull me closer. I sank into him, relief and joy and desire pulsing through my body.

  Finally, he pulled away, his eyes dancing. “You’re alive, Nightingale.”

  “I never thought I’d see you again,” I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing in the glorious, woody scent of him. Cole wrapped his arms around me and held me close, his head resting on mine.

  “This is so dangerous. Why did you come here?”

  “We came to rescue you, of course. Which reminds me,” he pulled away slightly. “As great as this is, I have to get you out of here. We’ll have plenty of time to reacquaint ourselves back at Raynard Hall.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  As Cole moved towards the window, I noticed several long scars running over his back. Where had they come from? Panic seized me. I grabbed his arm and flung him around, so I could inspect his chest. More cuts crisscrossed over his beautiful ink, although these looked a few days old. “How did you get past the birds? Did any of them scratch or bite you?”

  “Belinda, no.” Cole held my wrists. “You look so panicked. Don’t worry. These are old wounds, from when we were attacked in Raynard Hall. I didn’t go anywhere near the birds tonight—”

  I didn’t even hear what he said after that. The reality dawned on me. Cole had been cut and bitten by Victor’s infected ravens, three days ago now. Even if I could get the antiviral, it would be too late to have much affect … I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force down the hysterics that threatened to overwhelm me. Cole was going to die.

  “Belinda, what’s wrong?”

  “Do you feel ill?” I managed to croak out. “Like you have the flu?”

  “No, I’m fine. Belinda, what’s this about?”

  My chest tight with fear, I told him about Victor’s ravens, about the horrible, deadly virus they carried. About how I’d accidentally destroyed the vial of antiviral.

  Cole shook his head, but his expression was grave. “I’m not in danger. The healing I did after you were taken obliterated any trace of it from my system. Bran are extremely resilient. I just wish I’d known about this before we came storming in here. Miss. Havisham and the Chairman could be in danger.”

  “What?” How was my beloved cat involved?

  “They’re providing a distraction.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Relax, they have it all under control. Chairman Meow is not just any cat. It turns out your beloved moggy is actually a shifter.”

  Chairman Meow? I’d picked that critter up from the vet one day, right after I’d opened the shop. I thought he’d be good at keeping the mice away. He sucked at mousing, but he was wonderful company. I thought of all the times he’d sat on the toilet while I showered, or curled up on my lap while I cried, or slept on the end of the bed while I’d touched myself. And now Cole was telling me he was … a man?

  “I … have to sit down.” I slumped on to the bed, balling up the covers in my hands. My heart fluttered as I watched Cole stalk towards the door. He twisted the knob, testing it, finding it locked.

  “Could I break this down?” He asked me, tapping on the wood panel.

  “Not without waking up half the castle,” I replied. “It’s a pretty thick door. And I think the butler or some other guard is sleeping in the room across the hall. I often hear banging noises coming from there.”

  “We’ll take the window then.” Cole leaned out over the sill and called out to someone below.

  “This room is three storeys off the ground.” My voice rose, and I gripped the bed tighter.

  “Relax, Nightingale. I have a plan.” Cole swept me up in his arms. “Do you trust me?”

  “You’re always asking me that.”

  “I have to. Neither of us are very good at trusting people. I don’t want to force you to do something you’re not comfortable with, even if it’s the only way.”

  “I do trust you. But I don’t want to leave without Tony.”

  “Without …” Cole’s face darkened. He dropped me from his grasp. I landed heavily on the bed. “Is Tony the guy you were kissing today?”

  “What … how did you know about that?”

  “So it is true?” Cole swore. “I was trying to believe Libby when she said there w
ould be some explanation, but it’s true isn’t it? I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out how to get in here and save you, and all the while you’re here kissing him—”

  “Cole, keep your voice down. Someone might hear you.”

  “We were just talking about trust … just two minutes ago … After everything that last boyfriend of yours put you through, and after everything I told you about myself, I didn’t think you would betray me—”

  “I didn’t betray you. Tony kissed me. He got his signals confused. It meant nothing, Cole. I swear. But how do you know this? Who is Libby?”

  “I don’t have time to explain that now. Who is this guy you weren’t kissing?” He still looked angry, but he’d lowered his voice.

  “Tony is a prisoner here, too. He was a student in Victor’s laboratory, but he owes Victor a lot of money, so Victor has him trapped here in the castle. He’s the one who discovered the truth about the birds—”

  The door flew open. Victor stood in the hall, a black bathrobe wrapped around his skinny frame. His face twisted in anger when he saw Cole by the window. “What’s going on in here?” He bellowed.

  Cole leapt at him, his fingers curled like talons. He growled low in his throat as he grabbed Victor by the neck and yanked him off his feet. Victor’s face contorted as he struggled for air. He kicked at Cole’s naked torso, but Cole didn’t seem to feel a thing as he slammed Victor’s body against the wall, holding him up high while he pressed his fingers into Victor’s throat.

  “You took her,” he snarled at his old master. “That was a mistake. This is the last time you ever threaten me or the people I love.”

  Victor’s eyes bugged out. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled sob. The skin around his face grew pale. Cole’s eyes blazed with fury. He was going to kill Victor, right there.

  “Cole, no!” I grabbed his arms and tried to pull him back. “Don’t do this! Don’t kill him.”

  Cole growled again, and flung his shoulder back, sending me reeling. I flew across the room and landed in a heap at the foot of the bed.

  “I’m sorry, Belinda.” He snarled through gritted teeth. “I didn’t mean to push you. But I’m not letting him get away with hurting anyone else, ever again.”

  “Cole, don’t do it.” I sobbed, picking myself up. “If you kill him now, that makes you a murderer, just like him. Please Cole, just let him go, and we’ll get the authorities in here. I have a friend on the police force who will storm down the doors the minute he hears what Morchard has been up to. Let them deal out the justice, not you.”

  “Belinda …” Cole growled, his eyes still locked on Victor, whose legs had stopped twitching. His skin had turned a pale blue. “I’m sorry. I have to do this.”

  “You don’t.” Tears pooled in my eyes. Cole had been so broken by Victor, but I didn’t want him to become a monster. “I know what that man has put you through, but you have a chance now at a real life. But not if you kill him. You’ll go to jail, you’ll be locked up forever. Is that what you really want, to escape one prison only to enter another?”

  The vein on Cole’s temple twitched. He bared his teeth and cried out in frustration, tearing his arms from Victor’s neck. The man crumpled to the floor, clutching his neck and gasping for air.

  Cole kicked him in the ribs, and Victor rolled onto his side, tears streaming down his blotchy face. “Fuck him,” Cole raced for me and scooped me off the floor. “You’re right, Nightingale, he’s not worth it. Let’s go.”

  Footsteps clattered down the hall. Cole grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the window, but it was too late. A figure burst into the room.

  “What’s going on?” It was Tony. He was dressed in cargo pants and no shirt. On his right pec I noticed an elaborate tattoo of a crest. His eyes darted to the figure of Victor crumpled on the floor.

  “Hee … ack …” Victor clutched his throat and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Tony reached down and felt his pulse, his eyes wide with concern. “Shit. His pulse is low.”

  “Step away from him, right now.” Cole growled, his muscles tensing.

  Tony looked from me to Cole and back at Victor, his face twisting in an unreadable expression. “Belinda, what’s going on?”

  “Tony, I’m so glad you’re here. This is Cole. He’s come to rescue us—”

  “You.” Cole spat, staring daggers at Tony. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

  What? Did Cole know Tony? But how—

  And what did he mean by, “You’re supposed to be dead”?

  Tony took a step into the room, closing the door behind him. “I came back.” He said, as if that was any explanation.

  “Tony, what’s going on?” I whipped my gaze from one guy to the other.

  “Belinda, his name isn’t Tony. This is Harry Morchard, Victor’s son.”

  “But that’s impossible. Victor’s son is—”

  “—dead. Yes, he is.” Cole advanced towards Tony, pushing me behind his wide body. Every muscle rippled with tension, ready to uncoil and take flight. “I know, because I gatecrashed his funeral. So how is it that he’s now walking around the castle, kissing my girlfriend?”

  I thought back to the strange way Victor acted around Tony. They had taken down all the pictures of their son, all the memories of him. But was that because they didn’t want to remember, or because they didn’t want me to recognise him?

  “Yes,” Tony/Harry hissed. “You’re starting to get it.”

  But … it couldn’t be. It was like the plot of a bad horror film. There was no way Tony could be Harry Morchard. No way ...

  As I stared at him in disbelief, Tony’s face crumpled, his mouth turning up at the sides, revealing a line of straight, white teeth. His incisors. I remembered how I’d felt something sharp when he’d kissed me. I thought he was just clumsy, but now I could see that he was completely nonhuman.

  Vampire.

  Tony hissed as he lunged towards me, his fingers reaching towards my throat. Cole stepped sideways, driving his shoulder into Tony’s chest. Tony fell back against the bed, but he was up in a flash, his hands grasping at Cole’s throat. Cole grabbed Tony under the arms and slammed him against the wall.

  “You … hurt … my … father.” Tony hissed, digging his fingers into the skin of Cole’s neck.

  “You … Belinda.” Cole choked out, sweat running down his face as he struggled to hold Tony up.

  “No, stop!” I screamed. They were going to kill each other. I grabbed Tony’s hands and tried to prise them off Cole’s neck. His nails dug deep into Cole’s skin, and blood ran down Cole’s torso in little rivers. His neck veins pulsed as he struggled to press him fingers into Tony’s pressure points.

  Cole wrenched Tony’s body around, and with all his strength, threw him at the wall. Tony’s body hit hard and collapsed on the ground, crumpled in a heap next to his father. I turned back to the window, but then something barrelled into my side, knocking me to the floor.

  Tony’s long fingers raked at my face, his mouth hung open above me. He laughed maniacally as those fangs, those horrific, terrifying fangs, loomed closer. He snapped his lips against each other, lunging at my throat.

  I wrenched my head to the side just as he snapped his teeth. I yelped as his teeth grazed my neck. Had he bitten me? I didn’t know. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the crumpled figure of Cole, lying across the floor. No. I tried to swing my leg up and knee Tony between the legs, but he jammed my legs with his knee.

  “Tony, why—”

  “My name isn’t Tony,” he hissed, his eyes gleaming. “It’s Harry. Don’t worry, Belinda. I’m not going to kill you. This won’t hurt a bit.”

  “You’re hurting me!” Tony pinned my arms with one hand. He had some kind of super strength. He loomed closer, grazing his tongue over my neck. I flung my body against his, trying to wiggle free, but there was no hope.

  “Father approves of you,” he whispered in my ear, as his fingers stroked the nape of my neck. “Tha
t’s why he introduced us. He knows that now I can’t go back to school, but I must have a wife. I must continue his legacy. He thinks you will make a wonderful addition to our family. Our children will inherit all of this.”

  He was going to turn me into a vampire. Fear froze me in place.

  Harry brushed his lips across my neck. His breath smelled of dead, rotting meat. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain I knew would come.

  But no pain came.

  Instead, I heard a low, angry croak, and Harry cried out. He dropped my arms, his mouth moving away from my neck. Another low croak, and the whoosh of wind across my face, and Tony was screaming. The weight of his body moved off me. Now the only thing holding me in place was my paralysing terror.

  I dared to open one eye.

  The fear that held me frozen in place dissipated, and I moved my limbs, slowly, like moving through treacle. I turned towards the source of all the noise.

  Cole. He was caught halfway through his shift, his body covered in the thick, black feathers that poked through his skin, his head partially contorted with the features of the raven. He lowered his sharp beak over Tony’s face, and jabbed at him. Tony screamed, and grabbed handfuls of Cole’s feathers, tearing them from his skin.

  “Belinda,” Cole squawked, raking his half-formed talons across Tony’s face. “Find a weapon!”

  I pulled myself to my feet and searched the room for something I could use. The legs of the French side tables were too thin and flimsy, and I’d never be able to break one off. The lamp was a possibility, but… If only I’d lit the fire—

  The fire.

  I raced across the room and grabbed the poker from the fire set, and returned to Cole. “Here.” I tossed it to him. He lifted one foot and caught it in his talons, and before I could cry out, he jammed it directly through Tony’s chest.

  “No!” Tony gasped, his hands flying to the shaft. But Cole’s blow had been so forceful he’d pierced it straight through Tony’s body, and nailed him to the floor. I wanted to turn away but I was frozen in place.