She pushed her hand down and fumbled with her shoulder bag clasp. Mom was right about many things, including the vulnerability of Others to bullets. If only she could reach the gun.
“What do you want?” she hissed.
The man smirked. Totally corny evil 90s henchman style, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. A shark. That was it. He reminded her of a shark. “I want to work with you.”
“Terrible way to start a business relationship.” The words sounded familiar. Hadn’t she said something similar to Luke Bane when he kidnapped her? And what in the Underworld? She was getting nabbed off the street faster than discount chocolate after Valentine’s Day. She needed to level up her defence.
Shark Man shrugged while her other captor, the Muscle, tightened his grip.
“There’s no need for charades, Bhanrigh. You will have little choice but to do as I say once I get you back to my realm.” He shifted a little to the side, crunching leaves as he moved.
“Why on earth would you want me as a minion?” Raven couldn’t even get out of this hot mess. What about her made Shark Man think she was up for any menial task?
“You’re the Corvid Queen.”
“Then just kill me, already and take my job.” Wait…what? Raven cringed. What in Odin’s shriveled beanstalk was wrong with her? That was probably the most fundamentally stupid thing she’d ever said. And she wasn’t a stranger to stupid.
The Muscle’s chest vibrated against her back and a deep chuckle rumbled past her ears.
Shark Man laughed. His jagged teeth gleaming. “You really are as clueless as they say. Only someone with corvid essence can assume the mantle. If you’re killed by someone without the right pedigree, the power and responsibilities of the Shadow Court will transfer to Camhanaich. No one wants that, least of all the Lord of Shadows.”
What. The. Fuck. Once again, Cole left out an important tidbit. Why? Unimportant? Just forgot? Self-serving? Wanted to trickle feed her information in fear her brain might overload and combust?
And, more importantly, did she care? Did this omission hurt her in some way? Would having this information in advance change the sequence of events that led to now? Not really. No matter how she sliced it, she’d end up here…screwed.
Raven had no idea how to feel about any of this. But she did know her feelings wouldn’t matter at all if she didn’t survive the current situation. She squirmed and pushed her arm into her bag. Say something else. Anything. Keep distracting this guy from taking her away from the alley. “So, you plan to haul me to your domain and torture me into doing your bidding?”
Shark man sighed, a long, pained release of air. “They said clueless. They didn’t say dense, as well.”
Raven drove her heel into her captor’s knee. He grunted. She raked his shin and stomped hard on his foot. He howled and his grip loosened. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She drove her arms up and dropped her body down, out of the grip of the Muscle. He clutched the air where she’d stood. Before he could regain control, she grabbed his arms and used his own lurching forward momentum to throw him toward Shark Man. She ducked behind him as he flew past and scrambled to her feet. Thank you, self-defence class.
The man stumbled a few feet ahead but regained his footing.
Well, damn.
Raven’s heart thudded. She fumbled with the flap of her bag. She needed to get the gun. She chucked contents out of the way as she frantically dug through the bag. Keys, nope. Wallet, nope. Pens, nope. Old pack of gum, nope. The items clattered to the pavement.
Wait.
She could just shift away.
A loaded gun sat in her purse where anyone, including a child, could find it. Leaving it here would be irresponsible. She glanced at her wallet. Her licence was in there. She had her family’s home address on it. If they tracked her here, though, surely they could—
Growling interrupted her racing thoughts. Both men, one thin and gray, the other muscle-bound and golden with a surprisingly handsome face, gnashed jagged teeth and trained their dark Other gazes at her.
Shark Man pulled out some sort of tube and held it to his mouth.
“No!” Raven brought her arms up and pulled hard at her raven essence.
Not fast enough.
Before the dark energy could spiral up and rip her consciousness into a conspiracy of ravens, a red dart embedded into her forearm. Pain bloomed at the point of contact. Instantly, a film of gray coated her Other essence and soaked in, smothering her ravens. She wobbled. The edges of her vision closed in and she staggered. Her back hit the cold surface of a building and she slid down until she slumped on the dirty pavement. The ground smelled of dirt and decay. Cool air brushed past her numb cheek.
Silver streaked through the air, reflecting sunlight—bright flashes sparkling in her gray vision. Daggers sank into the chests of both men. Their eyes widened. They glanced at each other, before they fell to the ground with loud thumps.
Shark Man’s vicious face landed a few inches from her foot, his once-calculating gaze now blank.
The gray film continued to spread through her mind and cloud her visions. Her eyelids grew heavy. She lowered to the ground and lay on her back. The blue sky above lost its vibrant colour as the world around her closed in. Her heart slowed. Her breathing grew shallow.
A man stepped over her and peered down, his bulk blocking out the last of the light. Shadows obscured his face but not the long dagger he held perilously close to her body. His other hand reached up to his ear. Did he have a phone? An earpiece? Her vision wavered and continued to close off.
“Camhanaich,” the man said, his voice low and growly. “We have a problem.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.”
~ Sir Isaac Newton
The fog lifted from Raven’s brain. She opened her eyes to a familiar room and brushed tightly coiled black hair from her face. She knew this soft, natural light and cedar-plank ceiling. She saw the room in her dreams every night. If she closed her eyes, she’d recall each plank and the iron-wrought chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling to light the large bedroom. Then the memories would return with acute vividness of how a man had pinned her to this bed and how she’d lost herself to the sensations he evoked as he broke her world apart and put it back together again, and again, and again with the rhythm of his body. And then, her chest would ache from the loss.
She kept her eyes open and willed the memories to leave her alone.
Dark otherworld energy ran along her skin and pulled at her power. Like a rambunctious four year old, it beckoned for her to come play.
Cole’s bedroom in the Shadow Realm. Orange sunlight poured through the small spaces between closed slatted blinds and bathed the room in natural light. The whole place smelled of him. She sank back into the plush pillow, the bedding cocooned her in warmth against the cool air. She was safe. Those two men were probably just the beginning of a long line of fae intent on her downfall, but Cole wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Those same two men were now dead.
Dead.
A shadow traveled over her clothed body. Not a shadow moving with the changing position of the sun. And certainly not a living shadow like the ones Cole controlled and used to tease her senses and kill thugs alike. A regular shadow.
She wasn’t alone.
She turned to the side. A menacing Other stood two feet from her in Cole’s bedroom. Not Cole. She’d met this one before—a weapon warper with deadly aim and poisoned daggers. Raven scrambled to sit up.
The man held up his hands. Empty. No weapons. But that meant nothing. He was the star of some of her nightmares. He’d thrown a dagger at her head, and had she not been cloaked in Cole’s shadows, he would’ve killed her.
He opened his mouth, showing off his jagged teeth.
For fuck’s sake was this a new fashion trend?
“You,” she said. The assassin had taken the job issued by the guild with two comr
ades. He was the only survivor. After Cole spared his life, he sent Raven’s would-be-killer back to the guild to pull the hit on her life.
“My name is Rourke, but if you wish to call me ‘you,’ that is permitted.”
“You threw a dagger at my head.” She tapped her temple with her forefinger, in case he needed a reminder.
The man’s grin broadened, and he lowered his I-surrender arms. “And now I belong to the Lord of Shadows.”
“If it’s such a penalty, why are you smiling?”
“There are worse fates for mistakes in the Underworld. Belonging to Camhanaich isn’t that bad.” He leaned into the wall and folded his arms. “But I don’t need to tell you that, do I?”
Her head snapped back. A wave of nausea spread through her body. “I don’t belong to Cole.”
Rourke raised his eyebrows. “He has plenty of spare bedrooms, yet, here you are.”
“I don’t belong to him.”
“Have you told him that?”
She scowled.
“I don’t imagine it would do much good, even if you did.” He continued to smile with jagged teeth.
“What do you mean by that?” She dug her hands into the soft bedding and resisted the urge to pull the plush comforter around her. She belonged to herself, thank you very much.
Rourke pushed off the wall and stepped toward the bed.
Raven flinched.
Rourke stopped walking immediately and frowned.
“You’re scary.”
Rourke’s wide grin returned, pointy teeth and all. “Good. Maybe those idiots will think twice before trying to harm or kidnap you again.”
Again? Those two weren’t going to try anything ever again. How many other idiots did she have to worry about? Besides herself. She pulled the sheets back and swung her legs over to the side of the bed. Her head swam.
“Careful. The toxin is still working its way through you.”
“Poison?”
“In a sense. It’s a toxin found in the Sefton beetle of the Underworld. It temporarily neutralizes Other energy.”
“What’s a Sefton beetle?”
“I guess you could say it’s the Underworld’s equivalent of a dung beetle.”
Ew. Gross. She planted her hands on the edge of the bed to steady herself. “They injected me with toxin from a poop beetle?”
“Worse.” Rourke shifted the weight on his feet and looked away.
Oh great. The information made the big bad metal-warping assassin uncomfortable.
“The toxin actually comes from their excrement.”
Wait a minute. “They pumped me full of poop from a poop beetle?”
“Pretty much.”
Her skin crawled.
“The men dosed you as a full-blooded Other, probably not willing to risk you’d shake it off if they diluted it too much. We don’t know if the amount they gave you will cause any adverse reactions, yet, due to your half blood.”
Raven shuddered. How many people knew her origin story? How much did these Others gossip? She’d barely come to terms with having Odin’s creations as her biological fathers, but apparently, now it was common knowledge. “You seem to know a lot about me.”
Rourke cocked his head to the side like an amused cat. Not a housecat, something larger and more lethal. “The whole Underworld does.”
“Cole?”
Rourke laughed and the sound echoed in the large room. “Camhanaich wouldn’t confess on his deathbed.”
“Then who?”
“Your grandsire is very proud.”
She groaned and flopped back in the bed. Wasn’t information supposed to be power? Why would Odin provide information about her? Now she’d inherit his enemies along with his…
Oh.
“Everyone knows Odin is my grandfather,” she said. “They’ll risk his wrath along with Cole’s.”
Rourke nodded. “He must’ve figured the benefit of revealing his connection to you outweighed the risks. He cares enough that he’d destroy anyone who harmed you, but not enough for you to be used against him.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“It’s a good thing he did what he did. You need protection.” His gaze assessed her without heat. He pursed his lips. “You’re incredibly weak.”
“Hey!”
Rourke shrugged. “Avoiding the truth won’t change it.”
“Is there some sort of accelerated learning program for noobs?”
“I’m not sure what a noob is, but why don’t we start with getting you a shower?” His nose crinkled.
“That’s enough.” Cole’s unexpected voice growled from somewhere behind her.
She spun in the bed, rustling the sheets around her.
Cole walked from a tangle of shadows. “I’ll take it from here.”
“Of course.” Rourke smirked and bowed. When he straightened, he winked at Raven and walked with silent footsteps toward the door. For a guy who’d previously tried to kill her, he didn’t seem so bad.
What the hell was in that toxin?
“Rourke,” Cole voiced a name and a command at the same time.
The weapon warper stopped and turned to face the Lord of Shadows.
“Thank you for keeping her safe.”
Oops. Guess she should’ve thought of that. Lifesaving wasn’t covered in etiquette class—not that Raven ever attended one of those—but she didn’t need any instruction to know Rourke’s actions deserved a heartfelt apology. And saying one now would come across as a hollow echo of Cole’s words.
“See Niall on your way out,” Cole said.
Who? Did other people live here? Raven’s cheeks heated. How good was the sound-proofing?
Rourke bowed again and left the room, shutting the door behind him. The loud click initiated deafening silence. The room shrank the moment he left her alone with her thoughts and Cole.
The dark fae lord turned to her, his eyes blazing with swirls of black. His gaze raked her body and his expression darkened. “Enough of this, Raven. You can’t avoid the Underworld. You need the essentials. Not someday. Not later. Now.”
She sighed. She didn’t conveniently have Megan sitting in her car and waiting for her as an excuse to avoid this particular pleasantry this time. But even she wasn’t dumb enough to ignore the importance and necessity of getting help. “I need to call home. I was on the phone with my dad when they attacked me. They’re probably freaking out right now.”
“I already contacted your family. They know you’re safe and the threat’s been neutralized. And as you’ve already pointed out, electronic devices don’t work in the Underworld.”
“I’d still like my phone.”
Cole tugged something out of his pocket. He tossed the mangled remains of the phone onto the bed. It smacked a pillow, slid down beside her and sank into the bedding. “I’ll get you a new one.”
“No, you won’t.” She eyed her old phone and mentally cursed. She needed a new one.
Cole smiled.
“I’m serious.”
“Do you have some spare money kicking around to buy yourself a new one?”
If she glared hard enough, maybe he’d feel the daggers and she’d inflict actual damage.
“Consider it a ‘Welcome to the Underworld’ gift.”
“Did you just make a joke?”
“Maybe?”
“You sound unsure.”
“You didn’t laugh.”
“Ha, ha.”
Cole’s jaw clenched. “Cute.”
Maybe taking lessons from the Lord of Shadows wouldn’t be so bad if she could pass the time mocking him. Instead of withering in her hot need to touch his body, she’d endure his survival lessons without making a complete ass of herself.
Shadows pooled around Cole, sliding up her body and surrounding her on the bed. He wore them like a cloak or shield, and all she thought about was ripping them away with her teeth. Survive his lessons? Probably not. “So…uh…as much as I appreciate the welcome gift and the offer for free
tutoring, I still have bills to pay. You’ve pointed out my lack of funds, yourself.”
Cole walked around the bed to where she sat. “Who said I offered my tutoring for free?”
She folded her arms. “I’m not paying.”
He crouched down until he was eye level with her. “Oh, but, Einin. You haven’t asked the price, yet.”
She shook her head. If she’d been born an ostrich, she’d happily shove her head in some sand right now. “No deal.”
His grin grew and he leaned forward. It took every ounce of self-control not to scramble away or launch herself onto his body.
“The training will be rigorous.” His deep voice rumbled over her skin. “Surely, I deserve some compensation.”
“I’m not a prostitute.”
Cole recoiled. “That’s not what I was suggesting.”
She rose her eyebrow. “So, you weren’t suggesting I have sex with you in exchange for your help?”
He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. After a deep breath, he spoke. “That’s not how I meant it.”
Inherently, she knew he didn’t, but she needed an excuse to remove herself from this situation before she threw herself at him. She shimmied across the bed and flung her legs over the side before Cole could block her with his freakishly strong body. “I need to go to work.”
“You need to learn, Einin.” He moved so fast she couldn’t track it. One moment he was beside her and the next he appeared right in front of her. A hand braced against the mattress on each side of her hips, trapping her in a sitting position on the bed while he hovered, half crouched in front of her. He looked ready to pounce. Like a big cat. A big, deadly, sexy cat.
“I’m not sleeping with you for information.”
“First, there would be little sleeping,” Cole growled. “And second, I’m not demanding payment of any kind and you know it. I will tutor you, and you will learn.”
“Fine,” she said. “But I need to work.”
Cole grumbled. “Fine.”
“Will you take me back?”
“Will you swear an oath to attend training if I schedule them around your two jobs?”
Nevermore Page 8
