His words made sense, kind of, but there had to be more to it. Did he not trust her with the information? Not want her to know for more nefarious reasons? Or did he think she was so stupid she wouldn’t understand the intricacies of the Underworld?
“So, I need to break up my essence to merge with the Shadow Realm and reform?”
“Yes. It’s easier if you’re travelling to a place you’ve been.”
“Like here?”
“Yes.”
“When I shift, I lose all my clothes. Will that happen when I form a portal as well?”
His smile grew. “All the more reason to visit me instead of some stuffy location in the Underworld.”
She gripped the pillow and chucked it at his head.
He batted the pillow from the air with a band of shadow.
Raven highly doubted she’d find any location in the Underworld boring. Traveling to Lust with Cole, for example? The Underworld represented temptation—present company included.
When mortal physicists discovered an additional force allowing them to move past the confines of the physical world, they destroyed the barrier safeguarding vulnerable mortals from the salacious promises and nefarious plans of the dark fae.
Despite the scientists’ ingenious method of dismantling the barrier, they lacked the skill or knowledge to reconstruct a new divider to safeguard the powerless mortals. Their notes, lab manuals and journals disappeared in the aftermath of what came next—a true, real-life disturbance in the force.
When the barrier had been intact, the vicious entities from the Other Realms who’d inspired myths, legends and religion bided their time, forced to be content with temporary, short-lived forays into the Mortal Realm before their very nature pulled them home. Once the barrier fell, however, Others invaded, and chaos ensued.
Rumours persisted of hidden documents—this paper, that manual—from the original scientists. Most fanatics spoke about the Murdock Manual, a journal from one of the lead physicists responsible for the barrier collapse, which supposedly contained information to reform the barrier. Regulators whispered tons of “what ifs” but nothing ever came from those rumours and the need for a permanent divider dissipated once Odin stepped in. He demanded peace and compliance, and the warring factions reached an uneasy equilibrium.
Though the events happened generations ago, trust had never fully developed. Not all Others harboured ill-intent, but they all had their own agendas and plans for the easily led and corrupted mortals, affectionately referred to as regs. The difficulty lay in figuring out which group a fae lord fell into.
Cole leaned in and frowned, his dark gaze studying her face as if committing every freckle to memory. The wind tussled his ink-black hair.
“What?” She pulled a fuzzy pillow onto her lap and ran her fingers through the long silky fibres. Who did Cole’s home decorating? And why did that thought make her veins turn to ice?
“I don’t like seeing you so pensive.”
Definitely not admitting concern about who did his personal shopping. “Well, I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m going to be taken very seriously if I show up at meetings on mass destruction with the Underworld’s finest wearing only my birthday suit.”
“You will learn how to deconstruct and reform your clothes as well. But we start with the important bits.”
Raven sighed. That’s what she was afraid of.
Cole straightened and wove bands of shadow around them. “Theory class is over. Let’s practice again.”
“Do we have to?”
“You need to be open to learning, Raven. You’re planning to go back to school, and you need to assume your role as the Corvid Queen. You can’t have a closed mindset.”
“What does that even mean? You sound like my high school math teacher.” Memories of parent-teacher meetings flooded her mind and sent chills down her limbs. Sure, she tended toward stubborn, but did Mrs. Lesley really have to call home after Raven called an assignment stupid for a third time?
“It means, if you believe you can’t do something, you won’t be able to do it no matter how much anyone else tries to help. You need to change your mindset first before any learning can take place.” Yup. Definitely heard that somewhere before.
“So instead of saying I can’t make a portal…?”
“Say you don’t know how to make one yet or say you will learn to make a portal.” The bands wove faster and faster, thicker and thicker around them, whispering against her skin and creating a tunnel-like wall to block out any distractions.
“Yes, sensei.”
Cole frowned. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”
“Cute?”
He frowned harder. “Is that not an acceptable compliment for a Mortal Realm woman?”
“Depends,” she said.
“On what?”
“On what you want.”
Lightning flashed through his gaze briefly before his expression hardened.
Okay, then.
Chapter Seventeen
“Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are even stupider.”
~ George Carlin.
Raven pivoted in the server area and placed the coffee carafe back on the counter. Do not hit the customers. No hitting the customers. Don’t do it, Raven. It’s not their fault they’ve asked the same stupid question as the last five tables. Deep breath. You need this job.
“Will you watch my section, Love?” Suzy smacked her gum loudly. “I’m going out for a smoke break.”
“Uh?” Raven stopped mentally pep-talking and scanned the restaurant. Was Suzy crazy? They were in the middle of a rush for once. Well, the tail end of one anyway. Suzy had taken all the orders and now it was a matter of running out the food and ensuring customer satisfaction. What a lovely time to play the smoker card.
Raven didn’t have anything personal against smokers. If Suzy used her actual break time to suffocate her lungs that was one thing. But no. She took additional breaks for her vice. As a non-smoker, Raven didn’t get the same job perks. Guess she had another pet peeve to add to her growing list.
Raven made lists for everything. At one time, she considered her habit an odd personality trait independent of her family, but after learning her biological father was the combined human form of Huginn and Muninn, Odin’s ravens, she wasn’t so sure. The birds represented thought and memory, after all. And making lists helped her remember things and aligned her thoughts. But she didn’t have the time to delve into the ramifications of her biological parentage.
“Thanks.” Suzy waggled her fingers and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her apron on the way to the back exit.
Motherfucker. Maybe Raven should take up smoking to get an extra break or two. She still reeled from her training session with Cole. At the end of the grueling five hour lesson, she was no closer to forming a portal or determining Cole’s true feelings toward her. She needed some extra thinking time and rest. Snuggling the scythe at night only carried her so far.
She wiped her brow with a greasy forearm, grabbed two menus and made her way to the couple who chose a booth on the far side of the room.
First date. And awkward, if the body language was any indication.
Raven slid the plastic covered menus over the recently cleaned table surface and recited the specials and features. The couple asked for waters and time, and Raven left them to their stilted conversation.
Mike said earlier he had some information, but they hadn’t had a chance to speak privately with Suzy around. After checking in with the other tables and running out some orders, she walked behind the counter and peered through the kitchen service window. Mike was busy flipping burgers, with sweat running down his face. His cast had turned beige. Raven opened her mouth to grill him for details but the back door on the other side of the kitchen opened. Raven shut her mouth.
A few minutes later, Suzy shuffled into the server’s area, dragging in cool air from outside. Cigarette smoke clung to her clothes
and pooled around her. Suzy adjusted her apron around her thick waist. Fine, wispy hair created a halo of frizz around her temples.
Raven didn’t particularly like Suzy. Something always grated her nerves, but she couldn’t quite name it. The smoke breaks were just an added annoyance.
“Thanks, doll. Any issues?” Suzy asked.
“No. You have a new table. I brought them water and menus, but they needed more time when I checked on them.”
Suzy strained her neck to peer over the other diners. “First date?”
“Definitely.”
“Going well?”
“Not really.”
“Balls.”
Mike slid two plates across the kitchen window and left them under the warming lights. “Your table ten is up, Suzy.”
“Thanks, sweetie.”
Mike scowled. He hated terms of endearment and thought Suzy called him names to piss him off.
Honestly, the older woman probably couldn’t help herself. She called everyone something.
“Okay, well, Mike and I are going for a break. Cover me?” Raven said.
Suzy spun around, mouth open, jaw slack. “You already had your fifteen.”
“Yeah, I just need a quick, non-smoking break. We’ll be back in a second. Holler if I get a new table in my section.” Raven walked around to the kitchen and grabbed Mike’s arm. She glanced at Suzy from the other side of the service window. She stood in the exact position, mouth still gaping open.
“Thanks!” Raven kept the cheer in her voice and tugged on Mike’s arm.
He chuckled and followed her to the back. She pushed open the heavy security door and more cool air rushed in. She welcomed the bite in the air.
Mike’s sigh behind her bordered on a moan.
They sat on the top step. If there were an Olympic event for synchronized sitting while sighing, they would’ve won.
“Not that I don’t love the idea of a non-smoking break, are you sure it’s wise to piss off Suzy?”
“It’s Suzy,” she said.
“You know she’s banging Dan, right?”
“Ew!” Her entire body cringed at the sudden visual pounding away in her brain. “Since when?”
Mike leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. The security light from above beamed off his kitchen whites in an otherwise dark alley and made her brother look like some sort of down-and-out angel. “Not sure, but if you’re wondering why she didn’t get fired for helping herself to the crab cakes, now you know.”
“Now I know…” Raven shuddered.
“Because she gave her crab cake to—”
Raven held up her hand to get him to stop. “Please don’t.”
A wide smile spread across his face.
Banshee’s bastard. If she didn’t distract him fast, he’d never stop. “You said you had something to tell me?”
Mike bobbed his head and pulled out his phone from the back pocket. “I looked up black spinel for you since I know you’ve been too busy to run a web search.”
Was that sarcasm? Hard to tell with Mike sometimes. He could’ve texted the information, so he wanted to give her theatrics. Lovely.
Mike cleared his throat and read from the notes on his phone. The lighted screen illuminated his face in the dark alley. “Black spinel is a single refractive stone valued for its natural state. Though rare and gaining popularity, this mineral is relatively affordable.”
“What the fuck does relatively affordable mean?”
Mike shrugged. “According to the online auction sites, anywhere from ten dollars to ten thousand.”
They fell into silence, both staring at the brick wall of the building across the alley.
“Maybe I should get it appraised?”
“I wouldn’t trust the trolls with a mysterious gem gifted to you by some random customer.”
Good point.
“Should we go in?” Raven broke the silence. The autumn air had cooled her down.
“Probably. I wouldn’t put it past Suzy to steal tips in addition to crab cakes.”
“Can you please stop saying crab cakes? I’m getting all sorts of traumatizing visuals.”
Mike bounced to his feet and yanked open the door. “Fine. There’s no need to get crabby about it.”
Raven clambered to her feet and followed. Warm air filled with the strong smell of greasy meat and French fries hit her face. “You’re awful.”
“You love me.”
Raven opened her mouth, and then shut it again. He wasn’t wrong. “Guess it’s true what they say.”
“What’s that?”
“You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.”
Mike barked laughter, his mischievous fox flashing in his gaze. “Please, like you wouldn’t choose to join Team Crawford.”
Raven forced her tired limbs and heavy feet to carry her back to the restaurant.
“Odin’s nutsack. You’re right. There must be something wrong with me.” She walked through the kitchen double doors and let them swing closed behind her, but not before Mike’s final jab.
“You’re just figuring that out now?”
If they weren’t at work, she’d find the nearest item not nailed down and chuck it at him.
Chapter Eighteen
“Humanity I love you because when you’re hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink.”
~ E. E. Cummings
Raven and Mike staggered into the cool night air from the back entrance of Dan’s Diner and let the heavy metal security door slam closed behind them. Mike turned to yank on the handle, tugging on it a few times. The door rattled, but the lock was engaged.
Good.
Night routine finished, they stepped from the lit platform and into the inky darkness.
“Man, I’m glad today’s over.” Mike slung his backpack onto his shoulder.
Before Raven moved back home, he’d ride his bike to work, but now he chose to leave it home so they could walk together.
“I’m glad we had the earlier shift. I can actually get some sleep.” She stretched side to side with her arms in the air.
Mike nodded. His phone pinged and he pulled it from his pocket as they walked down the alley toward the brightly lit street with fast moving traffic. Their shoes splashed in shallow puddles left by the recent rain.
Mike grimaced, the planes of his face barely discernable in the deep shadows.
“What is it?” she asked. Mike couldn’t hide the truth from his expression if she paid him to. He sucked at poker. His honesty was one of the things she loved most about her baby brother.
“Looks like your night isn’t over.” He turned his phone, the screen facing her.
The grainy camera feed showed Kelly leaving her house, face painted on and dressed for what looked like escort service.
Raven snorted. “Hurt her back at work, my ass.”
Mike grinned. “Pics or it didn’t happen.”
“Ugh.” This footage wasn’t enough to condemn Kelly, and dressing up and putting the girls on display didn’t necessarily mean she had joined an escort service. Hell, Raven had worn an outfit just as risqué to hit the clubs with Megan back in their early twenties. But…Raven hadn’t put in a fraudulent work injury claim.
“You’ll need to shift here if you want to catch her.” Mike glanced around and eyed the grimy alley. His lip curled down with the same disgust Raven felt. “I’ll take your things home.”
She sighed. This case might not end tonight. Her ravens couldn’t exactly snap a photo and the Canadian court system deemed any testimony from a shifter witnessed in their “altered” form inadmissible. Politicians still believed shifters lacked the ability to discern facts from fiction when they turned furry, despite all evidence supporting the truth. Haters.
Raven held her hand out and twirled her finger in the air. At least she no longer had to worry about leaving a loaded gun in her purse. After the alley attack, she’d given the sig back to Mom. She couldn’t afford to hesitate
if or when someone else decided to come for her.
Mike turned and faced the busy end of the alley. He placed his hands on his hips as if to provide more cover than his lean frame. It helped.
She slipped off her clothes, tucked her underwear into her pants before folding them, and called the energy of the Underworld. It soaked into her bones and ripped her apart. Pain rippled through her consciousness as she separated into a conspiracy of ravens.
She swarmed past Mike, batting him with her wings and swooping by his head. One raven perched on his shoulder and rubbed her head on his cheek. Mike smiled and scratched the back of her neck.
Ah. That’s the spot.
“Go,” Mike said. “You don’t want to miss her.”
She head butted her brother’s cheek and launched from his shoulder to rejoin the conspiracy. Like a hive mind, she directed the group of birds toward Kelly’s house. They arrived in time to watch Kelly’s sleek black car pull away from the curve. Perfect. Time to follow.
The drive took forever—Kelly left her neighbourhood and, venturing to the less than savoury section of downtown Vancouver, hit every light on Hastings Street.
Why downtown?
Rife with pawn shops, strip clubs, seedy bars and dealers, elementary school teachers didn’t frequent this area late at night. Alone. Sure, she might plan to meet up with some friends for drinks at a high-end bar, but Raven didn’t get that vibe.
So, what was it? Drugs? Prostitution? Gambling?
Kelly parked behind a three-story concrete box of a building. Half the conspiracy watched the vehicle while the other group flew to the other side. She’d never split her conspiracy to follow two different targets before, but she could direct her birds to surround different parts of a building as long as they weren’t too far apart.
Orange neon lights flashed around the business sign.
Though the sign and blacked out windows gave nothing away regarding the events taking place inside, Raven didn’t need to investigate further. Raven knew this place.
The only strip club named after a billiards ball in town, the establishment had a robust and notorious reputation.
Nevermore Page 10
