“Here you go.” She placed the mug on the table.
This time, she managed not to flinch when he looked up.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
He continued to study her unblinking.
She turned to walk away.
“Yes.”
She froze.
“As a matter of fact, you can.” His voice rolled over her like a slow-moving thunderstorm, offering all kinds of dark secrets and salacious promises.
She pivoted toward him.
“A moment of your time?” He waved his hand, palm up, at the bench across from him.
Raven hesitated. She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know they were alone. Even Mr. Grumpy Pants from table ten had left. At least Mike was in the kitchen.
Right. Like her pimple-faced brother, who weighed maybe a buck fifty soaking wet, would stop the barely contained hurricane in front of her.
“Uh...”
He raised a brow and his gaze briefly swept the empty diner behind her. His kissable lips twisted into another grin. “Unless you’re busy?”
Ass.
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Her cheap blouse pulled at her shoulders. She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it. This close, his scent cut through the grimy stench unique to Dan’s Diner and wound around her. He smelled like a mysterious forest, laden with magic, before the sun slipped away and the shadows took over, when light started to play tricks on the mind and made up monsters from errant branches.
Raven shivered.
“Will you sit with me?” Something in his chiselled face dared her to object.
She slipped into the booth. Her polyester pants slid smoothly along the synthetic leather seat. “If you’re looking to hook up, you’re looking in the wrong place.”
His eyebrows shot up.
Why did she say that? Heat flooded her cheeks. Grandma Lu would be proud, but from his amused expression, not quite the right thing to say.
“You mistake me.” His gaze sparkled with silent laughter. “I’m not looking to hook up. I’m looking for your brother.”
Raven leaned back. “My brother?”
“Yes.”
“You want to see Mike? Why didn’t you say so earlier? He’s in the kitchen.” Raven scooted to the end of the booth. “Go bother him.”
The sparkle and interest drained from his face. “I’m not looking for Mike.”
And then she knew without any uncertainty. Even if she had more than two brothers, she’d know exactly who this man sought. She slumped in the booth. Just as she knew this wasn’t a social call. Dread swamped her, coating her skin. The twisted emotion sank into her flesh. Her heart slowed and beat heavy. Her skin prickled.
This dark fae wanted her brother, which meant one thing.
He was in trouble.
As if the stranger sensed her inner dread, he nodded. “I’m looking for Bear.”
Chapter Two
“Most women are attracted to the simple things in life. Like men.”
~Henny Youngman
The last words Raven spoke to TDD echoed through her head. The coffee’s on me. You can leave now. She squeezed her eyes shut. Nope, it didn’t work. Opened or closed, she saw his dark Other eyes blaze, the black pools crashing like an angry ocean, before he got up and left the diner without a word.
The rest of her shift had been uneventful, boring even. After the mysterious man left, she caught herself more than once staring out the diner’s greasy windows into the dark abyss of the night to fantasize what it would be like to run her hands down TDD’s hard chest. She’d spoken with him for a few minutes, but apparently, that was all the time her libido needed to obsess over him. Where was he now? Where did someone foreboding like TDD lurk in his spare time?
Mike shoved the door to the restaurant closed until it clicked and turned to her. “Are you going to stand in the alley with that garbage all night?”
Raven scowled at her brother and turned to fling the last bag in the dumpster. She released the heavy lid of the bin as fast as possible, letting it slam closed. Too slow, the smell smacked her in the face. Overheated, spoiled refuse had a gross smell category all its own. Raven sucked on her mint and tried to will the peppermint flavour to drive away the assault on her nose. No luck.
After double checking the door had locked, Mike stepped from the security light and into the inky darkness with her. He’d pulled on a light jacket, but even in the dark, the white of his kitchen uniform stood out.
Mike shoved his work key in his back pocket. “You want me to walk you home?”
She bit back a laugh. Oh, Mike. You sweet, sweet boy. “You’re my little brother. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
His chest puffed out. “I’m nineteen.”
She folded her arms. She didn’t bother with a sweater or jacket. Her shirt and pants stuck to her sweaty limbs and the idea of pulling more clothing made additional sweat break out across her skin. The “fresh” breeze added notes of sea scum and stale fish, instead of clean ocean and pine, but the wind would help cool her down.
The bustle of the nearby street trickled down the empty and otherwise silent alley. Normally, neither of them lingered in the alley after work. Already, the stench of rotting garbage left too long in the summer heat and old, pungent urine smothered her senses.
“I’m a badass fox,” Mike continued.
“You are, but you also have class in about five hours. You’re not going to become a software engineer if you flunk out. You need to get home.” Part of her wished she could follow. Her parents had offered her old room but moving back to her parents’ place was one step her pride wouldn’t let her take.
“Like you should talk. You work two jobs. When’s the last time you slept for more than five hours? The bags under your eyes are bigger than your bank loan.”
She blinked. “Low blow.”
“Relax. The semester just started. Half the class is still mentally on vacation, including the prof, and the other half is made up of gamers. Everyone’s tired. I’ll fit right in.” He flashed the wide grin she loved, but it quickly dissolved. He hesitated. “You sure you don’t want me to walk with you. That last customer seemed to...”
Seemed to melt off my discount-bin panties and scare me at the same time? Raven shivered. She pulled the elastic band from her long black hair and shook out the ponytail. She ran her hands through the strands and whipped her head around enough to look like a head-banging lunatic at a free music festival. If she didn’t, the grease would keep her hair in place as if the elastic still held it together. “Seemed to what?”
Mike glanced down the dark alley before unchaining his bike. “Unsettle you.”
And nothing unsettles you. He didn’t say the words. He didn’t need to.
“And he creeped me out.” Mike gave a fake shiver.
You and me, both. TDD wasn’t too happy getting stone-walled and kicked out of Dan’s Diner. The sensation of impending doom only intensified when her twin brother, Bear, didn’t respond to her texts or calls. Not unusual, but not a good sign, either. Especially not with TDD somewhere out in the night looking for him.
“Well, he’s gone. Besides...” She winked. “I’m pretty badass, too.”
Mike laughed and crammed the last of the chains and locks for his bike into his bag. Thieves in the Lower Mainland were ruthless. They’d steal an unlocked wheel out of spite. Somewhere in Vancouver, a master thief slept on a pile of useless bike parts.
Mike wouldn’t have to keep his bike in a dark alley full of criminals if Dan let him stash it inside. Health violation. Go figure.
“Okay, Rayray. See you Sunday?”
She snorted. “Like I’d miss roast night.”
Mike’s smile returned, and he pushed off on his bike and rode along the uneven concrete. She watched him head toward the warm glow of the main street’s lights before turning to go the opposite way. She ran into a concrete wall.
No, not a wall,
the hard chest of a man. The soft fabric of a sweatshirt smushed into her face and provided no buffer to the solid muscle beneath. An iron grip clamped around her arms.
“TDD,” she breathed. His alluring scent of promises whispered at twilight slammed into her senses.
His dark gaze widened. “Tee-Double-Dee?”
She snapped her mouth shut.
He let go of one of her arms and caught a strand of her loose hair. “So, Rayray. What kind of badass are you?”
Ice seared her veins. He heard them? How? The alley was empty. They would’ve heard or smelled him. Well, maybe not Raven—her sense of smell was mediocre at best—but Mike? Nothing got past that sly fox.
The shadows clinging to the alley seemed to gather and surround them like a cold cloak, shrouding their figures from prying eyes. Raven shook her head. The gloomy lighting in the alley returned to normal. Her mind must’ve played tricks on her. Shadows didn’t move like that.
TDD tilted his head. “Some sort of shifter? Fox, like your brother, maybe?” He let the long dark strand slip through his fingers. “I really wish you’d gone with Option A.”
Raven clenched her hand and drew her free arm back.
“I don’t want to do this,” he continued.
Raven’s fist connected with his jaw. His head snapped to the side, and his shoulders jerked. Pain lanced down her arm from her knuckles.
TDD’s head whipped back to her. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
Her fist throbbed. “Well, yeah, kind of.”
He grabbed her free arm and the shadows enveloped them.
Chapter Three
Normal moms preach “Always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.” My mom says, “Always wear clean underwear in case you get lucky.”
~Raven, wallowing in the hardships of her life
Raven blinked and three things became apparent. One, TDD had mesmerizing eyes and flawless skin. Even with the hint of stubble, his face held an undeniable rugged appeal—too rough to be pretty, too chiselled to be soft, but cutting, smouldering and devastating in a deadly way. His cheekbones appeared carved from granite with a precision scalpel. His ink-black hair contrasted with his porcelain skin, almost severely. The only soft features on his face were lush, kissable lips, the colour of delicate rose petals. If she leaned forward and kissed him, would he taste like sin?
TDD hovered about a foot away and peered at her as if assessing her mental state.
Good luck. She’d given up trying to figure out her brain long ago.
Two, even though the grime still clung to her skin like greasy moisturizer, without the stink of the diner masking his scent, TDD smelled unbelievably delicious. The fragrance of a mysterious forest at night pooled around them, threatening to drown her and she couldn’t muster any concern. Instead, she fought the urge to fling out her arms and fall back into the waiting depths.
She licked her lips.
His gaze flicked to her mouth and tracked her movements. He leaned forward, gaze darkening.
And three, they weren’t in Kansas anymore. Okay, not Burnaby, not Canada, and certainly not the Mortal Realm.
Along with TDD’s scent, dark magic wound around them with its seductive power and allure. It tugged at her own essence, deep within her core. Like the neighbourhood boy no one wanted their kids to hang out with because they suspected he’d end up a serial killer, the potent energy cajoled and beckoned her to come out and play. And she wanted to. Oh, did she want to, despite knowing she shouldn’t. Just within reach, her fingers itched to wrap around the power, to wield it, despite having no clue how to do so. And just like that devious child, if she did surrender to the unrelenting call and play with the destructive magic, her actions would lead to trouble and heartache.
Darkness blanketed the room, but the air tasted of scandalous promises and lust.
The Underworld.
“Before we get started...” TDD’s voice rumbled and trailed off. He still held her arms, but his grip loosened. The inexpensive material of her blouse stuck to her oily skin. “Explain what or who Tee-Double-Dee is.”
Heat rushed to her face again. Just great. Like she wanted to explain her pet nickname for her good-looking captor.
TDD watched her, his body still, arms tense, gaze flicking back and forth to take in details. Slowly, his stern face softened, and the corners of his lips tugged up. “Fine. We’ll revisit that topic later.”
She relaxed.
“Nice hair, by the way,” he said.
What in the Banshee did he mean by that? Her hands drifted up with a mind of their own and patted her hair. Normally straight and sleek, her hair had poofed out in...waves? Did the potent energy of the Underworld act like some sort of magical diffuser? Is that why her scalp tingled?
“Where’s your brother?” TDD asked.
She dropped her arms to her sides. “If I didn’t tell you before, what makes you think I’ll tell you now?”
He stepped back, and the shadows in the room rolled away. The expanding light revealed their surroundings. They stood in a small, sterile room. The shadows continued to recede and uncovered metal bars. They were in a jail cell. The fluorescent light above them flickered. A low hum settled over the room from somewhere outside, suggesting a generator. An off-the-grid jail cell in some dark realm within the Underworld.
Fabulous.
“Do you know where we are?” he asked.
“The Underworld.” If Mom knew, she’d have a fit. Half of Raven’s childhood memories contained lectures about the evils of this place and the importance of avoiding it, compliments of Mom. Oh heck, Mom would rage if she knew an unknown man held her eldest daughter captive in a jail cell in any of the realms, including the mortal one.
He nodded and turned to walk away. His feet hit the concrete and created an echo.
Before Raven moved, shadows burst forth and wrapped around her wrists and ankles. Like stiff rope, the dark bands materialized into something physical and held her in place.
Her own energy coiled within her, ready to spring.
Raven froze. She’d never heard of anyone manipulating shadows like some sort of rhythmic gymnast gone bad. At least not as a common skill. But she also knew very little of the Underworld, and not all Others ventured into the Mortal Realm.
“Who are you?” After his shadow trick, possibilities ran through her head and none of them were good.
He ignored her, stepped from the jail cell and shut the door. The hinges creaked. “Take them out.”
“Excuse me?”
“Take out whatever haywire human contraption you have shielding your eyes.”
She blinked.
“Your contacts. Remove them.”
He knew. He must’ve sensed her Otherness somehow. The boring brown contacts she always wore muted her natural eye colour, the one thing holding her apart from any other rundown waitress.
“I’m not taking my contacts out,” she said. “One, you’d have to release me from these shadow cuff things, which I’m guessing you won’t. And two, my hands last touched garbage bags and a dumpster. Eyes are, like, the number one site for infection.”
He pulled off his hoodie. The black shirt underneath tugged up to reveal smooth abs before he pulled it back down. He tossed the sweater on a nearby bench and crossed his arms over his wide chest.
Don’t stare at his muscles, don’t stare at his...
Oh crap!
The thin fabric of his simple T-shirt pulled tight across his chest and biceps when he folded his arms. If dehydration-induced delirium from excessive drooling counted as an interrogation style, she was doomed.
A slow smile spread across TDD’s face as the bands grew tighter and the shadows melted off the walls and flowed over the floor toward her.
What in the Underworld was wrong with her? Drooling over her captor like some Stockholm victim. Ugh. Sorry, Grandma Lu.
“Let’s try this again. Where is your brother? I don’t wish to hurt you,” he said.
<
br /> “Then don’t. I have no idea where he is.”
“He’s your twin.” He spoke his statement as if it provided some grand explanation. It didn’t. The shadow bands around her arms tightened again.
“Yes, my twin. My twin who alienated himself from the entire family, myself included.” The truth turned sour on her tongue.
He clenched his jaw. “I find that hard to believe.”
She released a deep breath and some of the tension in her chest and shoulders eased away. “Look. Part of me wants to be difficult just to spite you for kidnapping me, but I have a low pain tolerance and no delusions of grandeur. I honestly don’t know where he is. He hasn’t returned my last three texts and I haven’t seen or heard from him in a week.” No need to mention she normally heard from him every other day, unlike anyone else in the family. TDD was right. Bear was her twin, and no matter how wayward he went, she loved him.
“A week?” TDD’s lips twisted into a frown, and he stepped away from the cell to grab something.
“That’s my bag!”
The cold look he gave her over his shoulder dismissed her outrage. Pulling out her phone, he tapped on the screen. Really, what did she expect? A kidnapper with morals?
“What’s your passcode?”
“What’s your name?”
His eyebrows rose.
Really? His name? Out of all the things she should be concerned about in this situation, she decided to find out what to call him first? Face palm.
“Cole.”
“Cole?”
He grunted.
“The big, bad manipulator of shadows is named Cole?” Not exactly original, or fear-inducing. Then again, her name was as unoriginal as it got.
“Would you prefer Beul na h-Oidhche gu Camhanaich...”
He pronounced his name: blah blah blah kaym-hay-nitch.
“Lord of Shadows, Master of Darkness, Keeper of Secrets, Patron Fae of Assassins, Bastard of Erebus, Born of Chaos?” His gaze flashed with silver shards of lightning and his mouth clamped in a firm line.
Conspiracy of Ravens Page 2
