by Emma Dean
“Of course.”
They stared at each other for a few moments, the silence heavy but not awkward.
Lucifer had said things were going to get hard, and Mika felt it already. How was she supposed to ask people to risk their lives for her, or change their paths without feeling guilty for the consequences of that?
“I agreed to this,” Audrey reminded her. “Don’t feel bad.”
“I’m going to ask Edgar and Vera if they can start training me, you, Malachi, Lucien, and Ethan. It would be for the best I think.”
“Sure,” Audrey said with a shrug. “I’m still just kind of stoked I’m in a raven eyrie. Something very few witches can say. So, shove it, high society bitches.”
Mika snorted and slipped off the bed. “I need some coffee, you?”
“Honestly I’m just shocked you’re awake. No hangover at all?”
They walked through the common room where Malachi was sitting, hands laced behind his head as he sat on the couch. His eyes were closed, but Mika didn’t think for a second he wasn’t paying attention to everything around him.
“Coffee?” she asked, pausing at the door with Audrey.
Malachi smiled slightly but didn’t move from the couch. “The coyotes are coming today.”
Mika buried her sigh. “It seems like today is special, because so is everyone else.”
She wasn’t even mad about it, but it was a lot of social interaction and she had to be as intimidating as possible. Or at least give off the ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe.
Mika adjusted her coat again, feeling self-conscious.
It was like he could tell, because Malachi opened his eyes just then and studied her from head to toe. It flustered her, and Mika could feel her cheeks heat under his scrutiny.
When Malachi stood, her heart started pounding, and Mika took a step back. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but Malachi had such an intense presence sometimes and for some reason it always took her by surprise.
“I like this,” he told her, slipping his finger under her leather harness that framed her chest and yanking her forward. “The runes are a good idea too.” Then Malachi eyed the keyhole turtleneck with a predatory smile.
Mika almost looked down to see if her cleavage was showing but she didn’t have all that much titties to worry about. Then his thumb skimmed the bare skin between the hem of her crop-top sweater and the waistband of her black cargo pants.
“You’re such a badass little tech goth.”
Audrey coughed when Mika didn’t respond. “Should I leave?”
“No.” Malachi grinned down at Mika and then tossed his arm across Audrey’s shoulders, leading her out into the hall. “Coffee and food sound good.”
Mika adjusted her coat alone in the common room, trying to figure out how to breathe again.
All of them could make her heart start beating like she was some teenage girl with a massive K-pop crush, and it was honestly embarrassing. Would she ever get that shit under control?
Did she really want to?
Mika smiled, feeling better about what she was wearing, which she knew was the whole point of Malachi’s little game. She tied her hair up in a messy ponytail, tucking the side pieces behind her ears.
Today she would figure out exactly where she stood with the coyotes, with the chaos, and whoever the fuck else. Mika knew this was important and very necessary. Like Audrey had said, she couldn’t be everywhere or do everything.
At some point Azrael would make his move and they had to be able to respond or thousands could die depending on how much the fallen angel wanted to test the waters.
“Mika is going to ask Edgar and Vera about training with them,” Audrey told Malachi as they walked down the endless stairs together.
Mika never felt more like an outsider than when she was taking the stairs. She could technically fly down to the dining hall, but it would be super rude to ditch the others.
“You think she’ll let a witch be one of the blood hunters?” Malachi asked, turning on the right level when Mika would have probably missed the turn off.
The eyrie was built like a hive and Mika had never been anywhere quite like it. It took time for her to get her bearings anywhere, but all the curving walls and spiral staircases were confusing.
She assumed that was because it was built to use the atrium in the center of the eyrie. Mika paused and looked up at the grey clouds in the sky. It would be easier to figure out where she needed to go from up there.
“Mika?” Audrey asked.
She turned to see Malachi and Audrey waiting patiently for her. “I can fly now,” she told them, looking back up at the sound of wings.
Before they could respond to that, Emily landed beside her, grinning at Malachi. “He’s pretty.”
“Rude,” the alpha raccoon stated, as if he didn’t give a fuck.
Watching Audrey and Malachi jump made her grin and Mika cleared her throat. “This is Emily, and her mates.”
“That asshole is Jace,” Emily said, pointing at the sharp one. “The tall one is Ben. Then Chance, and Aiden.”
“Nice to officially meet you,” Mika murmured, ducking her head in acknowledgment.
“Mika!”
She turned to see Kenzie waving with Dagon beside her and Finnick on his other side making a face. The foxes hated teleporting.
Kenzie strode across the atrium and Mika went to meet her, feeling those stupid tears prick her eyes as she did. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed any sense of normalcy until that moment, and the chaos was her family.
It felt like forever since the last time she’d seen them.
Mika hugged Kenzie hard, laughing when the other witch lifted her up in a massive bear hug. “It’s good to see you.”
Kenzie set her down, but Finnick hugged her right after her feet were back on the floor. Then Audrey slammed into them both and the red-haired fox made to punch her. Audrey dodged and they ended up tussling until they both slammed into the ground as they wrestled.
“You’re embarrassing me,” Kenzie hissed.
Dagon smiled at Mika before disappearing again.
She looked up and saw just how many ravens were studying them from various different levels. Then she looked over her shoulder to see the raccoons watching them closely. Would it be awkward after what had happened with the portal? Mika didn’t know much about all of that.
“It’s good to see you again, Kenzie,” Emily said politely, suddenly right there.
And so were the raccoons.
Mika could feel Malachi in the shadow realm just behind her and she hid her smile, knowing how much he hated that he couldn’t figure out how the raccoons moved like they did. It was like her eyes wanted to skip over them, as if they made her brain glitch.
The hellhound reappeared with Hunter and Ash a second later.
Mika’s heart swelled when she stared at her old mentor and he gave her that half-smile that could mean he was pleased to see her, or he was considering how best to torture her next. She kissed Ash’s cheek but never took her eyes off Hunter.
With him, she never knew what was going to happen. He always tested her and Mika kind of loved that.
His hands were in his pockets as he approached her, and Mika didn’t trust it – not in the slightest.
“I missed you,” she told him, giving him the smirk she knew he hated so much.
“I missed you too,” he said.
“Liar.” Hunter’s smile widened and she grinned right back at him. “Don’t insult me by pretending.”
“All right, Mika.” Then his arms were around her and Hunter was hugging her.
For some reason it made everything she’d gone through since she saw him last hit her like a ton of bricks. Mika hugged him back as hard as she could, hiding her face in his shoulder. She wished for just a moment she could tell him everything.
Could Hunter keep this kind of secret from Kenzie?
Mika would never ask him to, and the weight of that kno
wledge was crushing.
“Will you spar with me later?” he asked.
The fox must have sensed her pain.
Mika nodded and blinked back her tears, thanking the Fates for waterproof makeup. She couldn’t have fucked up eyeliner when she met with the coyotes.
“So, Hunter has a heart after all,” Jace drawled, leaning with one elbow on Ash’s shoulder. “The blood witch said you trained her, but I didn’t believe it.”
Hunter’s eyes flashed gold and Mika took a step back until she could feel Malachi again.
“Just because I would never train you doesn’t mean I would never accept a pupil.” Hunter slipped his hands in his pockets again with a slight smile that worried her. “Don’t be jealous, Jace. It’s not a good look.”
The one Emily said was Chance laughed at that and slapped Mika on the back hard enough it actually hurt. “Which means you must be a little bit psycho, Mika. Don’t worry, you’re in good company.”
She didn’t really know what to say to that, but she had a feeling Chance was one of those psychos.
“This is Malachi,” she said, waving her hand at the spot behind her. Malachi slipped out of the shadow realm and she didn’t miss Emily’s sharp look. “My adopted sister, Audrey, and the hellhound, Dagon.”
“You have interesting friends, Mika,” Jace murmured, stepping closer to Emily.
But it was Ben who Mika couldn’t look away from. Twice now she’d met him, and he never said a word. It was fascinating, but also unsettling.
“We were going to grab some breakfast before…everything,” Mika told Kenzie. “Do you want to join us?”
“I’m always down for food,” Finnick said, slapping Hunter on the shoulder before he shoved Chance forward. “And I know this one is too.”
Aiden smiled sheepishly at Mika as if he was embarrassed to be hungry, but Emily tugged on one of his curls before kissing his cheek. “I know you are too, let’s go.”
Ben watched them head down the hall, but then he turned back to her and the others walked around them.
“Good luck,” Kenzie muttered, walking hand in hand with Hunter.
Mika watched the way the fox moved closer to Kenzie, showing physical affection in public even if it was as innocent as holding hands. Hunter had hugged her in front of everyone too. Kenzie was slowly starting to change him, and Mika thought it was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.
Though she wasn’t stupid enough to ever assume that those changes would dull Hunter’s edges.
He wasn’t a soft boy with gentle feelings either.
Mika looked up at Ben then, wondering why he hadn’t followed the others. And why was he so fucking tall?
“Is something wrong?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Mika didn’t know what else to do with her hands and she felt awkward around this one for some reason. Jace? She knew she could hold her own with him. He wasn’t all that different from Hunter.
But Ben…Ben gave nothing away. Ever.
When he didn’t respond she glared up at him. “Just say whatever it is you want to say then so we can all move on with our lives.”
His eyes twinkled slightly at that, but he didn’t smile. “Emily likes you,” he said.
Mika narrowed her eyes. “And I like her. What about it?”
“She wants to serve you.”
Her hands dropped to her sides and Mika remembered how Emily had told her how she’d studied blood witches for hours. “She said she wasn’t interested in being my raven or general.” Had that been a lie?
Ben shrugged and crossed those massive arms across his chest. “I’m sure you could find other things for an assassin to do.”
“What exactly are you getting at?” Mika demanded cracking her knuckles. All he’d done so far was make ambiguous statements.
“I won’t let you put her in danger.” Ben stared down at her—challenging her if she was right.
Mika smirked and slapped his arm hard enough she knew even a shifter would wince. “Glad we’re on the same page then.”
She turned and headed toward the dining hall, feeling the raccoon consider her, eyes on her back. If she were honest with herself, he made her nervous.
“I saw what happened when you failed,” Ben said, catching up easily enough. “I’m not interested in seeing that happen here.”
“Then pick one,” she snapped. “Because Emily is a raven and Azrael hates me and my sisters. You can’t have both. So, figure it out.”
Corbin met her at the double doors to the dining hall and opened them with a sharp grin at the raccoon. “Good to see you again, Ben.”
The raccoon just grunted and made his way to Emily and the others. Judging the way Jace watched her, this had been a planned conversation to feel her out. Mika doubted Emily even knew about it.
She shook her head and went to the coffee station.
Mates.
“I can feel how annoyed you are,” Corbin muttered, grabbing a tray and setting mugs on it.
Mika grabbed a few carafes and filled them up with coffee, sighing as she tried not to panic. “Everyone is testing me, my strength, and my capabilities. I get it, I really do. But it’s exhausting.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job,” Corbin told her, setting the sugar and cream on the tray as well. “Also, the coyotes will be here in the next two hours. Apparently, they’re very interested in meeting you after the other night.”
Mika blushed, remembering the way she’d teased them in the forest. “Hopefully they’re not pissed about that.”
“Gorgeous, you don’t know coyotes very well, do you?” Corbin smirked and headed toward the long table where the others were already sitting.
No, she’d never met a coyote before. No one knew anything about them – not in the world she’d come from.
This world and that one weren’t even close despite sharing a lot of the same territory. Mika knew none of the smaller shifters had representatives on the Council, only the apex predators. Which meant there was a lot of missing data, or the Council simply didn’t care.
To some degree they kept tabs on all paranormals to make sure there were no breaches. Humans were locked down when they found out or their memories wiped. Which meant, to some degree, the Council had to keep tabs on everyone.
Or rely on reports.
Was it just the hunters, or did they employ other spies?
Knowing the way the ravens operated, Mika didn’t think there were Council spies in the eyries, but she’d talk to Vera about it. They were due for another tour anyway.
There’d been too much to cover with each of the Heads after she’d slept for so long, so Mika had to break it up.
She sat down at the table and poured herself coffee before passing on the carafes. Malachi and Audrey had already gathered platters of food for their table, and everyone was digging in.
Watching Ash and Finnick banter with Chance and Aiden while Hunter and Jace talked in low tones, she knew that the raccoons would do whatever it was Emily wanted to do. She studied the way Kenzie talked to Emily, discussing the differences in their tech watches.
Mika found Ben staring at her again, and then noticed Malachi glaring at Ben.
She stabbed a strawberry with her fork. “Want to come down and meet the coyotes?”
“Fuck yes, I do,” Kenzie said, leaning over Emily. “I’ve been wanting to meet them forever.”
Ben didn’t break her gaze and Malachi’s hands disappeared under the table, which didn’t bode well.
Emily smirked when she saw who Mika had asked. “Ben doesn’t trust you.”
Obviously.
“He thinks you’re going to get me killed.” Emily elbowed Mika in the ribs hard. “Sometimes he forgets how close to death ravens already are.”
Ben shifted his gaze to Emily and Mika watched the way it softened.
“He has every reason to be worried,” Mika muttered, taking a sip of her coffee.
They needed a backup plan
. If Azrael came to the eyrie, then what would she be able to do against him? Where could they go? Any eyrie would be fair game.
But what if she could get Lucifer to ward the eyrie? Was he more powerful than his brother, or would the fallen angel be able to break those wards?
She eyed her palm and wondered.
Lucifer had said death was a gift, and to some degree that’s what Corbin and the Morrigan had said as well. There were blood spells that were considered ‘godkillers’ if she had the right blood.
But Jess could also kill a god, so they didn’t need Mika to take care of that – just his ‘gift.’ But why not the Morrigan then, or Aine?
What weren’t they all telling her?
Mika clenched her hand into a fist and wondered what it would be like to run around as a raccoon. Would she have the same strange gifts they did while in that form?
“Before we meet with the coyotes, I want to ask all of you a favor,” Mika murmured, studying her veins.
“What is it?” Kenzie asked, suddenly wary.
Every shifter’s eyes glowed their various colors and the tension spiked. Lines were quickly drawn despite their family ties and Mika could sense how protective they all were of those they loved.
She smiled slightly. “I’m glad everyone’s so ready for a fight. I’m going to need that kind of energy.”
“Spit it out,” Emily snapped.
“I need information,” Mika admitted. “Lucifer suggested that Kenzie should be the one to take Azrael’s power.” She found Hunter’s gaze. His expression was terrifyingly blank. “Which I shot down considering what happened the last time.”
“Good,” Finnick snapped. “The nerve that asshole has. He’s definitely getting coal for Christmas.”
“I’m not some newb anymore,” Kenzie snapped.
Mika shrugged. “Can you transfer power to another vessel?”
Kenzie shared a look with Ash. “To some degree, but not that much.”
Tapping her nails on the table, Mika sipped her coffee, cataloguing the patterns of the ravens around her.
“What can the coyotes offer?” she asked, focusing on the foxes and ravens.
“Their gifts aren’t widely known,” Emily admitted. “Even to us, but they’re crafty and smart, wicked fast, and incredibly resourceful. As in they can take three random objects and turn it into a deadly weapon.”
