by Jen Pretty
chapter TWENTY-ONE
The dead weight on my chest pinned me to the ground as blood gushed from the destroyed body above me.
“Oh, God. This is so gross,” I groaned as I shoved at the corpse. It had reverted half to human and his skin was slippery with blood.
Crow cawed and hopped over to peer at me.
“Help me,” I groaned. My wounds were closing slowly, but the thought of them being contaminated with the blood of this murderer gave me super strength for a moment—long enough to give one last, hard shove. The body rolled aside and freed me.
Everything hurt, and I took a minute to prop myself up, my legs still stuck under the more animal half of the dead guy.
Crow hopped up on the body and peered at me.
“Thanks,” I whispered, half sarcastic and half honest. He had definitely saved me somehow with his chest diving trick, but he sure didn't help get the beast off me.
I looked around the clearing in the forest. With no idea where I was now, at least I had a car and my eye had knit back together thanks to my magic, so I could see. I pushed up to standing and noticed in the distance a small cottage. I did not want to know what this jaguar guy had planned for me in there.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, but it passed quickly enough and the sparks of magic were funneling in, making me feel more grounded.
I checked in the ignition but the keys for the car weren't there. Glancing back at the body, I realized he wasn't wearing pants. His lower half was completely animal.
Lying in the grass a short distance away were the remains of a pair of jeans that he must have been wearing, but when I picked them up and shook them, no keys rattled.
“Shit.” I ran my fingers through my blood-soaked hair. Nobody was going to pick up a hitchhiker that looked like I did. Blood soaked my clothes and I probably had red scars on my face still from the beast.
Crow called out, and I spun to look at him. He picked the keys out of the grass and hopped towards me.
“Good job, Crow. When we get home, I’ll get you a nice croissant.” My voice was shaky and hushed as if I would wake the dead monster if I spoke too loudly.
Crow hopped into the car and up onto the dashboard where she settled down to get a lift home, apparently. I paused for a moment, wondering if there might be clothes in the cottage, but there was no way I was going in there. Instead, I climbed behind the wheel of the car and gave myself a pep talk.
“You can drive this car, Selena. You have seen it done a million times.” Thankful it wasn’t a stick shift, I started it up and put it in gear.
The rough back road was a good place to learn to drive. I had to go slow over the bumps. The twists and turns really helped me figure out the steering. Crow slid on the dashboard and his beady eyes glared at me, but I thought I did a pretty decent job until we got to the highway.
Driving over forty was too fast. Cars flew past me, horns honked, but my hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel and I focused on breathing in and out. I had to get somewhere safe.
Eventually a set of flashing lights sparked to life behind me along with the whoop-whoop of the cop car siren. I pulled over onto the gravel, nearly sliding into the ditch and waited for the police officer.
“Holy shit,” the officer said. His hand went to his gun.
“I need to talk to detective Tom Andrews of the Almonte Police department,” I said, my voice shaking. The reality of the situation was setting in and my breaths sped until they were coming too fast. I knew I was in shock, but couldn't slow my breathing for the life of me. “Help me.”
The officer pulled his walkie talkie off his shoulder and spoke into it quickly before his hand reached for the car door handle. The world went grey and then black as I passed out.
✽ ✽ ✽
I woke up in a hospital bed. The sound of my heart beeping from the machine beside me was eerie. Tipping my head the other way, I came face to face with a vampire.
I cleared my throat and Nick’s eyes popped open. He huffed out a breath and shook his head before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Thank God.”
“Do you even believe in God?” I asked him. My mouth was pasty and dry, but inquiring minds had to know.
“I’ve seen too much evil to believe, but I hope.” His fingers found mine under the blanket that covered me and entwined, sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ve been trying to get you to let go of the magic you are holding, but you wouldn’t.”
I hadn’t noticed right away how bloated with magic I was, but now that he had brought it to my attention, it was almost painful. Squeezing Nick’s hand, I let it all slide out, passing into Nick and disappearing.
With the last of the sparks transferred, Nick sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
“What does it feel like?” I asked, hoping we could keep this quiet peace for a moment longer before he remembered that I ran away from him and almost got myself killed. He obliged me, though I could tell from the look on his face, he knew what I was doing.
“Like a rush; diving out of an airplane or a riding a fast roller coaster.”
I watched him for a moment longer before I swallowed and stepped up to the elephant in the room. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be, and I think Niri would have ripped you a new one if you hadn’t been unconscious when he was here last. Consider that your warning. He will probably be back in an hour.” He squeezed my hand. “You shouldn't have gone off like that.”
“I know, I just thought I could handle it on my own. I was wrong.”
“No, you weren’t wrong. You can handle anything on your own. You are the Black Crow. But you don't have to handle things on your own. I won't get in your way, Selena. We are a team.”
I nodded and bit my lip to keep the tears away. His words rang true. He would be there for me through this new life I had fallen into. “Thank you,” I whispered.
The door flung open and Falcor walked through. Nick let go of my hand and sat back in his chair.
“Oh, don't stop on my account. I’ll just be over here, waiting for the hero to heal up so we can get on the road.” Falcor leaned against the wall and sipped the cup of coffee in his hand.
“What’s he talking about?” I asked.
“There has been a string of suspicious murders in Texas. Someone is hanging men from trees. I would have waited till you had been conscious for more than five minutes before I told you.” Nick glared at Falcor, who just shrugged.
“Does he really have to come with us?” I said, staring right at Falcor.
“He will be handy with travelling. Plus, he has other redeeming qualities… if you look hard enough.”
I doubted that, but kept that thought to myself. If I had to work with the ass, I could make the best of it. I wouldn’t forget what Colvin had said though. If Falcor showed any signs of being evil, I would deal with him.
My magic stirred in agreement.
“Where is Kai and Peran?” I asked Nick.
“They went on to another city with a killer on the loose. A human one. Niri will divide up the cases based on whether or not they sound supernatural. There seems to be an influx of monsters possessing warlocks and that will be our job.”
“Where is my book?” I asked. There was a tapping at the hospital window and I turned my head to look out but the curtains were shut. It didn't matter, I knew exactly who was there.
“Just come in,” I yelled.
A burst of feathers appeared beside me on the bed. I knew he didn't need to go through doors, but his sudden appearance was still a shock. Crow hopped up onto the pillow beside my head and nestled down, careful to avoid touching me.
“Thanks,” I muttered to the bird. He might be annoying sometimes, but he still helped me defeat the jaguar, and he was an OK bird.
He cawed once, then tucked his head under his wing and closed his little beady eyes.
“How long do I have to stay here?” I asked. I remembered the deep gashes on
my face and ran my fingers over the now smooth, flawless skin.
“Just till tomorrow. Niri had you flown here from the human hospital. He wanted to take you to The Sanctuary, but I didn't want you there when you were healing.” Nick watched Crow sleeping.
“Where am I then?”
“Canada. They have a facility for injured supernatural. It was the best place I could think of.”
“This is great and all,” Falcor said. “But I’m going to go find something else to do until you are ready to go. Just text me.” He held up his cell and walked out of the room.
I shook my head. He would take some getting used to.
“Canada? How long was I unconscious?”
“About a week,” Nick said.
“Oh, shit. Did someone call Dorothy?” I asked, scanning the side table for a telephone.
“I called. It’s fine. I’m sure she would love to hear from you though, if you are up to calling her.”
I remembered the last time I spoke to her was the night I found out Georgia was dead. That seemed like a lifetime ago.
Nick handed me his cell, and I dialed the number. The phone rang several times, but she didn't pick up. “I’ll try her again later,” I said, then curled into a ball and closed my eyes. I was exhausted, even though I had apparently been unconscious for a week.
✽ ✽ ✽
The next time I opened my eyes, Niri was sitting where Nick had been. He was holding a book of word searches and his eyes scanned the page, blinking occasionally. He didn't look up at me, but after I studied his white beard for a while he said; “It always makes me happy when you compare me to Santa.”
His twinkling eyes rose to meet mine. His mind reading ability never failed to catch me off guard.
“I understand you have apologized to Anick. Ditching him in a bodega is new, I’d think. He probably hasn't experienced that before.”
I grinned, but wasn't sure if Niri was angry or joking.
“I’m not angry with you. You are the Black Crow. You will do as you see fit and no one will stop you. Just remember you have friends now. And family.”
The image of Colvin fluttered into my head. His smiling little face, looking up at me from beneath the mop of stark white hair.
“That’s right,” Niri went on. “Colvin is counting on you coming home between missions.” Niri pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me.
I fumbled it open and found inside a colouring of a little boy and a woman, both with white hair blowing in the wind. They were standing in a field of flowers, with the sun and the moon hanging over their heads. I knew better than to ignore that fact. Something deep inside me suggested that was more of a premonition than just a random child's drawing.
“You would be correct in that thought. But I think that isn’t something worth worrying about yet,” Niri said. “You will be off to Texas tomorrow I hear. The doctors say you are fit as a fiddle. Good luck and safe travels.”
Niri vanished before I could thank him and I re-folded Calvin's drawing, holding the paper in my hands and saying a prayer to whatever God might be, that things didn't get too much weirder.
The End.
