Raven, Red

by Connie Suttle

  "At least we see you before the Manus Malo have revealed themselves," Claudio dipped his head reverently to Nico and Mac. "As yet, we have only seen victims of et Inpaenitens, and not their living servants."

  "Who are you talking about—what do those words mean, and are they not living? Are they people or something else?" Mona asked.

  "Ah, forgive me. We speak of the Unrepentant, and no, they are not living as you think of living. Their flesh rotted—or was burned—long ago. Only their spirits remain, and those are exceptionally malevolent. You will learn that they have a particular agenda, and once freed from their bonds, they will stop at nothing to achieve it."

  "Can you explain it better?" Val asked. "Because at this point it sounds like ghosts."

  "That term is far too innocuous for what they are," Claudio shook his head at Val. "As terrifying as a ghost may be, a multitude of human shades cannot compare to even one of the Unrepentant."

  "I'm having difficulty believing any of this," Del rumbled.

  "Be grateful that you have not yet encountered evil like this."

  "I work for the FBI. I don't deal in roses and chocolate," Del said as Laronda nodded at his words.

  "We understand this," Claudio replied. "You have not seen the memories and visions that I have seen. I assure you; they are terrifying."

  "When will these—what did you call them—show up?" Mona asked Claudio.

  "Evil hands? It will be very obvious, but that day is unknown, and the harbinger to the event is a tale that is not mine to tell."

  "Can we be more cryptic? So far, I know less than when we started," Laronda complained.

  "Here's my question," Ari walked in with Lance. "Where do we go from here?"

  Claudio drew in a breath as Ari came near. He'd always heard that the scent was unique, but he'd never experienced it firsthand.

  And, as it was layered over the natural smell of her mountain lion shifter, Claudio could only gape and fall into stunned silence.

  Renault and Alejandro hadn't spoken until then. "Incredible—the scent," Alejandro breathed.

  "If you had ever known for yourself the difference between the scent of a Manus Malo and a Manus Lux, you would kneel down," Renault sighed and knelt before Ari. "I will guard you with my life," he pledged.

  "What is he talking about?" Ari hissed at Claudio.

  "We are pledged to serve the Luce Signiferum and his Manus Lux. We may not turn aside from that duty, even if it costs us our lives," Claudio said softly. "We follow the guidance of the Eques Corax—the Raven Knight—who has performed this duty many, many times."

  "So we're supposed to hang out together—like a band of merry men—and one woman?" Ari demanded. Mac, whose feathers remained ruffled after she'd asked to speak with him alone, hadn't said anything yet.

  "You are. First. Wo-man," Mac finally replied. "On-lee men. Bee-fore now. Ni-co chose you. I did. Not."

  "I don't think you're getting the point," Ari grumbled, ignoring the insult. "I don't want to hang out—and do—whatever it is I'm supposed to do."

  "Pro-tect. Ni-co."

  Ari went still. "Fuck." Pressing fingertips to her forehead to stall an oncoming headache, she walked away from Mac until she stood in front of her bedroom window. She hadn't shut the plantation shutters, so she stared through the window at the yard bathed by waxing moonlight. Her eyesight—that of a large cat even in human form, saw better at night than most. The moonlight wasn't needed, and to her sharp vision, the side yard was perfectly visible to her.

  "The full moon is in a few days," she sighed. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Will tell you. Late-er," Mac said. "Sorr-ee."

  "Are you going to tell me that my life will never be my own again?" Ari whirled as she accused him.

  Mac ducked his head. "Don't. Know."

  "Should I go ask that vampire? Renault?"

  "He. Does not. Know. Ev-ree-thing."

  "When will you tell me what I need to know?"

  "Soon, per-haps."

  "Ari?" Nico tapped on her bedroom door.

  "Come in." Ari shut her blinds as Nico walked in and closed the door.

  "Val is letting the vampires use the basement until we can find a safe place for all of us," Nico said as he flopped onto a chair beside her bed. "Claudio has funds to provide for that and anything else we need. Plus, he has access to other ah, vampires, if we need their help."

  "Why are they helping us?" Ari snapped. "I don't understand this at all."

  "What do you think will happen if all humans are either dead or have become zombies? Where will the vampires get their blood supply?"

  "This is self-preservation?"

  "Half of it is self-preservation, yes. The other half is this—as bad as you think vampires are, what we're dealing with is far worse. Most vamps aren't evil; we've just been conditioned to believe they are."

  "So, suddenly you're a vampire expert?" Ari retorted.

  "He has. To. Learn. Fast," Mac cautioned. "Not the. Time to. Fight each. Oth-er."

  "Nico, may we come in?" Claudio tapped on the door.

  "Come in, Claudio," Nico called out. Ari sighed and shook her head as their vampire guests now walked into her bedroom and shut the door.

  "I understand you have misgivings, Ms. Leone," Claudio said. "I would feel the same if I were in your situation. I hope you can give us the benefit of the doubt until you see for yourself what is coming, and how important your role will be in stopping the horror."

  "Lady Lionesse, you have not witnessed the purges of the past," Renault spoke. "I have."

  "Purges?" Ari crossed arms tightly over her chest.

  "When the old gods meet the new, the aftermath is often unpleasant," Claudio supplied. "Nico and those who came before him are the wall—and sometimes the gate—between the two."

  "I don't understand any of this," Ari snapped.

  "You don't understand the creatures you call zombies, either," Claudio explained. "Yet you were willing to fight one to save Nico and the raven. It would have cost you your life. You know this, do you not?"

  "I do." Ari paled and ducked her head at Claudio's statement.

  "Ari is trying to come to grips with her life changing so drastically, and in a way she can't reverse, just as I am," Nico sounded weary. "It's late. Some of us need sleep. Ari, will you help us move your paintings and supplies in the basement, so Claudio, Renault and Alejandro can have a safe place to stay?"

  "Nico, you know I'd go to the ends of the earth for you," Ari dropped her arms with a sigh.

  "Fun-nee. You say that. Now," Mac croaked.

  "We'll get to that later," Nico cast a worried frown at Mac. "Come on, Ari. We'll get the basement sorted, and then we can go to bed while our new friends watch the night."

  "How beautiful," Claudio breathed as he studied Ari's finished commission. "If this one is not yet sold, I will buy it for myself," he declared.

  "It's sold, but I have to get it to the buyer in Virginia or I won't get the rest of my payment," Ari muttered as she packed her paints and brushes into a box.

  "I can make that arrangement for you," Claudio offered. "Alejandro is quite adept at making these things happen."

  "Could you?" Nico spoke as he set two of Ari's finished works in a corner where they wouldn't get damaged.

  "I will see it done," Alejandro replied directly to Nico. "All I need is the address."

  "Here," Ari pulled a slip of paper off the back of the painting. "It needs to ship by the weekend."

  "We will see it taken care of," Claudio assured her.

  "I think that's the last of it," Ari set the box of art supplies near the paintings Nico stored. "Janie probably has extra beds upstairs."

  "We will be fine," Renault said. "Chairs and sofa are fine for us; we won't feel them once we fall into the rejuvenating sleep."

  Ari went still. As much as she felt vulnerable to these vampires at night, they were also vulnerable during the day. "I promise to guard you through the day," she tol
d them.

  "We all do," Nico agreed. "Come on, Ari. We need to sleep if we can."

  "You have our gratitude," Claudio beamed. "Thank you."

  "Well, I'll be gawd-damned," Darnell Cheatham mumbled as he replayed the same section of Reverend Killebrew's recording. He doubted the man was intelligent enough to tamper with the images like that, so they had to be real—right?

  The boy couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen. Those witches—vermin, in Senator Cheatham's mind—were gathered in a circle, casting a spell on that boy. There was no other way to describe it.

  Overhead, a full moon shone, and before his eyes, the boy changed. Not painfully, like all the movies claimed, but morphing from one shape to another in a fluid motion—like a spell had been cast.

  The wolf then howled at the moon, and the witches celebrated. One witch was so bold as to hug the wolf, who howled again. The recording ended after that; Cheatham wondered if that's when the spy stopped recording or if Killebrew had cut off the copying process at that point.

  "I'll bet they had sex with that wolf," Cheatham grumbled, and he felt as if he'd been shortchanged, somehow.

  Killebrew had to have more information on these people—he'd all but said the same thing. Yes, Cheatham would definitely be in Killebrew's congregation come Sunday, and together, they'd put a stop to this sort of behavior everywhere.

  "If it can happen in Texas, just imagine what they do in New York." Cheatham pulled the thumb drive from his computer and rose to lock it in his wall safe. Soon enough, if he had his way, everybody depicted in that video would be dead, and the video itself would be broadcast from one end of the country to the other.

  In fact, he knew of a few social media sites that would be perfect to present these images to the world. Who cared if they were short on facts or fabricated scandals on most days? They had an audience, and that audience was exactly the type of people he wanted to reach.

  Lifting his cell phone, he dialed a number he'd contacted once or twice to spread rumors about an opponent or two.

  "Senator," Ralph Hooten sounded happy to hear from him.

  "Hey, Ralph, how ya doin'?" Cheatham pulled out his false enthusiasm and dusted it off. It would work perfectly for this conversation.

  "Just great. Say, you don't have some more ah, advertising for us to spread to the good followers of Hooten and Hollerin', do ya?"

  "I may have something guaranteed to knock your boots and socks off," Cheatham replied. "How about we meet for lunch next Monday? I'm tied up this weekend, I'm afraid."

  "Whatever is good for you," Ralph agreed. "Just let me know where and when."

  "I'll shoot you an email in the next few days," Cheatham said. "You're gonna love this, Ralphy boy. Guaranteed."

  "I like the sound of that," Ralph said. "See ya on Monday."

  "Yep."

  Cheatham ended the call as a shiver ran through him. He was beginning to feel it—the historical significance of his actions in the next few days would have worldwide repercussions. His name would be printed in the history books for sure, and, good or bad, it wouldn't matter.

  Either would suit him just fine.

  Nico dreamed.

  Only this dream wasn't like the others. No—this one held a significance that terrified him more than all his previous nightmares combined.

  A name came to him in the fog of his dream, as terror-filled screams sounded and a faceless villain turned toward him, his hands soaked in blood.

  "Nicolas! Wake now," a deep voice shouted at him, while strong hands shook him awake.

  "Mac," Nico shouted, as the hands pulled him off the bed and set him, stumbling, on his feet.

  "I'm here, Nico," the deep voice rumbled. "The Adversary's human puppet has set his feet on the path and none are safe now."

  "Huh?" Struggling to push away the remnants of the terror that gripped him, Nico blinked into the eyes of the stranger that held him up with a firm grip on both arms.

  In the dim light of a very early morning, Nico recognized those dark eyes, although they'd been much smaller on the raven.

  With only a towel wrapped around his waist, Mac had become the knight, sworn to protect him until he could protect himself.

  The Adversary had declared his presence, and nothing would ever be the same again.

  Chapter Eight

  Ari, feeling disoriented and sluggish, forced her feet to the floor. Normally, she'd appreciate the softness of expensive carpet beneath her feet, but not today. It would take a supreme act of will to rise from the bed on this morning.

  Sleep hadn't come for a long time, while worried thoughts chased themselves in her mind and morphed into nightmares during a troubled, half-doze.

  "Ari?" Janie tapped on her bedroom door.

  Was it later than she thought? Ari jerked her head toward the clock on the nightstand; it read seven-forty-five. It wasn't that late; something else was going on or Janie wouldn't disturb her like this.

  "Come in," Ari called out.

  Janie walked in and shut the door behind her. "You didn't have a good night by the look of things," Janie observed.

  "Did anybody have a good night?" Ari stood and felt a momentary unsteadiness.

  "I'm not sure," Janie said. "But I need your help."

  "Whatever you need, I'll do," Ari said.

  "Well, we have to run into town and buy a few things—for Mac."

  "What's wrong? Is he sick?"

  "Nooo," Janie shook her head. "He's fine, health-wise."

  "What does he need, then?"

  "Get dressed—wear something suitable for shopping and I'll show you. Meet me in the kitchen. We'll have breakfast, then go out."

  "All right. I think I need about a gallon of coffee to wake up, though."

  "We have coffee in the kitchen. Take a shower—it'll help." Janie walked out of the bedroom, leaving Ari with plenty of confused thoughts.

  What the hell do ravens need? Had he been eating too much human food? Did he need mealworms or corn? They sold those things at feed stores for chickens. Maybe that's what Mac needed.

  Her stomach felt sour enough after meeting vampires the night before. They don't often bother shifters, her father told her not long before his death. Most go about their business without causing a fuss. If you ever scent one, act like you didn't notice and the vamp will probably do the same.

  A vampire had sworn an oath to protect her life with his own the night before. What the hell was she supposed to do with that?

  "Shower. Dress," Ari reminded herself aloud before walking toward her bathroom. Jeans and a nice top ought to do well enough for a local feed store.

  "Coffee," Ari begged as she walked into the kitchen, before coming to an abrupt stop as a new scent hit her.

  Not human.

  Not werewolf.

  Not any shifter she'd ever come across.

  A shirtless man sat next to Nico; both were hunched over and engaging in a soft, private conversation. Nico's neighbor suddenly straightened and glanced in her direction.

  He needed a haircut.

  He was stunning.

  His black hair and eyes gave him away. Ari felt light-headed for a moment.

  It took several seconds before she realized he was only dressed in a pair of sweatpants. Val's probably, because he was the only one tall enough to lend this one clothing.

  Muscles rippled on his torso and arms as he scooted his barstool back and rose. "I'm sorry if this troubles you," he said, his words betraying a slight accent.

  She couldn't place it, as she was still staring—well, gaping might be a better word.

  "We're going to Abilene to get him some clothes to wear," Janie broke the spell as she thumped a cup of coffee on the island. "Drink this, Ari—I think you need it."

  "Oh. Right." Ari moved past the human-looking Mac and lifted the coffee cup with a murmured, "Thanks." She didn't take the seat next to Mac's.

  No.

  Ari settled on a barstool two down from his. Deliberately, she
avoided his gaze while sipping coffee. Turning to look at him could cause her to choke, and embarrassment wasn't anything she wanted for herself at the moment.

  "No sleep, eh?" Mac rumbled.

  "It's not a good idea to talk to Ari before she's had her first cup," Nico advised.

  "Oh. Right."

  At least he doesn't struggle with the words, like raven Mac, Ari thought as she drank more coffee. The warm brew slowly woke her brain and cleared away the cobwebs from too little sleep.

  Janie said Abilene instead of Fort Worth for the shopping trip. Didn't matter; the ranch was roughly halfway between, with an hour's drive east or west.

  "We'll be okay going to Abilene for the day," Nico said. "We need burner phones and a few other things, too."

  "Janie, you are not paying for this," Ari rose to pour more coffee in her mug.

  "I'm not. That vampire gave Nico a credit card last night, and a list of things to get for him and the others, too," Janie told her.

  "Never thought I'd see the day when vampires would be staying here with our blessing," Mary Kate met Ari halfway with the coffeepot. "I admit, having one of them out there watching for the Franks was more than welcome."

  "Somebody guarded the western fence line?" Ari didn't hide her surprise.

  "Sure did. Watched the Franks house all night, to make sure nobody sneaked out," Mary Kate filled Ari's mug, gave her a tight smile and went back to making breakfast.

  "Val was grateful, actually," Janie said. "He just had to warn the ranch hands to stay away from the area."

  "Val's hands have been patrolling that fence, haven't they?" Ari settled on her barstool.

  "Yes, and it's tiring. Last night, Renault gave them a break."

  "Here's to Renault, then," Ari lifted her coffee mug in a toast to the vampire guard.

  "If anything came out of that house, Renault would have called for Alejandro," Mac said. Ari briefly considered that his voice reminded her of warm caramel, poured over the best pecans Texas could produce.

  "I'm starved," Ari sighed as she drank more coffee. It was evident from the way her thoughts had turned to food.