The Raven Series 2 (10 page)

No matter how much I bucked, the beast wasn’t going anywhere. He was too big, too muscular. He had a paw on either side of my head, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth onto my neck, and the heat of his pants lapped over my face. I couldn’t see a way out of this predicament. But that was my first problem. I was thinking like a human, not like a banshee.

And that was the moment I ceased my struggles. My poor body was spent anyway and welcomed the release. I used what energy I had left to lift my hand. Fear coated the back of my throat, but my wits slowly returned. My hand outstretched, locking onto the center of the wolf’s underbelly. I was sweating and whimpering, but I held steady.

My whole body tensed with shock as prickling white tendrils of power radiated down my arm and past my fingertips. The wolf threw its head back, a mangled howl unleashing from its mouth. I watched enthralled as the white ribbons wove from my skin onto the wolf’s, swarming his heart. Crash’s animal form went stiff.

“Piper,” Zane warned in the background.

I heard him, but his voice was as distant as if he was on the other end of an alley, but I understood what he was cautioning. If I weren’t careful, I could take Crash’s soul. That was a sobering thought.

With more effort than it had taken to paralyze the wolf, I disengaged my fingers from the wolf’s silky fur, but even as I let go, something was building inside me. It scared me. His head lobbed to one side, and the weight of his lifeless body crushed mine. Unable to take the pressure building inside me, I screamed. Long and loud.
Whoosh
. Air expelled from my lungs in a force I didn’t know was possible and hit the wolf in the chest.

His body went flying backward and landed several feet away. I scooted up, inhaling a shaky breath and staring at the unmoving animal form of Crash. My hands were trembling, not because I was afraid the wolf might wake, but of myself, of what I’d been able to conjure. I wasn’t even sure what I’d done, but the magic of being a banshee sang in my blood.

I watched as the wolf’s lean yet robust body wavered and slowly turned back into a man. “Holy crap,” I whispered, stumbling to my feet. Several other curses were let loose.

Zane’s smile was infectious, the little specks of blue in his eyes vibrant and alive. “Like a dull knife sitting in a drawer, you just needed to be sharpened up.”

I didn’t know whether to hate him or thank him.

Crash sat on the floor, appearing to have been knocked into a stupor.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound came from behind me. I lifted my head, turning it over my shoulder to see a grinning Zander saunter down the metal staircase. He looked as if he’d just come from a business meeting, dressed in khakis and a button-down blue shirt, the sleeves rolled below the elbows.

“Wow. That’s one heck of a sonic boom you got there,” he complimented. “I think that’s a first. I’ve never seen anyone actually force a shifter to change back to their human form.”

Is that what I did? Compelled Crash out of his wolf form? Huh.

“She’s a quick learner once she gets her bearings,” Zane said. There was an allusion of pride on his lips.

Zander’s sky-colored eyes landed on mine. “Death will be pleased to hear you’re progressing.”

“Are you in charge of giving him my daily report?” I asked, slightly snippier than I’d intended. In my defense, I was kind of shaken up. My hands trembled faintly.

“Weekly. Not daily.”

With Zane I could always tell when he was being a smartass. I wasn’t there with Zander. Or maybe I took Zander more seriously. Either way, a puzzling look furrowed my forehead as I sorted out how to respond.

“I’m kidding,” Zander said before I gave myself a brain aneurism. “You done for the day? Or did you want to wipe Crash’s face with the floor once more?”

“He’s going to be okay, right?” I asked, glancing down again at Crash, who was staring off into la-la land. My fingers and arms were still tingling with a power that both frightened and thrilled me.

Zane gave a halfhearted shrug. “He’ll live, if that’s what you mean. And if he doesn’t, no one will miss him.”

My eyes tapered to a glare.

“He’s joking,” Zander assured.

“Is he?” I mumbled, unconvinced.

“We can’t really be sure, can we?” Zander winked.

“You’ll want to do him in yourself, Brother, once Piper tells you what Crash was up to last night,” Zane blabbed.

I clenched my jaw. What a narc. “People in prison get shanked for less.”

Amused, Zander started walking backward toward the stairs. “Then for Crash’s sake, she better fill me in on the way.”

The mysterious Irish lilt in his tone piqued my interest. “On the way where?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he said.

Any place would be better than here. I was done with the training yard. “Now might be a good time to tell you I hate surprises.” I glanced over my shoulder at Zane before we left. He was looming over Crash. Shadows surrounded him, so I couldn’t see his face. As much as I wanted to get out of here, I thought twice about leaving him alone with a dazed Crash.

Chapter 10

“How’s it going? The training?” Zander asked when we were comfortably sitting in his car, a convertible of sorts.

“Just peachy,” I answered, hanging my arm on the window ledge. “My butt has become quite acquainted with the mats.”

Zander laughed softly. The balmy breeze played with the curls at the nape of his neck. “We’ve all been there.”

Reaching behind my head, I tugged the hair tie from my ponytail and shook out my hair, letting the wind whip through it. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Are you kidding? When we were growing up, Zane made it his personal mission to best me at everything.”

That I could believe. “He does seem like a try-hard.”

Zander laughed, and it was a nice sound. Just nice. No tingles. No heart palpitations. No blood rushing. Those were only reserved for the rare times Zane truly let go.

He pulled up to Inside Scoop, a local ice cream shop. Nothing fancy, only a walk-up window with outdoor seating, but the lack of bells and whistles had no impact on the taste or the local joint popularity. TJ and I had come once for a nighttime treat. My little brother had a weakness for ice cream. I had a weakness for anything sweet. I wasn’t picky.

“This
is
a nice surprise,” I said, smiling.

His gaze flicked to the left, meeting mine. “I figured you deserved a treat. And it gives us a few minutes alone.”

For more than a moment, I’d forgotten that Zander and I were supposed to be
seen
together. The smile on my lips lost some of its luster, but I kept it firmly in place. Then I saw the buckets of creamy goodness and my stomach rumbled. Any feelings I had about Zander and me took a back seat to ice cream. There were so many choices. Mountain berry, coffee and donuts, and my personal favorite, ooey gooey butter cake. I settled for a cherry vanilla waffle cone dipped in chocolate sprinkles. What was ice cream without sprinkles?

I trailed behind Zander as he steered us away from the cluster of empty tables and toward a spot under a tree. If it wasn’t for the fifties music playing softly in the background, the silence between us would have been unbearable.

Things were already strange between us. He was my fiancé and I knew next to nothing about him, other than he was a reaper and had an extraordinarily hot brother. None of the little things like what his favorite color was or favorite food. I didn’t even know his middle name.

I dug into my cone like a girl who starved herself. Apparently, I had worked up more of an appetite than I thought. And man was it delicious. He dipped his spoon into a cup of strawberry shortcake concoction, and I wondered if he was the kind of guy who was okay with sharing food.

Glancing up, I found Zander watching me with a hooded smile. “What?”

“You have a little something just here,” he said, using his index finger to indicate a spot below his lip.

I rubbed at my mouth. “Better?”

“Not quite.” Smiling, he extended his arm, brushing the pad of his thumb at the corner of my lip. “Sprinkle.”

Heat crept across my face. “Thanks.” It was a different sensation having Zander touch me. There wasn’t the instant zap that happened with Zane. This was much, much more subdued, but enough to tell me he wasn’t human.

“We’ve never really gotten a chance to
talk
,” he said between bites. “I know things have been crazy since you got here, and I imagine you must feel like your entire life has been shaken up in a cement mixer.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” I said, taking a lick off the side of my cone, although my appetite seemed to have vanished, thanks to my stomach being full of knots.

His back was pressed up against the tree trunk. “I don’t want things to be weird between us or for there to be any misconceptions.”

I could respect that and gave him props for being the kind of guy who was up-front. It was a quality I admired. “I don’t want that either.”

“Things are complicated for us. We never had a say in our future. Both of us are expected to do our duty. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say it doesn’t suck that you have a bond with Zane. I want you to know that I understand what is between you and him.”

My lashes lowered, fanning over the tops of my cheeks. “At least one of us does, because it confuses the hell out of me.”

He gave a short laugh. “I can see how it would. Even without the link between your souls, Zane is not an easy person to understand.”

“Good, so it’s not just me.”

“No,” he said, smiling. “My brother is…complicated.”

I frowned. “That’s putting it nicely.”

He chuckled. “I guess it is. You’re much easier to talk to when you don’t have that wall up.”

My tongue darted over the rim of the cone, licking a dribble of ice cream before it ran down my hand. “It’s difficult to trust people. Lately, I never know who is going to stab me in the back. Literally.”

“Understandable, considering who you are. But I hope, over time, I will earn your trust. I can be an ally if you let me. And a friend.”

“I would like that.” Seeing as we would be spending the rest of our lives together, it seemed wise that Zander and I be friends at the very least. It would make the years to come easier on both of us, and maybe…we would find more. However unlikely it seemed at this moment.

“Good. Then I would like to make a promise to you, and I hope you will do the same.”

I was listening. I owed him that much.

“I won’t lie to you, and I ask you to do the same. Even if you think it might hurt me or make me angry, I’d rather us be open and honest.”

“I can do that.”

“There is a lot of pressure on both of us, pressure neither of us asked for. And before things go any further, I need you to know—”

“Oh God,” I interrupted. “You’re in love with someone else?” My mind was jumping all over the place.

He chuckled. “No, Piper. There is no one in my life right now. What I was going to say is that I won’t hold you to our engagement.”

Air stalled in my lungs. “Huh? I don’t think I understand.”

He twirled his spoon around in the cup. “I’ve been thinking about it, about us, about our future. And I can’t be the guy that you’re stuck with. The guy you’re forced to marry out of duty. I don’t think either of us wants to be the runner-up spouse.”

“Zander, I—”

“No lies, remember?” he interrupted.

I nodded, closing my mouth.

“Look, I’m not saying we call it all off and cause an outright panic or worse. I’m just saying you take a little time and think about what you want. And no matter what your choice is, I will support you and stand by your side. Friends?”

“Friends.” He was impossible to dislike. I sat up a little straighter. “Do you honestly think there is a way to stop the uprising without us marrying?”

“I don’t know. But I am willing to take the risk. For you,” he said.

Feeling slightly off kilter, I asked, “Why would you do that?”

“Believe it or not, Piper, you have more people that care for you than you think.”

“And your father is okay with this?”

Zander grinned. “Hell no.”

The bubble of hope inside me that had been escalating deflated.

“Don’t look so glum. He might be Death, but you’re the White Raven. Whether you believe in yourself or not, your word is the ultimate ruling. And when do children ever do as their parents say?”

Zander had given me a lot to think about, although it was something I’d already been considering. Another way. “You’re a good guy. Too good.”

“That proves how much we don’t know each other.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him there was only room for one bad boy in the family, and he didn’t qualify.

***

I was a girl no more. From the evening my mother had died, my destiny had been sealed. Bound by blood and oath to protect what I was—a banshee—and rule. Come hell or high water, I was going to do my best to make Rose and my mother proud.

Even with the knowledge of what I was and the power still tingling on my fingertips, a part of me wanted to end my time on Raven Hallow. The girl inside me yearning for home, the familiar scents of cinnamon and apples, the worn couch in our small family room, and knowing Parker was downstairs if I needed a shoulder to cry on.

Yet, for the first time, both the woman and the banshee craved to be stronger. The taste of power was still warm in my blood and trembled to fully embrace what was mine by birth and right.

Still buzzing, I needed to feel free, not cooped up in the manor. So I steered my Jeep toward the ocean in search of seclusion, and myself.

The water, the quiet, and the gentle rocking of the waves reminded me of the last time I had a truly happy day with my mother.

She’d looked beautiful, I remembered, the firelight casting a glow over her skin. The whole family had been there, including Parker, sitting around the fire on our roof deck, roasting marshmallows and listening to my parents take turns telling tales of their youth—how they met and such.

I never imagined in less than a month she would be gone from my life forever. Killed by the very thing she’d run from—had hidden from me my entire life.

A prickle skirted down my spine as I dug my toes into the sand, resting my chin on my knees, and a great need to see her one last time overwhelmed me. The water lapped over my feet, and I stared into the deep blue ocean.

My mother smiled at me.

I blinked.

Her shinning emerald eyes shone over the calm waters. Those eyes became her face, and then she was walking out of the sea-foam straight toward me.

“Mom?” I asked, hesitantly. I knew to not always trust my eyes. I’d had a similar vision once, which turned out to be a Red Hawk hell-bent on killing me.

The hawk had met an unfortunate demise, and I’d taken her soul.

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, careful not to make any sudden movements. “Is it really you?” I choked, disbelief clouding my eyes. I expected any second for her pretty face to morph into someone else’s.

She nodded, her face glowing in the moonlight.

“How is this possible?”

“Your powers and your great need to see me brought my spirit.” The sound of her sweet voice was just as I remembered.

Tears wanted to come, blurring my vision of her as she wavered in front of me. I willed them away, needing to see her clearly. Blonde hair fell freely down her back, her eyes filled with love. And the power I never knew she possessed surrounded her. I felt it.

“Why did you never tell me what I was?” It was the one question plaguing my mind, but I never thought I would get the chance to ask.

The lines she always used to complain about around her mouth softened. “Oh, my love, my sweet girl. I wanted nothing more than to keep you from this world, and it was naïve of me to think you could escape destiny. Or that I could run from mine.”

Motherly instinct to protect her daughter, I understood, but I had always thought our relationship had been more than that. She had been my best friend. “Why didn’t you fight them, fight to stay with me?” I didn’t know the exact details of what happened the night she’d been murdered, only what the police had told my father, but I realize now, it wasn’t the truth.

“If I could have, I would have given up more than my life, more than my powers. So much more to save you, Piper.”

“I miss you so much.”

I felt her lips on my cheek, her warmth as she enfolded me in her arms, and her scent, light floral, flirted in the air. For just a moment, I closed my eyes and was a child again.

My chest ached. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

In the mists of the ocean she glowed, silver-edged, veins white like mine. “Remember you are not alone. I am ever with you, in your blood, in your heart, in your power. You will know what to do when the time comes. Trust your heart.”

My heart? What was she saying? “I want to be brave and strong like you and Rose. I will be, for TJ. I will protect him. I swear it. But I’m scared. I don’t want to fail.”

“We all have fears and regrets. Use that fear to harvest your powers. You’re not just a banshee. You’re the White Raven.”

“Everyone keeps telling me that, but I don’t know what being a banshee means.”

“I renounced my heritage, refused what was mine by right. I can only say how sorry I am for hiding what you are. I wanted to give you a happy life, free from death and the darkness for as long as possible. I wanted to give you the light, my daughter. And when the time came, I would have let you choose.” She held out her palm, the veins shining through the mist.

I joined my hand with hers, feeling a quick jolt of energy. “I don’t think I would have chosen this.”

She smiled. “And what of Zane?”

My eyes widened. “You know about Zane and me?”

“I can see what is in your heart. Your soul calls to his. Together you’re more powerful. You’ll protect each other. Trust what you are. It is enough.”

It seemed so simple. A wave rushed over my ankles, splashing up over my legs, and just like that, the vision was gone, as was my mom. Seeing her disappear again was painful, but it had been an opportunity I never thought I would have, at least not while I was still breathing.