Nevermore

by J. C. McKenzie

  “Yes,” he said. “I would.”

  Chapter Four

  “I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.”

  ~ Clarence Darrow

  The doorbell rang and Raven’s alcohol induced calm fled from her body like rats from a burning house. Behind her, somewhere down the hall and around the corner, Mike and their younger sister Juni argued about whether pineapples should be allowed on pizza while Mom puttered around in the kitchen. Cutlery clinked and dishes clanked, and the heavenly smell of roast beef wafted through the warm house.

  Raven swallowed the lump in her throat and walked toward the front door. Why was she so nervous?

  She wanted Cole. She wanted him so badly it hurt. What if he no longer wanted her? Her hair curled as she closed the distance to the front entrance, already responding to the dark fae energy on the other side. If Cole wasn’t interested, why would he come to dinner?

  Grow a pair, Crawford and keep your chin up. Raven heard Grandma Lu’s voice as if the old woman stood right beside her instead of six feet under the ground.

  She swung open the door.

  Not Cole.

  Her brain stumbled. Like a car on the highway with a failing timing belt, it faltered and turned over a couple of times before chugging along.

  Her twin brother, Bjorn Crawford, stood on the landing, hand clasped with the beautiful woman standing beside him. Tall, wide and built like a professional swordsman, if that was still a thing, her brother earned his childhood nickname with his physical presence alone. Her brother’s Otherworld magic brushed against her skin and bolstered her own power.

  A month ago, another dark fae lord named Bane, hired Bear to steal the Claíomh Solais from Cole. When Bear discovered the “object of power” was actually Chloe, he refused to hand her over and tried to hide them both from the Lord of War instead. Somewhere in that process, the chronic dater fell in love with the dark fae woman and as far as Raven could tell, Chloe felt the same.

  “Bear!” Raven beamed.

  When her wayward twin “stole” from Cole, he started a chain of events that nearly cost them all their lives. Well, no. Not quite. The theft nearly cost Raven her life and everyone else their freedom.

  “Hey, Rayray.” Bear let go of Chloe Camhanaich’s hand, stepped forward and enveloped Raven in his beefy arms. He gave the best bear hugs, but he wasn’t named for them. Mom gave him a Scandinavian name to pay homage to her sperm donor’s heritage—which, up until recently, was a complete unknown. The only information they gleaned from Mom was his “god-like” appearance. Bjorn and Branwen. Beautiful, well thought out names they both shirked for rather basic nicknames that in hindsight, might’ve been a bit too on the nose.

  Mom was still sour on the name thing, and as it turned out, she wasn’t too far off with the monikers she selected. Their biological father was Odin’s two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, combined. Technically, this made both Raven and Bear grandchildren of the Allfather. Not that it mattered. First, no one had rolled out any red carpets for their royal footsteps to tread down.

  And second, more importantly, Terry Crawford had married their mom when they were young and raised them as his own. He was the only dad they knew and the only dad they needed.

  “Do I want to know why there’s a goat in the yard?” Bear asked.

  “That’s Pepe,” she answered.

  “Of course, it is,” Bear said.

  “I’ll let Dad tell you the story.” She couldn’t explain crazy and do it justice.

  The goat in question bleated in the dark night. Raven peered out into the empty front yard. The cool autumn air brushed against her face. Did those shadows dance in the yard? She stretched and peered over Bear’s bulky shoulders.

  “Expecting someone else?” Bear asked.

  “No, I guess not.” She turned to Cole’s sister and Bear’s girlfriend, wrapped up in one stunning package. “Hey, Chloe.”

  “Greetings, Branwen.” Her lyrical voice tinkled in the air between them like fairy bells. Her voice was as light and magical as her brother’s was deep and seductive. The moonlight shone on her ebony skin and her silver white hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall made of unicorns.

  No wonder Brother Bear was in love. Just seconds in her company and Raven questioned her own sexual orientation.

  “Good to see you again.” Raven opened the door and stepped back to let them in. “And please call me Raven.”

  The ravens perched outside croaked in the night.

  “Yours or Odin’s?” she asked.

  “Mine.” He winked before leaning down to give her a quick peck on the cheek. He led Chloe down the hall toward the kitchen and dining room, his hand protectively placed against her lower back.

  Bear had been a serial dater and a bit of a player before Chloe. He’d never brought a woman home to meet the parents. Ever. The only girlfriend they’d ever met was Megan and only because she was Raven’s best friend. Luckily, their friendship survived the breakup aftermath.

  But it hadn’t ended well, and it hadn’t been pretty.

  “Hey, Mike!” Bear called out to their younger brother. “What do I have to bribe you with to release the hold you placed on my bank accounts?”

  Mike grunted in response.

  That’s right. They’d frozen his accounts when he’d disappeared to flush him out of hiding to make contact with them. It hadn’t worked. By then, the Corvid Queen already had her talons sunk into Bear and Chloe.

  Raven continued to watch Bear and Chloe walk in perfect unison down the hall—like some sort of dance sequence, they seemed in time with each other. Dark energy from the Underworld bounced between them. As she continued to envy her brother’s relationship, she shut the door.

  Thunk!

  The door hit something instead of clicking shut.

  Huh?

  She whirled to the entrance. A black combat boot stopped the door from closing. She swung the heavy door open and followed the foot up the powerful body to the face.

  Her breath caught.

  Cole stood on the threshold to her home. Though he wore a knit sweater with a collared shirt underneath and dark jeans, the night shrouded him like a cloak. The moonlight danced in his silvery dark eyes.

  The air from her lungs escaped in a long sigh. “Cole.”

  “Einin.” He stepped forward and caught a tendril of her hair. His full lips tugged at the corners. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

  Dark where his sister was light and pale where she wasn’t, Cole and Chloe appeared as polar opposites, yet, their powers complemented each other, like some twisted sibling yin and yang from the Underworld. Cole controlled the shadows, and Chloe the light.

  Cole let her hair slip from his fingers.

  Her heart thudded. She licked her lips. “Come on in.”

  Cole strode into the house and his presence made her parents’ hallway shrink and darken.

  The Lord of Shadows sat on the bench in the hall by the door and methodically unlaced and removed his boots before placing them neatly on the mat. What a polite and house-trained assassin. He waited for Raven to close the door. She clicked it shut and waved for him to go ahead. He’d already been here for dinner and knew the way. Besides, if he went first, she could admire the view.

  And what a view it was.

  If she reached out, she could grab—

  Cole stopped abruptly.

  “Oomph.” Her face smooshed into the softness of his sweater. She inhaled the sweet scent of the forest before rocking back. So fixated on his muscled thighs and ass in denim, she ran right into him. He stopped at the end of the hall where it opened to the kitchen and dining room.

  Cole reached behind and held her steady. His large hand splayed against her lower back, hip and a portion of her butt. His dark energy vibrated through her jeans and shirt.

  Heat raced through her veins at the familiarity and potency of his touch.

  “Sorry,” Cole’s deep, hypnotic v
oice curled around her. “I didn’t realize Chloe would be here.”

  Translation: he didn’t know Bear was coming, and he didn’t like it. In all fairness, no one knew Bear planned to grace them with his presence.

  “Brother.” Chloe beamed. The lights on the chandelier above the dining table brightened.

  Cole removed his arm and hand from Raven, leaving her skin cool even under clothes. He walked into the dining room in time to catch his sister in a brief hug.

  “Cole.” Bear stood and offered his hand.

  The Lord of Shadows looked down at her twin’s offered hand as if it contained powdered anthrax.

  “Cole,” Chloe hissed.

  Cole hesitated for another eon. He clasped Bear’s hand. Luckily, they didn’t try to compete for who had the strongest grip. A short brief shake and it ended. A collective breath released from the spectators, including Raven.

  Bear held a seat out for Chloe. She beamed at Raven’s brother and sat down.

  Everyone else’s heads snapped back and forth, watching Cole and Bear, as if watching a high stakes tennis match. Mike’s eyebrows bunched as he watched.

  “You can sit beside me, Cole.” Juni batted her eyelashes. Fifteen going on fifteen, Raven’s sister had learned little of subtlety or controlling her raging teenage hormones. She’d tamed her wild red curls and they framed her pixie-like face in a large halo.

  Cole’s smile returned. “Thank you.”

  “Stop standing around the table. Sit and eat.” Mom walked in from the other room. From her flushed cheeks and watery eyes, Raven would bet her next shift’s tips Mom left to collect herself after Bear sauntered in—with a date, no less.

  “But Dad isn’t home yet.” Mike’s point didn’t stop him from taking a seat to dish a generous heap of mashed potatoes onto his plate.

  “Mrs. Crawford.” Cole stepped forward, took her hand in his own and bent to kiss her fingers.

  Juni sighed, theatrically, somewhere behind Raven. At least she hoped it was her sister. Anyone else and that would just be weird.

  Sweet baby Odin, the whole family was smitten.

  “I’ll get the extra chairs.” Raven hadn’t set a place for Bear or Chloe, but no one in the room would dare give him grief for not calling ahead. This was the first Sunday dinner he’d attended in over a year. If only she’d seen Mom’s face when he first walked in. Her expression now was priceless.

  Dressed in tastefully cut pants and a white blouse, Elizabeth Crawford looked more like a Stepford wife than the backbone of a fox-shifting skulk. Nothing of her polished exterior hinted at her wild child past. She’d partied hard, defied her parents and tested many boundaries, including the one between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld.

  Currently, Mom stood in the kitchen looking as though at any moment she’d burst from happiness or break down in a flood of tears. Or both. She clasped her hands and watched them sit down. Her brood. Her skulk, even though Raven and Bear weren’t fox shifters like the rest of them.

  Mom’s cheeks shone under the soft lighting and her red-rimmed eyes glistened. Aww Mom. Raven’s twin always had a way of inspiring intense emotions in women, their mom was no exception.

  “Where’s Dad?” Juni asked.

  “Surveillance,” Mike answered between mouthfuls of roast beef and mashed potatoes. Savoury-scented steam billowed from the food in the dishes. Not only had he not waited for anyone to dish, but he’d taken Mom at her word and started eating.

  Raven placed an extra chair on each side of the table and took the one beside her twin. Cole dutifully sat on the other side across from her, sitting next to Juni. Her younger sister beamed.

  Raven rolled her eyes and flapped her open hand at Juni. “Hurry up with the corn.”

  Her sister stuck out her tongue before handing over the bowl.

  “This looks delicious, Mrs. Crawford,” Cole said.

  “Please, Beth.”

  Juni choked on her water.

  Mike reached over and patted her back. Hard. Harder than necessary.

  Juni glared at their brother.

  Mike shrugged off the death stare, having already gained immunity from its potency from a lifetime of exposure, and returned to the food in front of him.

  Geez, normally Juni had the insatiable appetite and poor table manners. Mike looked up from his plate and wiped the trail of gravy running down his chin with his shirt sleeve. He’d run a lot of surveillance for Dad, lately. Shifting required massive amounts of energy and burned a lot of calories.

  He did a double take when he caught her staring.

  “What?” he asked around a mouthful of food.

  Chloe laughed. The tinkling bell-like sound chimed like fairies along Raven’s brain cells.

  Everyone froze. Then, in unison, they turned toward Bear’s girlfriend, mouths gaping open.

  Chloe’s laugh cut-off and silence descended on the dining room. “Why is everyone staring at me?” She cast her large beautiful eyes at Bear.

  Her twin frowned.

  “Because.” Mike swallowed his mouthful of food. “Because you’re…”

  “Beautiful.” Juni’s tone didn’t carry the same awe as Mike’s. Nope. Juni sounded bitter.

  Raven sighed. Her sister was that awkward age where she was full of raging hormones that bolstered her confidence one moment and plagued her with self-doubt the next.

  Chloe smiled. “Thank you.”

  Sitting next to Raven, Bear reached for Chloe’s hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. Well, that was new. Not only had he brought home a girlfriend, but he made covert displays of affection. Next, he’d be making out in front of all of them.

  Gross.

  Cole glowered from across the table. He couldn’t possibly see the under-the-table-hand-action, but he’d made no secret of his feelings regarding Bear’s actions, or inactions, when they last met. He’d have killed her twin had they not made a deal. Right now, he looked as though he regretted that promise.

  Chloe beamed at her brother, the brooding Lord of Shadows and everything changed.

  His expression softened.

  Maybe Raven didn’t need to make a deal with Cole or worry about him breaking his promise. With one look from his sister, he backed off. He might’ve spared Bear anyway for Chloe’s sake.

  Huh.

  “So, how’s everything going?” Bear asked, randomly addressing the whole table.

  Forks paused midair while everyone looked at each other.

  Bear shifted in his seat.

  He was trying. He was here. Odin’s ball sack. Someone needed to say something.

  “Well, I had a great day,” Juni declared, apparently recuperating from her earlier jealousy-induced funk.

  “And why’s that?” Raven took a bite of creamy mashed potatoes. Warm buttery goodness coated her mouth. Yum.

  “I finished the shampoo and conditioner at the same time. Do you know how hard that is?” Juni said.

  Mike’s eyes widened. “You need to get a life.”

  “Says the computer geek who lives in his room and flirts with a computer screen. I’ll take my life over yours.”

  “I’m surprised you even notice what I’m up to with all that primping in front of the mirror,” Mike said. “Hair’s still a frizzball, by the way.”

  Juni’s face turned red and she opened her mouth.

  “Children!” Mom’s hand slammed down on the table.

  The front door opened and closed, the tell-tale creak, followed with a swish and click.

  “Finally.” Mom straightened in her seat. “I thought he’d miss dinner altogether.”

  The thump of footsteps travelled down the hall toward them, but Dad didn’t turn the corner to join them.

  Bane, the dark fae Lord of War, strode into the Crawford’s dining room unannounced and uninvited. Dressed in a business suit worth more than her car, the sleek outfit did little to hide the vicious warrior underneath.

  Raven’s mouth dropped open. Some mashed potatoes fell ou
t.

  Cole’s eyebrows shot up and his hand froze with a fork full of roast halfway to his mouth. Not out of fear. From anticipation. The room darkened. Cole pulled the shadows to him and placed the fork on his plate.

  “Well,” Bane’s deep voice rolled over the group. “This is cozy.”

  “What the fuck, dude? You don’t just walk into someone’s house. Haven’t you heard of knocking?” Juni shrieked.

  Holy balls of Odin, her sister had no idea who she just cursed at. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. He was going to smite them all.

  Or at least try.

  “Language!” Mom snapped.

  Oh no. This was happening.

  “Seriously, Mom?” Mike placed his fork down on his plate and slowly reached for his steak knife. He knew who Juni had cursed at. He remembered. “A strange man just walked into our house and you’re worried about swear words?”

  “Well, Juni’s worried about door etiquette.” Raven pointed her fork at Mike and swallowed her mouthful of potatoes. She grabbed her steak knife with her free hand, her heart thumping away. Full panic hadn’t set in yet. Bane was outnumbered. They had Cole and Chloe on Team Crawford.

  Mom stood frozen, clutching a kitchen knife but looking as though she’d prefer a rocket launcher. Her gaze darted to the exits. If Raven strained, she’d probably hear Mom’s escape plan or smell the smoke coming off the wheels in her brain.

  “And he’s not a stranger,” Raven continued. “Everyone, this is Bane, Lord of War. He goes by Luke Bane in the Mortal Realm.”

  Juni paled.

  Bear scowled. “I’d prefer a stranger.”

  Mom didn’t relax.

  Oh for fuck’s sake Bear, shut up. If she hadn’t owed a favour to Bane to spare her twin’s life, he wouldn’t be sitting at this dining table at all. Raven cut a lot of deals to save her twin and she still hadn’t received a thank you card. And flowers. And chocolate.