Grave Omen (Raina Kirkland Book 3)

by Diana Graves

  “Raina,” Raphael whispered in my ear. I hadn’t seen him get up from his chair and walk my way. I was staring at the wood on the table, unfocused on what was happening around me. “You know what needs to be done, don’t you?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You need to end this. These men who are after you, they’re erratic, crazed. You saw what they did to that family. Cut up and thrown in the river. Bullet proof, fire proof, you can’t kill them, Raina. You can’t enter their minds, as Melvern might have you believe. There’s no way out.”

  “Then why are you here? If I’m such a lost cause why are you helping me?”

  Raphael sat on the table and gave me serious eyes. All the sound in the room, everything but the sound of his voice, was gone. “Look around you, Raina. Look at these people, people you love. Would you sacrifice them for yourself? Damon, Alistair, Mato, No? Well, how about Melvern or Ruy, maybe the good detective? You know what those men will do to Fauna, a beauty like her? These men are kept things, beasts unleashed every few millennia.” He leaned in close, “They’d tear Katie apart.”

  I looked at him. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “You’ll protect them? How? With your fire, your mind powers?” he laughed. “You’re weak, you’ve always been weak and you’ll always be weak, Raina. You can’t help it. You were made that way. Not enough of any one thing to do you any good, huh? Not witch enough for magic, not elf enough for your family’s love. Hell, you’re not even a true vampire or a true demigod. You think you can beat these men? You think you can save the people you love? You can’t. They love you. They think you’re smart and powerful, but we both know that’s not true. That image they have of you is a lie. They’re all going to die for that lie, for you. You think you’re worth it?”

  I couldn’t stop the tears falling down my cheeks. Everything he said were things I’d told myself over and over again every day of my life. They were thoughts that festered in my mind. They suffocated me and kept me up at night. When I was a child I had a mantra: “You’re ugly, you’re stupid and nobody likes you.” I’d say this to myself over and over again so that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself and smile, or actually believe someone if they told me I was clever or beautiful. I was taught from an early age to hate myself more than anyone. But Damon’s love, being a mom and hunting had made me think better of myself. Being good at being a mother, lover and bounty hunter gave me a thin layer of hope that acted as a shield against me, protecting me from me. But the enemy was inside. I couldn’t kill her, merely contain her. Raphael’s words were a ballistic missile that shattered that shield. I felt myself falling, crippled, debilitated. The world grew dark and I was a worthless thing. My faults were countless and I was so sorry for every damn one of them.

  “Would you let them die in your place?” he asked me firmly.

  “No!” I cried.

  “Well, then!” he said loudly as he stood. The noise in the room came back like an overwhelming flood that forced me out of my chair and across the room. Admittedly, I moved more to hide the stream of unstoppable tears falling from my eyes. “We’re at an impasse as far as plans of action go, but you are all safe for the time being AND you have a wedding to enjoy!” he said loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Eat and be merry. We can resume this discussion after the wedding, yes?” No one answered him. Alistair was red in the face and Damon was breathing hard. They’d been arguing. Over what, I didn’t know. “Good, we’re finally in agreement.”

  Fillips came to me first and I couldn’t hide my red puffy eyes. The pity on her face made me feel sick.

  “Oh, honey, we’ll get these fuckers. Don’t you worry about it. Look at all the muscle you have; two entire vampire collectives and a police department! We’ll wipe these shits off that map, believe me.”

  COMING TO TERMS

  DESPITE RUY’S INSISTENCE that I was out of the wedding party, Mom and Katie took me shopping for my lavender bridesmaid dress. Coffin Threads Clothing Store had a great many gothic dresses that I actually liked, but after a draining three hours of cheesy dressing room montage, Katie and Mom both agreed on only one dress, and I hated it. It was the twenty-second dress I’d tried on: an orange monstrosity meant for women with daintier frames than my own. The fabric was slinky and it hung on my body like heavy drapes. It was sleeveless and open-backed, which meant I couldn’t wear a bra. Women as busty as me don’t ever go braless. Mom and Katie smiled up at me from their cushy seats, while I frowned at myself in the mirror. I turned to look down at them. Were they seeing the same dress I was? I looked like shit.

  “I can’t do this,” I said. I wasn’t happy, but I couldn’t blame that entirely on a day of having to stare at my butt in an unforgiving mirror. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Raphael said. I was just disgusted with myself in every way.

  Mom walked up to me and turned me around so that I was looking back in the mirror. She was probably the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, one of them at the very least. I was surrounded by beautiful women. Her black and gold hair was braided down, and the golden-brown gown she wore gave her skin a healthy tan look. Standing beside her made me look even worse. With pretty, petite Katie in her knee high stockings, school girl skirt and soft top sitting in the background, I was a total troll. No offense to trolls.

  First Mom tapped my shoulder with her slender wand and my dress bled from orange to a soft purple. Then she put her wand away and grabbed my breasts from behind, lifting them while speaking a Latin sounding word. When she let go they stayed where she placed them. I didn’t even feel the weight of them on my back or shoulders.

  “Okay, I know I suck out loud, but you have got to teach me that!” I said, and I actually smiled.

  “I’ll try, later,” Mom said. “Now take off the dress so that I can buy it.”

  Back in my own clothes (worn jeans and a light sweater) I came back out of the dressing room for the last time. Mom took the dress and left for the cash register while Katie and I hung back. Katie handed me my purse and I shoved my bra into it, still smiling. I didn’t know how long the spell would last, but I’d enjoy every second of it. I felt as if I could go for a run, for fun.

  “That’s the first smile I’ve seen on your face since last night,” said Katie while we walked through the shop, with its dark medieval décor and grunge rock music.

  “Mass-murdering-hit men or no, weightless perky, real double-D’s is nothing to frown at.” As the lucky owner of a pair of lovely supple normal sized breasts, I didn’t think she really understood the gravity of the situation (pun intended) but she laughed all the same.

  It seemed odd that at that moment, while hearing her laugh, I came to the perfect solution, the only solution. I’d moped about all day after crying myself to sleep last night and almost refusing to get out of bed this morning. Frowning and fighting and hiding the random tears behind lies about allergies, of which I have none, it was in the presence of joy that I realized my inevitable fate. I knew what I had to do. In an instant I came to terms with it, and suddenly the weight of my breasts wasn’t the only weight lifted off my chest. It was so simple. The answer to my troubles was right there in front of my face. Raphael hinted at it last night. Well, maybe he did more than hint at it. I’d been pretty dense lately.

  I put my arm around Katie’s shoulders as we approached Mom; happier than I’d been in days.

  “Ready?” Mom asked.

  I smiled, “Yup!”

  “Well, it’s nice to see you in a better mood,” she said.

  Katie was giving me a questioning look and I squeezed my arm around her in a tight hug. “I am happy. I just realized you’re getting married tomorrow, Mom and you, Katie, have a new boyfriend. I have a terrific guy back at the hotel who loves our kids. He’s a great father. You’re all in a really good place right now.”

  “Yeah. I know it sounds silly. I’ve only known him for a week or something, but I think I love Everett,” said Katie with distant eyes.

  “I t
hink he loves you, too,” I said.

  “It’s a good match,” said Mom as she led our way out of the store.

  It was dusk. The sky was massive with multiple layers of pink, orange, dusty blue and purple clouds. The bright sun was falling slowly behind the tall black tree-line. With one arm around Katie’s shoulders and another around my mom’s waist, we walked down the sidewalk holding each other, happy, content. Tomorrow night I’d stand beside Fauna at the altar as Mom married the man of her dreams and then I’d die.

  HER WEDDING

  ALL OF DARKNESS was invited to the wedding, which was being held at the Darkness amphitheater, where grassy stone steps with the random tall tree all led down to a stone stage. I peered out at the sight from Mom’s tent, set up adjacent to Ruy’s just a few feet from the theater. Little white lights were strung up in the trees, creating the illusion of a second starry night that paled in comparison to the real one beyond them. The theater was full and loud with family, friends and an innumerable number of supernatural creatures: forest fairies, nymphs, satyrs and the like. But, mostly vampires were there, both Bastion and Darkness vampires had a heavy presence. Mom and Ruy permitted only a handful of EI officers to actually attend the wedding itself, while the rest patrolled the town and the surrounding forest.

  “Will you let me finish your hair?” Katie complained from behind me. I turned, giving her a sour face, but I let the white fabric of the tent fall back and made my way to the chair in front of her. “I wasn’t done. I just needed to get more orange blossoms,” she said as she set a fresh basket full of them down on the table beside us.

  I watched her in the mirror in front of me. She looked lovely. Her blond hair was curled and braided in such an elegant way, leaving her slender neck long and graceful. Her makeup was tasteful and her dress was a simple green thing, but the design complimented her frame and the color made her large brown eyes look more hazel than strictly brown. I wanted to remember her that way. I tried to memorize the smart look on her face as she considered my hair. With my black locket, I could feel just how content she was, how happy everyone was. This was a joyous night, a perfectly blissful event. No negativity for miles. For an empathetic person like myself, it was heaven.

  Through the mirror I could see Fauna. Aunt Lidia was just finishing her makeup. Fauna’s lavender dress was long sleeved and low in the front, showing off massive cleavage. I smiled at that. Mom specifically asked us to find dresses that showed no cleavage. Big sisters, if they can’t bust your chops, who can?

  Fauna’s hair was braided down over her shoulder with orange blossoms. Her makeup was in soft shades of purple and green and a light shimmering powder added a pearl-like glow to her skin.

  My makeup and skin were given the same treatment, but because my hair was shorter in the back and longer in the front, it was all pinned and braided and curled and set on top of my head in a massive nest of soft dark auburn and tiny white flowers.

  “You’re done,” said Katie. She handed me my bouquet, a flowing mass of purple and white bellflower identical to Fauna’s but much smaller than Mom’s. Her bouquet sat on a pedestal awaiting her hand. Mom was behind a curtain, hidden from all until she made her way down into the amphitheater.

  “Thank you,” I said softly. “You should join Everett outside.”

  “You look beautiful,” she said.

  “You too,” I said before she ducked out of the tent. Lidia left after her and Fauna came to my side.

  Outside the tent we found Melvern and Mato waiting for us. They looked too handsome for words. I’d never seen Melvern wearing so much clothing before. They both wore black tunics and slacks. Mato’s hair was combed straight and lay softly against his back. They looked positively twin-like, save of course for their hair and faces. Mato had a soft feminine beauty and bright eyes. There was nothing feminine or soft about Melvern. Like Alistair, he was very much a manly man.

  Fauna moved toward Mato but I intercepted her by putting my hand out to him and he took it instantly.

  “You’re with me,” Melvern bowed to Fauna and she gladly stepped toward him. He guided her forward toward the theater with one hand in hers and another on her waist, but he smiled back at me. With the sort of thoughts running through my mind I was glad I was wearing the locket. With it I could block his intrusive mind.

  Mato brought my attention back to him with a soft kiss on my knuckles. He was a complicated man; one part courageous, one part resilient, one part lover, two parts fool. I couldn’t help it. I did love him, just as he loved me in his own way. I ran my fingers against his jaw and then through his soft black hair. I kissed him and it was a simple kiss on his cheek.

  “Raina?” he began but I stopped him with a finger against his lips and led us to where Melvern and Fauna were standing.

  I couldn’t tell anyone, or they would stop me, but this was me saying goodbye. This morning I woke and held my baby. I fed her while it was still dark and let her sleep on my chest until Thomas woke. I took him down to the dining room for breakfast and afterward, I left him and the baby with Katie before going back up to the room. I showered and dried myself, and then I laid my warm clean body against Damon. I woke him with gentle kisses and we made love again. It was soft and slow and all about the feel of skin touching skin and the love we shared. Throughout the day I made a point to see everyone and say farewell in my own way. I made a mental note to dance with Alistair just once before I left.

  The music started and we began to walk down the steps to the stage arm in arm with all eyes on us. The music was all harps and flutes played by the masters of such things, satyrs. Olathia was center stage; all her hair was wild and moving in the light wind. She wore only strips of sheer fabric that covered her breasts. More strips of cloth were attached to a metal belt around her hips and they too fluttered in the wind like her hair.

  Just as we approached the stage the sizeable audience let out a collective sound of awe. I looked up before letting go of Mato’s arm. Mom was walking down with Ruy holding her hand. She was brilliant, a vision in white. There was floral embroidery along the bottom of the flowing gown and down the long train. The white silky corset emphasized her dramatic natural hour glass figure and her long gold and black hair was held back by a twisted sliver headpiece that shined in the moonlight. Her large black eyes were made a striking centerpiece via artfully applied makeup. Her bouquet was like my own, a cascading arrangement of white and purple bellflowers, yet hers was larger still and contained brilliant rich smelling lavender. Next to her Ruy looked mundane in his black tunic and braided hair.

  Again, Mato got my attention with a kiss. This time it was on my cheek. I looked at him, his eyes inches from mine, and I knew he saw the sadness I was hiding and trying my best to ignore. I heard the question before he spoke it.

  “I’m fine,” I lied and I let go of his arm and stood beside Fauna.

  Mom and Ruy arrived on stage and the ceremony began. Olathia played her part well and Mom and Ruy delivered written personal vows that pulled at my heart strings and forced tears from my eyes. Several times throughout I caught Mato staring at me. Looking out over the people sitting before us, I found Damon and the kids. I didn’t want to die, but I would for them. For my children, I’d die a thousand times.

  Ruy and Mom said their “I do’s.” They kissed and the stadium went mad with applause. Back up out of the amphitheater the party roared on for hours. We ate, we danced, and I got my picture taken so frequently that I was temporally blinded while I made my way back to the hotel by myself. I left Damon dancing with Isobel, Katie with Everett, Mom with Ruy and Fauna with Thomas. If I didn’t sneak away then I’d never leave.

  “Raina!” I turned to find Alistair walking far behind me. “Raina!” he called after me again when I kept walking. He caught up with me in an instant. “Where are you going?” he asked me. I looked at him and he looked breathtaking. The moonlight gave his pale skin an almost burning glow, and his golden locks looked so touchable. I was going to die soon
and the least I could do was admit I loved him. I loved Damon, too. How did this happen, falling for two men? Maybe three, if you counted the love I still had for Mato. But I didn’t have time for this love stuff anymore. A kiss, maybe, if he let me. One last kiss.

  Without answering him I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled his face down to mine while I got up on my tip toes and I kissed him. It was an explosion of pent up desire released in a single moment. His lips melted into mine as he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me as though I were weightless. I held his head in my arms and let go of all inhibitions.

  “I love you,” he said into the kiss, and I kissed him harder still.

  Eventually I took my lips from his. “I love you, too,” I said breathlessly, my chest rising and falling like mad. My lips and hands were trembling. I wish I had had the guts to do that years before. Why only then, at the end of all things, was I brave enough? It seemed cruel.

  “Don’t cry,” he said, and he whipped the tears from my cheeks.

  I didn’t know how I was going to get rid of him so that I could get to my car and drive away. As Raphael said, I was a two trick pony, and I only had one trick to use right then, but I wasn’t sure it’d work on a master vampire. I grabbed my locket and closed my eyes. Without saying a word I commanded Alistair to put me down and go back to the party. It was only a thought put into his mind, but it had all the power I could muster, all the command I had backed by the power of a locket made by the hand of a god. I opened my eyes when I felt him setting me down. His eyes were downcast as he let me go and walked away.