by Angel Lawson
Something inside me cracks, a jagged edge that cuts to the bone. I sway and Clinton draws an arm around my shoulder. Terrified, I ask anyway, “With what?”
“You infected him, Morgan. With the Darkness.”
Chapter 21
Dylan
Earlier That Night…
Gifted with intuition and instinct, I know the minute dinner is over that Morgan has plans. She leaves the dining room quickly, declining dessert. We stare at one another for a moment and excuse ourselves. We all have work to do and mine, first and foremost, is to make sure Morgan is safe.
I’m aware she’s longing to leave the house. I’m also aware of Anita’s visit earlier in the day. I’m not surprised when she exits her room after dinner, dressed to go out.
I am stunned by her beauty.
Her legs.
Her hair.
The curves of her hips and the swaying fringe of her dress as she walks down the stairs.
I watch as Damien speaks to her. I watch Sam watch her. The second she touches the doorknob, I’m gone, shifted into my original form. Sleek feathers. Sharp beak. Wide wings.
I alight from the window in my room.
*
I’m the only guardian that has retained the ability to shift from raven to man. As the sentinel, it’s my job to keep a close eye. I trust Morgan. I have faith in her, but the Darkness is powerful.
It will take a champion to resist the Morrigan’s tests. They’ll come in a variety of forms. Money. Success. Beauty. The Darkness will take any slip to work her evil and since Morgan is not fully reinforced with the help of a mate, a breach is likely.
I follow the cab through the city streets, landing on a water tower when it stops. Morgan exits the car and meets with her friend. There’s a man with them—I sense a familiarity with Anita. I also feel Clinton nearby.
From my perch above the city, I wait.
*
The Darkness rose while Morgan was inside the building. Now, she’s on the street below, in the shadows of the alley. Her lust and desire are amplified. I expect Clinton to follow her outside—he’d triggered something—but it isn’t him. It’s the blond.
I’m about to shift when the door opens. Clinton performs his duty and sends Morgan home, following soon after. The other man? The one she kissed? Something has transpired. I feel it.
Pushing off the ledge I fly through the city, following a different cab to a different place. There, the man is helped inside by his sister. I can smell the death on his skin already.
It’s familiar.
It’s ancient.
It’s the Darkness.
Chapter 22
Morgan
The guardians are already in the library when I arrive. Clinton shuts the door behind me and I make uneasy eye contact with each man before finding my seat.
“What happened?” I ask, feeling the dull ache of concern in my chest.
“The Darkness jumped the barrier.”
“I felt her,” I confess. “Something happened with Clinton’s music and it’s like I just slipped. I could hear her speaking to me. It was like she was there. Xavier and I got caught up in it. She disappeared when Clinton arrived.”
“When you were in the alley with Xavier you scratched him on the neck. It seems that was all it took to infect him with an illness.”
“What kind of illness?” I ask. The blood drains from my face. “Is it the plague? The flu? Ebola?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Has it spread?” I look around the room. The guardian’s faces are strained with worry. “Can it spread?”
“We just don’t know yet but we’ll make every effort to contain it,” Dylan replies. “This can’t happen again, Morgan. You’ve got to fight harder.”
His words hit me like a slap. “Do you think I’m not? That I’m slacking off?”
“You snuck out of the house!” he rages—raising his voice in a way I’ve never heard before. “You risked everything for a little play time. Some leisure. Not to mention hooking up with another man.”
“Dylan!” Sam says, rising from his chair. “She didn’t do anything wrong.”
I stand and push Sam out of the way. Bunny sits on the couch, looking as though he’d like to disappear. “Don’t you dare suggest I’m not committed. It’s all I do. I train. I study. I balance and expend my energy trying to keep the Darkness at bay. I have other obligations. I had a life before I came here. I have friends, or at least I’m trying to. And I never would have gone to that club if you’d been honest with me and told me Clinton would be there. It’s like I walked into a fucking landmine. I stepped on a mine and the whole place blew up. Don’t blame that on me.”
To my surprise it’s Bunny who stands up and makes an attempt to diffuse the situation.
“This isn’t helping,” he says. “There’s a man dying and he could be patient zero. Fighting about it is not going to fix this.”
“What do we need to do?” I ask, thankful for a little logic.
“Damien and I go over and try to help Xavier,” he says, and Damien nods in agreement. He looks at Dylan. “Go do what you do best—research the hell out of this. See if we can stop it.”
Dylan reluctantly nods.
“Clinton, fortify the armory. We may need it.”
“Got it.”
“Sam, get on the street. Start taking photos. Make sure we aren’t missing something big coming our way.”
“Good idea.”
“And what about me?” I ask.
“You need to rest. Recharge. Your mission hasn’t changed—it’s only sped up. You’ll have to choose a mate, Morgan. Now.” His copper eyes hold mine. Clinton said it earlier. I know it in my heart. It’s time.
They file out of the room and I should follow—go to my room and rest—but I don’t. I sit back on the leather couch.
I feel a tickle in my ear. A soft whisper. There must be a way to figure out who is my match. Who is my one. The voice makes a suggestion, like a thought popped suddenly in my head.
My eyes scan the books around the library. The answer must be in here. I touch the rune over my heart. It must be in here as well.
As though I’m guided by an unseen spirit, I walk across the room to a thick book with a black, peeling spine. I pull it from the shelf and take it to the table. On the cover in faded gold is a woman surrounded by her five crows.
I open it up and read.