Coven of the Raven: box set

by Shona Husk

  What was wrong with her? Her limbs were like lead.

  Neither of them moved. She tried to lift her hand, but it was far too much effort.

  “This some kind of side effect?”

  “Yeah. You can’t defy gravity, merely delay its effects.”

  “Not great if you have bad guys with guns trying to kill you.” They couldn’t even move, so running was out of the question.

  “This is the coven building. The whole thing is warded.”

  “So was your apartment.” She found the energy to roll onto her side and lift the sunglasses off his face. “So, what do these do?”

  “Cosima…” But his attempt to grab them was too slow.

  She slipped them on. “Whoa.” Sunglasses off it was dark, sunglasses on and it was daylight. She repeated it several times. “How is that even possible?”

  “Magic.”

  She glared at him, the effect totally hidden by the sunglasses. “It’s amazing. Did you do it?”

  “Of course.”

  “And the jumping thing?”

  “Yes. Witches generally create their own spells. It’s really hard to give a spell to another. I’ve given stuff to my coven members, but I know them, and they know me so it’s a little easier. But other people’s spells feel different. It’s not like picking up a fork and knowing what to do with it.” He propped himself up on his elbow and lifted the sunglasses off her nose. “Too long and you’ll get a headache.”

  “I was able to use the glasses.” He was close to her now. Only a couple of inches between her lips and his.

  “Yeah. They were already activated.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Try now.”

  She put them on, and everything got darker. The magic was gone. “So, a sword with magic…that’s constantly activated.”

  “No. It’s a different kind of magic. Swords and other weapons and regalia usually have qualities like bravery, or honesty, or truth. Things you want in a leader or a warrior. Others are activated by the user’s emotions. Or blood. Some need a spell to wake.”

  “Like a kiss?”

  “A kiss?”

  She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. For a few moments, nothing else existed. He kissed her back, lips moving, opening. He was the same man she’d fallen in love with years ago. Her anger at him had faded over time, because a part of her still loved him. She’d been angry at herself. At everyone after leaving him. The end being for the best had been a lie.

  “This is a bad idea,” he murmured without pulling away.

  “People were just shooting at us. If I’m going to be killed, I’d like to break the current drought.” Her body knew his kiss and wanted more. She wanted everything.

  “Deal with the fall out if we survive?”

  “Something like that.” She pushed him onto his back and moved over him. She wasn’t worried about getting pregnant and had the rod in her arm to prove it, but she didn’t want to risk any other surprises. “Don’t suppose you packed anything in your bugout bag?”

  “No…but if we go inside there’s condoms in my desk drawer.”

  “Of course, there are.” He’d always had someone and that hadn’t changed. She wasn’t jealous…she was using him tonight.

  “They’re very useful for containing magic.”

  “Uh-huh. Is that what you call it?”

  He pushed her off. “Some spells are best carried. A little powder or liquid in the pocket. No one wants to be carrying around glass vials and shit in the middle of a fight.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “The first time a vial gets crushed in your pocket, or you cut yourself on fine shards of glass, you learn quick. I need a carrier, and they are cheap and readily available.” He shrugged. “It’s not classy or particularly magical but it works.”

  She sat back on her heels. “It’s a really clever solution. All this stuff…you’ve really thought it out.” He didn’t hope for the best the way he once had. While he talked about not having much magic, what she’d seen was amazing and clever. And so very Sawyer.

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Because I had to. The others don’t need the props.”

  He groaned as he stood, and so did she. “I feel a hundred.”

  “It’ll be worse tomorrow.”

  “Ugh. My thighs.”

  “Yeah. Still want to get naked?”

  “Yes.” She slipped her arm around him and stole a kiss. “Unless you’re too sore.”

  “I’m never too sore, except…” He glanced at her. “You don’t need to hear that story.”

  “Probably not.” She picked up her bag. “Tell me we don’t have to jump down.”

  “No, I’ll have to recharge the spell. We’re going to climb down the fire escape. Quietly or the people that live in the building will want to know why we’re sneaking around.” He led the way, sunglasses on, scanning the street for guys with guns. Only when he was happy did they put their feet on the ground and go in the front door.

  He disarmed the alarm and locked the door behind him but didn’t turn on any lights. She held his hand and followed. The familiar feeling of sneaking around with him and stealing moments together brought a smile to her lips. Being with Sawyer was always fun. The more trouble they were in, the more fun they had.

  No one had ever tried to kill her so directly before, but the fear was buried beneath the exhilaration of the magic, the adrenaline of the escape, and the desire to have him in her hands again.

  He opened his office door and pulled her in, shutting the door and kissing her as they dropped their bags. His fingers were in her hair, beneath her shirt. She wasn’t wearing any underwear and she was in his clothes. Her nipples tightened. He kissed down her neck sucked on one peak through the fabric of the T-shirt like he remembered what she liked. He couldn’t possibly; it was too long ago and too many lovers ago, for both of them.

  She pushed him backward, toward his desk, flicking off his sunglasses as they went so they were both in the dark, and kissing him hard. His teeth on her lip and her nails on his skin. She wanted to remember every nip and moan. His hands palmed her ass and slid into her shorts as he pulled her against him.

  Some parts of him were definitely not affected by the forget-about-gravity-for-a-moment spell. He wasn’t wearing underwear either. Why had she bothered sleeping in the spare bed when she could’ve been in his?

  He yanked open a drawer and rummaged around until he pulled out the box. She took it out of his hands, tugging out a ribbon of condoms before dropping the box and tearing one off.

  He spun her to face the desk. “Yeah? Still like it?”

  She put one hand on the desk and glanced over her shoulder at him. He did remember.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Her shorts were dragged down, then he was kissing up her leg and she couldn’t get the condom open. His tongue was on the back of her thigh distracting her completely. Then he was tasting her, his tongue dipping into her, and she never wanted to get the condom open. He was too good with his tongue and she wanted to sink into the moment.

  Lust build hot and heavy in her belly. His fingers slid into her and she came with a moan that was torn form her lungs.

  “Anytime now would be nice.” He kissed her lower back, his fingers sliding in and out, rubbing her clit.

  She drew in a breath and fumbled with the packet before handing it back to him. “You’ll be quicker.”

  And he was, sinking into her in only a few heartbeats later. She groaned, enjoying that first sensation of being filled. His hands were on her hips as he thrust, fingertips pressing against her skin. She rocked back to meet him each time, needing to reach the edge again and feeling it sharpen against her skin. She reached down to touch herself, slick and hard. It was enough to push her over. She moved faster, chasing another, and he matched her rhythm. Her body shook as she came again. His grip tightened and he gave a final thrust.

  Her breath was little more than hard pants. She dropped onto her elbows and hung her
head. Slowly, she came back to her body and reality crashed back in. They were in his office pretending everything was fine when people had just been shooting at them. She tensed. How safe were they here?

  Sawyer pulled away.

  She waited a moment then stood and pulled up his shorts. She needed to get some underwear; hers were hanging over his shower and the rest were at her home. There was no way she was going home. Bright would be watching the place.

  He tossed the condom in the bin and she was very tempted to make a joke about magic but didn’t. The right words wouldn’t form and there was nothing funny about their situation.

  “What now?” She leaned on the desk, facing Sawyer.

  “I don’t know. Bright just trashed my place and tried to kill us.”

  “No one’s ever done that before?”

  “Demon ridden humans don’t count. Nor do ex-girlfriends.” He smiled but it was carefully placed on his lips. “Generally, people aren’t trying to kill me. Ideally they don’t even know it was me.”

  “Bright will know we’re here.”

  “Yeah. But I’d rather make a stand here than be on the run.”

  “A stand? You want to fight them?”

  “Got a better idea?”

  Run. That’s what she usually did. But if she ran, she’d be running forever, always looking over her shoulder.

  “I should’ve snatched the sword out of Anthony’s hands and finished the job. Why didn’t I?” Anthony had already been dead, and Mallory had seen her. Taking the sword would’ve saved her more grief.

  But then she wouldn’t have seen Sawyer again. She could’ve stopped by the coven any day she wanted over the last few years but hadn’t.

  “Um, because you were scared that what happened to Anthony might happen to you?”

  But it wouldn’t. She didn’t have magic, wasn’t that special. Her sole talent was researching. And she’d failed to discover that the sword was a witch killer. Now she’d dragged her ex and his friends into the mess. “The only way to stop this is to get the sword.”

  “Bright isn’t getting it.” Sawyer was adamant.

  “Do you want to die?” She didn’t, even though she didn’t know what she was going to do after this. Stealing magical objects for a living didn’t seem like a great career path for someone without magic. She doubted Sawyer would leave the coven to team up with her.

  “No, and I’m ninety nine percent sure that the Morrigu isn’t ready for me. We’ll tackle the goons, send one with a message for Bright, and make a plan.”

  “That’s never going to work.”

  “That’s because you’ve never used magic to make it work.”

  Chapter 8

  It was unfortunate the rest of the coven agreed that it was too dangerous to continue going after the sword. The witches were all perched around what had been Mason’s office, now Peyton’s, like a loud argumentative murder of crows. The room bristled with opinions. Cosima leaned against the wall arms crossed, her long legs bare except for his shorts. How many of the others realized she had nothing on beneath?

  He snapped his attention back to Peyton who was talking like he knew everything. “Look, we have to report the shooting to the cops. You weren’t home, you were here training, went home and saw the mess.”

  Cops. Sawyer tried not to roll his eyes. Even though his juvenile record was sealed there were enough near misses as an adult—which Peyton’s lawyer buddies and a nice swathe of magic had swept away—that he was sure the cops watched him far too closely. “I’ll repair the damage myself. Let’s leave the cops out of it.”

  Peyton shook his head. “It’s gone past that. It’s not just you, or her. There are innocent people in your building. If they come here, our kids are in the apartments.”

  Cosima stood up straight, her eyes were wide and dark. “I thought this was a job. That you could fix this.”

  Yeah, Peyton. You said this was a job. That I had unfinished business. And the Morrigu had agreed. Sawyer lifted an eyebrow and stared at Peyton.

  “And what about the sword and how dangerous it is in Bright’s hands?” She stepped forward as though preparing to take on Peyton. “You said you’d get the sword and protect me from him. If you can’t, I’m better off giving him the sword.”

  Cosima could fight, but Peyton had the hellhound’s strength to draw on as well as his own magic. Quitting wasn’t something that came easy to Cosima or Sawyer. When they were growing up quitting meant going hungry or getting beaten. So, they fought to win and didn’t stop. Had he ever stopped?

  “We’ll monitor the sword’s location. Maybe cast a protection spell over it. But I’d rather it in the hands of a realtor seeking a big commission than a crook with political aspirations.”

  “And me?” There was enough fight in her words for Sawyer to know that even if the coven was done, Cosima wasn’t.

  “We’ll keep you safe,” Peyton assured her.

  “How? If your wards are like his,” she pointed at Sawyer, “they won’t keep bullets out.”

  She had a point, and here they were, all in one room. If Bright’s men arrived, it would be all over in seconds.

  Noah glanced at the door as if thinking the same thing. “Running from people like Bright never works. You have to fight back.”

  Which is exactly what Sawyer had said at the start of the meeting. Did no one listen to him? Noah glanced at him and nodded. If nothing else, Sawyer had an ally.

  “Has Bright contacted you?” Sawyer asked.

  Cosima hesitated and he knew Bright had contacted her, but for a moment Sawyer expected her to lie. Then she nodded. “I told him I’d finish the job, but that was before he tried to kill me.”

  “He’s cleaning up loose ends before hiring someone new,” Oskar said.

  Sawyer shoved his hands into his pockets. “If he’s already got someone else on the job, we can’t leave the sword with Mallory or he’ll be the next death. Once Bright has it, the game is over.”

  Peyton looked up at him. “It’s not a game.”

  It was a whole lot easier to think of it as one, because in a game there was always another life, another attempt. “I know that.” Dickhead.

  He didn’t say it, but he was pretty sure everyone heard it anyway.

  Peyton scowled. “What’s your plan? Or have you not thought that far ahead?”

  Sawyer glanced at the ground. He didn’t plan big jobs. He helped out and played his part. That’s what he was good at. “I don’t have one. I’ll let you know when I think of it.”

  Peyton shook his head. “That’s not acceptable.”

  “Neither is leaving a witch killer in the hands of anyone but a witch,” Sawyer said.

  “But no witch can touch it. That’s why we need her.” Peyton pointed at Cosima. “And Bright wants her dead.”

  “It’s just a magical object.” He felt everyone look at him. His skin prickled. “What? It is. How it is any different to anything else I store magic in?”

  “It kills witches for a start,” Oskar said carefully. “But I see what you’re getting at.”

  “I don’t.” Cosima frowned.

  Peyton managed to look like he cared. “This isn’t a good idea,”

  Which only made it more appealing.

  “I use magic from objects all the time. I make magical objects.” He had a bag full of them under his desk. “I can take the magic out of the sword and put it somewhere else. Bright wants the sword. He never paid Cosima to give him the magic.” He was splitting hairs, but witches were good at that.

  Cosima stared at him. “But if you’re wrong, you’re dead, and it’s not a nice way to go.”

  “Cosima is right.” Peyton said it like it pained him to agree with the cause of the trouble. “The risk is too high. Too many eyes are on the sword. We need to back off and be smarter. Let the cops shake Bright for a bit.”

  Sawyer crossed his arms. If anyone else had suggested his idea, they’d be working out the next step. Noah watched him as thou
gh he knew exactly what Sawyer was thinking. Sawyer glanced at Cosima. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. She needed to finish the job, or she was as good as dead.

  Maybe if he hadn’t fallen in the with coven everything would’ve been fine. Anthony wouldn’t have felt betrayed and taken revenge. But as much as Sawyer had liked their self-made family, he preferred the coven. His life had been more stable. He’d become better. A better person and a better witch.

  He lowered his gaze and stared at the floor. If he helped Cosima, he was betraying his coven. Or was he? He wasn’t asking them to join in. He could do this with Cosima. It was just another job. Like old times. Was this a rerun of their last job, only this time he had to finish instead of waiting for the cops to show?

  “What about all your talk about my past, Peyton?”

  “That’s between you and the Morrigu.”

  Of course it was. And She’d tell him nothing the same as always. Sawyer sighed. “Fine. Maybe She has a plan.”

  That drew a round of laughs. If She ever had a plan, She didn’t share it with any of Her warriors. As a General, She sucked. Or maybe She wanted Sawyer dead. It wasn’t like he was doing a whole lot for Her; his magical ability had never developed beyond borrowing.

  The meeting broke up with Oskar and Noah going to set more wards around the coven building.

  Cosima straightened. “What do I do?”

  “Stay with Sawyer until we have a better idea. I need to make some calls. You both need to get home and call in the…robbery?” Peyton said.

  Sawyer groaned. “Only if they’ve taken something.” For all he knew they’d cleaned out his place after shooting it up. All the magic stored in his trinkets would fetch a fair price for those who collected that kind of thing, even if they didn’t know how to use it. “Let’s hope they didn’t.”

  “Let the cops figure out what to call it.” Peyton lifted his hand. “Just be careful okay, Sawyer? This isn’t the time to be testing the thickness of the ice. We’ll get this sorted and stop Bright, but I need time.”