Coven of the Raven: box set

by Shona Husk

  Oskar took his hand off the ground and the air moved again. He glanced at her then Sawyer and stood. “Peyton is going to be so pissed.”

  She blinked, her ears still buzzing. What was left of the car they’d been about to get was on fire, merrily hissing and popping.

  Panic gripped her guts hard and twisted. They were being so closely watched, that Bright had people rig the car while they were inside talking to the cops.

  Bright was trying to kill her, not scare her. And he was going after Sawyer and his friends, too. That was Oskar’s car. If they’d been closer, or had no magic to stop the metal fragments, the baby would be fatherless.

  She took a step back from the witches. They could protect her, but at what cost? Magic couldn’t solve everything.

  “You okay?” Sawyer asked, peering at her.

  She nodded. She shouldn’t have walked away from him the all those years ago, but this time she had to, to protect him from Bright. He was family and the only way she could show she cared was by leaving.

  People were staring at them. A crowd was gathering. If she was going to leave, it had to be now, before the next attack.

  She took one last look at Sawyer, now talking to Oskar with an urgent look on his face, then she slipped away. When she was past the sticky beaks, she moved faster, not running which would draw attention, but the stride of someone with places to be and no time to waste. As she walked, she pulled out her phone and called Bright.

  He picked up on the second ring. “Cosima, I’m hoping you have good news for me. You are delaying my plans.”

  His plans. He was fucking up her life.

  “I’d be quicker if you weren’t trying to kill me and the man who was going to help me.”

  “Sawyer Jones was never going to help you.”

  Bright didn’t know Sawyer; he’d been prepared to act without the coven to help her get the sword—because he cared about her. Or at least because he cared about protecting his coven. He’d never forgive her for doing this. “He was my old partner.”

  “You’d gone to the Ravens like you were hiding from me. Like you planned to betray me.” That he knew where Sawyer lived was chilling.

  When she’d first agreed to this job, she’d thought they’d made it to the big and they’d be rich. Recommended in hushed tones at parties they’d never attend. Less jobs, but better paid. They should’ve stayed at the level they’d been at, known well enough to be able to pick and choose and get paid reasonably without the risk of being killed by a pissed off client.

  She wanted out. She wanted that new start somewhere no one knew who she was.

  “Kill me and you waste the money you’ve spent. If you have someone else on the job, I’ll return your money and walk away.”

  “That’s not how this works. You want a partner, so I’ll supply one. I’ll send you a time and location to meet Rhys. You’d best play nice or next time the car explodes with your ex inside.” He hung up.

  Cosima’s blood ran cold. He knew all about Sawyer and their past.

  A raven fluttered down, perched on a rubbish bin, and watched her with dark eyes.

  “What do you want?”

  The bird tilted its head and stared as though considering its response, it then flew down the street toward the emergency vehicles where Sawyer would be as though she weren’t worthy of an answer. Cosima stared; she wanted to follow the raven back to Sawyer.

  She didn’t. There was a good chance she wouldn’t get out of this alive, but he didn’t deserve to suffer for her mistake.

  “Guess we’re catching a cab,” Sawyer said as he turned to Cosima. Where Cosima had been there was now a gaggle of strangers all gawping at the burning car like they’d never seen one. He turned a full circle, not wanting to believe she’d vanished. “Cosima?”

  Oskar frowned as he scanned the crowd. “She’s not here.”

  “Where’d she go?” But he knew. She’d done what Cosima did best: run.

  He’d been willing to help her. He’d risked his coven for her, and she’d ditched him again. He was a fool for thinking she cared about anyone but herself and her bank balance. He ignored the smarting wound on his heart. He didn’t love her, so it couldn’t hurt—it was just the old scar tearing.

  Oskar shook his head and didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. She’d used the distraction to slip away.

  “We have to find her.” Sawyer took a step away, but Oskar put a hand on his arm.

  “We need to wait for the cops to come down. This got serious real fast.”

  People were asking whose car it was, asking if anyone was hurt. Oskar led him into the crowd, so they were just bystanders. Sawyer shook off his touch.

  “She’s on her own.” She’d be an easy target for Bright…but they’d once known how to drop off the radar and vanish. She’d left him to deal with Bright and the sword. The heat from the car seeped into his clothes. When the tires started to go, he wanted to be more than three yards away.

  Oskar followed him and they waited near the door of the apartment. The cops would want to speak to them again.

  “Why do you think she left?”

  “To go into hiding.” But something about the way Oskar had asked made him pause. He studied Oskar. “What did you say to her?”

  “Just that she couldn’t make you choose between her and the coven.”

  “I wouldn’t choose.”

  “Wouldn’t you? You still love her.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You still have the ring.”

  “So?”

  “So, you’ve never dated anyone for more than three months.”

  “Four actually.” There’d been one. And Sawyer had been really trying to get past the three-month mark, but it had been like crawling through mud uphill those last two weeks. “Maybe I’m not that kind of person.”

  “I think you are; you’re just hung up on the girl who gave you the flick.”

  The first time he could excuse. “Only because of a massive lie her brother told.” A tire exploded, and he flinched. This time there was no good reason…except for the attacks because Bright hadn’t gotten his new toy yet. She always finished the job, that’s how reputations were made. And the only way these attacks would stop. “She’s going to get the…item.” And once Bright had the sword, he’d be killing witches to keep it charged.

  All Cosima had to do was trust him, but she hadn’t done that in a long time. Once again, they were fighting over a sword. This time he intended to walk away with the prize.

  “We can’t let her hand it over. We’re going to have to go after it. Peyton won’t like it.”

  “Peyton can suck my dick.” His wait and see approach wasn’t working.

  “Pretty sure he wouldn’t like that either.”

  Sawyer grinned. Maybe not, but he wouldn’t mind seeing Peyton on his knees, getting his fancy suit dirty.

  Oskar looked at him, his eyebrows lowered, then he shook his head. “I’m not going to touch that one.”

  “I’m guessing that was your car.” The detective who’d been in the apartment pointed at the fire.

  Oskar lifted his hand. “Mine. I drove him over.”

  “And where’s the friend?”

  “She had to go,” Sawyer said, not ready start lying to the cops. It had taken years for him to shake off the old distrust and insta-sweat when talking to the police. Now it was something he could do without too much trouble. Usually. His stomach tightened and he wanted to be anywhere but there. A raven swooped low overhead and landed on the other car, its claws clacking and scratching the paintwork.

  The cop didn’t look impressed. “I’ll chat with her later.”

  Sawyer smiled and nodded. If he sent the cops after her, would it lead them to Bright?

  “Want to tell me why someone wants you dead?” the cop asked.

  Oskar shook his head. “I’ve got no idea. Why don’t you come to the agency and we’ll have a look at some of the recent cases that could’ve created an enemy.�
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  The detective looked at the car, then lifted his gaze to the broken windows of the apartment. “Yeah, and if we don’t have any luck there, we can always go to the station.”

  Sawyer glanced at Oskar. They were not going to the station.

  The raven gave a croaky laugh and took off.

  The cop looked at them both. “I’ll give you a ride since yours isn’t roadworthy.”

  Sirens filled the street as the fire brigade arrived to put out the fire. Sawyer could’ve done it, but not with such a crowd watching. Localized rain was a little hard to explain in the middle of summer. He forced a smile. “Thanks.”

  Two hours and a hefty dose of magic later, the detective had been convinced to leave the Uncommon Raven Agency after finding nothing worthwhile. There was little the detective could do to help, and he’d only get in the way. With Cosima now assumed to be working with Bright to get the sword, the last thing Sawyer wanted to do was draw attention to the Mordred Blade so other collectors and thieves heard of it and tried to get their hands on it. Nor did he want Cosima to be arrested or killed by Bright.

  Sawyer crossed his arms. “I don’t actually care what you think, Peyton. I can’t sit back and wait for this to tie itself into a neat bow.”

  “You didn’t want the case in the first place. Now you want to go and steal the sword before your ex?”

  “Yes, that seems like the best course of action.” Taking the sword out of Mallory’s hands now it was active wasn’t going to be easy. As soon as Mallory called for help, people would come to his aid. He’d have followers by now, people eager to bask in his glow. The bustle around him was all that was keeping him safe from Bright, but it wouldn’t be long before Cosima and Bright cut through the noise to get what they wanted. Sawyer doubted Bright wanted a messy murder where the cops would start to dig around. Like most who touched magic, there was a rather murky trail that most people would regard as suspicious.

  “And if you’re wrong about your magic and the Mordred Blade sucks you dry?”

  “You get to laugh and say I told you so while I die an agonizing death?” It wouldn’t be a great outcome, but they didn’t have another plan.

  Peyton’s expression softened. “That’s not what I want. I worry.”

  “Don’t.”

  “You’re a great thief. I know that, we all know that and have benefited from it on various jobs. But you don’t…you don’t have the magic to pull this off.”

  Sawyer winced. On his own he didn’t; he needed his coven. Or had he become too reliant on them? He’d never worked alone, ever. He’d had Cosima and Anthony and then the coven. “I don’t need magic to steal. What I do need is to know who the witch is that Bright has on the payroll. Do we know them? Which coven did they come up through? Someone must know something. Only a witch could’ve gotten through my wards and unlocked them.” That had been clever, as keeping the wards in place had meant that the gunshots would’ve all been suppressed, and his neighbors wouldn’t have paid any attention to the noise.

  “And if they can do that—”

  “What? You think I’m a helpless baby witch who can barely draw a circle?” He paused. “That was a bad example.” His circles were never round. They were always more of an oblong, like a shield.

  Peyton lifted an eyebrow and pressed his lips together like he was about to laugh. He didn’t. “You have magic, but it’s not at your fingertips.”

  “I know. Don’t you think I’m aware of that on every job? I’m the one letting down the team. If Bright gets the sword, do you really think he’ll stop? Or do you think he’ll wipe us out because we know? I’m betting on the latter.”

  “I don’t bet, but I think you’re right.”

  “Wait, what? You agree with me?” Was this some kind of trick?

  Peyton nodded. “I didn’t say I liked it, but we can’t leave the blade out there while it’s powered up. I don’t think Cosima will live past doing the job, and our asses are hanging out. As much as I’d like to be able to sit back and be smart, we need to pull together something fast. You can start by tracking Cosima, magically for the moment. I’ll put Noah on Mallory. I’ll pull Oskar off the job. He’s going to stay here.”

  “So, this is a job?” So far Peyton’s leadership wasn’t inspiring confidence. He didn’t know what he was doing. He wasn’t planning; he was reacting and that was dangerous.

  Peyton hesitated and Sawyer bit back a groan. “I don’t want my people getting hurt. If we close in and try to take the sword, Bright will be after us in a blink. We need to know who the witch is. We need to keep an eye on Mallory, Bright, and Cosima.”

  More waiting. “The longer we wait, the more chance there is that Bright and Cosima will get the sword first. Then we’ll be fighting for our lives whether you like it or not.”

  By the time Peyton gave the approval to act, it would be too late. He was playing too cautious because he’d never been in charge of the coven before. Sawyer couldn’t remember the last job Peyton had been on—had it been the one where he’d been bitten years ago? He’d been out of it for too long, scared of his inner hellhound and the pull toward magic.

  They were fighting a war, and there was one person who outranked Peyton and Mason: the Morrigu. She’d have something interesting to say since She wanted him to examine his past.

  His office was quiet, and hopefully relatively safe so he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It took longer than usual to find the calm and the place where he could step across to the field and find Her. For the first time in his life, he was actually afraid that he would meet Her for the final time too soon. He wasn’t ready to die.

  Her back was to him, Her tattered cloak fluttering around Her like wings, hood back, grey hair streaming. When She turned, he’d see Her face. He steeled himself.

  But She didn’t turn.

  He knelt, concerned he’d offended Her in some way.

  “You haven’t claimed the sword.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  He could explain all the pieces, but She’d know all of that. “I’m not a thief anymore.”

  “You are. That is one of your talents.”

  That wasn’t a magical talent, was it? If it was it wasn’t much of one.

  “You doubt me?”

  He couldn’t lie to Her. “I’d always hoped to have something more useful.”

  “But you do. You move magic. You are a conduit.”

  “Because I don’t have any.” He was less of a conduit and more of an empty vessel. This wasn’t why he’d come to talk to Her. “What is it about my past that you want me to redo?”

  At the moment, it was repeating in a way he didn’t like. The sword, Cosima running. Next, he’d be bleeding and getting arrested. Would the coven help him out again or would Peyton be done?

  “Get the sword.”

  “It’s not the same sword Cosima took.”

  “No, but it cannot be allowed to change hands.” She turned and he glimpsed the white of her cheekbone. “You’re the rightful owner.”

  He laughed. He’d never been the rightful owner of anything his entire life. Everything he owned had been bought with proceeds of stolen goods. While he got a salary from the agency it didn’t fund his lifestyle. “It’s a witch killer.”

  “It does kill witches…but not all. You’ve worked that out.”

  He glanced at the ground. “If I take the magic, then I become the witch killer.”

  He didn’t want to be that. Why couldn’t he have a nice magic, like…he couldn’t think of a witch in the coven that made rainbows or marshmallows.

  Noah saw demons and hunted them. Oskar dealt with curses. Peyton had blood magic and a hellhound. Sawyer stole magic and anything else that wasn’t nailed down.

  He was a thief, not a witch.

  “If I take the sword, Bright will kill Cosima.”

  “For years you wanted revenge. Isn’t this the perfect circle?”

  It was a circle, but it wasn’
t what he wanted. “Is that why you insisted I take the job?”

  “The sword is rightfully yours. Not by blood, but by magic. It was created by a witch for Mordred and can be stopped by the right kind of witch. You. You wanted your own magic and I’m giving it to you. Do you refuse to take it?”

  What would happen if he did? He didn’t want his Goddess to turn Her back on him. “I won’t take the sword if it means Cosima dies.”

  “Are you trying to bargain for her life? I’m not the right god.”

  Sawyer didn’t know what he was doing. But if he unfinished business from his past was killing Cosima he didn’t want anything to do with it. “What will happen if I don’t take the sword?”

  She sighed. “Then you will find out why it’s so dangerous and why so many have tried to keep it hidden. It should never have been created.”

  If he took the sword’s magic as his own, every other witch would breathe a sigh of relief. “I borrow magic. I can’t destroy it.”

  Her head tilted. “You’ve never tried.”

  His head snapped forward and he caught himself on the edge of the desk. He stared at his hands. Hands that hadn’t been made to hold magic but destroy it.

  Chapter 10

  Cosima reached the hotel where Bright wanted to meet early. After watching the entrance for a bit, she went in. She knew what Bright looked like, but she doubted he’d be here. It would just be the man he wanted her to work with. Rhys could be anyone.

  No one walked up to her as she made her way to the coffee bar. From the advertising it served cocktails at night. She wouldn’t be there that long. She used her card to get herself a coffee and took an armchair that had its back to the wall. It was the best she could do in this glorified open foyer area. But at least she could watch everyone who walked by. When Rhys came looking for her, she wouldn’t be sitting in the open.

  She sipped her coffee and scanned the steady stream of foot traffic. Some walked straight past on their way somewhere else. Others stopped for a drink while waiting for friends before getting a table at the nearby restaurant. No one seemed to be looking or waiting for her. It was best she didn’t look like she was waiting either.