Chapter 16 Crow
Bella didn’t seem concerned or afraid about what I said.
That was good. I didn’t want to freak her out, but she should learn about my club, our abilities, the bond with our crow, and my unique DNA as soon as possible.
If she couldn’t handle life with a crow, that was something I needed to know before our relationship became too strong to walk away from, not that it wasn’t developing that way already.
I closed my eyes and instantly connected, seeking out the bond with my winged brethren and using his sight to learn the whereabouts of our friends, my brothers, and the enemy.
It had grown too quiet, and I didn’t like it.
Grim and the Graven Bastards were one floor above us, already using their talents to reap the souls we didn’t need.
When I referred to them as reapers, I meant literally.
The Tonopah chapter signed a deal with the devil, and they sent Lucifer his souls as a form of payment for their abilities.
Fucking freaky but badass too.
Our club? The crows were a part of us. The connection was rooted deep in our DNA.
We couldn’t outrun it and had no choice but to bond with the black-feathered predator within.
Some of us could shift into his form. Others could tap into their sight.
We each held a different, unique, and supernatural bond with our crow.
What manifested from that connection depended on the individual and his family roots.
Grim and his Bastards took the Devil’s Ride into the desert and made a choice to sign the contract in their blood with Lucifer.
Just the thought of it made me squirm. Not sure I could do it, to be honest. But then again, I already had a monster living inside me.
Didn’t need a demon reaper to join my crow.
I cleared my thoughts, focusing on the present. Only Undertaker, Chronos, and the rest of the officers in the DDMC mattered. Everyone else was expendable.
I hoped to run into Sheriff Hobbs, but he wasn’t there. I swept through the halls of the upper floors, my crow squawking as he flew from room to room, disappointed to find most of the Dirty Death members already subdued. Undertaker must be at another location.
Sonofabitch!
He left Chronos to clean up his mess, and I realized far too late that he had snuck up on us. My eyes snapped open, and I found him standing at the top of the stairs, a gun aimed at Bella’s chest.
“Glad you could join us, Crow.”
“Fuck you, Chronos.” I pushed off the wall, rising to my feet as I moved in front of Bella.
He wouldn’t shoot her, not yet. Undertaker wanted both girls, and Chronos wasn’t going to take chances and risk killing one of them before returning to his pres.
“You always were a sniveling, stupid little fuck. Too self-absorbed to notice what’s happening around you.”
“Those are big words. You sure you know what they mean?” I taunted, trying to gain most of his focus. “Didn’t they kick you out of school for failing your freshman year? Twice?”
We had known one another since middle school and became enemies almost from the start.
Chronos sneered. “At least I didn’t have to rely on Daddy to fix all my mistakes.”
“Is that why you killed him? Shot him in cold blood because you’re weak?” I wanted to hear this motherfucker say it.
“Fuck yeah. Rook was too much trouble. Undertaker said he needed to go, and I made sure I was the one who put the bullet in his fuckin’ heart. Funny thing was, he didn’t beg. Just kept calling out your name. Isn’t that sweet?”
My hands curled into fists as I kept my temper under control. “You’re going to die for murdering my father.”
“And for kidnapping my sister,” Bella added, her voice wavering as she glanced my way.
“Brianna has the sweetest cunt. Did she tell you how many times I held her down, fucking her until she bled? I ruined her for other men. She’s nothing but sloppy, stretched-out holes now.
Her ass wouldn’t stop bleeding for hours after the first time.
It was intoxicating to fuck her as she screamed, bent over as I rammed into her repeatedly. ”
Bella turned her head and vomited, wiping her mouth before she lifted her pistol and pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into his groin.
Holy shit! My ol’ lady was fuckin’ fearless.
Chronos didn’t expect her reaction. The shock on his face was priceless, but it was the attack from the crows I ordered that I enjoyed the most. I called to them in my mind, pushing urgency into my command as I felt their wrath. They swarmed as they flew inside, eager for the mobbing.
Chronos screamed as they swooped in, shattering windows and flying through the open space of the balcony.
The crows landed on him with sharp talons that dug into his flesh—slicing, ripping, gouging.
They kept latching onto him, weighing his body down as he flung out his arms, desperately trying to fling them off.
He tripped, losing his balance as he fell to his knees, struggling to rise.
The crows didn’t leave him alone. They followed my orders, using their beaks to tear tiny strips off his flesh.
I didn’t want him to die too quickly. My vengeance demanded time to complete, and I wanted his suffering to be dragged out as long as possible.
The crows seized his limbs, dragging him to the staircase where Bella joined them, smiling at the sick fuck before she shoved his chest hard, watching as he tumbled down the stairs and the crows flew up, hovering above his body with chants of caw, caw.
I wasn’t happy with this death. Too quick. Too merciful.
Chronos groaned from his position on the expensive colored tiles, rolling onto his back.
His bloody body wasn’t broken enough for me.
I sent a new message to the crows, ordering them to peck out his eyes, liver, and stomach, feasting on his organs as he slowly died from the blood loss.
A devastating, excruciating death that only offered a tiny bit of the vengeance I craved.
This wasn’t over yet. Chronos was only one among a group I intended to reap my vindication, crow style. Justice wasn’t close enough to completion today. It had only begun.
“Don’t look,” I whispered, pulling Bella into my arms. “He’s not going to live much longer.”
She buried her head in my neck, hot tears soaking into my t-shirt. “He hurt my sister, Austin. Eagle Eye said she wasn’t violated like that, but he was wrong. Bree isn’t okay at all.”
“I know, darlin’. I’m sorry.”
A sob shook loose as she clutched my tee with her fingers.
“Xenon found more videos. That fucking rapist’s getting what he deserves.” My chest felt tight as I sensed her heartbreak, and I held Bella tighter, wishing I could have spared her the knowledge. It wouldn’t be right to keep the truth from her.
Bella’s head lifted, and the green in her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “What’s different about you and your club?”
And there it was. The moment I had to confess the truth about me and the club. “We’re crows.”
A frown marred the perfection of her features. “Crows?”
“Yes. Our souls align with a crow at birth. We’re one mind when we choose, and they follow our orders. That’s only part of it. Each of us has unique talents or abilities that vary depending on our familial roots. I think you can guess what Falcon does.”
“He’s a healer.” She winced as Chronos shouted.
We both ignored his cries of agony. He deserved to suffer.
“Yes. He sees the bones and organs in the body, can assess the damage, and his fingers promote healing. Still takes some time to heal fully, but the process is expedited.”
Her eyes widened before she nodded. “And you?”
“The crows follow my orders. I can sense emotions and, sometimes, treachery. I know what the crows see in the sky and can use their sight to my advantage.”
I heard Chronos as he stuttered another plea for mercy, and then his struggles ceased. His last breath engulfed us in silence. I would never regret ordering the crows to mob his body. Rapists and murderers like him would never suffer enough for their crimes.
My hand caressed Bella’s jaw as I gazed into her eyes.
“That’s so wild. Your crow.”
“It is. There’s somethin’ you need to understand, my Bella. Crows mate for life.”
She swallowed. “For life?”
“Yeah. When we find our one, the companion we love and want to be with, that’s it for us. Our mate is our forever.”
She sucked in a breath. “Is that what I am to you?”
Fucking addicting. Hope and affection filled her pretty green eyes. It fed my dark soul.
Caressing her jaw, I held her gaze as I spoke the truth a second time today, revealing secrets I hadn’t told any woman before now. “You’re my forever, Bella-mine.”
“WHAT’S THE NEXT MOVE?” Grim asked, picking up his beer.
“I hunt down Undertaker and the rest of the Dirty Death MC,” I snarled, swinging back the shot of Jameson placed in front of me. “Try to find out what intel I can before I make a move. While I’m waiting, I’ll deal with Sheriff Hobbs.”
Grim drained his beer, shouting for another. “I’m thinkin’ you’ll need some backup on that.”
“Sure won’t mind havin’ it,” I admitted.
“You do.” His hand shot out, and I clasped his forearm, sealing our pact. “Call on the reapers when you need us. We have your back.”
“Appreciate it, brother.”
“Rook would have done the same for me.”
“He would have,” I agreed, swallowing as a lump formed in my throat. “My pops was fucking loyal to you and the Graven Bastards. Loved you as a brother. I should have said that before now.”
Grim squeezed and then pulled his arm back. His eyes misted over briefly. “Feelin’ is mutual.”
Before this sappy shit could get the best of us, my ol’ lady approached the bar, sidling next to me with a smile.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, darlin’.”
Grim slid from the barstool. “Gonna find Trish. Stay for the night, Crow. Head out in the mornin’. Take to the road once everyone is rested.”
“Will do.”