Chapter 27
DRAVEN
I f you cage a bird long enough, they will never fly away, even with the door open. They become loyal, loving, and devoted. I never locked mine. Maybe I’m the one in the cage.
I kept Gunpowder a secret from my family for so long. The only raven left in Ever Graves. I found him wounded in the woods when I was a boy. Rodrick helped me mend his wing and then hid him in his cottage at Blackwell Manor. None of my family would ever step foot in the servants’ quarters.
I visited him every day. Even after I became a man, I would crawl in drunk and pass out by his cage. Rodrick would somehow get me back to my room by morning. My grandmother hated the ravens as much as she hated the devil. As much as she hated me.
Deep down, she must’ve known what I am. But I was the only heir left who she hadn’t sent away. Maureen’s mother was her biggest disappointment aside from mine. In the end, Penny died a bitter, nasty woman, and no one cared .
I reach into the cage and gently pull Gunpowder out. He cocks his head and caws at me.
“I know you like your cage, but we don’t have to hide anymore.”
I set him on my desk. “You’re free to go or stay. It’s your choice.”
He flies around the room before settling back into his cage and turns his back to me. I let out a sigh. “The door has always been unlocked, my friend. And it always will be.”
I can’t say the same for myself.
Or for Nox.
But tonight, Mia will fly free from her own cage. She’s always been able to, just like Gunpowder. That woman is her own worst enemy. I know because I’m the same way. We have both punished ourselves for the hands we were dealt. We punish each other. But no more.
If she can accept her nightmare, I have to accept mine. That I’m the devil’s son.
I take a deep drag off my cigarette and pour another shot of gin as I study the package on my desk. It’s from Riot Graves, the head of Nocturnus in Raven’s Gate. We haven’t spoken much, and I wasn’t very pleasant to him when he last came to town. So I was surprised when he answered my call.
In order for Mia to make a proper blood oath, she needs the raven’s blade, a sacred dagger that has forged many bonds since the beginning of the devil’s first pact. I was even more surprised when Riot agreed to temporarily part with it.
But the last year has taken a toll on us all. I’m guessing Libra influenced him as well. She kind of owes me one. Not that I’m keeping score. I’d do anything for Aries and his sister.
I promised him he’ll get it back, unscathed, but with a little more blood on it. Lettie is returning to Tenebrose Academy in the Spring and has promised to deliver it straight into his hands.
Now we have our means, our will, and our little lamb. It’s time to drop the veil. To bring the darkness into the light. And maybe it will ease some of my burden as well.
I open the box and unwrap the silver dagger from its velvet cloth. A tingle shoots up my wrist when I latch onto the hilt. It reverberates in my chest, tickling the hairs on the back of my neck. So many sigils have been carved with this blade. Thousands of bonds forged. It’s a testament to Riot’s confidence and cockiness that he knows he’s getting it back. Anyone who holds it in their hand will think twice about pissing him off.
He doesn’t intimidate me, but we’ve come to blows in the past. And I prefer to have him as an ally rather than an enemy. Not to mention that psycho Valentin Erebus never leaves his side. Not much is known about his family, and that is something that scares me a little.
I wrap the dagger back in its velvet cloth, slip it into my inside jacket pocket, and down the rest of my gin before heading out the door.
Rodrick already has the car running when I get outside. I look up at the dark sky and search for stars like I’ve done every night since realizing what I was. But it’s still pitch black. A shudder passes through me.
“Ready, son?” Rodrick holds the limousine door open for me.
“Let’s go. Trouble’s waiting.”
Mia sits between Aries and Bones in her signature ripped jeans, black motorcycle boots, and black zip-up hoodie. Rodrick closes the partition, giving us privacy as he drives us deep into the woods. To the Wishing Tree.
I breathe in deeply, desperate to consume every trace of jasmine that wafts between us. I want to bathe in it. Thoughts of slipping into her bathroom while she’s showering fill my head. I swallow hard, almost choking on my own need .
Her mismatched eyes watch me with caution. She can always sense when I’m at my most unhinged. Her nightmare calling to mine. “Count the trees, Draven,” she commands in a soothing voice.
I loosen my tie and feel the weight of the raven’s blade practically burning a hole in me. I take a deep breath and gaze out the tinted window. It’s too dark to see, but I count in my head, bringing myself back to the present.
Bones moves to my side of the limo. He slides his hand behind my neck, kneading his fingers into my tight muscles. “Tranquilo,” he coaxes. “Everything’s all right, Dray.”
I grit my teeth. “I’m fine.”
Aries loosens his tie as well. “You’re making me nervous, man.”
“Nox won’t hurt anyone,” Mia rasps.
“You don’t know that.” Just because Nox loves her it doesn’t mean she will be able to control what he does. We are unleashing a nightmare man. Once he’s out, he can’t be put back.
She nods. “You’re right. But I have to believe that everything’s going to be fine.”
Rodrick parks the limousine in a clearing in the woods. He gets out and opens the door for us. We leave him there as we go the rest of the way on foot.
The woods are so dark, Bones uses a flashlight to direct us there. He walks arm in arm with Mia while Aries and I follow. The knots in my chest tighten as we approach the sacred tree. Its roots extend out by at least four feet in every direction, swallowing up the ground.
Mia lights five candles around the base of the tree, her hands shaking the whole time. I watch as the flickering flames cast shadows on her face, illuminating her beauty. In the quiet stillness of night, when we aren’t screaming at each other or ripping each other’s clothes off, I can appreciate how exquisite she truly is.
I had wanted her to be mine since that first night at Duff’s, but I was in denial. I’ve been fighting it, afraid to admit to myself that I need her. But I won’t let her go now. I don’t care that I have to share her. She’s still mine.
“Did you bring the vial I gave you?” Bones asks.
She nods and fishes it out of her pocket.
“Good. Drink all of it,” he tells her.
He made her a small dose of baneberry, diluted with healing herbs found on her property at Harker Mansion. Along with helping her sleep, the poison will keep her connected to this world.
I hand her the raven’s blade. “Make five cuts in the palm of your right hand and then smear your blood on the Wishing Tree. Speak your intention as we practiced.”
Mia’s breath hitches as she downs the rest of her vial. “It burns,” she croaks.
“The pain will pass. Just breathe into it.” I squeeze her hand, attempting to comfort her.
The three of us form a protective circle around her. This part of the woods is forbidden, a place no sane person would dare enter. Whether you believe the legends or not, you stay away just in case.
Mia shivers, her fingers trembling around the hilt of the blade. “It’s like it has electricity running through it.”
“It holds a lot of power,” I whisper as if the blade might hear me.
She winces as she draws the first cut. “Fuck, that hurts.”
We draw in closer, encircling her like soldiers protecting their queen on the battlefield. By the third cut, her knees are wobbling. “Guys… I feel weird.”
Aries whispers loud enough for us to hear, “Relax, little lamb. It’s just the power of the raven.”
“So many sigils were carved with that dagger,” Bones adds.
She’s on her knees now, facing the tree. She takes a deep quivering breath and makes the final cut. “I offer my soul in exchange for Nox. Free him from my nightmares, let him walk amongst us. And in return, I will let you feed on my soul for eternity.”
That last part makes my stomach turn. Someday, when the time comes, I will sell my soul as well. If she is locked out of the After, forced to roam this land forever, I will be by her side.
“Fuck,” she cries out as she rubs her blood over the splintered tree. She bites her lip and closes her eyes, her face paling.
“I can’t believe we have to leave her here all night. What if something else comes for her?” Bones’s eyes dart around the woods, his shoulders tense.
Aries shakes his head. “Nah, she’ll be fine. Even the animals know better than to come near this tree.”
I snicker. “We are the foolish ones, then.”
Mia whimpers, her eyelids fluttering as she curls up on the ground. “I can’t keep my eyes open.”
I lean down next to her tiny frame. “Good. That means it’s working. We have to go now, Trouble. But if you’re not back by morning, I will find you.”
“I want you to stay,” she pleads.
“Shhh, sleep, little pyro,” Aries coaxes. “He’ll be here soon.”
The poison burns through my veins as we walk away. I keep telling myself we aren’t abandoning her, that this is what has to be done for her to get what she wants. She assured me earlier that she understands we have to leave. It’s between her and the devil and Nox.
But if she doesn’t come back to us by sunrise, I will burn that tree to the ground.