Nevermore (The Raven Brothers #1)

Ofelia

“W e shouldn’t be here .” My words were tired, soft, and yet could be heard over the thumping reverberations of reggaeton blasting through the speakers.

At my side, my best friend rolled her eyes. “You need to live a little, Ofe.” Her gaze settled on my outfit and she scoffed. “And for the love of God, if you insist on wearing the school uniform, at least make it look sexy .”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. I didn’t bother commenting on the fact that if I was dressed this way, it was entirely her fault. After a long day of school, homework, and grueling rehearsals for the upcoming recital, she'd sprung this outing on me just as I was coming out of the dressing room. There had been no time to think about what a bad idea leaving campus grounds was, let alone finding a suitable outfit.

As it was, I happened to like our school uniform. Forest green, black, and white stripes made up the knee-length skirt, a dark sweater with the academy's logo on the breast, and a white collar shirt completed my ensemble. My oxford shoes clicked on the ground as I walked, and one of my knee length socks had already started sliding down my calf.

“Let your hair down.” Paola reached behind my head, trying to pull my top knot down.

I swatted her away. “Will you leave me alone?”

“Yeah, let her be.” Dani wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side.

He’d just come from rehearsals as well, and yet he’d gotten a change of clothes from the trunk of his car.

Dani was always very well prepared. He was the type to carry several outfit changes for several different occasions. ‘Just in case,’ he always said.

“Let’s just go have some fun.”

Fun.

Their idea of fun was getting drunk at this party, but I didn’t find gratification in it the same way they did. Not when there were rehearsals tomorrow. I didn’t want to twirl on stage with a pounding headache or an upset stomach.

“Fine,” I conceded. “But we should leave early.”

They ignored me as they pulled me through the doors of the party.

Things were overwhelming inside, filled to the brim with bodies, music, and booze. While I enjoyed the occasional party, nerves pricked beneath the skin of my palms, making them sweat. I’d never particularly enjoyed big crowds, though I’d grown up with a spotlight shining on almost every move I made, I could never really find comfort drifting through a sea of bodies.

Maybe I could contribute the lack of wanting to party to my sheltered upbringing. My papá, while lenient, was also very strict. He had to be as he wanted his and our family’s image protected. I understood the importance of this. It was why I never fell out of line; I didn’t want to incur his anger. Not that I’d ever earned it. I was good and I did what I was told. Even though I was off at college and he wasn’t here to spy on me, the rules always remained the same, no exceptions, no matter where I found myself on the map. Old habits died hard.

As it was, my mind was far too preoccupied with thoughts of our current ballet assignment.

Maestra Rosalba had been very clear in her instructions to me.

“This is your one opportunity to shine as the lead dancer, . Do not mess it up, and don’t make me regret this.”

I’d been vying after the lead position for years and she’d finally given me that chance. I didn’t plan on wasting it for anything or anybody, which meant I had to be at the top of my game. I had to dance like never before in our academy’s next ballet. I had to be worthy of the Maestra’s attention. I had to be emotional, heartbreaking, and groundbreaking to finally be seen .

Doing so would change the course of my future forever.

Unfortunately, my friends did not see it that way. I was hauled around the party, way past my bedtime, lost in my own thoughts.

At some point, a drink was shoved into my hand, though it remained full, and bodies grinded up against mine, though I remained still. Conversation went on around me, and I didn’t contribute to any of it.

Until Paola’s elbow in my side jolted me back to reality.

“That guy is staring at you,” she whisper-screamed in my ear.

Putting the rim of the cup to my lips, I took the smallest of sips, swallowing down the bitter beer. “I don’t care,” I replied with disinterest.

“You should,” she whispered back excitedly, “because he’s walking this way now.”

No sooner had the words left her lips when I felt a presence at my back that made every single hair on the back of my neck stand on end. A shiver coursed through me when he spoke a single word.

“Hey.” The voice was smooth like silk and deep, rumbly. It was unexpected and surprisingly very pleasant, but it caught me off guard.

Awareness spread through every nerve and every cell inside my body. I’d never heard a voice so deep. Never before heard a voice that could affect me like his did. That voice was a song. It was made to seduce a body like mine into dancing. That much I could tell from listening to it alone. My breath caught in my throat and it felt like time was suspended before me as I slowly turned around to face the man who’d approached.

It was a reality that some people were as bright as the sun and looking at them hurt. Some people emitted sunlight like it lived and breathed through their very veins. Like it was a part of them and radiated out of every single pore.

Then there were men like the one before me.

Men who exuded darkness.

Men who had shadows flicking over their form, crawling around them.

There was a void that surrounded this man, that lived in the darkness of his eyes, and I was sure lived within the very depths of his soul. He was a consuming force. Nothing but obscure danger. I knew innately that this man could possess me. And never before had I so badly wanted to be consumed.

Dark lashes framed even darker eyes. The kind that glowed with malice and bad intentions. His hair was far too long for what was deemed appropriate in my social circles. Long and straight, the ends curled a little bit just past his shoulders. Tiny strips of leather braided through smaller strands, the ends connected to bright beads and dark feathers. His skin was dark, like he spent a lot of time beneath the rays of sun, though his indigenous heritage was obvious. From the slight curve on the ridge of his nose, to the full lips and pretty eyes that crinkled at the corners. He contrasted my more European features of paler skin, brighter eyes, lighter hair.

Colorism was an infection that bled through our society. It lived on tongues and spat vicious words and thoughts.

I knew I was privileged not only because of my last name, not only because of a rich family I'd been born into, but because I had the features of the conquistadores that had bled our beautiful society dry. That had raped and infected us with a racism that still lived strong today.

I never could understand how it was my features that were revered in society when features like his were so much more beautiful.

The strong column of his throat bobbed up-and-down as he swallowed, drawing my attention to the silver necklace that dangled near his neck. It was a feather, and it matched the ones in his hair, only it was silver and the tip was as sharp as a blade.

The leather clad on a body that had a strong scent of smoke, cloves, and tequila. The strong kind. The kind that burned just right on the palette of your tongue. The kind my papá had in a decanter in his office, reserved for his most important guests.

“Hi.” My voice was a breathless whisper. The soft sound made his lips quirk up into a smile.

“May I have your name, preciosa.”

I knew it was a question, but it was spoken more like a command. Soft, low, and mischievous.

Giving my name out to a stranger wasn’t smart. Especially one who reminded me of an unseelie faery. The kind that kept names and trapped you within their fold forever.

But I wanted him to have it almost desperately, and I couldn’t explain why.

“ Reyes Munoz,” I offered.

His smile only grew, and he held his hand out in my direction. “Fabián Cuervo.”

I took his hand in mine and a jolt shot straight down my spine. I shivered. He noticed, and I wondered if his own body reflected the sensations that suddenly burned bright within my own. He gave no indication as his fingers tightened against mine, putting pressure as he tugged me closer in his direction.

My body had a will of its own, obeying his silent command and stepping closer. So close, our chests brushed against one another. So close, the sharp tips of my nipples brushed against the insides of the material of my uniform, and I wondered if he could feel them like knives against the rough beating of his heart.

He stared at me like he knew about the goosebumps crawling along my arms. Like he knew about the dampness staining the insides of my thighs or the sudden quick, labored breathing all because his fingers threaded between the spaces of mine.

I loathed to look away from that enchanting gaze. Like a character from a story book, though not a hero. No. He was a villain, and weren’t they always more interesting anyway?

Yet I did look away from that gaze. Only to give the slowest perusal of his body like he’d done to mine. But he was pressing closer, not giving me the opportunity to look, but to feel every hard inch of him against me. Of his heartbeat, thumping against mine in a feral beat, almost like it meant to burst through his chest and twine with my own.

But that was a crazy thought, wasn’t it?

We didn’t know one another.

And yet a single touch, the single press of our bodies together, was like a gate opened between us and everything came flooding out.

Destino , a voice whispered.

Alma gemela , another one said.

And I knew he felt it too.

“Dance with me, ?” he purred.

“I’d love to.”

Behind us, somewhere far in the distance of my mind, I could hear my friends whistle low, could hear them whispering, could feel their gazes penetrating my back.

I was vaguely aware of his own friends. A flash of them, all clad in black, leather, and beaded and silver feathers just like him, snickering as they looked us over.

No one else mattered in this moment but him. But me.

But us.

He lifted our joined hands and trapped them between our chests. His dark eyes held entire universes, and I wanted to discover each one. Get sucked into the vortex of his soul.

And never come back out again.