Chapter Seven

Toss the bones is apparently a reading on one's life. The way the bones fall and their placement can tell the reader what's to come in the person's life, sort of like tea leaf reading. I'm always open to knowing what"s around a darkened corner in my life but we're waiting on someone else to arrive.

So here I sit, watching Ronny move around the kitchen gathering ingredients for her herbal tea and it will go down as the craziest moment in my life. She barely has anything on, not that I'm complaining but the sexy gothic look she has going on is at odds with the kitchen. It feels as if a grandmother should be in here baking cookies, not this Elvira meets Dominatrix.

The room is white with dark grey trimming and soft white lace curtains flowing with the breeze from the open windows. Ronny has dry blood all over and her black and white hair is knotted and tossed into a messy bun.

I guess I can't say much though since I'm sitting here shirtless with blood caked on my skin.

She catches me watching her as I sip from a mug with a fucking black kitty tail for a handle. How my life went from the fiercest creatures in hell, feared and rumored about to a man sipping from a pussy mug that says ‘Bite Me-ooow' is completely beyond me.

"Why are you and your brothers here?" She sounds completely sincere and if I hadn"t already seen her gift of seeing the future, I"d say she had nothing to do with us being released from hell.

"If I answer you, you have to answer my question." I"d answer anyway but I want to know why the hell my hound chose her as a mate.

"Deal."

I watch her lift a very nondescript mug to her smirking plump lips as I answer. Fucker.

"We"re not sure why we were released or who did it. Well, we weren"t until tonight. One day we"re in hell guarding post as usual and the next instant we"re back in Nola without permission to leave. We were sent there to guard our enemies and your ancestors so we figured the best place to find answers was the famous Crow Sisters."

Ronny continues to sip, thinking over my answer and her body is relaxed, no deceit or worry tainting her jasmine scent.

"My turn. Why do you use such rudimentary potions instead of your magic?"

I"ve been curious about the answer since the alley. Why spend time making elementary mixtures that won"t do much when she can weave intricate spells to do so much more?

"Rory, Roxy and I are not witches, Drug. We"re Vocem Sanguinis. We don"t have those abilities." She says it like I"m an idiot in need of a head check.

My brows hit my hairline at that. I"ve heard the rumors of these sisters and the line of the original Vocem. Everyone in the underworld tells the tales of their ancestors with fear and wonderment. Someone has either been lying to these girls or the rumor mill is nothing but stories to pass time.

"What?" She asks in annoyance.

"Where is the love of your parents? Did they not teach you about your abilities?"

Ronny scoffs, "Love is for suckers, Drug."

My brow furrows and she opens her mouth once more but before she can say anything else, there"s a crackling in the air like magic is being used. Immediately, I"m on my feet ready for an attack.

"Calm down, dog. It"s just Darren." I curl my lip and growl at the little magicless girl. Soon I"m going to have to teach her how to keep her pretty little mouth closed or put it to use around my cock.

Turning my back to her, I head into the living room where I hear my brother addressing someone.

"This is Darren Ignis. He is our boss so he can help us find answers." Ronny says as she walks over and hugs the man. I don't like him.

He"s tall with red skin and fire on the tips of his pointed ears. His eyes are bright gold and are in total contrast with his inky black hair. He looks like what humans depict has the devil only he"s in a suit and doesn"t have a pitch fork.

"I am Draven and these are my brothers, Drac and Drug."

Darren nods but looks to the Crows, "You three okay?"

I bristle at the question and I feel my brothers tense beside me, "Why the fuck wouldn"t they be okay?" I ask through gritted teeth. Who the hell is this guy?

"First off boy, I can ask my girls whatever the hell I want when I want, got it? Secondly, you three are supposed to be extinct, not roaming around Nola striking fear in humans and..." He abruptly stops speaking and sniffs the air before a shocked look morphs his features.

"You claimed my daughters?" His voice changes and sounds as if multiple voices are coming from him.

Wait, daughters?

"Whoa, whoa, Dar. Calm down. They"re just as shocked about it too. This is why we called you," Rory says soothingly. This Crow has a mothering feel about her and it"s obvious she wears her heart on her sleeve.

"Yeah, let"s throw some gas on your flames, Dare Bear. Don"t start a fire in my house again." The little pink haired, Roxy says with a crazy giggle. Damn, she"s like the female version of Drac.

Darren calms down slightly as he looks at the girls fondly even while his fists stay clenched at his sides.

"I think you mean water not gas," Ronny says next to me while rolling her eyes.

"That"s what I said, gas."

Everyone stares at her for a moment until Drac tosses his arm around her shoulders, "Definitely gas."

Ronny turns and sits on the couch, completely over the conversation, and pulls out an aged wooden box. Inside are various bones and crystals. Beneath them is a divination board with runes.

We all sit around her as she sets everything up and I take this moment to ask Darren my own questions.

"You call Ronny your daughter but where are their real parents and why haven"t they been taught how to use their magic?"

Everyone stops moving to look between me and Darren. The man pinches the bridge of his nose before answering on a heavy sigh.

"Their parents left them when Roxy was just a baby and I met them when they were all just teens. No one has seen or heard from them since leaving. Same with their parents and every parent before them. At first I suspected foul play but the Elders decided that without proof of anything that no investigation was necessary and ruling that it must be the way of the Vocem Sanguinis; to leave their offspring when they are able to care for themselves. As for their magic, there are no familial books passed on from parent to child as is with the witches and their books of spells."

What do you think of this man, brothers? I don"t fully trust him. He doesn"t have the foul scent of lies but that doesn"t mean he isn"t covering his scent with magic.

I believe him but I think it would be wise to be cautious,Draven says.

"So you mean we have actual magic and no one thought it was acceptable to tell us? We could have tried learning on our own." Ronny"s voice is filled with outrage and I don"t blame her. Books or not, they have a right to know about their abilities.

"And how could you not try to teach us when we"re putting our lives on the line while bounty hunting for the Elders? What if we could have done a lot more for others instead of handing out damnation like fucking candy?"

Darren sighs like this is a conversation he"s been dreading. He looks pained to have upset the sisters.

"The elders forbid it because you don"t know your power source. Every race has a power source. The Fairies and Fae have nature and elements. Nymphs have their own source within the desires of others while Witches have the spirits and the Wolves have the moon. You three have no known source."

My brothers and I look at each other, "Until now." Drac says with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Darren asks with his brows furrowed.

Without thinking of what I"m doing or why I"m doing it, I grab Ronny"s hand and lift it with her palm up and mine cradling from beneath. I couldn't explain to anyone how I knew to do this but I push my hellfire through and the ball of black flames passes to her hand from mine, hovering an inch off her skin.

"We are their source and their mates."