25. Raven

RAVEN

It’s too quiet. Not in the way you would hear a pin drop from five hundred miles away. No. This is worse. It’s the type of silence that makes everything feel fine, okay, good—too good—and you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m always alert and mainly on edge most of the time as it is, but even this is a new level for me.

There hasn’t been another peep out of Sebastian today, not even after Brax threatened him in front of everyone. Genie hasn’t reared her ugly head to have her say either, and I think that might be the more startling part. I also haven’t been pulled from classes again, which is a relief. I have no idea what my parents are doing or expecting of me, but I was certain after yesterday they would be back sooner rather than later.

Leila wasn’t in our last class today; her father called her out, but otherwise, we’re semi-normal again. I hope. Maybe. For now, at least.

Having a friend is harder than handling the Bishops, and that’s saying something.

I know it won’t continue like this, but it’s giving me a damn headache waiting for the ax to fall. Classes are finished for the day, and as we make our way through the marbled hallways of the academy, I almost let myself relax into Zane’s hold.

His arm is firmly around my shoulders while Eldon holds my left hand. Creed is so close behind me that I’m sure he’s going to walk with his hands on my ass in a minute, and even Brax walks a step closer today as he leads the way.

The crowd heads toward the double-arched doors that stand wide open. Rain pours from the sky in a deluge, spoiling the atmosphere as gray clouds loom overhead. It was exactly like this when we left the house this morning as well. I’m already bored of it. It reminds me too much of Shadowmoor.

None of the guys move to ready their magic so they don’t get wet, while I get nervous, wanting to be sure how to do it before I actually step outside. But just as the doors get within reach, the sound of my name echoing off the walls around us makes me pause.

Spinning to look behind me, the guys remain frozen in place, with Eldon on my right and Zane on my left, while Brax hovers at my back and Creed stands front and center.

It’s Lyra.

Her eyes meet mine through the crowd and she waves for me to come closer. It’s like she heard my thoughts from a moment ago and waited until I was sure peace and quiet were guaranteed before perking my weariness back up again.

It’s surprisingly easy to get through the crowd, which parts like the sea for the Bishops that surround me.

“How are you today? You had me worried yesterday,” she states, folding her arms over her deep-navy suit jacket, her red lips twisting as she assesses me.

“Uh, I’m fine,” I mumble, noting that I can’t sense her magic around me, and I make a mental reminder to bring it up to the guys as soon as we’re done here.

“Good. I also have Monarch Denver in one of the communication rooms.” Her gaze shifts to Zane, whose eyes widen, but I almost feel like it’s surprising it’s taken this long. Then again, I don’t know the man well enough to make that call. I purposely hadn’t thought about him reaching out in hopes I didn’t jinx it, but it seems it was meant to creep up on me nonetheless. “He’s waiting in booth one,” she adds, and Zane sighs.

“You guys go ahead, I—”

“No, no,” Lyra interrupts as she takes a backward step toward her office. “He requested all of you.”

“All of us?” Eldon clarifies, and she nods.

She disappears back into her office after that and Zane waves for us to follow him toward the booths. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Now I’m panicking. “Have I fucked up with him?” I murmur, glancing at Zane from the corner of my eye, and he grabs my chin and grinds us to a stop as he looks deep into my gaze.

“No, never.” He sounds so certain that hope fills me with the chance of those words being true.

“The quicker we get in there, the quicker we can get out,” Brax grunts, stepping around everyone else to grab the door handle and push it open.

With no more time to prepare, I follow after him and find a projection of Monarch Denver sitting on a sofa to my right while Brax drops down onto the empty one facing him. I take the seat beside him and Zane presses into my other side, sandwiching me between the two of them.

“Zane, boys, all okay?” Rhys asks, accepting the nods as a reasonable response before settling his eyes on me. “Raven, how are you today?”

Gulping, I nod. “I’m okay.” I think. What else am I supposed to say?

“Good.”

“What’s this about, Pops?” Zane asks, leaning forward to rest one elbow on his right knee and the other on mine.

“Don’t make me come there for real and get you in a headlock, son,” Rhys grumbles, catching me by surprise. My back stiffens as I stare between the two of them, but Zane smothers a laugh, which eases the rising tension flooding my veins a little. “Quit your bullshit. I did some digging around after I got Evangeline and Abel out of Haven Court and I understand exactly why they’ve been pushing for Raven’s magic to come to light.”

I can’t breathe. I can’t move. I can’t be a weapon.

Panic burns up my spine. I can sense it by the mere look in his eyes; he’s not lying. He knows. I fucking know it.

“Pops, what—”

“Test me on the headlock, Zane. I dare you.” He stares his son down and Zane slouches back in his seat. I immediately feel exposed without his hand on me. Brax must sense it, though, because his hand clamps down on my other thigh, pinning me to him.

“Maybe what Zane should be trying to ask is if you could be more specific with what you believe you know,” Creed interjects, but Rhys’s gaze is fixed on mine.

“It’s okay, Raven. It’s all going to be okay. I’m extremely sorry I didn’t know about their intentions this entire time.” Is he trying to bullshit me to make me fall for some false sense of security? My fight or flight instincts are kicking in, and although I’m currently stuck on freeze, my arms are going to be swinging as I run for the hills. I’m sure of it.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, Pops,” Zane insists, and I grimace.

“I said, quit your bullshit. I told you a necromancer had been sensed, and when I mentioned it the other day, you didn’t think to mention you knew who.” He cocks a brow, glaring at his son, while all I can do is gape at him.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

The silence extends between them, consuming the room for what feels like an eternity until Zane sighs. “It’s not my story to tell.”

He’s not doing this right now, right? Handing me over so effortlessly. I’m fucked.

“You’re right, it’s not, and you better keep your mouth shut. This information in the wrong hands would… fuck.” Rhys runs a hand through his hair, the stress as clear on him as it is on us. “Luckily, Monarch Perkins, who your parents were in contact with, isn’t aware of the information I have, nor will they be in the future since I’ve sent them on a field mission this morning. Return date set to indefinitely.”

I blink at him, his words slowly processing through my mind. Is that… relief I feel? Trust? But I still don’t know him well enough for any of that. Turning to Zane, he nods, his lips in a thin line in comparison to the usual smirk that sits there, and I take the trust I feel from him and channel it myself too.

Clearing my throat, I place my hand on top of Brax’s at my thigh. “What does this mean for us now?” He takes a moment to glance over each of us, like he’s assessing us as individuals and as a whole, his son included.

“Who did you save, Raven? To activate the magic?” he asks, not answering my question, and I gulp, but the knot in my throat doesn’t budge.

“It was me, Monarch Denver,” Brax states, and I grip his hand even tighter as I tilt my head to look at him. His face is as void of emotion as it usually is, but there was a hint of something in his voice that I haven’t heard before and likely never will be able to figure out where to place it.

When Rhys doesn’t respond straight away, I turn back to him to see his eyes wide as his throat bobs with a large gulp of his own. I guess asking the question and actually getting an answer to it are two entirely different things.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Brax,” he states with a sniff.

“Me too, Sir,” he grumbles in response. This man will speak the same way to anyone and everyone, Monarchy included, and it makes me love his natural ruthlessness.

Rhys clears his throat and turns back to me again. “Have you pieced together your other magic along with it yet?”

“No,” I admit, but then a sudden thought comes to mind. “Although someone mentioned I might have something.”

“What?” Eldon blurts, staring at me expectantly.

Tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear, I shrug nervously. “Wait, first, I have some questions,” I insist, and Rhys nods for me to proceed. “Did you help me get back here? Are my parents likely to try that again? And why did so much time pass between me leaving and returning?” I don’t even pause to breathe as each question quickly flows into the next.

“Yes, I helped you. When you admitted your fears in the chamber, I knew I had to protect you. There’s clearly something bigger at play, which is why your mother had someone else intercept you instead of protecting you herself, and as much as I don’t understand why, it also means I can’t guarantee there won’t be another attempt like this,” he admits, making my heart clench. “Thirdly, more time passed than you likely expected because I kept you in a comatose state in my private gateway.” My eyes widen in surprise and he quickly lifts his hands in surrender as Brax rushes to his feet. “If I had sent you straight back there, your father would have been right behind you. I needed it to look realistic.”

“What does realistic look like, Pops,” Zane snarls, speaking my exact thought.

“I made it look like there was an issue with the chamber when I tried to place you in it. You weren’t in the gateway alone, though. My wife was with you the entire time. Just in case.”

“Just in case what?” I breathe, my brain overwhelmed with the facts I’m not sure I was prepared for.

“Just in case anyone came after you. I might not have known then what secrets you were keeping, but I knew the fear in your eyes was real. If I ever saw that in the eyes of one of my own children, I would tear this world to pieces. Added to the fact that I’ve seen the way my son looks at you, I knew protecting you at all costs was the right thing to do. Am I correct?” His gaze shifts to Zane beside me, but it’s Eldon who speaks first.

“You’re the coolest fucking man in The Monarchy, you know that, right?” Zane rolls his eyes at his friend’s declaration while his father smirks, pleased with himself.

“As true as that may be, what’s the magic you mentioned?” Rhys asks, not steering completely off track as he turns back to me.

Despite being a lone ranger, I lean into my Bishops and take the single nod from Zane to proceed. “When I got back here, I was speaking with someone and instantly knew they were doing something to me against my will.”

“Explain,” Creed grunts, his onyx eyes silently pleading with me after spending last night together.

“Lyra was practicing her magic, or… her second magic, I think, which is a sort of truth serum, and I called her out on it. She insisted no one had done that before and that even those who are usually tight-lipped don’t realize when they’re oversharing, but I did.”

“That sounds like you could be able to taste magic, as they call it, but if you’re a necromancer as well, hell, you could sense it to manipulate it. Mirror it. It’s been known that a necromancer can sense magic, feel energy in the air, and contort it to their own desires.” I have no words to say back to that and he must sense it, too, because he pats his thighs and smiles. “Either way, they’ll come through when they’re ready, right?”

“Yeah,” I whisper, still bewildered.

He rises from his seat and I expect the hologram to stutter, but it doesn’t. His arm comes out swinging and I flinch as a slap hits Zane on the head.

What the fuck?

“Don’t fuck with me again, son. You little shit,” he says with a chuckle, and Zane jumps to his feet, wrapping his arms around his father in a loving embrace as I stay frozen in place, fear licking at my nerve endings. A moment later, Rhys’s attention turns my way once more. “With your abilities, Raven, the world is going to be in the palm of your hand, and it’s going to be our job to make sure you don’t become anyone’s weapon.”