24. Raven

Raven

I licked the last bit of blood from my fangs, shoving the empty goblet to the center of the table. It was my third of the night, and although it had mended my beat-up body nicely, it was equally as unsatisfying as the previous two. The uneasiness deep in my gut wasn’t something food could fix.

Nicholas drained a glass of his own to my right, his sips audible in the otherwise-silent room. Theo’s gaze snapped away from the goblet of blood as I glanced over, his attention shifting back to Myrr, who was slurping the marrow from a beef bone.

It had only been a few hours since I’d almost lost Diana. The scene replayed in my mind for the umpteenth time. Being forced to look on in horror as demon after demon threw themselves between us, making it impossible to get to her fast enough. Feeling her resolve to die when Malach took her by the neck.

Seeing that bastard, Maverick, accepting her sacrifice like the coward he was.

My hand twitched as I looked over at him, and it took every shred of self-control I had not to leap across the table and strangle him. I exhaled, turning toward Diana’s empty seat.

She’d avoided me, and everyone else, since the battle. The haunted look in her eye after the demons had made their exit left no doubt that something was very wrong. She’d brushed the concern aside when I’d pressed but instead had gone to her quarters to bathe at the first opportunity, locking the door behind her.

It was hours later when a messenger had summoned me and the others to the great room on her behalf. And she still wasn’t here, despite the rest of us, barring Sienna, having come nearly thirty minutes ago. So what was it that was bothering her? Something to do with the shard? Or perhaps seeing our enemy’s full power firsthand had taken its toll on her.

I clenched a fist, looking at Dom as I leaned forward in my chair.

“How is Sienna?” I asked, breaking the silence that had hung over the room since our arrival. She’d healed up dozens of werewolves after the battle. By the end of it, she’d been so tired that she needed Dom to carry her back into the keep.

“She was sleeping when I left our room, but her color is already improved. I doubt she’ll be out of commission for too long. She’s gotten a lot more comfortable with her powers.”

The door creaked open before I could respond, and I turned to see Diana striding into the room, a limping Kevin close on her heels. Her eyes flitted to mine for a fraction of a second as she settled into her chair, but they didn’t linger.

Her voice was monotone as she spoke. “We’ve driven Lilis back for now, but it was only a minor skirmish in the war to come. She will be back, of that we can be sure, and we need to be ready to face her. I need to find a way to contact Nefir again. He knows more than he’s letting on, and we need him to commit to helping. We also need to set up a meeting between the monarchs of every faction in the realm.”

“What about the demons now that Malach is dead?” Nick interjected.

“Gabriel is their Heir apparent, fortunately, and will serve as King going forward. I’ve already sent word to him about a potential meeting and have asked him to investigate Lilis’ corruption of Malach. Things will get a lot more difficult if we need to suspect even our allies, so I hope to learn more about how she is able to gain control of people. How she got into Malach in the first place.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a meeting like this,” Evangeline said, concern lacing her words. “The angels will suspect foul play, since the demons are involved, and the fae are flighty and secretive at the best of times.”

Diana tossed up a hand. “That’s part of why I brought you all here; we need to select a neutral location and figure out how to reassure them that this isn’t some trick.”

Myrr’s hand shot up, the chicken thigh she’d been holding clattering onto her plate. “We can use the ruins near my old hut.”

The ruins laid in the central part of the Empire of Magic, just north of Wolf Territory.

“That could work. We wouldn’t have too far to travel, then, no one would,” Diana said with a nod.

“It’s as good a place as any,” said the Duchess. “If they’ll even agree to a meeting at all.”

“The situation is more dire than any we’ve faced before,” Lochlin said. “We have to show them that this is bigger than our grievances with each other.”

Diana pushed a small pile of papers in his direction. “I was hoping to have you spearhead that, actually.”

He dipped his head in assent. “Of course, Your Highness. I’ll begin reaching out as soon as we hammer out the details.”

“We’ll want to keep attendants to a minimum,” I chimed in. “We can’t expect a whole army of angels and demons to keep it civil if they’re in close proximity for very long.”

“We’ll keep it to a maximum of ten attendees per realm,” Diana replied, hardly looking at me, then turned to Myrr. “If you’ll agree to it, I’d like to use your position as Oracle to make sure everyone feels safe to come without weapons.”

Myrr looked up from her food, shrugging. “Sure, just let me know when we’re doing it.”

“I wonder if they even trust in The Oracle’s neutrality anymore,” Evangeline said. “They’ve certainly gotten word that you’ve been traveling with her.”

“It’ll still count for something, at least with the fae,” Loch replied. “They have always held her in even higher esteem than the other magical races. It’s the angels that will be difficult to convince.”

The Duchess’ hands went to her temples. “Then we must make sure they know it was Diana the Wolf Queen who killed Malach. Their distaste for him was even greater than toward the demons as a whole. I’ll get to work on spreading rumors about what happened. We can embellish the story and try to entice them.”

“Excellent,” Diana said. “I’d also like to have Myrr share the prophecy about the other keys. They need to know that we either work together or it means death to us all.”

I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my fangs from extending as Maverick began to speak.

“We seem to be taking the attendance of the demons for granted. Personally, I wouldn’t be so sure. There were many that left here none too happy. Malach kept them in line with his strength as a leader, does Gabriel have what it takes to do the same?”

I rose, no longer able to hold back the fury that’d been growing every hour since his betrayal.

“I don’t even know why you’re talking right now. And about strength , no less? We all saw what you did out there, you fucking coward.” Pure rage washed over me in waves, and I fixed my eyes on him.

Just give me one more reason. Anything.

He turned, averting his gaze. “The prophecy said she had to make a choice. I was trying to help by not interfering with fate?—”

I was halfway across the table before I’d even consciously decided to move. His chair smacked against the ground as I slammed into him, my hand wrapping around his neck.

“Trying to help?” I pushed his head against the ground, pulling my arm back to bash his cowardly fucking face in. Just one punch and this could all be over. We’d already found the gem, so what did we even need him for?

My fangs popped through my gums, at the ready to drain him into a husk. Until Diana’s hand dropped to my shoulder, tugging me gently back.

“Chickenshit,” I muttered, brushing off my shirt like just being close to him had sullied it.

Diana shot me her trademark, icy stare, and I allowed myself to be pulled away.

“I understand how you’re feeling right now, but this is not the time for it,” she murmured. “It’s just like the meeting with the clans; we need to put aside our differences and work to defeat Lilis together.”

Loch, Nick, and Dom had all stood to break up the fight, and I pushed past them as I moved back to my seat.

“It won’t happen again. Especially if he keeps his fucking mouth shut.”

Maverick shot me a venomous glare as he and the others retook their seats.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s get to our second order of business…” Diana shot a look around the table, her questioning gaze touching on each of us in turn. “Why am I still alive? I remember stopping the haboob, but then I was in some strange limbo between life and death after that. So how did I get back here?”

My anger at Maverick took a backseat and I met Dom’s grim gaze. It was time to come clean and face the music. Resolving myself, I turned back toward Diana.

“You were?—”

A loud creak cut me off before I could finish, and Sienna stepped through the doorway. As Dom had predicted, she didn’t look that fatigued. Very interesting. Would Diana’s powers evolve to this extent, too?

Dom rose to greet her with a kiss and lead her over to the empty seat, but Diana was first to speak.

“How are you?”

“Okay, I think.” She cocked her head. “It’s hard to explain, but something about us using our magic together was different. More powerful. I feel energized, in some way, even though I used up a ton of energy. It’s my first time feeling like this.”

“I felt it too…when we connected. But I don’t feel it anymore.”

“What do you mean by ‘connected’?” Evangeline cut in.

Sienna looked to the ceiling for a second, pondering, then back. “It was like we were acting as two parts of one thing. Different, but the same. I could tell what she was doing, and even thinking with no words being exchanged. Her emotions felt like mine.”

“It was the same for me,” Diana agreed.

“I think it has something to do with the Spirit. I can feel it inside me, like a second presence that sometimes calls out to me or offers me aid. I think yours was entangled with mine, somehow. It was sort of what it feels like when I communicate with an animal.”

“Can’t say I’ve experienced that, though I do have a stronger sense of Kevin’s emotions than before. It feels like he’s” —she shrugged and let out a strange little laugh— “I don’t know…mourning for me, somehow, even though I survived.”

A wave of nausea ran through me as a silence settled over the room. I hadn’t allowed myself to focus on what I might have deprived her of. How did we tell her that we’d pushed her wolf down?

Diana continued, “I can’t be sure, but I don’t think I’ll be able to heal anyone or talk to animals like Sienna can. It’s more like the shard is just allowing me to be more in tune with other living creatures.”

“Elhimna said that each key will have a unique ability,” Sienna said. “It will become clearer as time passes. At first, it’s so overwhelming and weird that it’s hard to know anything.”

Diana nodded. “I’ll have to get the hang of it quickly. I fear we haven’t got much time before Lilis is back.”

“I will say that I did get some sense that your power was very different while we were connected. Mine was driving me to comfort Malach…to heal his heart and mind and prepare him for a death that was beyond my powers to stop. And yours…” Sienna’s throat worked as she held Diana’s gaze, “There was an edge to it that I’ve not felt with my own. A deep desire to punish Lilis for all she’s done. If I was the calm, you were the storm.”

Diana folded her hands in front of her, the picture of calm now. “It’s true. The anger was driving my power. It went beyond anything I’ve ever felt in terms of strength. Like I could do anything. It was scary, but it made me feel like I could survive, even against Lilis.”

“We should take tonight to recover, but I bet we can learn a lot if we spend some time practicing together.”

“I was thinking the same. We should see if we can recreate that connection. If Lilis attacks again, it’ll be our only chance at beating her.” She shuddered. “If we have any chance at all. Did you feel how strong she was?”

“We were lucky. She was hindered by being in someone else’s body, I think,” Sienna agreed. “Especially since Malach was trying to resist her. I can’t imagine what she would be capable of if she controlled someone with great strength who welcomed her presence.”

“Or worse, if she could face us herself. It’s something we should’ve pressed Nefir on. What’s keeping her from facing us head on?”

It was a question that had been haunting me too. Why hadn’t the bitch attacked us withal her might?

“The most proactive thing we can do right now is find the remaining keys.” Diana turned to Lochlin. “The other monarchs might be able to help on that front. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you win them over. Getting their support is crucial.”

“I’ll get to work the second this meeting ends.”

“Once they’ve all gathered, I can show everyone what happened at Stonehenge if Maverick will allow it. Maybe they’ll recognize one of their own from inside the memory?” Nicholas offered, glancing at Maverick.

Chickenshit nodded. “Anything to be of help.”

I scowled but held my tongue.

“At least we’ve got a path forward. Now, let’s get back to the question of the day.” Diana patted the table with a tight smile that was more like a baring of teeth as she circled back to the question I’d hoped she’d forgotten.

“How the hell am I still alive?”