12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Raevyn

R aevyn… Raevyn…

My core sparked with an intense electric heat. My body hummed. My veins sizzled.

Shadows swirled.

Hands touched. Caressed. Whispered against my skin.

A tongue at the seam of my lips.

Bright sparking eyes watching.

It felt so good. So good. More. Needed more.

My body thrummed. Snapped taut.

Exploded.

I jolted awake. A gasp of surprise leaving my mouth as the remnants of an orgasm faded from my body. My lips tingled with the faint memory of someone being there and I could taste something on my tongue. Something spicy. Exotic.

Something wicked.

Raevyn…

Something whispered my name. I looked towards the window, following the sound, and saw the largest raven I'd ever seen sitting on the balcony. It was magnificent. Large black wings shimmered blue under the light of the sun and its black eyes watched me as if it knew I was staring at him.

I extracted myself from Hawk's long limbs, loving his adorable little pout as if he knew I'd left him in sleep, and walked over to the large glass doors. Stepping through, I eyed the large bird warily. He was certainly bigger than the average raven. More like the size of an eagle. He was probably just under a metre tall, and his eyes were big and black with a sharpness that suggested he was assessing me the same way I was him.

"Um, hi."

The giant bird bowed his head in greeting.

"So, are you just a bird or something else?"

"Something else."

The voice was low and soft, with a sultry lilt that resonated clearly in my mind.

I stared at the bird, my mind refusing to process what it had just heard.

He cocked his head to one side. "Are you alright?"

Nope. The bird was talking. "Did you just talk to me?"

"Yes."

"But you're a bird."

He squawked at me. "I'm no mere bird."

"Sorry. It's just… I didn't think I'd be waking up and conversing with a raven today."

"Not spoken to animals before?"

"Nope."

"It's a rare gift. One usually reserved to the Gods."

Cool. I suddenly wanted to learn what else I could do. Overnight I'd gone from having no magic to stepping into a world of possibilities. It was a little overwhelming actually, but it didn't stop me from wanting to see what else I could do. If I was going to take on my grandmother, I was going to need all the help I could get.

I stepped closer to the large bird. "What's your name?"

"Corvus."

I had a sudden urge to touch the raven. It was like there was something connecting us, but I wasn't sure if I was just being silly or just reading too much into the fact that the bird was being friendly. I reached my hand out. "May I?"

Corvus scooted along the balcony edge towards my fingers. "Of course."

I trailed my fingers over the crown of his head and into the plush plumage on his chest. He made a deep cooing sound as I explored his feathers and I wondered whether he was here for a reason. Just didn't seem like a coincidence that I turned up in the Underworld heralded by ravens and then this guy shows up.

Corvus stretched his wings and shook his feathers in satisfaction. "Thank you. It's been a long time since I've felt a kind touch."

Now I just wanted to cuddle the guy. But that was weird, right? "That's okay."

He dipped his head and looked sideways at me. "Can I stay? With you?"

There was something odd about this bird, something mysterious. I wasn't entirely sure I could trust him, but there was something intriguing about him. "Do you know much about the Underworld and it's people?"

"Are you thinking of using me as a walking encyclopaedia?"

"Maybe."

He squawked a laugh. "Yes. I'm full of knowledge and I will answer any question you have, but you may not always like my answers."

"Fair enough." I held my arm out and he jumped on. "Fuck," I said as I nearly dropped the guy. He was a lot heavier than he looked. He walked up my arm and settled on my shoulder which was probably for the best. He didn't seem quite so heavy up there.

I walked back into the room and discovered a tree sprawling along the length of one of the walls. That definitely wasn't there last night. I would have noticed something that huge.

Corvus swooped off my shoulder and landed on one of the thick branches. Casimir's words floated back through my mind about the room attuning to my needs. Did it know I'd need a spot for a giant raven to live? Perhaps that meant that this partnership was meant to be. I mean, if the house thought it was okay then the bird had to be a keeper, right?

"What the fuck is that?" Hawk said, his voice husky with sleep.

"A raven."

" Draguta , that is not a raven. Step away from it."

"Corvus is harmless. He—"

"How do you know its name?" Hawk interrupted.

"Um… he told me."

He frowned. "You're sure?"

I nodded but maybe he hadn't. Auditory hallucinations could be brought on by stress and trauma. Maybe I'd imagined it. Corvus was watching me, his head cocked to one side and there seemed to be amusement glinting in his dark eyes.

"Gods, I'm going insane. I'm taking to animals."

Hawk walked towards the raven, studying it closely. Corvus gave a sudden shrill cry and Hawk flinched backwards with a yelp. I tried not to laugh at the sound he made but I could barely hold it in.

There was a knock at the door and Rook popped his head around, his green hair wild with sleep. "What's with the ruckus? And did I hear a bird?"

"I seem to have adopted a raven, and it frightened Hawk."

"It did not," Hawk said vehemently.

I snorted. I couldn't help it; the giant mountain of a man had squealed like a little schoolgirl. Hawk fixed me with a dark look that promised punishment and I had to squeeze my thighs together.

"It's not just a raven," Rook said, awe in his tone. "It's a Familiar."

"A Familiar?"

Rook eyed the bird warily. "Yes, a spiritual companion, bonded to one person. They're usually small creatures like cats. I've never heard of a raven before."

"I have," Hawk said ominously. "Only one though."

"Who?" Rook asked.

"Someone long since gone." That was all Hawk said and it seemed to be enough for Rook, which was odd. Perhaps I should ask Corvus. I had a feeling there were going to be a lot of questions that would be coming the raven's way.

"She can talk to it, too," Hawk added.

"Really? He spoke to you?" Rook said, excitement in his eyes.

"I think so. It's either that or I imagined it all and I'm going insane." I approached the bird and trailed a finger down his soft plumage.

Rook studied the bird. "Is he talking to you now?"

"No."

A waft of bergamot hit my senses as Rook came to stand with me by the large tree and I tried really hard not to breathe him in, but man he smelled so good.

I looked Corvus in the eye and gave him what I hoped was an encouraging expression. "So, am I going insane, or did we have a whole conversation out there on the balcony?"

His eyes held mine for a beat. I had definitely heard him. I was sure of it. But still, I held my breath as I waited for him to say something. Anything.

"You're not mad, Necromancer," the bird finally said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Gods." I turned to Rook and Hawk. "Did you hear that?"

They both shook their heads.

Rook rested his chin on my shoulder, staring at the bird in fascination. "What did he say?"

"That I wasn't mad. He also called me a necromancer." I was still having a hard time adjusting to the possibility of that but Hawk was living proof of pulled someone from the Depths.

"Hmm, it's unusual to be able to talk to animals," Rook mused.

"A gift of the Gods, apparently." I turned to Rook, his face a mere inch from mine. Gods, his eyes were beautiful. A rich, vibrant green with specks of gold glinting in their depths. For a moment I lost the ability to think. "Um, why can I hear animals all of a sudden?"

"Not sure," he replied with a slow smile. "It must have something to do with your connection to necromancy. Ravens are considered omens of death."

"Perhaps becoming the necromancer heightened your existing abilities," Hawk posed, his large arms folded across his broad chest.

"Maybe," Rook agreed. "It might be something to do with your connection to the Revenants as well. We've never been bound to anyone before, and all sorts of things might come to the surface."

I nodded just as my stomach rumbled. Guess necromancers still needed to eat.

"Come on, bird whisperer," Rook chuckled. "I'll show you to the kitchen."

I pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Can you give me half an hour? I think a shower and a change of clothes is in order."

"Sure," he said. "I'll show Hawk his rooms so he can find something more modern than his ancient harem pants."

I watched the pair of them go, Hawk grumbling under his breath in Romanian about maiming Rook and I couldn't help but smile. I might have fallen into the Underworld, but I think I was just starting to find my feet.