28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Raevyn

M y mother was dead. I couldn't quite reconcile that thought with the fact that I'd seen Charon sail her to her judgment. I'd spent the last 24 hours in a sort of daze. The guys had been feeding me, cuddling and giving me space to let me come to terms with what had happened but I just… I couldn't.

I was sad my mother had died, but I also felt guilty. I'd wanted her to suffer but never like this. She hadn't even had a chance to spend time with Robyn. Another wave of guilt hit me, churning my insides and making me feel like the worst sort of person. Here I was, wallowing in grief and guilt, and my baby sister was left to the care of my grandmother. I should do something for her. I wanted to; I just couldn't seem to get the motivation to actually put any thought into action. It was like my brain just couldn't get into gear.

"I'm sure your sister will be safe," Corvus said as he perched on the arm of the sofa next to me.

"Would you check on her?"

He bobbed his head, his feathers ruffling under his beak. "Of course. I will go when one of your men return to keep you company."

"Thank you," I said as I stroked a finger down his plumage.

His beak nipped at the black feathered ring around my finger. "You saw him?"

"Yes, but I don't really remember. It's like I can see him one minute, but when I try to describe him, the image vanishes. Who is he?"

"My master," Corvus squawked.

I rubbed my forehead, willing the image of him to reappear. "But what is his name?"

"I cannot speak it aloud, it is forbidden. But it will come to you when you are ready." Corvus snapped his wings. "He will be freed and you will meet again."

"Can you… No, it doesn't matter." I started but stopped. It was a ridiculous thought.

"Can I what?" he asked.

He was going to think I was crazy. "Can you send messages to him?"

The giant bird nodded, and his beady eyes watched me closely.

"I thought I'd dreamed it. To be honest, I'm not sure I know what's real and what isn't anymore."

"Raevyn, he is real. I am real. This world is real. My purpose here is to protect you, aid you and help you understand the new world you're in. Don't be afraid of asking me anything." He bucked his head against my hand, and I returned to stroking his feathers.

"Okay, Corvus," I said with more bravado than I really felt. "Please ask him to visit my dreams. I'd like to remember him again."

"Of course. Anything else?"

I thought for a moment, and I only really had one burning question. "Do you know how I can access my magic?"

He squawked and I was sure there was an excited little gleam in his eyes. "It's not just magic. It's power ."

"What do you mean?"

"Witches pull magic from the world around them. Power comes from within."

"But I don't understand, Corvus. How can I have power? My mother was a witch."

"I think you need to speak to your father."

My heart sank. "But I don't know who that is."

"I've a feeling that you might find the answer to that sooner than you think." Then he bucked my hand with his head and flew out the window.

The door to the room opened and Rook popped his head around it.

"Hey, Lilac," he said softly as he came over to sit down next to me on the sofa and handed me a cup of tea. "How you doing?"

I shrugged my shoulders and sniffed, grief hitting me again. I was sick of crying too. It just kept coming out of nowhere and wouldn't fuck off.

"Oh, little darling." Rook pulled me into his arms, and I curled into his embrace. He'd been wary of touching me after the biting incident but I'd kind of forced my need for cuddles on him. He was fine after that. We still hadn't talked about it. I was just hoping he'd forget, and we could move on, much like most things in my life at the moment. I hadn't even asked Korbin about the conversation they'd had with my mother before she'd died, but after that chat with Corvus I knew I needed to find out what they'd dicsovered. I sighed. There was quite a bit racking up that I kind of needed to face. I just couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

"It will get better," he said softly. His long green hair was up in a bun on top of his head today and it accentuated the lines of his cheeks and jaw. He really was gorgeous, and my heart did a little flip in my chest as I looked at him.

"Will it?"

"Time heals all wounds. It might not feel like it now, but I know we are all here to support you through it. Whatever you need, okay?"

I nodded and tucked my head under his chin. He wrapped a fluffy blanket around us, and I instantly felt safely cocooned away from the real world.

We stayed like that for a while, long enough for me to doze off, but I awoke with the press of soft lips against my temple. I blinked my eyes open and found the soft white gaze of Korbin looking back at me.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but we need to talk." Korbin's lips were pinched together, and his expression was grave.

"I know." And I did. There was, in fact, quite a lot we needed to talk about.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to tell you we'd been to see your mother," Korbin started, a softness in his voice that I found soothing against my frayed nerves. "We hadn't meant to deceive you, only find out more about who your father had been."

I nodded, the top of my head brushing Rook's chin. I was taking comfort from being cradled in his arms. He was warm and solid, dependable and I needed that in my corner right now.

"What did you find out?" I asked.

Korbin and Rook shared a glance.

"Don't keep secrets from me," I begged. "Please."

Korbin sighed deeply but there was resolution in his steadfast gaze. "That your mother didn't know who your father was."

"I could have told you that," I said. My mother had mentioned a secret in her past but never went into any detail about it and whenever I asked about my father, she'd always change the subject.

"She also said you presented with exceptionally strong magic at an early age." Korbin's gaze was sympathetic as he imparted that little kernel of knowledge.

Tears pooled in my eyes. "She hid it from me?"

Korbin took my hand in his. "Your mother buried your memories of it in order to protect you from your grandmother."

"She feared you'd used by your grandmother," Rook added. "It sounds like she was trying to do the right thing, Raevyn, however misguided."

Well that just made me feel even worse. That she'd tried to help in the only way she could just so my grandmother didn't make things worse. I had so many mixed emotions about her, so much hate and confusion, love and pain. I couldn't tell where one ended and the others began. I was just this swirling ball of chaos, trying to navigate through it without any kind of map or guide. How the hell was I going to survive?

"We also asked Hades about your time manipulation," Rook whispered by my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

"And?" I asked as I looked up at him.

Rook frowned and a wariness flashed through his eyes. "He said there was only one person he knew of that could manipulate time."

I sat up, my interest piqued. "Who?"

"His father," Rook replied with a grimace.

"Cronus?" I almost snorted. "The Titan Cronus?"

"Yes," Korbin said, curling into my side and resting his head on my shoulder. "But it gets worse."

"How?" I gasped. How the fuck could this get any worse?

"Cronus is supposed to banished to the Isles of the Blessed," Rook said. "There's no escape from there but if you've inherited one of his powers, then it stands to reason that the Titan escaped for one night with your mother."

Well, hot damn. I was suddenly seeing my mother in a completely new light. She'd have had to be something to ensure a Titan. Go, Mum .

"Wait a minute." Realisation hit me like a freight train. "If you're saying the Cronus had a night with my mum, does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes," Korbin said with a sly smile. "You're—"

"Related to Hades?!" I squeaked. For fuck's sake. Urgh. No. The guy was a cuntmuffin. There was no way he was my — gulp — brother.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Korbin said wisely. "We will just take things one step at a time."

I nodded but still… shit. I might be more than just a witch. Speaking of witches…

"What are we going to do about my grandmother?"

"Well," Korbin drawled. "That is the question. I've a feeling that since Nox decided to withdraw our patronage from the coven—"

"He did what?" I screeched and jumped to my feet. "No. Fuck. You need to give it back."

"Raevyn, we don't ‘need' to do anything. It's up to us who we grant our power to, and your coven's actions led to us withdrawing it." Korbin fixed me with a serious expression, his gaze steadfast.

"But you don't understand. My grandmother will see that as an act of war." How could they be so stupid? They didn't know what my grandmother could do. How vindictive and cruel she could be. She would see this as a personal slight and I knew that she'd use it as a tool to rouse the rest of the coven into a frenzy that would only be satisfied by blood.

"Raevyn," Rook said calmly as he stepped towards me. He cupped my jaw with his long fingers. "I promise you, your grandmother poses no threat to you or to us. You don't need to worry."

I knew what he said to be true, but it still didn't appease the sliver of fear that had punctured my heart. She would do something. I just knew it. None of them were safe whilst I was still here.

I needed to see her, face her and destroy her. No more would she hold power over me, and I would protect my men. Even if it was the last thing I ever did.