They were back in town, and for the last couple of days, the name had been echoing through her mind.
Crowe
Staring down at her handwriting, 'Who are you?' Raven thought. They had just come back. She had not had a run-in with Dorian yet and had a peaceful few days.
"Raven," he said.
"Mr. Jameson," she breathed out.
"You're back in town?" he questioned.
"Yes, we returned earlier today."
"That's good."
'Good for Dorian,' Raven thought.
Raven stared at the man in front of her; if it had been a couple of days ago, she would have been filled with fury and pain for the man whom her mother thought she could trust. She had learned that before her mother died she went to see a lawyer, a man, and it happened to be Jameson, but when she had a run-in with Michael and woman Oakley she had learned that he was the one to have made her location known. But somehow after the past few days, she was no longer filled with fury, just wondering why. Staring at the man who stood in front of her, he looked back at her, silencing, filling their surroundings.
"I was informed that you were the one assigned to handle my case," she stated.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"I was told my mother sought your help," she continued.
"Yes," he repeated.
"About four weeks ago, my life was turned upside down. My mother was torn apart right before my eyes. I remember it vividly," she recounted, her gaze drifting into the distance. "The sun was setting as we strolled along the pier, the waves crashing against it, and she asked how I would feel about visiting my aunt. You might know her; she owns Mel's Diner. Suddenly, I got a terrible headache that worsened over the years, to where my senses began to fade. I could barely see as my mother gently coaxed me to open my eyes, calling me 'her little raven.' When I finally did, I saw a figure rushing towards us while she whispered something to me. As I called out to her, trying to warn her it was too late, it descended on her, knocking her over, causing me to slip on the wet floor, and I hit my head, which knocked me unconscious," she said, holding back tears.
"When I regained consciousness, I was surrounded by people in a panic, crying about someone being torn apart. Terrified, I opened my eyes to find a paramedic tending to my injuries. I called for my mother, not knowing her whereabouts. I got up, searching for her, calling her name, trying to ensure she was alright. The officers tried to restrain me, but I persisted. Then I saw her on the ground, looking at me. Overjoyed, I rushed towards her, but as I drew closer, the horrific truth dawned on me: my mother's head had been severed from her body. Too late, I noticed the black bags the officers were carrying her dismembered parts. I lay on the pier's floor while my mother was being mutilated," she said, her throat swollen.
"And now, the man she sought for help is right in front of me, the man who betrayed her. And now, a breed of species that should not exist is after me" not just any wolf or vampire, but a hybrid. I have not had time to mourn and heal from it, and he seeks revenge because my ancestors cursed him, and you, you informed him about me without considering what he might do to my aunt or to those few I have left." Raven finished; tears pricked at her eyes.
"I may not know you well, Raven, but your mother has told me about you. There is so much you are unaware of. I did not betray your mother, nor did I lead Dorian to you. There are secrets your mother kept from you, secrets I wish you had never been deprived of. I am not like any of you; I don't have the abilities that you have. I cannot fathom the reasons why she did what she did, but your mother she knows what she is doing."
Raven is staring up at him. "What did she tell you? Tell me, tell me what she told you," she implored.
"I can't. Your mother was my client, and my confidentiality extends beyond the grave. However, I can tell you that your mother wanted you to be here," he explained apologetically.
"What?" Raven asked, shocked.
"Your mother wanted him to find you. She wanted you here before anything even happened; she wanted you to live with your aunt until she could finally join you. She knew you were capable," he informed her.
"Capable of what?" she demanded hopelessly.
"Capable of changing everything," he replied.
Raven wiped her tears with her sleeve as Jameson looked on with sadness.
"How am I supposed to do that?" she challenged him.
"Your mother had told me a lot about you; you should know darkness is drawn to the light," he told her softly but was caught off guard by her eyes. "Uh, your eyes are dark," he said, seemingly at a loss for words in that moment.
"It happens, don't worry," she replied. Since she left, her magic had been acting up; she had become stronger, but it came with the price of being unable to control her emotional magic bursts.
"She told me how you used to love the story of the cursed boy, and even if you don't believe it yourself, you know that you would have helped Dorian. There's something there drawing you in. Darkness is drawn to light, Raven; remember that," he advised.
"What's going to happen now?" she asked earnestly.
"I think you know what to do."
"I am afraid," she told him softly, fumbling with the sleeves of her shirt.
"It's okay to be afraid. Nobody said that it wouldn't be scary," he told her.
"How am I going to get through this?" she asked him.
"By being yourself," he replied.
Nodding, Raven stood up, feeling a bit dizzy.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her, concerned.
"Of course, I've been through worse," she told him. Jameson shook his head at her, his gaze falling to her notebook.
"Crowe?" he questioned. "Why are you looking for Crowe?"
"You know what Crowe means?" she asked him.
"It is not a what; it is a who. Ophelia Crowe," he told her.
Ophelia Crowe.
Staring at Raven before stepping down the few steps, "I have to go; I hope you find what you're looking for," Jameson told her.
Raven watches the man walk off. "Hey, Jameson," she called out, catching his attention.
"You didn't deserve that; you were just doing what you were told," she said apologetically.
"I did deserve that a little," he said with a smile.
Jameson turned round, leaving Raven. The woods were quiet as she closed the cabin doors behind her. Alone, with her aunt at the diner and uncertain when she would return, Raven decided to stay at the cabin. Wanting the last moment of quiet before everything went back to normal. One thing she was glad she had located was where the book was; for once, the nightmares were aiding her. Dropping down on the couch, Raven embraced the darkness, waiting for her.
***
Dorian approached the cabin, noticing the dead flowers that surrounded it. There was silence, an absence of life.
Something was wrong, and it was calling to him. Stepping onto the porch, he tried to look into the cabin, but the shutters were closed.
"WITCH!" he shouted.
He knocked a few times, waiting for a response, but none came.
"RAVEN," he called out into the darkness. After what he had done to her, he did not expect her to answer him, but this was different. He could not even feel her through the link.
KNOCK KNOCK
Twisting the cabin door handle, he pushed it open. A shock went through him, pulling away, quickly unable to enter the cabin. Dorian's eyes landed on the girl lying on the couch, her skin pale, her hair darker, her veins black, filled with darkness.
She had been doing dark magic.
"RAVEN," he called out loudly, trying to wake the girl up.
"YOU NEED TO WAKE UP, RAVEN," he yelled, but the girl was not moving an inch. She was going to die, not before killing everything around her.
The woods surrounding it already looked rotten.
Shaking his head, he called her name. His eyes changed color as his teeth extended, his wolf coming closer.
"RAVEN," he roared her name as her body arched up from the couch. She looked around, her eyes landing on him at the front door. She was in a haze.
"You can't enter," she reminded him, stumbling slightly.
"You have been doing dark magic?" he questioned her.
"No," she answered, walking closer to the door, only a few feet away from him.
"It has been happening a lot lately," Raven said drunkenly, staring at him. Both his hands were holding onto the sides of the door frame. "They had a spell that was from the Graverose spells. They told me to recite the spell, and I did not know what it was for. The spell could locate where the spell book could be, but the witches took the spell that could have unsealed the book. Are you going to kill me now?" she questioned as he listened intently to her.
"No, I am not going to kill you, Raven," he told her as she continued, "But you need to get rid of that dark magic, Raven; you have never handled this much power; it is going to kill you," he told her.
She stepped closer to him, her body growing heavier.
"I am not feeling so well," she whispered, gulping, resting her hands on the glass table, trying to stop everything from spinning.
"Just take a few more steps," he coaxed.
SHATTER
The glass table shattered under her hands, nearly falling through it, but she caught herself.
"Raven, come here, little witch. I cannot come inside. You will have to come here so that I can help you," she blinked up at him, wondering if he was telling the truth. She stumbled to the front door, drunkenly stopping right at the threshold.
He watched her, trying to determine her next move: if she was going to get out or stay inside when her body went limp and she fell forward.
Catching her body before she could hit the ground, his magic was electrifying as it spread through her body.
"I got you," he whispered to her as he picked her up in his arms, leaving the cabin.
He rushed toward the house. Dorian entered the house, red eyes following him as he went up the flight of stairs to a room, footsteps falling behind him.
"It is that Raven," Oakley questioned. As Dorian placed Raven on the bed.
"What is she doing here?" Michael asked.
"What is happening to her?" Oakley asked as she stared at the girl, her veins dark and her body pale.
"Her magic is taking over."
"You will have to do something. She could die if she keeps on fighting it," Oakley said.
"You're linked to her, Dorian."
Her screams filled the room as she thrashed against the bed, sweat coating her as she fought against the magic inside her, trying to expel it from her body.
"Leave us," he told them. They quickly left the room, leaving the two of them alone.
"Raven, you need to stop fighting those flashes. That is the link between us, okay? Open the link and the pain will stop, okay," he told her softly as her black eyes stared back at him, unmoving.
"I am sorry for what they did to you," she whispered, covered in sweat. His head snapped toward her.
"Raven, are you listening? Open the link and stop fighting it," she said, brushing her hair off her face. Raven blinked up at him, his hand gripping her hand in his. Her grip on his hand became weak as her body calmed down. The dark magic bottled up inside her began flowing through her, leaving her body. She stared at their hands, his veins black as her dark magic flowed into him, the pain subsiding.
Dorian watched as her black eyes became normal, turning back into her arctic-coloured eyes. Before they closed.
"Thank you," Raven's eyes closed. Dorian reached across her, pressing his fingers to her pulse, feeling the soft beating of her heart. That was a close one. Slumped in the chair, he stared at the girl who had caused his world to turn upside down in a matter of weeks.
***
"You're awake and okay," Oakley said, stepping into the room as she sat up in the bed; her cut-up hands had a few bandages. "Your blood got everywhere," Oakley explained, motioning to her hands. "Thank you," Raven told Oakley. "I will give you a ride back."
"Okay, thanks."
"I will just go grab my things," Oakley said before leaving her alone. Raven stepped out of the room, staring at the bare walls and the long hallway, empty of anything personal. Raven followed the hall, lost when she stepped into a room covered in empty shelves. "Ahh," Raven let out a scream as her eyes focused on the red eyes in the room that were staring at her. "Don't worry, they will not hurt you," Dorian said, stepping into the room. The two immortals stepped out from their hiding place. "You may leave us alone," Dorian told them; the two left him alone in the room.
"Oh my goodness, you have immortals in your home," she questioned, her heart beating out of her chest."
"They work around the house," he told her.
"Doing what, dusting?" she questioned.
"They look after this place from any onlookers," he told her as he stepped closer to her, her back hitting the empty shelves. "Does your bite really kill?" she questioned softly as her eyes focused on his mouth. "Do you want to find out?" he questioned as Dorian leaned closer; Raven squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain, but it never came. "No, thank you," she said, stepping away from his touch. "Thank you for helping me," she told him, grabbing her coat, feeling relieved and calm as Oakley appeared in the doorway.
"Come on, let's go."
Raven followed behind Oakley.