Page 20 of Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

Rook laughed as he pulled me along behind him. “You get used to it. Eventually you’ll feel an internal sort of navigation system. Now that you’re connected to us, the house is bonded to you too. Just think of where you want to go, and you’ll feel a pull in that direction.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” Nox replied before dropping his voice to a low whisper, his eyes wide like he was telling a horror story. “Just don’t go in the West Wing.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because even Revenants need to be afraid of something,” Korbin said softly, but I didn’t miss the seriousness of his tone. There was something else laced in his words, something that sounded a lot like grief.

We walked past a library, a study and a wide-open space that looked like a meeting room. I’d already seen the main lounge when I’d arrived but there seemed to be a number of little snugs dotted around which I liked. I liked feeling cosy.

Then we descended a flight of stairs, which was odd. “The bedrooms are downstairs?”

Rook looked over his shoulder at me. “Yes. Our house is built into the side of a cliff so the entrance to the building is at the top. Makes landing for all the winged creatures easier too. I’ll show you the vista tomorrow.”

“Winged creatures?”

Nox sidled up next to me, bumping his shoulder with mine. “We can change into animals, as can several other beings down here.”

I stared at him. “Really? Can you all change?”

His expression turned mischievous. “Casimir and I can, it’s part of our gifts. Want to know what else I’m gifted with?”

Nox’s eyebrows wiggled above his expressive eyes but his words had set a spark of desire burning in my veins. I did want to know what else he was capable of, not just in the bedroom – which would no doubt be delicious, I mean the guy was gorgeous – but they kept mentioning the gifts they had.

I went to answer Nox’s question, but Korbin spoke before I could.

“Tomorrow, Raevyn. You can ask all your questions tomorrow.”

The group came to a stop at a crossroads in the corridors and I felt like this was the centre of the house. There was a glass dome roof above us, and I could see the colours of the sunrise blazing on the horizon. On the floor, in the centre of the crossroads was an intricate circle. I recognised the sigil of Hades and runes of the Infernal Tongue. One of the perks of not being able to do magic, was that I studied it intensely. This was dark magic, old magic, and I felt it rippling over my skin, warning me away. Floating in the centre of the circle, at my eye level, was a single black rose with embers kissing its petals.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to look away.

“The magic that binds us to this place,” Casimir explained but said no more. I could tell there was more to the story, and why the rose was there suspended in dark magic, but now wasn’t the time. Today had already been intense and I was ready for sleep. Which was weird. I didn’t think the dead could sleep, but there I was, completely dog tired.

The rest of the group moved on, but something had me held in place. Something called to me, a caress I felt against my skin like the brush of a finger against my cheek. It called to something dark, something wicked.

Raevyn…

I took a step, intent on discovering what it was, but a hand at my elbow stopped me.

“Don’t,” Casimir warned. “It’s forbidden.”

I frowned. If it was forbidden, how did it know my name?

I caught Korbin looking at me with a curious expression on his face but before I could ask him about it, he turned and walked away.

“Come, draguta, I want to curl up with you tonight.”

Hawk’s words had a spark of heat lancing through my core and distracting me from whatever was housed in the West Wing. I let him pick me up into his arms and carry me as we followed the others.

“No good will come of walking down there,” Hawk whispered by my ear.

“Do you know what it is?” I asked.

“I’ve heard stories,” was all he said.

That couldn’t be good. My understanding of Hawk so far was that he’d been in the Depths for centuries. I glanced down the corridor, at the entrance of the West Wing, and stared at the innocuous black door. Whatever was in there was probably ancient, dark and so powerful that he needed watching by the Revenants at all times. The guys were right. There was no sense in wondering what was down there.

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