Page 131 of Black Bird

Two steps. Only two, and the scent slammed into her nose before she even looked down at the floor. Poe screeched, watching her eagerly from his small cage and she sneered at him before turning her attention to the half-covered bodies tangled up by the fireplace that was barely glowing with what was left of their fire. As strong as the thick smell of pure sex was in this room, Rhaena felt her heart melt at the sight. Sarah’s tattooed back was turned toward her, bare and cradled in Athan’s equally marked arms as they laid facing each other. Her hand was resting on the side of his face that was tucked adoringly beneath hers and as odd as it seemed to see either of them this way, she was so glad for it. It seemed appropriate to wake up on Thanksgiving morning and witness something to truly be thankful for. That he’d found someone to make him happy, and that what he thought was his biggest mistake, had actually saved the man that was trapped within the monster he thought himself to be.

Rhaena smiled to herself, nodding her head as she crept into the kitchen. One more day. There was only one more day to prepare these two girls for the monstershe’dbecome soon. As she pulled the tab from around the cap of a fresh gallon jug, Rhaena glanced over to where Athan’s hand hung over Sarah’s naked back. That silver ring on his thumbglinted in the light coming in from the window. They’d have to come up with something to temper the force of her transition on Saturday night. She lifted the jug and chugged from it, downing half the gallon before lowering it back down and wiping her mouth on her wrist. She had always wondered if anyone else in her lost pack ever felt this way about what they truly were. That it never felt freeing or liberating to become something else entirely once every month. Was there anyone else like her … like Athan … that yearned only for a simple human existence? Had Athan not been a vampire, he’d never have lived long enough to meet the girl that was fated to be his mate. But deep down, Rhaena knew that wouldn’t have been the case for her.

She’d likely still be a detective, or something that allowed her to hone the skills she acquired over the years. She would have eventually met Jenkins, or perhaps some other guy that would love her for the person she was … and not the untamed wolf on the inside. Even knowing that Jenkins had uttered the words while they burned the body of an undead individual on these very lands—she still wished he didn’t have to know. That he didn’t have to bear that cross to have what they have. Until this part of her proved to be anything more than a nuisance, Rhaena would probably always wish that she could be rid of it altogether. She ran a hand through her wet hair and snuck back to her bedroom, taking the burner phone and the number she’d written down and texting Brandon.

Me: Wanted to let you know I’m safe. We’re all safe. Miss you. <3

A few minutes passed and the phone beeped with an unfamiliar tone. Wren shifted on the bed and Rhaena scrambled to silence the damned thing.

UNKNOWN: Thank God. I need you to call me.

Something like dread twisted in her gut and another wave of hot flashes soared through her. Rhaena skipped the jacket and slipped her feet into a pair of fleece-lined boots, trying hard not to wake Athan and Sarah as she snuck out the front door. She hit the call button and pressed the small phone to her ear.

“Northwood?”Brandon’s voice was a cross between relief and condolence.

“Hey. Are you at the precinct?”

“No. Cap’s got me workin’ from home. We’re working together and trying to work around the Feds. There’s a lot of shit going down up here, Rhaena.”

“Another body?”

“No, not since the day you left. It’s something else.”

“Tell me.”

“Are you at the cabin?”

“If I say yes, are you gonna be forced to tell Foley?”

“No. He wants you to lay low … especially now.”

“Why?”

“Are they all there with you?”

Rhaena was hesitant to answer, and looked through the window at Sarah and Athan who hadn’t moved. “Yes.”

“Don’t go anywhere. There’s an APB out for St. James, and Kane.”

“What?” Rhaena’s mouth dropped open and her skin tingled with nerves. “Why? They’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I know that. Cap knows it, too. It didn’t come from him. It came from Agent Foster and her team. She knows there’s something going on between them two, and with the show that St. James put on at the benefit, and that second body that looks like her … they’re trying to connect her with homicides and possible threats to a government official.”

“What are they pinning on Kane?”

“Right now, just harboring a fugitive. But he got called out this time with that bloody message at the crime scene. It don’t look good for him, either. Look, Rhaena … I know what you’ve gotta deal with on Saturday. But when it’s over, you gotta make a run for it until we can clear their names. They’ll start charging you and the other girl with the same shit, and you know it.”

“How are you planning to clear their names, Brandon?”

“They’ve already gone through his apartment, and yours. They’re going through St. James’ apartment as we speak. Cap’s got some information on Conrad Stratford and plans to go talk to his kid in person this afternoon. We’re not bringing them to the station. The motherfucker has declined comment on this shit with the benefit ever since it happened. But his kid showed up at the children’s hospital yesterday.”

“To do what?”

“I dunno. He stayed and talked to that little girl from the event for a while. Cap thinks there’s something to it. I’ve got other shit I have to look into on the other side of town.”

“What shit?”

“Black Bird Tavern, where St. James was found last month. There’s gotta be some connection. There was a dead bird shoved in that girl’s mouth a couple days ago. Somebody knows something and we gotta figure out what.”

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