Page 63 of Raisa's Cursed Ravens
When the feathers start, they explode from under his skin in clumps—first at the base of his skull, then over his chest, down his arms, and up the backs of his legs.
By the time the convulsions stop, there’s nothing left of Talon the man. In his place is a raven, so hauntingly familiar that the world blurs around me for a moment.
It stands there for a moment, swaying on the balls of its new feet, then drops its head. The beak is heavy and sharp. It looks around, almost shyly.
That’s when it sees me.
Its eyes are different than his, but still the same. So fierce and sad, I want to throw up.
We stare at each other for three full heartbeats.
The truth rushes in, cold and sharp.
This is what they are. This is what they’ve always been.
I stumble backward, the branch behind me cracking like a rifle. The bird—Talon—flinches, cowering away from the sound, and then leaps, wings pumping, claws raking the earth as hepropels himself up through the branches and vanishes into the sky.
I stand there shaking, the world tilting under my feet.
I want to scream, but all that comes out is a whimper.
All the little hints and secrets. The way they move, the way they watch. The feathers that appear in my bedding, the way their faces sometimes seem to change in the dark, the way they know me so well…
For weeks, I’ve been half convinced that this was the truth, but I let them convince me not to ask. I let them distract me, change the subject, keep my focus everywhere but the truth screaming in front of me.
I’m such a fucking idiot.
I sprint back toward the camp, my lungs burning and my knees knocking together with every step. I don’t care if I’m loud or if I get lost. I just need to see their faces. I need to hear the truth from their lips.
When I crash into the clearing, they’re all there, gathered around the remains of the log. Shade is the first to spot me; he rises instantly, every muscle tensed for violence. The others look up, startled by my arrival.
Talon dropping into the middle of the group clarifies the issue before I even say a word.
“Fuck,” Shade growls.
I point at him, my voice trembling so hard I barely recognize it. “You lied to me,” I say, the words shaking. “All of you. You lied. You let me believe I was crazy. That I was imagining things.”
Shade tries to speak, but I don’t let him.
“You’re not just men,” I spit. “You’re the ravens.” They’re monsters, just like me.
Bran steps toward me, palms up, his face white pale. “Raisa–”
“Don’t.” I flinch away, hot tears scalding my cheeks. “Don’t you dare.”
Rune is behind him, his hands shaking so badly they blur. Grim won’t even look at me. Sable just laughs, but it’s brittle, no humor in it.
“I should have known,” I say, and now the tears are coming hard and fast. “I should have demanded the truth, but you–” My breath hitches. “You lied to me, over and over again.”
Shade moves like he’s going to hold me, but I back away, my hands up.
“No. No more lies. No more hiding.”
He hesitates, his jaw clenched. “You weren’t ready.”
I shake my head, the world swimming. “No. You don’t get to blame me for your decisions. You chose to lie to me. I won’t carry the weight of that shame for you.”
Onyx is silent, stone-faced, his arms crossed over his chest. He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t break, just watches me with those mismatched eyes that suddenly make perfect, terrible sense.
