Page 14 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

Chapter 4

RAVEN

Once we get to the first floor, I help Layla to the stairs, and she sits down, dropping her head onto her knees. I join her and watch Everett pace in front of the door.

“What is going on?” She doesn’t lift her head, so the question is muffled.

“I’m not exactly sure,” I say. “Whatever we’re dealing with is dangerous.”

Layla sobs, and I rub her back, unsure of what to do to help her. I hardly know Layla, but she’s always been nice to me. She doesn’t ignore me like everyone else.

“That’s the first dead body I’ve ever seen,” she confesses in a soft voice. “What happened to him?”

So many questions and so few answers. I bite my cheek and shake my head, though she can’t see it since she’s still curled into a ball.

“We’ll figure this out,” is all I can say.

I don’t want to scare her with what might be. The spirit, or demon spirit if Brayden is to be believed, was stronger than before. She’s the same thing that tried to attack me in the ballroom. This time she appeared almost human after what she did to Morris.

Layla sobs. Rubbing my hand on her back, I try to say something reassuring, but everything I think of sounds superficial. There are some deaths which leave a permanent scar on your soul, an invisible reminder that life can be cruel and violent. I’ve seen too many of those in my short life. Morris is another nightmare to contend with.

Something flickers in my peripheral, drawing my attention to the corner near the front door. Mom is standing with her head tipped to the side, studying me and my friends with a small frown. Her wrists are seeping blood. I pinch my eyes shut and will her away. I hate when she shows up. When I first started seeing her ghost, I was happy. Now though, her presence pisses me off. A reminder of what she did and how she left me.

“Raven,” Carter says.

I open my eyes. He’s squatting in front of me, forehead wrinkled with frustration or confusion. Maybe both. Still, his gentle gaze pulls me from the depths of my anger and misery and brings me to the present. Brayden, Draco, and Everett stand behind him, whispering. Everett’s mad at Brayden, and Draco’s trying to defend him.

Twins.

Identical twins. Brayden is a carbon copy of Draco. If it weren’t for the slight eye color variation and deep timbre of his voice, I’d never know the difference between the two.

I look at Carter. “Can you explain?”

He pinches his eyebrows together. “Not as well as Brayden.”

“He’s not bound by pack magic?”

“No. His death must have broken the hold it had.”

I shake my head. “He wasn’t dead.”

“What do you mean?” Carter places his hand on my knee.

Layla lifts her head, swiping at her damp cheeks and sniffing. “I don’t understand any of this. How do you know he wasn’t dead?” Her voice is shaky. She’s still in shock.

“I can see the dead.” Pressing my lips together, I wait for Layla to freak out. Much to my surprise, she doesn’t.

“Brayden can’t have died, because if he had, the person I brought back would have been a shell,” I answer Carter’s question. “He’s been gone for over a year?”

He nods. “Close to two years.”

I furrow my brow. “He wasn’t dead.” There’s no way. He wouldn’t have come back with this much consciousness. Mom’s little experiment with Dad showed me how messed up and void of life Brayden should be if he had died. I glance at the man. He’s watching me with slanted eyes. His teeth sink into his lower lip, and I scowl.

He’stooalive.

“What does she mean brought him back?” Layla asks Carter, voice rising to a squeak. “What is happening?”

Carter searches my face, and I nod, giving him permission. “Raven can bring the dead to life.”

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