“Isn’t that macabre.” Cal set down his cup. “You’re beginning to sound like the townsfolk.”
“Iamthe townsfolk,” Rael said wearily. “But I’m also your friend.”
“Yes, yes, as your father is to mine. And I’m sure he’s just as grateful for your . . . loyalty.” Cal straightened and saw Rael’s face shift uncertainly in response to the close-lipped smile that he had learned to adopt in court. “I’ll be sure to take that under advisement.”
Rael sighed. “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?”
“I have to phone a client. Goodbye, Rael.” Cal ushered his friend out into the main hallway before closing the office door firmly behind him. Easy for him to point to cheap dictates of morality from his position outside the law. However much he valued their friendship, Rael did not truly understand what it meant to be a Cullraven.
Rael was right about one thing, though. The timing of Nadine’s presence here was unfortunate—for her—and his family was not above using the festival to get rid of her. And now that she was going around town, disturbing the dead in her quest for answers, he supposed he had better keep an eye on her before she found something she couldn’t unsee.
But right now, he really did have to talk to his client, and they were foolish enough to give him the distraction he needed as he worked to convince them to settle out of court. Frivolous lawsuits were tedious and while he got paid either way, he didn’t appreciate having his time wasted. When the phone call finally ended, Cal was more than ready for a stroll to clear his head and ease his temper.
It was a sunny day, so there were plenty of people out. Cal knew the names of most of them, but a few were strangers. They all stared at him, as he walked down the sidewalk with one hand in his pocket. He was used to the stares but seeing mothers yank their children out of his path like he was some kind of monster was disconcerting. He would never hurt a child.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he slipped it out to check the sender. Rael again.
Your little plaything’s been to the mines.
The mines? Cal felt his eyebrows jump to his hairline. What the hell did she think she was going to find in there? No one in his family had bothered with the mines for nearly half a century, at least not until CalEPA had come in to do their walkthrough.
And what did Rael mean, hisplaything?
What was she looking for?Cal demanded.
I suspect her sister, was the unhelpful response.
Cal looked up, shielding his eyes from the blinding glint of the sun on his great-grandfather’s bronze statue, and that was when he saw her.
Nadine was bent over a young injured raven, her long ponytail hanging to one side of her face like a bellpull. This time, she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt—exactly what one would wear to explore a mine, his brain whispered—but the sweatshirt knotted around her waist cinched in the fabric of her top, highlighting her rather substantial curves as she knelt over the iron-rich soil that streaked like blood when the rains grew heavy to peer more intently at the wounded bird.
Ravens again. The air grew colder as he stepped into the shadow of his ancestor’s statue. His eyes flicked involuntarily to the plaque. It was too far away to read at this distance but heknew the inscription by heart:Lower thy honor and raise the blood and thou wilt soar over heaven.
His great-grandfather, according to family lore, had become enamored with his first wife with a single glance after spotting her across the room at a crowded ball. She had been wearing a daringly low-cut gown inspired by the fashions of Paris. No photos of her remained in his house, but she was supposed to have been a great beauty. She would have had to have been, Cal thought, considering how thoroughly she had ensnared him, and what had followed after.
The French called it acoup de foudre, literally, “a bolt of lightning,” which was apt because of the imagery of violence it inspired. Lightning struck indiscriminately, leaving its mark behind like a brand. And whether it scored the flesh or the soul, no one, having experienced it, would ever remain the same. Cal, looking at Nadine, decided that perhaps he felt likeplaying, after all.
He approached slowly, from the side, so his shadow wouldn’t alert her to his presence. “You poor thing,” she was saying, in hushed, dulcet tones that were better suited to a darkened bedroom, “what happened to your wing?”
“Sometimes they turn on each other,” Cal said.
Nadine looked up sharply, her hands flexing on her thighs. “Really?”
“They’re predators. It’s what they do.” A guarded look slid over her face as he came closer, though she seemed less tense out here in the open. As if anyone here would save her from him, from any of them. His smile gained a sharp edge. “I heard you went on a tour of the mines.”
Eyes widening, she scrambled to her feet so abruptly that the bird flapped a wing and croaked in distress. Nadine looked atit, clearly sorry, before raking the street with a glance. Then her eyes swung back up to his, her hostile face alive with movement. “Did you have me followed?”
Cal tucked his sunglasses into the open throat of his shirt, throwing the square into a bright Technicolor wash. He looked at the bird unsmilingly. The mangled wing hung at an odd angle, several of the primary flight feathers matted with blood. It had been gouged with something sharp, he thought, like a beak. “Looks like your little friend was attacked pretty badly. I’ll let Rael know.” He pulled out his phone. “His father can get the bird contained for wildlife rehabilitation.”
She looked surprised by that, without losing any of her suspicion. Cal half-smiled, bending to his screen.I need a favor. Do you have the number for wildlife control?
Not off the top of my head, but I’m sure it’s written down somewhere in Dad’s office. Why?
Don’t be so suspicious.He glanced over briefly. Nadine had taken out a plastic water bottle and was pouring some of the liquid out into the cap for the bird, a gentle smile on her lips as she watched it drink.There’s a wounded bird in the town square that needs taking care of.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Nadine pointed out, still watching the raven.
“There’s nothing to tell. You were adamant about finding out the truth, you told me. So I figured you’d gone snooping.” Rael was responding but Cal tucked his phone back into his pocket, not caring to hear the response. “You were gone longer than I thought you would be, though. What happened? Did Dottie come at you with rich tales of her family’s sordid history?”
