Page 165 of Ravenrose

The male lifts his blade… and my hand flies over my shoulder, ripping an arrow free from my quiver and jamming it up through the male’s throat.

Warm liquid splatters my cheek.

The raider chokes violently, dropping his blade to claw at his throat, trying—and failing—to remove the arrow until he collapses, blood pouring from the wound—and his mouth now too.

I jump over him, trading the sword for my bow, and sprint for the stairs.

The second my hand grips the railing, more shouts and screams erupt from the courtyard below.

Screams of terror.

I freeze, retreating back upstairs toward the nearest window, one overlooking the square.

The bow drops to my feet with a clatter, my hands shaking uncontrollably at what I see below.

Dark shadows twist and spiral around the courtyard, lifting screaming raiders before hurling them against stone. Others sputter and choke as black shadows coil around their throats, stealing the light from their eyes.

The Raven.

As the dark power wreaks havoc on the raiders, Theo, Hayes, and the rest of Ayer’s command drive the remaining raiders back.

But I’m not looking at them anymore.

I’m searching. Searching… until I find him.

Ayer stands in the center of the courtyard swallowed by darkness. I didn’t see him at first, because he’s wrapped in an impenetrable wall of darkness, but the shadows part just enough… Just enough for me to see his face.

Black veins crawl beneath his skin.

And his—his eyes. Gods. His eyes are completely black.

Ayer lifts his arms, and the dark, twisting shadows rush toward him. Horror lances through me, and I sob out a gasp before clasping a hand over my mouth to hold in my scream.

But when Ayer brings his arms down, the darkness he’s gathered explodes out, tossing aside raiders like they’re ragdolls.

It’s him.

He commands the darkness.

The shadows bend to his will.

Ayer is the Raven.

My knees give out underneath me, and I hit the floor.

“No.” The word tears out of me, half-strangled in both disbelief and terror at what I’ve just seen.

Ayer.

Dark shadows leak off of him in wisps and waves, his power lashing out at the remaining raiders, dragging them toward him, their screams dying as the darkness envelops them whole.

I tremble where I sit on the floor, drawing my knees to my chest.

The Raven.

Ayer is the Raven.

My brain struggles to reconcile what I already know is true. The Raven is a demon. A weapon. Something summoned—and controlled. Not him… Not the man I— No.