Black bird a nevermore d.., p.22
Black Bird: A Nevermore Duet, page 22
“You really are …” She continued, unable to stop.
“You wanna know what else is funny?” He snorted.
“What’s that?”
“You smell like a wet dog.” He cackled. Rhaena shot up, raising her fist, and thwacking him in the shoulder with all her remaining strength.
“Okay, get out!” She grinned, hitting him again. He snickered, raising from the floor, and helping her to her feet as they crept out of the closet. “Seriously … take my house key. Go check on them and if she needs to stay at my place, you know my couch pulls out.”
“I’m sorry, Rhaena …”
“For?” She looked at him as she dug into the bag she’d packed with her extra clothes.
“For not being here when you needed me.” He seemed genuinely bothered by it. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t feel a stronger ache in her chest at the one thing she’d always wanted from him.
“You were, Kane.” She smiled, her strength steadily failing her the longer she stood. “Get going. I’ll turn my phone back on if you need me for anything, okay?” He smirked back at her. “What?”
“You should text your side piece. I think he misses you.”
Rhaena grabbed a rolled pair of socks out of her bag and threw it at him, hitting him in the neck. “Get out, fucker.” She giggled. She understood it then … while she watched him out the window as he put his helmet on and started up his motorcycle. Whatever part of her that had once seen Athan as someone she wanted to be romantically involved with was shifting, too. She’d started moving past that without really trying. All it had taken was that one step forward … and that girl he was about to go see. That acceptance. They’d always have this closeness. That shared bond between them that no one would ever break. Two supernatural misfits that should never have been friends but would be forever. Rhaena smiled to herself as he left the wooded driveway, and she padded toward the bathroom.
She could feel the deep ache in her head before she ever opened her eyes. She felt warm, but wholly uncomfortable … and what the hell was that noise? Sarah groaned and stretched underneath a soft blanket as she peeled her eyes open, feeling resistance against her legs when she’d pushed them too far.
“Please, no … five more minutes.” Wren complained, pushing back against Sarah’s feet on the opposite side of a leather couch. She looked over to find Wren still in her lion garb from the night before and fuzzy images of a flashing loud club started pouring into her mind. They had gone out … and for some reason she thought she remembered Brent being there? And Little Red Riding Hood … and—
“Oh my God …” Sarah whined, palming her face. She peeked an eye between her fingers and saw a huge bird cage standing at least seven feet high against the wall of an immaculately tidy living room. She moved her hand away and met the eyes of a curious raven staring at her through the confinement. He trilled at her, ruffling his chest, and moving along the narrow bars to get a better look at her. Sarah slid the blanket off of herself and eased off the couch, finding her feet bare, save for the fishnet tights still on her legs. She slowly walked across the carpet toward his cage and couldn’t help smiling at the creature. Kane … this was Kane’s apartment. That meant … “You must be Poe …” She smirked, reaching a finger toward the bird. He opened his beak as her fingertip slid between the metal slats but didn’t make any moves to bite her and she gently stroked his feathers.
She startled as a key rattled in the door and it opened, Kane stepping quietly through it and locking it behind him. He turned toward her, stopping at the end of the short hallway between the living room and the kitchen and they stared at each other for a moment. “Morning,” he said, no trace of any amusement on his face.
“I—” Sarah started, not having any idea how to explain herself. “I’m so sorry …”
Kane crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. “Sorry for what, exactly?” She was surprised to notice his eyes didn’t travel over every part of her very revealing costume, instead they stayed glued to hers and she could swear he was staring into her soul. It burned a little. She felt her face heat and knew she was probably flushing five shades of red.
“What did I do … to you?” She dared ask, Kane’s bird sputtering noises behind her. He clenched his jaw but said nothing as he slowly shook his head. “Must have been bad if you’re not willing to tell me.”
“You pretended to be a stripper for a night.” Wren grumbled from under the blanket. “Everybody got quite the show … especially that one.” Kane snorted and Sarah felt the need to cover her breasts with her arms.
“Shut up … I did not.” Sarah bit down on her lip.
“That about covers it,” Kane agreed, easing off the wall and moving toward her. She rubbed at her face, and he scooted past her to the bird cage. She watched him open it, reaching in and letting Poe hop onto his finger before closing it back up and holding him out in front of her. She looked up at him, and then back at the bird as it studied her intently. “His name is Poe.”
“Northwood told me about him … he’s beautiful.” She smiled, brushing the back of her finger against the silky plume of his chest. Poe squawked. Kane didn’t ask how that conversation had come up, but instead perched the bird up onto his shoulder and walked back toward the kitchen. She watched them through the breakfast nook as he opened the fridge.
“I don’t have much for breakfast—” He made a strange face, fumbling with something in the refrigerator. She couldn’t see past the door what had caught his attention, but he continued to bang around in it for a moment before offering up a piece of raw meat to his pet. “I could go get you something.”
“Coffee!” Wren barked, not moving from under the blanket. She sounded miserable. Kane looked over at Sarah through the nook and ran a hand through his hair. She nodded her agreement.
“I don’t … Rhaena has some next door. I can go make it. She might have more options as far as food, too,” he offered. Sarah drew her brows.
“She’s your neighbor?” she asked, smirking.
“Yeah … it’s how we met. Coffee, or no?” He dismissed her curiosity completely. She noticed he was a bit more broody than usual. Whatever she’d done must have been truly humiliating.
“Sure.” She nodded, admitting defeat. They stood there silent for another moment, and he walked back into the living room.
“You wanna hold him?” he asked, leaning his shoulder toward her. “He only bites Rhaena. And she’d shit if I let him in her house.”
“She’s not home?” Sarah asked, extending her arm and taking the animal.
“No, she takes a short vacation every month at her uncle’s cabin. She should be back tomorrow.” He made to turn away but hesitated and stared at her. “We really need to talk.” Something fluttered in her stomach … unfortunately not the good kind. His tone and the look in his eyes made her nervous. He glanced at Wren who was only visible by the teased hair that stuck out around the edge of the blanket. “All of us.”
“That doesn’t sound very good.” Sarah shifted on her feet and Wren rolled over toward them, peeking from behind the cover. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah … if you want, I can lend you both some clothes. You can take a shower and we can sit down and discuss it. I need to be at the precinct around noon to talk to … your ex.”
“Brent? Why?”
“I’ll explain it all. If you’re not comfortable getting cleaned up here, or you’d rather do this at the station then now would be a good time to go get what you need or get ready.” He divided his attention between them both. “I hope you have a strong stomach.”
“Oh, shit …” Wren murmured, pulling the blanket back up to her nose. “Somebody got whacked.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Kane offered.
“Well, I can tell you straight up, Brent Stratford didn’t do it. He’d never get those pretty-boy hands dirty.” Wren snorted.
Sarah ignored her and locked eyes with Kane again. She suddenly felt overwhelmed with worry. “Is it like mine?” A chill went down her spine when he nodded gravely. “Fuck …” She whispered, Poe offering her comfort as he flitted onto her shoulder. “I’m fine with changing here.”
“Alright,” he said, turning down a hallway adjacent to the couch and leaving them for a few minutes before returning with fresh clothes. Two white t-shirts, a pair of black sweatpants and a pair of dark gray boxer shorts. “Shower’s on. I’ll leave you to it. I should have something for you to eat when you both get cleaned up.”
“Thank you.” Sarah smiled. He dipped his chin at her before walking back out the front door and Wren finally hopped up from the couch.
“I call dibs on these,” she bitched, jerking the sweatpants from her hand. “Wearing a dude’s clothes is intimate enough, but I draw the line at underwear.” She hurled herself around the corner and down the hallway into his bedroom, leaving Sarah by herself. “Umm … Sarah?” She called from the room; her voice muffled from the distance.
“What is it?”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. It felt wrong to even be in his apartment, let alone his most personal space. When Wren didn’t answer, she crept around the corner and inched her way into the bedroom doorway. It was like stepping into her own apartment. Her mouth dropped open and she looked around, turning and taking it all in. Blackout curtains were open by the sliding glass door, bookshelves lining almost every wall … and filled with rows and rows of books and knickknacks. There was a king-sized bed neatly made, with off white sheets and a black duvet. The room was dimly lit with floor lamps that offered just enough light to keep it cozy, and the white walls were draped with old-looking tapestries with black birds on them.
Wren poked around at the figurines on his shelves and Sarah ran a finger down the smooth wooden surface of his dresser by the doorway. “Don’t touch anything, Wren. It’s not our place.”
“He bought this from the tattoo shop when he came to talk to me a week ago.” She held up a little statuette of a raven sitting on a skull.
“He came to talk to you?”
“Yeah, he had questions about how you were feeling … how you were getting along. Nothing really major.”
“You didn’t tell me about that.”
Wren shrugged and put the figure back on the shelf. “It didn’t seem strange enough to mention. He’s just doing his job.”
Poe screeched on her shoulder at the dresser and Sarah directed her attention back to it, her hand still resting on the top. Something strange in her middle pulled and tugged and her skin seemed to tingle. She considered plundering through it, but she had just told Wren not to touch anything.
“You go first, I’m gonna take him back into the living room.” Sarah nodded toward the open bathroom door where steam had started clouding out. Wren didn’t hesitate and slammed the bathroom door closed behind her. Sarah crept into the living room, not sure what not to touch, or look at. It felt awkward to be here, but in some ways … familiar? She padded into the kitchen. There was an open laptop that was sitting idle, the screen black, and files and papers strewn over a small round kitchen table. She glanced down at them, not surprised to see her own photo and information about her case that she’d already gone through with Northwood. She stepped over to the fridge and opened the door. “Damn …” She said under her breath, surprised to find it scarce, except for a couple of containers of raw meats.
Either he hadn’t had any time while dealing with her case to go shopping, or he ate a hell of a lot of takeout. Not even a few bottles of water … nothing. Maybe that was his ploy. No reason for an overnight guest to stay in the mornings or linger in his house. Smart. She closed the fridge and found herself back on the couch, pulling the blanket over her legs and letting Poe sit on her raised knees while she leaned back against the arm. Kane shuffled into the front door a few moments later with an armful of different options that he spread out onto the kitchen counter.
“Rhaena eats like a starving child. I brought a little bit of everything. She said to make yourself at home if you’d rather stay at her place,” he said through the nook.
“Are we staying?” Sarah asked, watching him plunder through the kitchen.
“We’re gonna talk about everything. You should eat first. Oh …” He paused, opening a pill bottle, and coming around the corner to hand her a bottle of water and a couple aspirin. “She had this, too.”
“God bless you.” Sarah smiled, accepting them, and drinking them down. Poe watched her and she poked him in the belly. “Is it okay to smoke in here?” she asked, not realizing he was already sliding one into his mouth. He tossed her the pack and the lighter and she lit one, blowing gently away from the bird.
“He really likes you. That’s odd for him,” Kane said, sliding his jacket off and laying it on top of the bird cage. He wore dark jeans and a white t-shirt well. Since she’d met him, she didn’t often get to see his arm tattoos, and he was nearly covered with them. He sat in a leather armchair on the other side of the wall and took a long drag off his cigarette. Sarah did the same.
“Are you gonna tell me what I did?” Sarah asked, continuing to pet the friendly raven on her knee.
“What do you remember?” he asked.
“Not too much. Wren and I were having a great time. We danced and fucked off.” She took another hit. “I made a little friend, I think. But that’s when things started to get a little fuzzy.”
“You made more than one. Wren called me saying she had been trying to get you to calm down, but …”
“I’m …” She couldn’t find the right words. “Is that when you came?”
“I didn’t get her call right away. When I finally got there, you were um … pretty bad off.” They were silent for a moment and didn’t look at one another. “Sarah, you need to be more careful. I’m positive you had shit slipped into your drinks last night.”
“It’s not that. Well … part of it I’m sure was because of that, but … it’s something else.” She couldn’t look at him. Poe gently nipped at her fingertip.
“What’s going on?” he asked quietly.
“I’m losing it. I don’t really feel like myself anymore. I never did shit like that. Any other time, before all this happened … I either wouldn’t have been there, or I would’ve been the one telling Wren to be careful, but it’s … it’s just not the same anymore. Kinda like the night at the bar.” She puffed on her cigarette and looked over at him. “I wanted to kill the bastard. I was so mad. But then when you put your hands on me … I just…”
“What.” he whispered.
“I felt actual pain in my chest.” Their eyes met and as she said it, Sarah felt that pain creeping up. “Like my heart was breaking … and I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. It goes from one extreme to the other, and I don’t feel like I can control the shit, Kane. I dunno how.” Tears started welling in her eyes and she blinked them off. Kane raised from his chair, instantly beside her as he knelt by the couch. “If I crossed some line with you last night, I really am sorry. I wanna say that I didn’t mean it, Kane but … that might not even be the truth.” She wiped at her eye and slapped her hand against her leg, startling Poe. He fluttered up to the perch stand by the couch. “I don’t even know you!” She could feel herself slipping into a strange place, and he said nothing. He only watched and listened. “I don’t know a thing about you, really … and I—” She shook her head, dragging hard on her cigarette.
“You what.”
She met his eyes again, her knees trembling. He seemed on edge too, and she noticed his breathing had changed. Sarah hadn’t even realized that she’d leaned closer to him until she could feel his breath on her skin … on her face. Her body was screaming at her to close that space between them, and as much as she wanted to, that day in her apartment invaded her mind. How he’d turned away and made to take off so fast.
“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, Sarah,” he breathed, their lips close enough to touch. “Do you trust me?” She couldn’t speak. She could only find the strength to nod slowly. “I—I have to tell you s—”
“Ummm … am I interrupting something?” Wren asked, toweling off her hair and leaning against the wall by the hallway in Kane’s clothes. He backed away, putting his cigarette back in his mouth and stalked past her into the kitchen. Sarah gave Wren a look, promising to beat the pure shit out of her, and Wren just grinned. “Shower’s free.” She winked, trudging toward the couch.
“Coffee should be done. I’m gonna go next door and get it. Take all the time you need.” Kane said with a tone, not lingering to hear whatever they were going to say next. He let the front door shut behind him and Sarah continued to stare at Wren as she plopped down on the couch and crossed her legs underneath her.
“What the fuck, Wren?” Sarah spat, tossing the blanket off and standing up.
“What, dude? How was I supposed to know you two were cozying up in here? And how the hell did we go from murder to that shit in twenty minutes?” Wren held her hand out. “I want that. You smoked all mine last night.” Sarah handed her the rest of the smoke.
“I’m taking a shower.” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and disappearing into Kane’s bedroom.
Idiot. He was such an idiot. He should have never let himself get that close. Athan cursed under his breath as he opened every cabinet in Rhaena’s kitchen, looking for mugs. He found them, dragging out three and sitting them down on the counter while he stewed over it, nearly drawing blood from his own lip as he bit down on it. His knuckles turned white as they gripped the edge, and he drew the last drag off his cigarette. Rhaena would murder him if she found out he not only smoked in her truck, but also in this apartment. He tossed the butt down into the drain and ran the water to snuff it out.
He would have told her. Told her right then before he had the sense to talk himself out of it before claiming that stained mouth. God knows how bad he wanted to. Both of those notions would have been the biggest relief. He didn’t want to carry the lie around with him anymore. Didn’t think he could go much longer without touching every part she’d allow him to. His entire body shook with the need for her. It didn’t help that he could hear water running through the pipe in the wall and she was likely stark naked in his shower right now. What he wouldn’t give to sneak into it and do unspeakable things to her. He didn’t deserve it, he kept reminding himself. He didn’t deserve the pleasure it gave him to break bones in any hand that touched her. She had never willingly given him any claim on her. Only the mark that he’d left on her body … and while that was unintentional, it was still unacceptable.
