A Raven Lost Read online

  A Raven Lost

  Reclaiming Magic Series – Book 2

  M.W. Horses

  For Jen, my love and bright light, your support means everything…

  Contents

  A Raven Lost

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Acknowledgements

  Author’s Note

  About the author

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Ibiza

  Erin sat in a cold, dark room. The furniture was utilitarian, the walls marked with scuffs and worn wallpaper that might have beautiful at one time. The only thing saving it from being a dungeon was the view. Unfortunately, there was no temperature control, and Marcus hadn’t bothered to ensure she had any creature comforts. It had been more than a week since he grabbed her during the battle with Raven and fled to a waiting private plane that whisked them away. The morning landing had presented an opportunity to escape the weak and wounded vampire. Unfortunately, her attempt was thwarted by a large group of heavily armed humans that met the plane when it landed.

  She had since learned that Marcus was actively planning a rebellion against the Deo Immortales. His plans had gone far beyond overthrowing his brother and sire. He had an extensive network of humans and vampires that wanted to overthrow the ancient order and their rules about keeping their existence silent. She and Marcus spent the week moving from location to location as he shared his news of being free from his sire. He made a show of selecting vampires to help him prepare in Ibiza, the rebellion’s stronghold where they went to at the end of their week of travel. Nights were filled with him ranting and raving at his followers about what the future held. His fervor-fueled tirades were the opposite of what she had observed from him for years. She wondered if breaking the sire bond had entirely unhinged him. An army of humans and a contingent of vampires wouldn’t be enough. She didn’t see how he could be successful. A directive from their sires would render his vampire followers useless.

  The door to her room rattled as it was unlocked. An armed guard looked in and motioned for her to follow. It must be time for her to be shown off as a trophy again. She caught the reflection of a cell phone screen in his back pocket as he turned.

  “Come on, we can’t keep Marcus waiting,” the guard said as he yanked her forward.

  Erin pulled her arm away from him. “Careful, you don’t want to damage his prized possession.”

  He laughed and shoved her in front of him. Despite her assertion, Erin wasn’t entirely sure how long Marcus would value her presence. Marcus showed her off as proof of the broken bond and evidence of his prowess in stealing his sire’s acolyte. She surmised that her access to the Radcliffe family fortune was a crucial reason she was still alive, though it was one he wouldn’t openly share. She doubted he wanted anyone else to know about his dependence on a human, not when his rallying cry to his vampire followers was that humans were cattle and vampires were going to take their rightful place as rulers of the world. It almost made her miss Cael.

  Erin stopped, and the guard moved to push her again. She leaned down as if to tie her shoe. He stood impatiently, arms crossed, foot tapping. When he moved to grab her, she shifted her weight, causing them to fall into the wall. The collision gave her cover as she tried to grab his phone from his back pocket. Her attempt failed and only served to piss off the guard. He snatched her arm roughly and pulled her back into motion.

  “Stop yanking me all over the place!” Erin snapped at him.

  “Quit screwing around. I can easily ask someone else to escort you. Someone not as friendly as me,” the guard growled back at her.

  She pulled her arm away from him, turned and strode down the hall. She needed to find a way to communicate with her friends. There had to be an opportunity to get the word out. Worry gnawed at her as she thought about who to contact. Should she try to reach Cael? Or Raven? She didn’t want her friends to come after her, but she wanted them to know she was okay. Cael would have the best chance of getting her away from Marcus, yet that meant being stuck with the vampire again. She didn’t have much time to sort out next steps, and they were nearing the center of the large manor.

  They walked into a large hall to find Marcus perched on an ornately carved wooden chair set up on a dais. His posture was reminiscent of a petulant king: new to power and uncertain but trying to project authority. She glanced around the milling gathering. The cool presence of his vampires was mixed with the barely contained furor of the human followers. The room felt at the same time both cold and stuffy, making her feel a bit dizzy with the swirling contrast. She attracted a few curious glances as she was led up to Marcus. The guard shoved her forward and tried to press her into a kneeling position. She resisted until Marcus waved him away.

  “Erin come, sit here.” He gestured her to a cushion on the floor next to his chair.

  “No, thank you, I’ll stand.”

  “You will sit,” he said, his tone growing harsh as he leaned towards her.

  Erin stared back at him, her shoulders squared, and chin tilted in challenge to his aggressive tone. “I haven’t had a decent meal, a change of clothing, or a proper shower in more than a week. I’ve had enough of your shit, Marcus. If you want me to cooperate, you’ll start treating me with a measure of respect.”

  “Or I can simply have you killed.” He sneered down at her.

  Erin laughed. “Do you want to have this conversation in front of your lackeys? I’m happy to do this now if you like.”

  “You’re testing my patience,” he said as he rose and stepped down to face her.

  “As you’re testing mine. Don’t think for a second that I haven’t deduced why you kidnapped me. There is only one reason I still breathe. I can cooperate with you, or I can push you to kill me and put a huge dent in your plans,” Erin said, her voice quiet yet hard as steel.

  Marcus stared down at her and didn’t reply. He grabbed Erin by the arm and drug her to a small office. He shoved her onto a couch and sat in the chair behind the desk. He stared at her over his steepled fingers. Erin matched his scrutiny with a glare of her own.

  “Why do you push me? I’ve tried to be patient with you. Yet you take every opportunity to upset me,” he asked.

  “You’ve treated me like trash. You need the resources I have access to, or you’d have killed me before now. Let’s not pretend you are completely in control, Marcus. I know how weak you are, I saw what Raven did to you. You may be free from your sire bond, but you’re not as powerful as you were either.”

  Marcus was suddenly standing in front of her, eyes full black and fangs descended. His chest heaved and barely contained violence coiled within his tense muscles.

  “If you intend to kill me, then do it. Otherwise, sit down and quit trying to scare me into compliance. Your brother was far more intimidating in his control than you are with your complete lack of it,” she said, imbuing her words with as much disdain as she could muster.

  “I should kill you for your disrespect,” he said coldly, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. His black eyes seemed to drink in the light in the small room. Erin didn’t flinch, meeting his black-eyed stare without
blinking. Threats of violence were a regular occurrence in her time with vampires; she’d grown almost numb to the effects. Erin waited, then shrugged as he continued to struggle to regain control.

  “Do it and let’s be done with this game. I’m tired, filthy, and hungry. I have nothing to gain by continuing to help you. Honestly, your threats have the appeal of promises.” Erin recognized that her cooperation was the only card she had to play. He needed her, but how badly was yet to be seen. Vampires had nothing but time. If she overplayed her value, she could very well have sealed her fate by confronting the unstable creature.

  Marcus slowly backed away, posture stiff as he returned to his chair and sat down. His eyes slowly returned to slate gray. He rubbed his hand under his chin as he contemplated Erin. He ran a hand through his dark hair, smoothing it back from his high forehead before he finally leaned back in his chair.

  “Your assistance is unfortunately necessary, that much is true. It seems your father did a decent job of tying up resources so that you are required to access them. I find it amusing that Cael still hasn’t figured that out. Amazing how valuable the promise of immortality is as currency amongst cattle. The things they will tolerate for the promise of everlasting life. But not you, you don’t want empty promises. You want respect. I find that. . . fascinating. I can see that I have neglected your care and I shall remedy that, then we will talk about what your cooperation will mean.” He raised his voice suddenly. “Lorenzo, come in here please.”

  A tall, thin man with jet-black hair and dark eyes stepped into the office to stand expectantly just inside the door. He wore a tailored suit and white gloves.

  “How may I serve?” he said in a deep, quiet voice.

  “Please get her something to eat and make arrangements for new clothing. You may move her to proper quarters. She is not to leave, nor is she to have any contact with anyone not already vetted and approved. Keep a close eye on her but treat her with the same respect you show me,” Marcus said and waved them off.

  “Wait, what do you mean my father tied things up? I thought Cael had full access via the trust he set up and everything went through the board of trustees he controls?” Erin couldn’t keep her curiosity tethered. She knew a bit about what her father had done, he’d left her clues, but this was new information. That Marcus found out meant that Cael might know too. That small sliver of leverage would be lost if either brother knew too much.

  “I’ll share what was brought to my attention. It was a large reason why I was so eager to make my move now. I wanted to keep that information from Cael so that I could use it against him. It will be how you access the financial support I need. I intend to take what my brother can’t get to without you. I get immense pleasure from the idea of taking the financial bedrock of his empire out from under him.” Marcus steepled his fingers in front of his face and smiled broadly, yet his eyes remained cold, his expression a parody of human emotion.

  Her father’s machinations to undermine the vampire had gotten further than she realized. A flash of regret for how they’d left things made her stomach clench before she shoved it aside. She didn’t have time for anything but moving forward. Marcus had revealed more than he realized. If Cael didn’t already know, this was an advantage for her as well. Something she intended to work to its full extent, though first, she would take advantage of a hot shower and food. She nodded her thanks to Marcus and followed Lorenzo out of the office.

  He led her through the halls, his pace slow. She nearly collided with him when he halted abruptly near the kitchens. He mumbled something and held a hand up, signaling that she should wait. After a moment, he came back in a flurry of motion, and she had to work to catch up to him as he practically raced towards her quarters. He preceded her inside and waited expectantly.

  After a moment, he said, “Please make a list of what you need, and I will make the necessary arrangements.”

  Erin crossed the small room to pull some paper and a pen from her bag. She jotted down a brief list of items and turned to hand it to him, but Lorenzo had moved to stand behind her without her noticing, and she stepped right into him. The brief collision caused them both to overcorrect as they jumped back. Erin heard a quiet thump and glanced down to see a cell phone had fallen onto the thick rug that sat under the bed. She shifted her weight and kicked the phone completely from view.

  Lorenzo’s face was a deep shade of red. “I’m sorry. . . My fault. . . I. . . um—”

  “Please, just take the list, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Erin cut off his explanation, gesturing for him to leave.

  After another mumbled apology, he swept out of the room. Erin dove for the phone, hoping it didn’t have a passcode. She had a phone. Now she needed to let her friends know where she was and that she was okay before the missing phone was discovered. She’d work on getting herself out of the mess once she was clean and fed.

  Chapter 2

  Portland, Oregon

  Raven stood in the entryway of Araceli’s house. Araceli’s butler took her coat and went to let her hostess know she’d arrived. Raven made a mental note to work on getting to know him, to see if she could get past his curt, professional efficiency. She moved to look out the large windows near the door. The drapes were open wide, displaying the amazing views all around and filling the house with sunlight. Raven found it strange that she was standing in a vampire’s home, waiting to join her for brunch. She didn’t know what to think about the invitation to meet during the day. Dining in a house with windows that let sunlight into every room seemed risky. She wondered if the house had a lower level below ground.

  “This way Dr. Rayne,” the butler said as he returned.

  Raven followed him through the house and out onto the large, sunny patio in the back. Araceli sat at a table. She wore a broad-brimmed hat and a light-colored pantsuit. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes, the very image of old Hollywood glamour as she stood to greet Raven.

  “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Raven asked, trying to hide her shock.

  “Oh, you mean this.” Araceli gestured to the sky and then herself. “I suppose it would ruin brunch if I were to burst into flame.”

  Then Araceli laughed and stepped forward, surprising Raven with a light hug. She placed her hands lightly on Raven’s shoulders as she looked her over. Her perusal felt like a parent confirming the health of a wayward child. Araceli nodded, apparently satisfied with what she observed, and gestured for Raven to take a seat.

  “Yes, well let’s just say I haven’t encountered a vampire in daylight that wasn’t on fire.” Raven sat down, taking the cloth napkin and laying it across her lap. The ritual action gave her a moment to process the existence of a day-walking vampire.

  “Jeffrey, could you tell Graciela we’ll be ready soon? Raven, what would you like to drink?”

  “Just coffee for me please,” Raven replied.

  “Bring her a mimosa too, it’s brunch,” Araceli said with a smile.

  “Okay, sure.” Raven shrugged, a smile tugged at her lips at how Araceli overruled her choice.

  “We have quite a bit to discuss. Where shall we start?” Araceli asked, her tone pleasant as she sipped from her drink.

  Raven sat back and considered. How did Araceli seem so human? What did she get out of the deal with her family? Why hadn’t she personally hunted and destroyed Marcus? The list of questions grew longer the more she thought. There was so much she didn’t know. What had Araceli meant when she claimed the spell books Raven found were hers? What did the vampire know about her family’s history and the lost knowledge of their own magical gifts?

  “I can see the questions racing through your mind. How about we start with what happened with Cael’s general? You want to know why I’m not looking for him?” Araceli asked, and Raven nodded.

  “If I leave my territory, one of those fools will try to take it. There is no guarantee this isn’t part of Cael’s plan. If I go chasing after Marcus, I will likely come home to Cael dug in here. I w
on’t risk those under my protection to pursue him. That doesn’t mean I don’t intend to answer the attack. Dealing with him is a priority, and you’ll help me with that.”

  Raven leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Araceli. “I have my own reasons to pursue him, but I’m not going to put myself and my friends in danger because of your orders. I’m going to pursue him because he has Erin, and he attacked my family.”

  “Let’s not be dramatic. I didn’t intend it that way. However, I assumed you’d be hot to go after him. I have a vested interest in your continued existence, Raven. I can’t have you murdered in your quest for vengeance. It’s taken far too long for another spirit mage to be born, let alone one who is willing to work with me.” Araceli frowned at Raven as she leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on the arms of her chair.

  “So, let’s talk about that. What exactly do you want from me?” Raven asked since Araceli was the first to bring it up.

  Araceli sighed. “Directly to it then. You are so like your forebear. She was the same, straight to the point. Whatever happened to pleasantry before business.”

  Raven raised an eyebrow in response, she couldn’t read the vampire. For all of Araceli’s seeming humanness, she was an emotional blank. Either she was an expert at suppressing her emotions, or it was a vampire trait Araceli couldn’t overcome.

  “And?” Raven prompted when Araceli remained silent.

  “Your family is not the only mage family to be given refuge in my territory. I’m sure you noticed the mage sigils and hints of mage gifts both at the gala and the party here at my home. They live here under my protection. In return, they participate in a ritual binding and provide for any magical needs I may have. Stop, I can see you jumping to conclusions already.” Araceli pulled down her sunglasses and pinned Raven with a sharp look. “I’m bound as much as they are. For all your study, I’m curious. What do you know about mages and vampires?”

  Raven met her midnight-colored eyes and replied, “I know mages are responsible for creating them. I don’t think they were going for vampires per se but rather seeking a way to cheat death.”