Panther Curse: Shifters Bewitched #3 Page 15

  Even Anya looked happy again, feeding bits of blueberry muffin to her winter ravens by the crackling fire.

  “If we can’t handle a baby, then no one can,” Bella said. “Besides, it’ll be a wolf pup. So it will be able to take care of itself.”

  I smiled at the idea, even as I felt a little pang at the thought that I would never be able to tell Jared we were having a panther cub.

  Magic wasn’t everything. My friendship with Bella was proof of that.

  The extraordinary things in my life from now on would revolve around my relationships with all of these people. Especially Jared. With his support, I would figure out what my life was going to look like.

  His eyes went to the window as if I had called to him, and I smiled, letting him know I was okay.

  His returning smile warmed me to my toes, and told me everything I needed to know.

  Whatever else happened, this man was my home now. And everything was going to be just fine.

  As a matter of fact, it was going to be magical.

  ***

  Thanks for reading Panther Curse!

  Are you ready to find out exactly what’s up between Anya and the Raven King, and see if the gang can handle the new and improved version of the Order before it’s too late?

  Then keep reading for a sample of Raven Song.

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  Raven Song

  https://www.tashablack.com/shiftersbewitched.html

  Raven Song (Sample)

  1

  Anya

  In the dream, I took a tentative step out of the manicured boxwood labyrinth, past the protective wards that surrounded Primrose Academy, and into the wilds of the dark forest.

  There might soon be war between our world and the one beyond the veil. It wasn’t a good idea to wander the woods alone. But something in the forest at the edge of the academy’s grounds called to me - a call that I found impossible to ignore.

  I was desperate for the peace I hadn’t been able to find since laying eyes on the Raven King for the very first time.

  His dark beauty had been somehow familiar to me as we stood before the portal, staring each other down. But I wasn’t sure why.

  It had only lasted an instant, but his pale eyes seemed to gaze into my soul, like he saw something in me no one else ever had. And now my chest felt like it was caving in on itself every time I thought of him.

  My dream-self took a few more steps into the woods and the world around me shifted. The trees faded backward, and the dark forest melted into a sunlit meadow with snowflakes drifting lazily to the ground.

  No, not snowflakes. Flower petals of the palest pink.

  It was winter, there shouldn’t be flowers blooming in Pennsylvania. But the dream-logic didn’t care, and the knowledge that it was a dream didn’t make it feel any less real. The soft grass tickled my feet, and the scent of the flowers was so sweet that I could almost taste them.

  More trees lined the meadow, bristling with blossoms in colors that didn’t even have names in the real world. Their beauty was so exquisite that it almost hurt to look at them.

  A dragonfly buzzed past, so close it nearly caught in my hair.

  I turned to admire its iridescent body, only to realize that it wasn’t a dragonfly at all. A tiny person, with shivering green skin, translucent wings, and flaxen hair, met my eyes and let out a small squeal as it flew past.

  Startled, I paused and took a deep breath.

  But the meadow continued to pull at my soul, and I had to step further into the strange new world, inhaling the floral bouquet and searching for more magical creatures.

  Movement in my periphery caught my eye. At first I thought one of the trees was moving.

  Then a tall deer with flowering branches for antlers stepped into the meadow and observed me solemnly with limpid purple eyes.

  I opened my mouth to call to it, but no sound came out, and the shy creature leapt away on slender legs that seemed to defy gravity.

  I followed it with my eyes until it disappeared, then walked on, drawn by something between two of the largest trees.

  The sound of a shallow stream giggling over timeworn stones carried to me on the breeze, along with the scent of the sweet, clear water.

  Thirst suddenly sucked at my bones and I moved faster, eager to quench myself.

  Just beyond the flowering trees, the stream sparkled, crystal clear, just as I imagined it.

  I bent and lifted a handful to my lips, wolfing down the diamond bright libation.

  A sense of peace settled over me like a blanket and I stood, nearly sated, but not quite. My thirst was gone, but my chest still felt like it was being sucked inward, like I would disappear if I didn’t get the one thing I truly needed.

  Anya.

  He didn’t say my name, not out loud. But I heard it as if he had spoken it inside my head. I knew as I turned that I would wind up face to face with the Raven King.

  He gazed at me, unblinking, like before. His pale eyes tore me open and I watched my meaningless life spill out at his feet.

  I saw a long succession of foster homes, where strange things happened around me, and I got packed up again and again, my hand-me-downs stuffed in a half-empty garbage bag to start over with the next set of call-us-mom-and-dads.

  I saw the letter from Primrose, the embossed golden logo pristine, but the edges of the envelope grayed from my nervous hands toying with it, longing for a place where I could be like everyone else.

  And then I saw my friends, pairing off with shifter guardians, each of them willing to pay a terrible price for her magic.

  But my magic never had a price.

  Even in a school for witches, I was a dangerous freak. It was only a matter of time before they found me out. I already could see my school colors tangled in on each other at the bottom of another garbage bag.

  Then something changed, and I saw the things that made me happy, my adopted winter ravens flying in the sunset over Primrose Castle, a mug of peppermint tea, my friends laughing as we did our homework, the pale blue eyes of the Raven King…

  He stepped closer, the breeze strengthening, lifting his dark hair to swirl around his shoulders while the air surrounding him shimmered with untold power.

  I waited, breathless, as he extended his hand to cup my cheek.

  The pleasure of his touch flashed through me like lightning, followed by thundering desire. I had never wanted anything as much as I wanted the Raven King to kiss me.

  He leaned close, fixing me with those haunted eyes.

  Yearning licked my insides like flames, and I moaned, not caring what he thought of me, as long as he touched me.

  But then the breeze changed again.

  And the Raven King paused, a faraway look in his eyes.

  No, I tried to whisper, but I had no voice in this place.

  I watched helplessly as he faded into nothing, leaving me alone by the stream once more, my chest folding in around the emptiness inside me.

  The breeze picked up swiftly, turning to a gale, and I found myself being pulled between the trees without my feet touching the ground.

  Color was being sucked out of the world. First the grass faded to gray, and then the trees, until at last even the vibrant flowers were black and white. I looked down at myself, but I was shades of gray too, as if I were in a pencil sketch, or an antique photograph.

  A familiar chime sounded from far way, followed by the flutter of wings.

  Something landed on my stomach and the the last of the dream slipped away.

  I opened my eyes to find myself alone in my dorm room, my morning alarm sounding as one of my winter ravens, Calvin, stood self-importantly on my belly. He fluffed out his feathers and gazed at me with what felt like genuine concern in his dark eyes.

  “Hey,” I said, my voice rough from sleep.

  Hobbes fluttered down from his post on the curtain rod and landed on the footboard of the bed.

  “I know, you guys really hate the sound
of my alarm,” I said sympathetically, reaching over to shut it off.

  Hobbes hopped onto the blanket the moment the sound stopped, and waddled over to me in an undignified way, bending his head down so that I could rub the ticklish spot on the back of his neck.

  “There you go,” I whispered.

  He made a low warbling sound in reply.

  Calvin still gazed at me.

  “I know, I know,” I told him. “It’s been kind of a weird couple of days.

  It still felt odd to wake up without Kendall in the bed on the opposite wall from mine. My former roommate had always been a restless sleeper. I chalked it up to her days playing sports. Her body probably didn’t know what to do without an extreme physical outlet.

  Most mornings, I slipped out of bed and woke her up carefully, like a zoo keeper rousing a bear from hibernation. Her grumpiness was pretty hilarious.

  But she was living with Jared now. Which meant I didn’t have to wake her up. And it also meant that I had an extra five minutes I didn’t really know what to do with.

  I gathered up my stuff for my shower, telling myself it would be great to be able to take my time.

  But the truth was, I was lonely for my formidable roommate. Kendall’s larger than life personality had saved me from a lot of introspection.

  Back on my bed, Calvin and Hobbes scolded each other over some imagined slight.

  At least I still had the two winter ravens. Though honestly, they belonged to each other first.

  “Back in a minute, boys,” I told them.

  But they ignored me in favor of tussling over a button that I was pretty sure didn’t belong on any of my clothes.

  Even the birds had more going on than I did.

  “Shake it off, Anya,” I muttered, heading for the showers.

  I reminded myself that I had good friends, and a roof over my head. Nothing else mattered.

  All I had to do was get through the day without thinking too much about the Order, the hollow feeling in my chest, or my dreams of the Raven King.

  No problem.

  ***

  Thanks for reading this sample of Raven Song!

  Are you ready to find out exactly what’s up between Anya and the Raven King, and see if the gang can handle the new and improved version of the Order before it’s too late?

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  Raven Song

  https://www.tashablack.com/shiftersbewitched.html

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