Raven and the Rose (9 page)

find the entryway into her world.

Storm decided to backtrack into Queensville and find a willing soul to give him the

information he needed. With a groan, he retrieved his clothes from beneath a thatch of trees.

Swiftly, he dressed while remembering the man who’d watched him like a hawk the day he’d

flown into town.

* * *

“You’d only been a raven shifter for the better half of two years. Do you remember the

driving force behind the need to find her?” the man asked, breaking Storm out of his memory.

“I’ll never forget that day,” Storm admitted to
The Keeper of Darkness
. Why hadn’t he

realized this before now? He went on to answer him, “I thought I’d never find her. You need to send me back, immediately.”

“Very well, then, but the most important battle you’re waging isn’t against any demon but

yourself, Storm. You’ve had your doubts and wondered if you and Rose were truly meant to be

together. You’ll find out now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Storm lied.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to be honest with me, for I know the truth. A

demon could even see your doubts and insecurities. Do you realize how much of a danger you put

her and everyone around you, in? Perhaps you’re no longer meant to have these powers and

you’ll realize it too. I’ll return you. But not as a raven.”

Storm shook his head. “What kind of game are you playing with us? Everyone is in danger,”

he continued. “I don’t see how this is helping.”

“Ah, but it will. You’ve often questioned your very existence, so now you’ll have the

opportunity to come face to face with the outcome or your uncertainty will be your undoing.”

Storm stared at him in confusion “I don’t—I’ve never.” Then he thought long and hard about

his self-doubts. Everything the man mentioned was true. “What about when a McQueen witch

passes? Who will carry their spirit to the Higher Realm?”

“Don’t you worry about that.”

“It’s what I’m meant to do. They depend on me to do what no other soul can, or will do.”

“You’ve often wondered if you and Gypsy Rose would be together if you weren’t a raven

shifter, and if that has any bearing on your relationship. Do you think you’re in her life just to protect her family just as Micah protected the McQueen clan in his time? Every fifty to a hundred years, a worthy warrior’s soul is imbued with the raven spirit and you doubt that? Perhaps you’re not deserving of what has been bestowed upon you.”

Storm shook his head. “Let me prove otherwise. My time on earth isn’t truly over.” He

straightened up. “I’m ready. Just tell me what I must do.”

“It’s very simple. If you lose your battle as a mortal, you’ll return to the Netherworld

forever.”

“And my powers?”

“You won’t need them down here.”

“I’ve never given up. You must know that.”

“But I’m not the one you must convince,” The Keeper of Darkness retorted.

“How do I get out of here?”

He pointed at a door. “Walk on through.” He smiled and began to laugh. “I’ll be waiting for

you, Storm Raventhorn. Oh…And…Beware of hitchhikers.”

Ignoring the man’s laughter, Storm rose to his feet and strode over to the door. When he

looked back, the man had vanished. Taking a deep breath, he entered the darkness of the doorway within the cave wall. Up ahead, he saw a shimmering light, almost like candlelight, but he wasn’t quite sure.

While he walked, Storm’s throat burned with a fierce thirst. His eyes watered. With every

step he took, he discovered walking had become a task. He felt himself being drawn in the

direction he came but he fought against it. His lungs burned and threatened to collapse without inadequate air. He continued walking at the sluggish rate, and the dim light ahead appeared to be further away.

A dark figure rushed past him and stood several paces directly in front of him.

Narrowing his eyes, Storm continued his journey.

Unexpectedly, the spirit charged him and knocked him onto his back. Its hideous long

fingers curled around his throat in an attempt to cut off his air supply.

Gritting his teeth, Storm reached up and punched the spirit creature several times before it

released its hold on him. Sucking in a quick breath of air, he rolled the creature onto its back, but it disappeared into thin air. Winded, he rose to his scratched knees and winced from the pain. The creature had raked its claws across his chest and he was bleeding.

He sucked in another breath, then rose to his feet yet again, determined to complete his

journey. No matter what, he’d make it back to Rose and the others. The little bit of time spent thwarting the spirit creature cost him greatly.

Up ahead, he could barely see the light. “Rose,” he sputtered breathlessly as he continued his

journey. Each step became increasingly difficult, making his leg muscles ache. The shortness of breath he began to experience didn’t help either. It felt like something wrapped itself around his midsection and squeezed.

Storm continued gasping for air as the walls of the cave began to swirl. A mist slowly

entered the passage and blocked his view. A presence made itself known, and without warning,

something plowed into him from behind. The force shoved him face first into the hard rocks of

the cave and knocked the wind out of him.

“Unnhh!” Jagged rocks pierced his flesh, and a warm sticky fluid turned his vision crimson.

Gasping for air, he realized it wasn’t as difficult to breath lying down than it was standing up. He moved his arms and his legs, and the heavy, weighted feeling no longer tormented him. Hastily,

he wiped the blood from his vision and continued his journey on his belly, ignoring the jagged

rocks grazing against the fresh wounds of his flesh.

While he crawled along the cavern floor, the dim light came into sight again and he realized

he was close. Biting his lip, he quickened his pace, hoping another incident wouldn’t set him

back.

“You’ve got to crawl before you can walk, son.”
A man’s deep voice whispered along the passage.

“You’ll never reach them in time.”
A female voice taunted.

“Shut the fuck up!” Storm shouted angrily as he continued his journey and noticed how the

jagged rocks changed to soft, loose earth he could easily dig his fingers into.

“Just a few more paces,”
the man’s voice came again.
“Don’t give up. Never give up. They
don’t want you to succeed.”

“I won’t fail,” Storm’s voice came out in a bold huff as he savagely dug his bloodied

fingertips into the earth.

“You’re so damned powerless.”
The female voice taunted.
“Rose and her entire family will
burn and there’s nothing you can do to save them. I should have destroyed her while I was inside
of her.”

“You!” Storm’s anger escalated, but quickly he realized it was only a trap to set him back

further.

When the mist dissipated, a shapely dark figured formed, watching him intently.

Up ahead, the entrance came into view. It looked to be lit by candlelight and for a brief

second, he thought he saw Rose pacing back and forth. “Rose?” he gulped, and crawled along

further until the she-demon hopped onto his back, digging her claws into him. Storm reached up

and around, grabbing the thing’s long wiry hair and pulled. “Get off me.”

“You’ll carry me where I want to be. Then, I’ll finish your precious witch off for banishing

me in the first place,” the creature spat out with a haunting cackle.

“Obsidian?”

“Come to me, Storm,”
Rose called mentally.

Rose’s voice snapped his attention to the portal in the cavern wall and he stood. Aggravated,

he twisted to the right and slammed the creature into the pointy rocks of the cavern until she

screamed. He continued walking, despite the pain in his body, with Obsidian at his heels.

“You will all pay for what you’ve done to me,” the creature called after him. “Selfish one,

will you truly risk bringing me back into the McQueen home?” she cackled again.

Storm smiled as Rose’s presence filtered through him, guiding him, bringing him closer to

her. Their strong mental connection had returned and her voice was audible. “Storm.”

“Rose. It’s Obsidian. She’s right behind me. She wants revenge.”

“Tell her to bring it. Bring your ass home. Back to me.”

With a smile, he gathered his speed, charging through the portal.

Chapter Eight

G
rasping the black leather satchel in her hands, Rose stood directly in front of the portal, with Viola standing at her side.

“You ready for this, girl?” Viola asked her.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Storm’s spirit emerged from the portal first and for a few seconds, it hovered around his

body until it slammed into him. With a
woosh
, Storm sucked in a deep breath and sprung straight up into bed. He wheezed several times then he was coughing.

The smell of sulfur assaulted Rose’s senses when Obsidian charged through the portal and

solidified.

Thanks to the protective circle surrounding the bed, she could move no further than the wall.

Struggling, Obsidian looked down at her body and narrowed her eyes before returning her evil

gaze to Rose and Viola. “What have you witches done to me?” she sneered.

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Rose observed the charred skin of the demon and her yellow

cat-like eyes. Long black hair fell over her shoulders in a ragged, sordid mess, and her clothes were an olive green color.

“Say the chant, now!” Viola ordered.

Clenching the black leather bag in her hand, Rose mouthed the words with Viola that would

finally banish the demon to where it belonged. “Through darkness it came, escaping its pain.

Banish this evil for once and for all. Bind it in chains. In hell forever, it shall remain.”

When Rose tossed the leather satchel at Obsidian’s feet, the she-demon grimaced in pain,

and threw her head back in torment while being sucked back into the portal. Her curses and hisses echoed as the opening closed.

Before the women could even react, a tremor shook the house, knocking vases and vials off

the shelves of the bedroom. Pictures fell and shattered onto the floor as Viola and Rose lost their balance.

Rose made her way over to where Storm lay, and the tremors continued until everything

became quiet again.

Outside she could hear the car alarms sounding off and commotion from her relatives on the

lower levels of the McQueen Manor, but for now all she focused on was Storm. She caressed his

head in her arms and kissed him.

“His wounds need tending to.” Viola grabbed a white porcelain basin and filled it with water

from the bathroom. Then she gathered several herbs from Rose’s cabinets and emptied everything

into the basin. Grabbing a fresh white towel, she soaked it in the solution and gently dabbed his face.

“Are you okay?” Rose asked.

With a ragged breath, he reached up and gently caressed her cheek. “Better now that I’m

home,” he said with a chuckle as Viola continued cleaning the blood from his flesh. “You didn’t give up on me.”

“Of course not,” she whispered. “We knew Obsidian would try to escape when you did.”

“You made it, son. You don’t know how happy that makes me.” Viola dipped the cloth into

water, wrung it out and dabbed his forehead again.

“Is everyone okay?” Storm sat up, despite Rose’s protests.

“You need to rest,” she commanded.”

“I’m okay, although not complete.”

Rose tilted her head at him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m powerless.”

Viola’s mouth popped open. “How can that be?”

He inhaled slowly and gazed steadily at them. “It’s because of my doubts of what and who I

am.” He turned to look at Rose. “
Us.
If I fail, I’ll have to return to the Netherworld.”

“No, that’s not an option. Who the hell says this?” Rose cursed.

“The Keeper of the Netherworld.”

“No, I want to speak with him,” Rose demanded. “Don’t tell me I’ll have to go down there

and—

“You can’t do that Rose,” Viola warned.

Storm grabbed her by the arms and gently shook her. “No, my sweet Rose. This is a battle I

alone must fight. It has nothing to do with you.”

“But Storm—?”

“Shh, Rose.” He pressed a finger against her lips.

She kissed his fingers. “I can’t lose you again. I won’t.”

His lips swept over hers and she felt his hot breath over her skin. Closing her eyes, she

fought the urge to scream at the top of her lungs in utter frustration. “Why?”

“Because, I must face my
own
demons,” he admitted solemnly. “I’ve doubted myself for so long. Perhaps, I’m not worthy of being a raven shifter.”

She cupped his face with her palms. “You are more than worthy.” She gritted her teeth in

anger.

Viola placed a hand on her shoulder. “Rose, you need to stay calm.”

Rose opened her mouth to reply when Jasmine burst through the door. “Rose. Viola. What’s

going on in here?” The young woman stopped in her tracks, her expression unraveling from a

mask of confusion to a pleasant smile. “Storm?”

“In the flesh,” Storm said with a laugh as the young woman rushed over to him and

embraced him in a large bear hug.

“You big raven! So, when were you guys going to tell us he was back?” Jasmine asked,

swiping a tear from her eye. She sniffled several times, then looked around. “Another demon

attacked? But how?”

“It’s a long story,” Viola muttered.