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  Hunted

  Coven of the Raven

  Shona Husk

  Copyright © 2018 by Shona Husk

  Cover art by Studioenp

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Coven of the Raven Book 1

  Coven of the Raven Book 3

  Back Cover Copy

  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

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: Cursed

  Excerpt: Embodied

  Also by Shona Husk

  About the Author

  Coven of the Raven Book 1

  Cursed

  Oskar Quigley knows exactly when and how he’ll die.

  Living with a death curse isn’t easy, but after generations of research handed down to him he thinks he knows how to defeat the Thomas, his great uncle and a witch gone bad who caused the problem. There’s just one thing he never accounted for: another victim.

  Mylla has been Thomas’s servant for as long as she can remember, but her memories can’t be trusted. The marks on her wall add up to decades, and her diary is a muddled collection of rambling. When Oskar arrives to tend the gardens she needs to warn him that bad things happen, difficult when she can only talk on Thomas’ command. But she doesn’t need to talk to steal a few moments for herself in Oskar’s bed as she tries to convince him that magic is real.

  With time running out and Thomas’s suspicions growing, Oskar is forced to act. But if living with a death curse is hard, learning to live is even harder.

  Coven of the Raven Book 3

  A love potion gone wrong leads to a goddess hijacking Alexis’ body. Driven by the goddess, Alexis will do anything to catch her boss’s eye. It’s unfortunate that he starts to notice her for all the wrong reasons. Such as the army of cats following her around.

  Peyton Kilpatrick has always kept his relationship with Alexis professional despite the simmering interest. But something has changed: she crackles with magic and she wants more from him than he’s able to give. As a witch and a lawyer his life is complicated enough, throw in a hellhound bite that causes all kinds of side effects around the full moon and he really isn’t boyfriend material.

  When Alexis finally gets Peyton in bed, things get hairy. Peyton reveals what he is and convinces her to give up her new-found power. If she doesn’t get rid of the goddess inhabiting her body she’ll die.

  Back Cover Copy

  People coming to the Uncommon Raven Agency for protection, are at the end of the line.

  Noah Kelly takes the cases no other bodyguard will, the ones where demons are hunting the victim. Trouble is, he’s never managed to stop a demon from killing. Not even to save the girlfriend whose murder he was acquitted of four years ago. Since then he’s been determinedly single as he tries to find a way to stop demons and ease his guilt.

  Rachel Jarrett knew she was in trouble when the divorce lawyer she’d been dealing with is found dead—his limbs torn off. She runs, desperate to flee her husband, and finds herself at the Uncommon Raven Agency in the hands of a man with his own secrets. When she tells Noah what she’s seen he doesn’t laugh. He talks about possession.

  For Noah, falling into bed with a client was always going to be bad news, but when her ex is a demon it could be fatal.

  Chapter 1

  Rachel had walked past the building several times over the last three days but had never stopped. This evening the light was on and spilling through the window and onto the footpath. People brushed past her on their way home, or to the subway, or maybe going to grab some dinner. They were getting on with their lives while she was running from hers. She glanced over her shoulder, a nasty habit she was developing, but no one was looking at the casually dressed woman staring at the door; she was just another person bundled up against the cold, hoping to hide amongst the millions of New York City.

  Why had she stopped this time? Was it the silhouette of the bird, black against the golden light, that drew her gaze? She scanned the writing beneath. They offered women’s self-defense classes and martial arts training. She didn’t want self-defense classes and she didn’t have the time to learn a martial art. If her husband—ex-husband if he ever signed the papers—found her, none of that would help. She swallowed and tried not to think of Cory’s rage and his burning of the papers. He’d stormed out of the house, and the divorce lawyer had been found dismembered the next day. She knew Cory had done it even though there was no evidence linking him to the crime. Since then she’d been running, not wanting to be next.

  The last line of writing caught her eye: Personal protection services.

  All that went on behind one plain door at the Uncommon Raven Agency. She glanced up at the rest of the building. It was nothing special, just another non-descript, brown apartment block. It looked as though there were flats upstairs—curtains on the windows, lights on in some. Someone bumped into her and she jumped, expecting the worst. It was getting dark. She should get back to the hostel. It had been three days since she’d come to New York. She was living on cash so Cory couldn’t track her by her withdrawals. She’d ditched her old sim card and bought a pre-paid one. Told her parents Cory was trying to find her and that he was dangerous.

  Instead of offering their support, they had told her off for leaving him when he needed her most. Cory was the injured hometown hero, the local boy who’d hit the big time and been a professional quarterback. He was beloved by everyone, including her, once. She’d married him with stars in her eyes. Seven years later he wasn’t the man she’d married.

  He hadn’t been for about twelve months, not since the accident.

  She shivered and tried to blame it on the winter chill. The Uncommon Raven Agency building looked warm and safe, but she couldn’t afford their protection. The account she’d set up only months ago didn’t have enough in it. She hadn’t planned on leaving so soon. She hadn’t expected Cory to react so violently to her desire to leave. In the same breath she admitted she couldn’t afford help, she realized that she didn’t want to die, either, which was exactly what Cory had promised to do if she didn’t stop divorce proceedings.

  After what she’d seen, and the more frequent outings of his darker side, there was no way in hell she was going to stay. Perhaps she should have left the first time, but that would have simply fuelled the gossip mill of Liberty. For the last two years he’d forbidden her from working, so she had no money of her own; the papers were simply a request to get things moving so she could start again. Cory had reacted badly. He saw losing her as a sign of weakness.

  He hadn’t lost her; he’d pushed her out of his life. They may have lived under the same roof, but they rarely spoke and they hadn’t shared a bedroom in months.

  The cops didn’t want to get involved. He burned some papers, so what? There was no history of abuse, and Cory was a local hero. Over reacting. Just an argument, they said. He had the whole of Liberty charmed with his smile. However, it no longer blinded her. She’d seen the dark glint in his eye and the curl of his lip, and while he’d had an alibi for the lawyer’s death, he’d smiled as if he’d done it and knew he was untouchable. Maybe he was. Which meant she might as well give up and become a statistic.

  She took a step towards the door; maybe they could offer some advice?

  She didn’t need to tell them Cory was a quarterback, on the rise again after what should have been a career-ending injury—a miraculous recovery and a darkening of his personality. No one else saw it, but she did. She lived it. While he’d always loved the spotlight, he had become obsessed, convinced people were plotting against him and paranoid that she was cheating—to the point she couldn’t even go out with girlfriends or see her parents without him following her. She couldn’t live like that.

  And she didn’t want to live always looking over her shoulder, either. In her gut she knew Cory would never let her go, losing his wife would be a public loss of face. She was supposed to hang off his arm and smile on cue. Surely his popularity and reach couldn’t extend this far? She should be safe here.

  But she still needed to reissue the divorce papers, she needed a job and money, and as soon as she started to settle he’d find her. With a final glance into the crowd to make sure she wasn’t being followed, she pushed open the door and then stepped inside.

  It was warm and bright, and for the first time in seven days she felt safe. The door shut behind her and a small smile formed as she unbuttoned her charcoal grey winter coat. It was a stupid feeling, really. How could stepping into an office building make her feel safe? There was nothing special about it, it wasn’t big or fancy, just a plain reception area. There was a stand of flyers on one side below an old picture of a man in a white karate suit holding a small child. The desk that sat to one side was unoccupied, a computer and cell phone sat on the desk. Weren’t they w
orried someone would walk through the door and steal them?

  “Hello?” She pressed the bell on the desk. From the back she could hear voices but couldn’t make out the words.

  Maybe there was a class on. Rachel hesitated, not sure what to do. Should she wait or go have a look? Maybe she should just leave. It was a dumb idea anyway. It wasn’t as though they were going to help her for free.

  She turned around to leave. Rain spattered the glass window. Great. If she hadn’t stopped, she’d have been back at the hostel already.

  “Can I help you?”

  Rachel turned at the voice. She hadn’t heard him approach. She should have. He was a solid, older man, his hair almost all grey. He wore shorts and a singlet and his skin was sheened in sweat. And he radiated power. Some guys tried to be threatening, this man just stood there almost glowing with power. She didn’t belong in here. Her mouth dried.

  “I um…I’m sorry for interrupting.” She shouldn’t have come in; he’d obviously forgotten to lock the door. “I saw the sign and the door was open.”

  “I was expecting someone.” His gaze drifted over her as if looking for something, and she had the distinct impression that he’d been expecting her and was now assessing her. How was that possible?

  She took a step back. Her life had been weird lately but this was really pushing the boundary, and yet, while she should be running, she still didn’t feel threatened, just uncomfortable. It was too warm in here to be wearing her coat. She was sure her face was turning red. She shifted her stance, glad to be wearing runners instead of Cory’s required heels. He’d hate her going out in public looking like this, dressing down, not looking the part of being his perfect wife. She’d bought these clothes without his approval. It had felt damn good. “I should go.”

  “Why did you come in?”

  She paused. Did it really matter? She didn’t know how to say what was wrong with her life. It sounded wrong, even to her. She’d had the perfect life in Liberty. Women had envied her. She rolled a few ideas around, wishing she’d done this before she’d come in. I’d like some advice on how to stay hidden from my ex. I need help. Please stop him from finding me and killing me. Yeah, people were going to line up for that job…

  And yet he hadn’t asked her to leave, and he hadn’t said they were closed. She drew in a breath and decided to go with the truth. “I think I need help.”

  “What kind of help?” He looked genuinely interested.

  She shoved her hands into her pockets and glanced at the floor. “My husband is trying to kill me.” Then she lifted her gaze a fraction to judge his reaction.

  He lifted his eyebrows. “That’s no small problem.”

  Rachel waited for him to say something else, for him to turn her out onto the street. Instead he stood there looking at her. She swallowed and nodded. “No, it’s not.” And her husband wasn’t a small man, either. “He flipped when I started divorce proceedings, and I’ve been on the run for the last week.”

  She didn’t add that she hadn’t really been sleeping and that she was worried that he’d find her and that would be it. She’d vanish and no one would know what became of her. She had a life waiting for her, friends and family, and she didn’t want to leave them guessing. None of them realized how much trouble she was in because none of them knew the real Cory. To them he was the good guy, always willing to help out, and she was the bad one for leaving him. Were her parents and friends now in danger? Cold slid down her back. She’d ring home and make sure no one else had been killed… And if her parents said Cory was still in town then she could breathe a little bit easier.

  “Would you like to talk to someone about it?”

  She was talking to someone, him, but before she could say anything he continued speaking.

  “I own the place and run the classes. I don’t take on cases.” He started walking down the hallway as if expecting her to follow.

  She didn’t want to be a case; that sounded like it cost money. Money she didn’t have unless she accessed their joint account, then he’d know where she was. She’d taken out as much cash as she could before leaving Liberty and had been living on that, but it was running out fast.

  She took a breath and breathed out slowly. It will all be fine. She repeated that to herself even though she didn’t believe the words.

  Then she followed the man deeper into the office. She was here, and she’d make it clear that she just wanted some advice. If they started asking for money, she’d leave. What could they do to stop Cory when the cops in Liberty didn’t care and didn’t want to know?

  The corridor opened up into a gym. A big, open space. Mats took up a quarter of the floor and boxing bags hung along one wall. Gym equipment was along another. This was where the classes obviously happened, but there was no class tonight, just a bunch of guys working out, a couple of women, one very pregnant, a few kids rolling on the mats and a teenager pretending not to care. Was this staff night?

  The voices she’d heard from the front went quiet when they realized there was someone watching, but they didn’t stop what they were doing. The smack of fists and feet on the bags, the whir of a skipping rope and the huff of breath from one guy doing chin ups. His elbow was strapped, and every time the blond guy in front of him threw a punch, he’d lift his legs in a crunch to block, then try and kick. His stomach was an honest-to-god washboard and his shorts were hanging low—criminally low. She could see the tattoo on his hip even though she couldn’t make it out. She remembered to blink and breathe and look away before everyone realized she was staring. It wasn’t as though she’d never seen a well-cut guy before, but some guys deserved a second glance. The man on the bar was one of them.

  This time she pretended not to be looking at him. He dropped down, shook out his taped-up elbow, then waited while the blond guy took his place and did a few chin ups.

  The man she’d come in with cast his gaze over the gym as if looking for something or someone; no one was meeting his eye. If it weren’t for the kids playing and the two women practicing yoga, this place would be testosterone central. She’d spent enough time around jocks to recognize it, but this place had a different feel. There wasn’t the high of a win or the depression off a loss, or even the keyed-up atmosphere before a game. There was more to this place and, while they obviously weren’t all related, it had that close-knit vibe, and she was an intruder.

  He pointed at the guys she’d been watching. But which one, the blond or the dark-haired one? The dark-haired guy turned and walked over as if he’d been verbally summoned. He looked really unimpressed.

  “This is Noah Kelly; he deals with protection cases like yours,” the man she’d followed in said.

  “I can’t afford protection.” While a bodyguard would be great, she didn’t want someone else getting hurt on her behalf.

  “Advice is free.” The older man smiled as if daring her to argue.

  Her tongue became wooden. He was right, it’s what she’d come here for. However, looking at Noah, she wasn’t sure she’d be getting much out of him. His lips were pressed together and his arms were crossed over his chest. He had a crow tattooed over his heart and something like three letters down his bicep, but they weren’t any letters she knew.

  “I’ve just come off a case.” Noah spoke to the other guy, whose name she hadn’t managed to get, and almost ignored her. His gaze had flicked over her once before dismissing her as an obvious inconvenience and interruption to his training.

  “It’s not a case, Noah; she wants a little help hiding from her ex.” Then he slapped Noah on the shoulder and walked away. She got the feeling that he didn’t like people arguing with him.