Page 79 of Caller of Crows

That wasn't a no, which was more than Sven had expected earlier. It wasn't much, but for now, he'd count it as a win.

His first victory of the night made him feel brave enough to ask for another. "I'll need my phone," he reminded Altair. "If I'm going to organize this funeral remotely."

Altair nodded. "I suppose you're right." The vampire pulled Sven's phone from his coat pocket and handed it over much more easily than Sven had expected.

Not that Sven was about to complain.

He turned his phone on and scrolled through his list of contacts, contemplating who to text first when he came across a name that made him pause.Dynmor.He didn't know anyone with that name.

Who…?

Realization hit him like a flash. Dynmor. Mordyn. Someone had added Mordyn's number to his phone.

It surely hadn't been Altair, so who…?

And how…?

Sven turned the phone off and put it away before anything showed on his face.

It wasn't important how the number had made it onto his phone. The important part was that Mordyn had been wrong and Sven wasn't going to need his help.

Hopefully.

ChapterTwenty-One

After the sun rose, Sven buried himself in the work that needed to be done to organize his mother's funeral from his phone.

He contacted his mom's best friend and a few other members of their community that his mother had been close to. That part was the hardest. Sharing the story of how his mother had passed away with other people who had also loved her, who had cared for her, hurt.

It felt surreal, and Sven wished he could wake up and realize it had all just been a dream, that he'd find his mom at home, watering her flowers or reading a book.

She'd been a voracious reader. She'd devoured romance novels and self-help books by the handful, and every time she'd found a new hobby, she'd thrown herself fully into learning it with an enthusiasm that had made Sven smile, even after her health had started to decline. She'd been stubborn that way, determined to see any endeavor through to the end.

Sven supposed he got his own tenacity from her.

Wiping an errant tear from his eyes, he stared down at his phone screen.

He missed her. Missed her smile, the way she always smelled of freshly baked bread because she'd never been able to give up baking, the silly jokes she always told to cheer him up.

Sven sniffled, wiping his sleeve over his face, and looked around. He was alone in the room, except for one of Altair's crows who suddenly landed on his shoulder as if sensing his distress.

Startled by the unexpected weight, Sven flinched and nearly dropped his phone. "Hey," he whispered, reaching out tentatively to pet the crow gently.

The crow preened as if very happy with the touch.

Hard to imagine that this was one of the animals who'd killed Altair's sire. Hard to imagine that it could rip out a man's heart with its beak and talons.

Sven shuddered at the gruesome image his own mind provided him with and looked at his phone again.

Everything here seemed darker than it appeared at first glance… but also not. These crows, Altair, the life of a vampire… It was all so multi-layered that Sven didn't know what to think anymore as he fished the bird seed out of his pocket and offered the bird a small treat in gratitude for keeping him company.

The crow accepted the food with a caw.

Sven's lips twitched as he watched it eat.

Eventually, though, he had to return his attention to his phone, and his fingers hovered over the keys as he tried to figure out what else to write. He was probably going to need some help making all the arrangements necessary. Fortunately, his mom's best friend, Carol, was already offering to handle the bulk of the legwork for him.

Sven was grateful for that, except that she hadso manyquestions for him.