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CHAPTER ONE

I was floating in the middle of the sky, under a dark night where the stars blazed overhead.

Autumn leaves whirled all around me, spinning off of the trees to dance around me.

I tried to turn and found myself spinning like the leaves, buoyed up by the wind.

Autumn was here, and she had come to play hard.

As I looked overhead, I caught sight of black forms winging over my head—a murder of crows, their long shrieks filling the air.

I listened, trying to understand them. As I listened, trying to decipher their calls, their message became clear. He has been summoned…he has been summoned…

My blood chilled. I looked around me, still twirling like a leaf in the wind. Who were the crows talking about? But then, as I started to get dizzy from the constant spinning, a low, sonorous drumming reverberated around me as a familiar voice echoed through the blustery night.

“I am the Messenger of She Who Watches Over Death, I am the Father of Crows. I am the Crow Man, and I bring messages in the night. Once you have met me, you’ll never forget me.

Once you have kissed me, you’ll never fully walk without me in your thoughts.

I am part of every crow and raven that wings its way across this world.

I am found in the depths of the darkness, and the brilliance of the lights that create the path of the Ancestors.

You have sealed the deal, and I will help you.

Listen for my call—and do not think that you can renege on our deal.

You are bound by the gods—by Druantia, and by the Morrígan. ”

Right then, I knew that voice, and I knew who was calling me. I turned to run, not wanting to stay, but there was nowhere to go. A dark figure loomed in the night sky, towering over me, and as he turned his gaze to me, I tumbled, falling head over heels, plunging toward the earth below.

As I neared the ground, I tried to stall myself…but there was nothing to break my fall…

* * *

I jerked out of the dream, shivering. My heart was racing and I felt a vague sense of panic.

Looking around, I realized I was in the bedroom, with Killian by my side.

The echoing voice faded, as did the endless night sky that I had been floating in.

The stars—so brilliant in my mind—faded, and I scooted up to lean against the headboard.

It had been over a year since I had met the Crow Man, and though I remembered my promise, as the days and months went by, the experience had receded, with all the other things that had been happening in my life.

Now it came flooding back…the Crow Man had elicited a promise from me. When he called, I would answer and pay the price for his favor. I didn’t give promises easily to beings from other realms, but this had been a life-threatening situation, and his help was one of our only ways out.

I sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what had triggered the dream. Was it a portent, or a deep memory coming to the surface?

“Are you all right? Do you have a migraine?” Killian rolled over and lightly caressed my back. “What time is it?”

I glanced at the clock. “It’s six. And yes, I’m all right. I just had a bad dream.” I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Part of me lingered in the dream, and part of me clung to the bedroom, which felt safe, a security net in a world fraught with danger.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Killian asked, pulling me back into bed. I rolled into his arms, and he held me, kissing my forehead.

“No,” I said, after thinking about it. “I’ll get up and make us an early breakfast.”

I kissed him on the nose, then stared into his emerald eyes.

They sparkled, a deep forest green, and as he reached up to press his lips against mine, I melted into the kiss.

Killian was my safety net, my partner in life and in love.

I stroked his hair back out of his face, and the wavy wheaten tangle spread over his bare shoulders.

Once again, I caught my breath at the sight of him.

I kissed him again, pressing my breasts against his chest.

“Maybe we can get up in a little while,” he whispered.

Nodding, I pushed thoughts of the Crow Man out of my mind, concentrating on the man in front of me, and on how much I loved him. He pulled me back under the comforter, and we settled in as the fog rolled through the town outside, promising that autumn had truly arrived.

* * *

Killian left for the office. His clinic opened earlier than my workplace.

I stood in the kitchen, packing my lunch.

My migraines were under control. Over the past few months, I’d been practicing my magic daily, and it had slowly helped my energy to flow correctly.

I’d always have to keep active magically to prevent a flareup of my ERS—energy reflux syndrome—but a few minutes of channeling the magic every day worked wonders for me.

I checked myself in the mirror. Black corduroy skirt, green V-neck sweater, silver belt, black knee-high suede boots, hair back in a ponytail, makeup—good.

I’d been going to the gym and while I wasn’t there to lose weight, I had toned up a lot.

I was a size sixteen, and in good shape.

My doctor had told me that, other than the ERS, my health was better than it had ever been.

I slipped on my sweater-coat and tied the belt, then slung my purse over my shoulder.

Keys in hand, I headed to the door. I was in my car and waiting for it to warm up when my phone rang.

I didn’t recognize the number. Usually, I let unknown callers go to voice mail but my instincts urged me to pick up.

“Hello?” I never led with my name. Scammers were rife and they often recorded names and words that could be used against their victims. Of course, now AI had become the scammer’s best friend, and added a whole new level of hell to the practice.

“Is this January Jaxson?” The woman’s voice was steady, and I could feel magic seeping through her words. “I’m Kerris Fellwater, and I was hoping to talk to her.”

I took a deep breath. Kerris Fellwater ? She was the spirit shaman over in Whisper Hollow, another shadow town like Moonshadow Bay. Except Whisper Hollow was darker— a lot darker. I knew Kerris by reputation, and I’d met her best friend, Peggin Sanderson.

“Well, hello. Yes, I’m January. What can I do for you?” Now I was curious.

“I need your help. I can’t explain over the phone, but it has to do with the Covenant of Chaos.

If you can see me, I’ll drive over from the peninsula.

My husband Bryan and I can rent a hotel room in town for a couple of days.

” There was something in her voice that told me whatever she had to say was urgent.

“Of course. Other than work, I don’t have any plans. When will you be coming over?”

“Thank you, thank you so much. We can be there by this afternoon. Can we buy you dinner after you get off work?” The relief in her words was tangible.

“Do you mind if my husband joins us? And you don’t have to pay.” Whisper Hollow was full of dark magic and feuds that went back for over a century. If I was going to dip my toe in those waters, I wanted Killian with me.

“I don’t mind. Can you recommend a hotel? We’ll start out in about half an hour, so you can text the information to me, if you like.”

“I’ll text you once I get to work,” I said, then signed off. I made sure to save her number in my contacts, and then—mind racing with what Kerris could possibly want with me—pulled out of the driveway and headed to the office.

* * *

Tad and Caitlin were busy looking over a report when I got in. I’d stopped to buy coffee and doughnuts for everyone, and Hank took the coffee tray from me and put it on the table.

“What’s up?” I said, setting the box of doughnuts down beside the coffee.

I leaned over Caitlin’s shoulder. She and Tad were looking through a series of recent reports of some creature that had been spotted around the area recently.

Described by various people as a bipedal dinosaur, to a Yoda-lookalike, to a goblin, all the reports had three things in common: the creature was spotted only at night, it had been spotted near trash bins in every report, and in each case, someone had tried to take a picture of it, but the creature vanished in every photo.

“Are we going looking for it?” I asked.

“Maybe. So far, there haven’t been any problems reported, except for the trash cans being knocked over. We’ll keep an eye on it, but I don’t want to waste resources unless there’s more evidence and more activity,” Tad said.

“Well, I’ve got news. Kind of,” I said. I returned to my desk, got my notepad and tablet, then headed toward our group round table where we held meetings every morning.

Conjure Ink was a passion project. Tad Gelphart was a precocious genius.

He had started not only Conjure Ink before he was twenty-four, but also the umbrella group that brought together paranormal investigations groups around Washington state—Urban Legends, Inc.

He was born into wealth, but he used it for the betterment of others.

Those of us he employed could count on our jobs, were paid a good wage, and we’d become a family of sorts.

As we gathered around the table, the others looked at me expectantly. “Well?” Caitlin asked. A bobcat shifter, she and Tad had finally admitted their attraction for each other and were now engaged.

“I got a call this morning,” I said. “Kerris Fellwater’s coming over to talk to me. She said she needs my help. If she really needs my help, do you mind if I take a little time off?”

Tad’s eyes widened. “Kerris?” His parents had left Whisper Hollow before he’d been born because they knew how dangerous the town could be. But Tad was fascinated with the shadow town and kept an eye on what was happening there.

“Yeah. I don’t know what she wants yet, but if we need Conjure Ink’s resources, can I?—”