Page 54 of Crow’s Shadow

“They tell everyone the same thing.”

Her eyes move over the club gathering behind me. Crow beside the coffin. Loco. Shadow coming across the lot. Then Grim, planted at my shoulder.

“We don’t have long, so listen to me. I broke every rule I had left to get that box here before they did.”

She nods toward the coffin.

“You know what it means.”

“I don’t—”

“Yes, you do, Em.” Her voice softens for half a second. “It’s why you ran.”

Nobody has called me Em in six years.

It hurts more than it should.

“They found you,” she continues. “The coffin is a courtesy. They send it so a runner knows there’s no point doing it twice. I stole it off the truck and brought it here myself. As far as they know, it’s still on its way.”

“How long?”

She shrugs. “Not long.”

Her attention shifts to Grim. His hand is near his gun, his body between me and everything that came through that gate.

Something flickers across Wren’s face. “Looks like you didn’t run to nowhere this time.”

Grim ignores her.

He looks at me. “You want her here or gone?”

For a second I can’t answer.

Six years in this club. Six years standing on the edge of rooms, making myself useful and quiet and easy to overlook.

And Grim asks me what I want as though my answer is the only one that matters.

“Here,” I say. “She stays. She’s my sister.”

Ariea stops behind Shadow. Nova does too. All three women stare at Wren. Then at me.

I feel it a second later. That strange warmth under my skin I’ve stopped pretending isn’t there.

Wren feels it too, her eyes widen. “Oh, fuck.”

Shadow steps closer. “You feel us.”

Wren looks at her. “You’re the one.”

Crow moves instantly, putting himself half a step in front of Shadow.

Wren almost smiles. “Yeah. Definitely you.”

“What does that mean?” Loco asks.

Wren looks around at all of us. “The coffin wasn’t sent because of what happened on that mountain. Em was already on their list.”

“Whose list?” Grim asks.