Black Crow

Chapter 1

Life could be perfect one day and in shambles the next.

I'd had more than my share. And I suspected more to come, sort of inevitable when you were a banshee.

I was a reaper. It had taken me time to come to terms with this, and even now it was hard to believe I was anything but human, that I had powers. I wasn't just any reaper—I was the last White Raven, and the pressure to fill this role was mounting.

My beloved mother had been murdered in a heartbeat. The grandmother I'd just barely begun to accept and understand had sacrificed herself to save me. My father was off gallivanting around the globe, probably drowning his misery in booze and spending the little money we had left. But I guess money wasn't a problem anymore, now that I'd inherited a fortune—well, I would on my eighteen birthday in two weeks. I'd rather be dirt poor than without the two most vital females a girl could have.

Wrapping my arms around my middle, I stared out the window, overlooking the lush grounds. Except since the passing of Rose, the atmosphere on Raven Hallow had taken a dip. I got this sense the island was mourning the loss of their queen along with me. The sun hadn't shone in days, the exotic flowers stayed closed and withdrawn, petals withering, and the waters were turbulent, rolling and hissing in a sad song.

The last few days had been a blurry whirlwind. Closed off in Raven Manor, I hadn't left the grounds, avoiding the world. But I'd hardly had five minutes to myself. The rest of the island might not know that the eccentric Rose was gone, but the staff and Zane's family did. They had banded together to make sure my safety wasn't in jeopardy. And that meant more security, including a shadow that more or less followed my every move. I swear, I couldn't even go to the bathroom alone.

All I wanted was five minutes of peace and quiet, and now that I had it, I wanted the noise back. At least then my mind wasn't wandering off in a hundred different directions—and doubting everything.

Should I stay on the island? Could I be the White Raven? Would I be doomed to a loveless marriage? Did I have it in me to do all of the above?

Then there was my younger brother. As luck would have it, TJ spent most of his days locked inside his room, burying his pain the only way a fifteen-year-old boy knew how—in video games. I knew he was confused and angry, and how could I blame him? There was so much I couldn't tell him, for his own wellbeing.

Even with a full staff at the manor and people coming and going, I was lonely.

Alone to deal with death, a power I didn't begin to understand, a world I couldn't comprehend, and life-threatening danger.

No sweat.

Who am I kidding?

Sometimes it was just me against the world, and there were no easy answers. People were depending on me, three sectors of reapers to be exact, but a huge part of me wanted to run away from it all. Yet another part of me knew that no matter where I ran, death would follow. It was my curse and my gift, depending on my mood.

The price I paid for being a harbinger of death.

Today was the day I'd been dreading. Rose's funeral. Mother Nature must have been dreading it too because the sky opened up in a torrential downpour. Against almost everyone's counsel, I made my first executive decision as the White Raven to have a small funeral for Rose. Family and friends only. Very hush-hush. Not just for me, but for TJ, who had no idea how seriously seven different circles of messed up his family really was.

Zander, my future husband, was propped in my doorway, looking sharp in an all black suit. His blue eyes radiated a slight purplish tint. "You ready for this?"