Page 3 of An Oath at Midnight

We landed on the deck of one of the larger tree houses. It belonged to Payne, Bram’s older brother, and he had not one but three demon skulls nailed above his door. It flew open now, and Maeve, Bram’s niece, ran out, her long, glossy black hair streaming out behind her.

Bram lowered me to my feet and lifted her into his arms, pressing his face against her little throat. “Happy birthday, Maeve,” he said low.

She hugged him tightly back. Maeve was sweet and shy, watchful of strangers, and she’d warmed up to me a little the last couple years.

Maeve was Payne’s only child. I had no idea what happened to her mother. I did know she was a witch named Farah, but she’d been gone when I met Bram and Payne refused to talk about it with anyone, even his family.

Uma, Bram’s aunt, walked out, wiping her hands on her apron and grinned. “You’re here, finally.”

Uma was a small female, her black hair streaked with gray, and she had sharp eyes. Like most shifters, crows were long-lived. I had no idea how old she was, but she looked as if she were only in her late forties.

“Glad you’re home,” she said to Bram, giving him a tight hug.

She released him, then held her arms out to me. I let her pull me in for a hug as well and somehow managed to stop myself from pulling away or flinching. I was having a good day, but my scars often made it hard to forget they were there. Sometimes, it was as if they were alive, crawling all over my body—making me feel as if the people who put them there were right there as well.

I fought my shudder as she released me, and I stepped back. I was short, but even I had to look down at Uma. The older female had only recently come home from England. She’d lived with her mate, at one of the crow villages there, for seventy years. After Uma’s mate died, she came home. Bram said she couldn’t be there anymore, the reminders of her female were too painful.

Maeve only had eyes for the gift in my hand and looked ready to burst out of her skin. Laughing, I handed the little crow the gift Bram and I had for her.

She sat on the ground, tore away the paper, and gasped. Her eyes flew to Bram. “I love it!” The art set we’d gotten her was in a cool wooden case with all the paints, brushes, and markers a kid could need.

Bram pulled the other gift he had for her from his pocket and placed it on her lap.

“Another one?” She tore that paper off as well, and gasped. “Wings! Did you make them, Uncle Bram?”

He nodded, looking uncomfortable. Bram didn’t like a lot of attention, even from his own family.

“He spent hours carving it,” I said, admiring the wings Bram had labored over for his niece. Each feather was incredibly detailed and utterly beautiful.

She turned it over and saw the little space Bram had carved out. It had a small cork in it. Her gaze shot up to us.

“I added some herbs, a spell for protection and good health,” I said. I didn’t know if Maeve would develop magic abilities from her mother’s side, but I wanted her to know what was possible, and to feel comfortable asking me anything if she ever had questions.

“Thank you, Magnolia.” She smiled wide.

It’d taken us a while to get to this point. Bram’s family had struggled to understand our relationship. Like why he’d moved away from his people, or why he had trouble leaving my side. Crows didn’t trust easily, and it didn’t help that I was a witch. For years, his brothers thought I’d cast a spell over him, that I was controlling him somehow.

They seemed to have accepted me a little more now, but I knew they still resented me for keeping him from them. It didn’t matter that neither of us had any control over our connection. And honestly, I didn’t blame them. I hated being parted from Bram as well.

Talon dropped out of the sky, landing in a crouch in front of Bram. “You’re needed.”

Bram raised a brow.

“Secret birthday shit,” Talon said. “Let’s go.”

They both shifted and exploded into the air. Bram was the youngest, then Talon, Rook next, and the oldest was Payne. Payne was the exception to the whole acceptance thing, he didn’t just resent me, he didn’t trust me, and sometimes I thought he might actually hate me. I watched Bram disappear over the treetops above us, until I couldn’t see him anymore. Uma covered my hand with hers, startling me, and drawing my attention back to her.

“How have you been, honey?” she asked, and there was concern in her eyes.

“I’m good,” I said, lying. She continued to stare, seeing right through my lie. “Bram’s talked to you?”

Uma shook her head. “No, my nephew keeps his own counsel, but I know things must be difficult for you at the moment.”

“So you know what he’s doing? What this new job is that takes him away all the time?” He’d started a new job eighteen months ago, leaving at all times of the day and night, a job he said he’d had to sign an NDA for and couldn’t share with me. His “job” had been taking him away more and more frequently, and I had no idea where he was going, what he was doing while he was gone, or why, when he came home, he was often injured.

She didn’t answer, which was answer itself. Cool, everyone knew but me. Flames licked my insides, my anger trying to rear its head. I forced it back down.

“You don’t need to know,” a deep voice said behind me.