Page 10 of Crow Me A River

Finally finding some self-control, Vin started to turn away, but before he could, Misty dove from the rock in a perfect dive. She broke the surface near the middle of the lake with a squeal before laughing out loud. Vin couldn’t help but smile at the sound.

Leaning against a tree, he stayed far enough back to give her privacy while keeping her in sight. He told himself he was only there to make sure she got home safely, but as he watched her swim and float beneath the night sky, singing like she didn’t have a care in the world, Vin knew without a doubt he was fucked.

CHAPTER 5

Misty cut off the main road leading away from the bar and headed toward the lake. She needed to bathe and figured she might as well do it now, even though she didn’t have any clean clothes with her. Not that the clothes she was wearing were dirty, but she hated putting the same clothes back on after a bath. It just felt wrong.

Once she reached the water, Misty looked around before she started taking off her clothes. She’d never been ashamed of her body, but that didn’t mean she wanted to prance around naked in front of strangers. The thought made her chuckle as she stepped onto a large boulder and stared out over the water. Tossing her shirt and bra on top of her shorts, she lifted her face toward the sky and began to sing softly.

As she sang, a wave of loneliness pushed through her slowly taking away the peace she’d felt only seconds before. Misty lowered her gaze to the water. She hated the feeling. It had been years since she’d felt any real sense of home or contentment. Of being cared for. Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like she truly belonged anywhere.

Her singing stopped.

Pushing off the boulder, Misty dove into the cool, crisp water. She stayed beneath the surface, swimming until her lungs were ready to burst before finally coming up for air. A squeal escaped her at the chill, making her laugh as she wiped the water from her face.

Swimming slowly around the lake, she finally flipped onto her back and floated, staring up at the sky. Everything about this place was peaceful, and she wished she could stay in this exact moment forever. No Murder. No mandatory meetings. No Griffin breathing down her neck. No one wanting something from her.

But that wasn’t her reality.

Thoughts of Griffin and the others slipped into her mind, unwanted and unwelcome. She pushed them away. She wanted to forget about them, even if it was only for a short time. Her thoughts took a different turn, landing on the stranger Bruce had introduced her to earlier. She lifted her hand and stared at it. When she’d shaken his, she’d felt an odd sensation shoot through her hand, but it had disappeared as soon as they let go.

Vin.

What a strong name, and it fit him.

“Vin,” she whispered into the night, smiling at the sound of his name out loud. She’d never known a Vin before. Feeling a little dumb for floating naked thinking about a man she didn’t even know, she shook her head. Dammit, she was done with men.

Her smile disappeared as she slowly allowed herself to sink beneath the surface, letting the dark water close over her as she tried, if only for a few more seconds, to escape the reality she knew was waiting for her.

Misty’s lungs started to burn, forcing her back to the surface. She sucked in a breath, then froze when she spotted several Crows circling overhead.

“Shit,” she hissed, quickly glancing toward her clothes.

One of the Crows dove straight toward her before shooting back into the air at the last second. Misty flinched, hating that the asshole had managed to intimidate her. Had she not been alone and completely naked, it wouldn’t have worked. But she was, and suddenly the peaceful lake didn’t feel so peaceful anymore. The bastards had been either waiting for her or looking for her. Either way she was in deep shit.

Making a snap decision, she swam as quickly as she could toward her clothes, but before she could reach them, Griffin landed and shifted from Crow to human. One good thing about Crow Shifters was they were fully clothed when they shifted. At the moment, Misty wasn’t sure that was such a good thing. Griffin stood directly behind her pile of clothes with an evil smirk on his face.

Misty stopped swimming, her eyes narrowing. “What do you want, Griffin?”

“It doesn’t matter what he wants.” Another voice came from the tree line. “Because he’s not going to get it.”

Gasping, Misty’s gaze snapped in that direction to see the man she’d just been thinking about. The same man whose name she’d whispered into the night only moments ago. Holy shit, had she conjured him?

Before she could say anything, the rest of the Crows dropped from the sky, shifting as they hit the ground. Misty counted quickly.

Six to one.

“Griffin, you need to leave.” Misty tried to sound tough, but that was a little difficult while she was naked and treading water.

Griffin ignored her, his glare locked on Vin. “I don’t think you have a say in what I do.” He glanced around at the men standing with him before looking back at Vin. “The odds aren’t in your favor.”

“I don’t gamble.” Vin smirked. “I win, so fuck your odds.”

Misty’s eyes widened as she glanced at Griffin and watched his cocky expression slip, uncertainty taking its place.

“You think you can take all six of us on?” Griffin spread his arms wide with a laugh.

“No,” Vin replied.