Catch A Raven (Sealed Blood Book 1)

Book summary

Raiven, a supernatural crime agent, juggles her chaotic work life with maintaining order in her city. When a friend is hurt during a case, she must work closely with Kisten, a forbidden Alpha. As tension rises, Raiven faces a dual challenge: solving the case and resisting their undeniable attraction.

Excerpt from Catch A Raven

“Well, enjoy your weekend!”

“Huh? Oh, ‘bye.” I waved to my co-workers as I slammed the hood of my trunk, pulling myself from the fog my thoughts had slipped into. I slid into my green Lexus and pulled away from the airport, my hands gripping the wheel tightly. It would be a long drive back home, and a thoughtful one; I had arrived back from NeoKansa after investigating another murder in my current case and while I enjoyed the chance to travel the country freely, I enjoyed living in The Capital and being home more.

Besides, my current case was anything but enjoyable: always arriving too late to prevent the crime was frustrating for the whole team, but especially for me. Any crime can be horrifying and difficult to accept, but this was especially true of crimes committed by Supernaturals, since our abilities allowed us to be far more deadly. By the time my team was called in, the case was a mess and that was never a good situation to be in.

And this case was the definition of a bad situation. Bodies piled up in rooms with no signs of entry, and the perpetrator was able to bypass magical barriers. The list of Supernaturals that could do that was small, and every theory seemed to be killed by the next crime. We had no luck in narrowing it down to even that aspect of who our killer was, and I was beginning to get more and more frustrated with the case.

Before I could dwell on it further, my phone began to ring, the sound distracting me from my spiraling thoughts. I knew who it was before I even began to dig around for my earpiece, sighing heavily as I did so. It was only so long until my boss discovered the plans his daughter and I had made for his Sunday, and I doubted he was happy about it.

“What, Brandon?” I answered, not attempting to hide my annoyance. He scowled on the other end, clearly sharing my sentiment. I could hear he was also driving home, although I knew he lived closer to the airport than I did.

“When was I going to learn about this meeting you set up between me and that… that thing?”

“First of all, Arkrian is not a thing: he’s your daughter’s fiancé and Shannon is the one who set everything up. I merely told her when you would be free.” I sighed again, knowing this would be an unpleasant conversation. “There are far worse things to be in this world than a shapeshifter, Brandon.”

“How dare you say that, after what that animal did to my–”

“Stop right there! That has nothing to do with Shannon and Arkrian.” I hated having the same argument repeatedly, and I’m sure Shannon was too, which is why she asked for my help. “We both know that. Your hatred for what Kynagi did is justified, no one is arguing that. But you cannot keep blaming all shifters for what one did.”

“I don’t want him anywhere near my daughter, much less me. Why Shannon insists on this bullshi–”

“I wasn’t finished yet, Boss.” I growled through gritted teeth to keep certain words from spilling out as I adjusted my grip on the wheel. The fact that he was being unfair and extremely judgmental of Arkrian didn’t matter, there are certain things you don’t say to your boss. “Secondly, I know Arkrian personally, and he wouldn’t do anything he knows you don’t approve of. For crying out loud, you haven’t even met him! That’s why Shannon set up that damn dinner for you guys: so you could try to get to know him because, whether you like him or not, Shannon will marry him.”

Silence on the other end. Brandon might not have liked it, but he knew I was right. Shannon had strongly voiced that if her father refused to give her away, she would have her brother do it, who was already a part of the Supernatural community thanks to his vampire bride. It was largely Mark’s secret marriage to a vampire that had Brandon so upset about Shannon also marrying a Supernatural, and a shifter at that. Although he swore that it wouldn’t affect his judgment on the job, it was obvious that he still blamed all shifters and Supernaturals in general for his wife’s loss. It must’ve seemed like a betrayal for both of his children to fall in love with non-humans, but that didn’t justify his behavior.

“I’m hanging up on you now, Brandon. All Shannon and I ask is that you give him half a chance, because if you don’t, you’re going to lose both of your children. I’d rather not see that happen.” I hung up as I pulled into the driveway of my home, parking in my garage as the door opened automatically. I dragged myself out of the car, hoping to relax on my couch as I slammed the door, not bothering to retrieve my luggage from the trunk.

My hopes were instantly dashed as I stepped into my home, however, as a tugging began in the back of my mind. The Overseer was calling me toward him, but I did my best to ignore the command as I stepped into the kitchen. Lucius had to know I had just gotten back from my case, and the last thing I felt like doing was playing babysitter to the Coven.

Searching my fridge for anything to settle my thoughts and dumping out old food, I decided on a bottle of yogurt, not wanting to put in the effort to cook. Slamming the fridge with my foot and ignoring the bill from the pet sitter, I made my way back to my living room, where Lira and Xris sat waiting for me. I knew I didn’t have time for them but couldn’t resist the desire to rest for a few moments while I did my best to ignore the Overseer. My two pretties jumped into my lap as soon as I plopped on my couch, both begging for my undivided attention. Petting with one hand and eating with the other, I gave them both attention as best I could, but my mind was elsewhere and the constant tugging wasn’t helping, either. Soon, both cats were meowing their disappointment in my performance.

“Well, you didn’t have me for long anyway. Lucius is being a dick, and I have to go pick up someone.” I scoffed, pushing them both out of my lap as I stood. I wearily walked down the hall to my bedroom, groaning as I pushed the door open. Tossing my clothing on an ever-growing pile of dirty clothes, I searched through my closet, changing into a simple blue shirt and shorts. My cats followed my every move, tangling themselves in my steps as they begged me to stay with their purrs and meows.

Forcing myself outside and climbing wearily back into the car, I pulled away from my empty shell of a home and began cruising back toward Decver. Out of all the cities in The Capital, it was by far the biggest that remained, but more importantly for me, it was the safest. Vitae’s Hunters were always searching for me, and it was only by moving whenever they got close that I had managed to avoid them for as long as I had. In a Governance as large as The Capital, I would have plenty of notice before a Hunter could reach me in Decver.

The sound of my phone ringing forced me out of my thoughts, and I huffed once I saw the name. I generally made it a rule not to talk while driving, but I had to make an exception for Lucius’ Coven and my boss. Although I had only taken on the role reluctantly, part of my job in the Coven was to be available to Lucius’ people in case he couldn’t be, which unfortunately included other Coven members.

“Raiven speaking.” I tapped my earpiece as I switched lanes, once again not trying to hide my annoyance.

“Hurry, Raiven, it’s already past eight.” It was Crispin, First in the Coven and a vampire I absolutely could not stand. He had texted me as soon as I landed to come pick him up from his outing, since apparently Lucius wanted him for something. I had absolutely no intention of picking him up, but now that I was also on my way to Lucius, I lacked a good excuse not to. “Where are you?”

“On the bridge.” I felt the familiar bump as I got on the bridge, switching lanes to pass the slow driver in front of me. “It does take a while to get there from my house.”