Reaper: A raven paranormal romance (Crookshollow ravens Book 2) by Steffanie Holmes

There is a way to do these things, and this is not it. I will attempt to reason with him, although I fear my efforts will be futile.”
    I tapped Sir Thomas on the shoulder with my beak, trying to signal my thanks. He frowned, skirting across the couch to get away from me. “Don’t touch me without permission, you filthy bird.”
    Although his words hurt my ego, I hopped to Ryan’s couch, not wanting to anger him enough that he’d change his mind. I didn’t understand this man. He despised me and my kind, and yet he thought me a grand gift for his beloved. He had killed my father in cold blood, and yet he was willing to help me.
    I tapped Ryan on the shoulder, and when he turned to look at me, jabbed the edge of my wing at the mantle clock. Ryan nodded, understanding the message. “When will you speak with Victor Morchard? Would you like me to arrange a meeting for you?”
    “Not now,” Sir Thomas stared out the window, screwing his eyes up against the glare. “The heat of the day has drained me of energy. I am usually not up at this hour. I would like to return to my lodgings and rest.”
    “Would you like to stay at Raynard?” Ryan asked. “We have plenty of rooms here for you and your staff. My butler Simon would happily attend to your needs, and here we are much more discreet than a hotel.”
    “That would be much appreciated,” Sir Thomas inclined his head. “I accept your offer of hospitality. Have your servants make up my rooms immediately, for I need to rest. And tell Rudolpho to call the hotel and cancel my booking, and then inform my fiancée of this change in plans.”
    Caw? I asked.
    “No, I do not have anything for you to do.” Sir Thomas snapped. “Rudolpho and Leonard will guard my rooms, as they have done for years. You are to stay in Raynard Hall and not do anything foolish, is that clear?”
    Caw.
    Ryan sent Simon to escort Sir Thomas to one of the guest suites. He reached behind the couch and pulled out the stack of clothing I’d left behind, and tossed it to me. “Get dressed. We need to talk.”
    I changed back into my human form, and pulled on my jeans.
    “What did you see?” Ryan demanded. “Tell me everything. Anything might be a clue as to what’s happened to her.”
    While I buttoned my shirt, I told Ryan everything that Pax had told me, and what little I’d seen around the castle. Outside the room, footsteps stampeded towards the door, and the girls burst in, surrounding us, chattering with indignation.
    “I can’t believe him!” Alex exclaimed, grabbing hold of my arm and shaking me roughly. “That man is horrible! You can’t work for him.”
    “I don’t have a choice—”
    “Not if we have anything to say about it,” Elinor growled, jabbing a finger into my pec. “We just need to find a witch who can get that bloody ring off your finger.”
    “I’ll talk to Ryan’s mother, Clara.” Alex declared. “She’s a powerful witch. Even if she can’t do the spell, she should know someone who can.”
    “Mikael already talked to her.” I said. “She can’t perform the spell, but she was trying to find someone who could.”
    “And that’s easier said than done,” Ryan pulled Alex away from me. “The spell to free a Bran is extremely complex, not to mention highly secret. The Bran masters have done a good job of hiding it over the centuries. I doubt there are many witches in the world who’d be able to perform it.”
    “Then we’ll break Gillespie’s hold over him another way.” Elinor said, her brow knitted in determination. “I’m going to dig into the books in Ryan’s library. I want to know more about the Bran/master relationship, and the actual parameters of the arrangement. There must be some precedent for freedom, otherwise there wouldn’t be any rogue Bran. I’ll see if I can find some way legally to get you out of this.”
    They stared at me with large eyes, their emotions written all over their faces. They felt sorry for me. Poor Cole,