Wings of the Raven by Cindy Spencer Pape Read Free Book Online Page A

Then he unfolded himself from the floor and stood, drawing me with him. He touched my abdomen with the palm of his hand. “We’re both depending on you.”
    “I’ll fly due east to the coast, then up the coast to find Charlie. Do you have an address, or a description of the house?” While I was talking, I unzipped my khaki Capri pants and dropped them to the floor.
    As I stripped off the rest of my clothes, Will described the house and its location in enough detail that I thought I could find it from the air. “Tell him I’ve activated my GPS tracker—then you won’t have to lead them here.” He took off the big, gaudy ring he’d been wearing as part of his salesman cover and pressed something on the inside of the crown before putting it back on.
    I stood before him, stark naked, and unclasped the chain of my raven necklace. “Hang onto this for me,” I told him. Going up on tiptoes, I fastened it around his neck. “Don’t let them kill you before the cavalry gets here.”
    He hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care.
    “Remember that we’re officially engaged,” he murmured as he slowly, reluctantly let me go. “Just in case anything…happens.”
    I swallowed and nodded. Will picked up my clothes and leaned back against the door.
    Just before I changed, I whispered the words I couldn’t hold in any longer. Just in case. “I love you, Will.”
    Then I closed my eyes and let the magic do its thing. Moments later, I looked up at Will from my eighteen-inch height and squawked.
    His laugh was rusty, but his smile was blindingly beautiful. “I love you too, Carys . Stay safe.”
    I croaked my agreement, then fluttered up to the window. The sun was to the south, so east was easy to find.
    “You’re gorgeous, you know. Even as a bird.” Will had never seen me shift before, and I fluffed my feathers in pleasure at his words. I’m a medium-small raven, with a hooked beak and black with a snow-white breast. I like to think I’m sleek and graceful, but some people still think ravens are nasty scavengers. I was glad Will didn’t.
    With one last look at my fiancé—my heart leapt at the word—I flew off into the rainforest.

Chapter Four

    The closer I got to the ocean, the more I could smell it. Soon that became a better trail marker than the sun. The cartel’s compound had been maybe thirty miles into the rainforest, so it took me a while to fly all the way to the coast. The whole way, I kept thinking about Will, remembering the look on his face as he’d said he loved me. I’d never been so happy or so scared in my life. I had to get help to him in time. I just had to.
    Based on the position of the sun, I guessed it was two or three hours before I flew up the coast from the city to spot the purple house with the pink seahorses painted on the blue shutters. And this was supposed to be undercover? As I got closer, I saw that there was a lot of activity in the driveway of the rental cottage. Two muddy looking Jeeps were being packed up by some very competent looking men and women. I flapped closer yet and realised two of the men were my cousins, Evan and Vaughn. Hannah came out of the house carrying a box that looked suspiciously like weapons and set it in the back of one of the Jeeps.
    “I tried calling both their cell phones again,” she said to Evan, who tied the box down with bungee cords. “I think we need to hurry.”
    I dove downwards, croaking loudly. They all looked up, my cousins with relief, and the others with confusion. Ravens weren’t exactly a local species. One of the men raised a gun.
    “No!” Vaughn wrenched the gun out of the agent’s hands. “We’ll explain later. Don’t shoot.”
    I landed on his shoulder, panting with exertion, and leaned against his shoulder-length black hair. Birds have a fast metabolism, using up lots of energy when they fly, and I hadn’t stopped to eat anything along the way. I’d also flown at pretty much top speed the whole