Crooked Crows Novels & Stories

The safe house was a small, unassuming cabin deep in the woods, surrounded by dense trees and hidden from view. I knew about this before and I’m the only person who has access to this. It’s one of the properties of Santoro. We arrived just before dawn, and Giovanni carried a sleeping Rover inside, laying him gently on the couch. I quickly checked the perimeter, ensuring there were no signs of intruders. Satisfied, I joined Giovanni in the small living room.

Third Person POV It was overcast weather but there was no rain. The black clouds had engulfed almost all the sky in his clutch. It was the day after the death of two angels. The snow had stopped falling after midnight and clouds took over that. They were now standing in a church for their funeral. Everyone was dressed in black just like the color of the clouds. The caskets had been brought and now they just had to be lower down in the ground. Andrea Thomas was sitting on a bench and staring ahead. She wasn't giving attention to the priest who had started the funeral speech.

The freaky end of days was coming. I faced the camera, my voice steady for all the people in the city to hear. "The freaky apocalypse is here, folks. I'm going to help you out as best I can. First up, find cover where the wind can't get you, subways, basements, factories, banks, any safe spot." Lights flickered on in every underground parking lot. The ground rumbled with a deep roar, setting the stage for Jim as he led his crew of infant spirits into a clash with the Haunts that sliced through the wind.

I whistled lowly as I climbed the stairs, hoping never to run into father or anybody that would piss me the fuck off. Some sort of tune was playing in the hallway to my room, and I furrowed my brows. Something about the sound was creepy, and I hastened my steps. Whatever the fuclk was going on in my room, the she-wolves around here know better than to go in there without me explicitly requesting it. I pushed open the door, and the room was dark save for the candle lit on my table. I looked down, and rose petals were everywhere, and I fought the urge not to roll my eyes in irritation. I closed the door after me, getting ready to call whoever did this rubbish.

Inside, the atmosphere shifted, it became tighter. Luca adjusted position near the wall — eyes scanning the door, the windows, the room. Jamie noticed. Adrian noticed too. Something was off. The door opened again. Three men stepped inside — unfamiliar. They did not look like regulars, their movements were too coordinated and their attention too deliberate. Jamie felt it instantly — the way prey senses when the forest has gone quiet. One of the men approached the bar.

Kai counters. “Enough, Kai. We can worry about diaper duty when the time comes. Now, let's enjoy our breakfast, and then it’s time for me to take you to get your marking, Ever.” Dad shuts down Kai’s whine fest. How could I have forgotten the marking? I can’t wait to have my mark of the coven on my back like the rest of the official members. It’s a crow sitting on top of a skull with shadows swirling around it. It’s totally badass, and I’ve been dreaming about the Moment I get mine.

The moon above it was veiled, as if even the heavens refused to witness its ritual. A deep breath, slow and measured. It raised one hand, fingers long and skeletal, lined with silver markings that shimmered faintly. With a flick, it whispered something in a language not spoken for a thousand years—“Invoco noctem corvus.” A gust of cold wind cut through the woods, scattering leaves in spirals. Then came the sound—a fluttering, slow at first, then loud and rhythmic, like thunder in disguise. From the shadowed sky descended a crow, its feathers a sheen of obsidian and ink, eyes burning with something too intelligent to be natural. It circled once before landing before the figure, wings folding

She didn't really have a clue in her heart. Crows are a kind of flocking animal, they practice monogamy, and after a successful pairing, they will set up a large territory for themselves, and then spend their whole life to maintain their territory, including the birth of children, the parents will raise the young birds, and the young birds will feed the old crows when they grow up. So if Mu Zi takes Sae away, it means that Sae's large family will have to follow Mu Zi to a new environment.

His eyes are wide and he looks at a loss for words, like he can't believe what just happened. The crow caws again, and I spin around, waiting for another attack. Todd steps in front of me. The crow studies us with a black, beady eye. He hops to the edge of the table, opens his beak, and caws shrilly again. Todd lobs the book across the room. The book clips the crow, and it takes to the air, flying back into the bathroom and out an open window, disappearing into the night.

That's when I learned the renowned Brooke Group belonged to him — and the convenience store where I'd just started working was one of his businesses. Jonathan had been framed by relatives and spent three years in prison. He could have gotten out sooner, but he used that absence to conceal his strength. While different branches of the Brooke family tore each other apart, he waited in the shadows, then reemerged to collect the spoils and eventually unify the whole group. That he was the one behind the empire stunned me. I had not expected to run into Luke at the gala. I arrived with Jonathan at my side, and my presence set tongues wagging. Some called me Jonathan's friend; others whispered I m