Crow
by Amanda Mackey
Genre: Dark Romance
Death
I'm the Grim Reaper
My face is the last thing my victims see
I take life without blinking
Bred this way by the devil himself
The asshole who raised me
When the time comes, I'll bury him too
In the meantime, the little starling feeding the birds in the park has my full attention.
Raven colored hair
Disarming eyes that infuse my dead heart with oxygen
The broken pieces of me want her to put me back together
But the monster is calling to come out and play.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star....
My dedicated martial arts room failed to pacify me this morning after a grueling workout with knives and swords. I need more. A kick of pain greater than my bare limbs can provide.
Using the straight edge of my trusted friend, I slice the final letter into the skin on my torso, making sure it’s back to front so when read by another, it will make sense. The smell of sweet metal a hit to my senses. Heady. Intoxicating. I feel the upward and downward strokes, not needing to see. The sharp tip stops its journey and I let the knife drop to the floor, sated. I allow my fingers to brush across the wound, gathering the red nectar and placing it to my parched lips. The workout has left me dehydrated so when I swallow and allow the fine liquid to coat my throat, I let out a groan of relief.
My body is a work of art. Ink covering half of it. This new tattoo is another piece to the puzzle.
The bright lights shooting like laser beams through the cross-barred windows have me squinting. The ornate gold mirror to my right, allows me to view the masterpiece. With my chest bare and a pair of sweats hanging under my hip bones, I grin broadly.
It’s complete. I’m branded. I finally have a name. An identity even he can’t steal from me.
CROW.
Aria: My throat closes and I feel my entire face stretch in surprise as a dark figure steps from the shadows. A gray hoodie is pulled down over his face, revealing only a glimpse. It’s enough to discover a full mouth surrounded by scruff. His jeans and combat boots don’t tell me much about who he is. Snippets of tattoos peak out from under his clothing, imparting a thug-like appearance. If I were someone who judged, I’d have him summed up already, but I know all too well, appearances can be deceiving.
The air changes. His vibe is one of power. Rigid stance. Confident gait. I feel frazzled.
I stand and take a deep breath, attempting to pull my newfound anxiety back in. He stops. I’m not sure what to say or do as we both inspect each other, although I can’t be sure he’s watching me as his eyes are cloaked in the shade of his hoodie. It’s something I feel more than I know.
“Hi there,” I begin, attempting to be friendly.
He does a short, crisp whistle and my newest feathered friend retreats back to the stranger before the giant of a man, leans down and picks up the crow, placing him on his shoulder.
“Oh. It’s your bird. I didn’t know. I hope you don’t mind me feeding him.”
His body language is cold and standoffish. His hands are pressed against thick thighs. I feel vulnerable, him being able to see my face but me not being able to see his.
I wait for a response but receive nothing. He simply freezes.
Beginning to feel more uneasy, I turn and offer a small wave with, “Well, I’ll see you. I need to get to work.”
I hurry away, leaving the other birds on the grass as I turn back once to see him still facing me. Odd man.
Aria: If eyes could shoot bullets, I’d be dead. As if there is room for him to lean in any farther without kissing me, he does and slants his head to the side at the last second, leaving me with my eyes shut.
“Oh, sweet Aria. That mouth of yours is going to get you into all sorts of trouble. You have no idea who I am, do you?”
I’m on a roll. Loose lips from alcohol. “I know that you are arrogant and not a very nice man. You don’t appear to have any manners, so I imagine women are just objects to you. And you still haven’t answered my question about stalking me.”
He sniffs my neck and bites my ear gently, eliciting a surge of unwanted energy. Damn Liv and her drinks. I only wanted one. Now here I stand, facing off with Satan himself and I’m not even scared. Well, maybe a little. But I’m also ready to moan in pleasure at the sensation which I haven’t felt in a long time. If ever. This is a whole new level of awareness.
His head moves directly in front of me. So close, I’m cross-eyed. A hand that I already know the feel of, grips my neck. He forces my head back into the wall.
“Oh, how right you are, Aria. I’m not a nice man. Women are most certainly objects to me. I fuck and I fuck with lethal force. No emotions involved whatsoever. I’m a cold-hearted son of a bitch without morals, so I suggest you run, far, far away.”
Crow: My office brings me comfort as I sit at the large desk, door locked, I go over the night’s events. Seeing Aria dressed up, long hair glowing, even longer legs encased in boots. Slinky black dress. Sexy as fuck. I admit, she could be just another female. Hell, my club is full of them. It’s the indefinable something more that tempts me. Maybe her fire, set off by my proximity. I notice her reaction to me. It’s still not the elusive one thing that I find alluring about her though. Her eyes cut me to the bone in delicious agony every time they dare seek mine. I feel as if I can hide in their depths and maybe stay awhile. They allow me to breathe again. And at the same time, they flay me wide open, exposing parts of myself I don’t know anymore. Parts I don’t want to reveal. Parts entwined with pain so great, if I dare to dig deep enough, I’ll bleed dry. I’ve spent the better part of my life layering my emotions with anger and hatred. I survive this way and I’ll continue to do so.
My fist smarts when I shove it down hard on the desk. I need to stay away from Aria. I won’t go to the park tomorrow. I need to get my head around bringing down my father and possibly Blade. If he keeps pissing me off, he’s going to end up on my hit list. The raven-haired starling is nothing more than a momentary distraction, I need to squash right now. I can’t go there. I won’t.
A rabbit hole psychological thriller that creeps up on you
I am still not sure what to think of Crow?
Aria, well she leaves me a bit befuddled as well.
Both the leading main characters are well written it was easy to connect with them and lose myself in the story
The story moves pretty quickly oh and it ends on a
"to be continued" - not really a cliff hanger in the sense that you are left hanging by your fingernails in suspense -more like a WTH just happened and why moment?
Crow has had emotion beaten out of him until there is nothing but a dark void that consumes him - one his family feeds (that is a whole twist I am not about to spoil) but Aria's light and innocence somehow manage to crack through.
It could be the simple kindness she showed upon his moniker
Aria has a strange sense of being ( I am not sure how else to describe her) She is almost maniac in her motivation.
There is a back story to our heroine that we are not yet privy too and I am dying to know why she left originally and came to the city?
How she intends to go forward now that she has found her opposing half
Even the required absence of something makes it a necessary ingredient for completion
You can't have darkness without light and vice versa
I am still not sure what to think of Crow?
Aria, well she leaves me a bit befuddled as well.
Both the leading main characters are well written it was easy to connect with them and lose myself in the story
The story moves pretty quickly oh and it ends on a
"to be continued" - not really a cliff hanger in the sense that you are left hanging by your fingernails in suspense -more like a WTH just happened and why moment?
Crow has had emotion beaten out of him until there is nothing but a dark void that consumes him - one his family feeds (that is a whole twist I am not about to spoil) but Aria's light and innocence somehow manage to crack through.
It could be the simple kindness she showed upon his moniker
Aria has a strange sense of being ( I am not sure how else to describe her) She is almost maniac in her motivation.
There is a back story to our heroine that we are not yet privy too and I am dying to know why she left originally and came to the city?
How she intends to go forward now that she has found her opposing half
Even the required absence of something makes it a necessary ingredient for completion
You can't have darkness without light and vice versa
Amanda Mackey was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when she was 12 years old with her family, where she has lived ever since. She has loved books since an early age and is an avid reader. This has helped lay the foundation for her writing. She's published 7 novels to date with plenty more on the way. An author with Limitless Publishing, she loves to spend time with family when she's not writing or reading.
Amanda hopes to make writing her full time career and travel in the near future.
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