I got in my car and drove across town to Raven’s house, but found he wasn’t there when I got there. Crap.

I shot him a text over the witch network and then drove through a drive-through coffee stand. The barista handed me my latte and Raven’s text popped on my cellphone screen over the witch network.

At a crime scene. You need to see this.

He texted me the address, and I drove out to meet him. When I arrived, there was a mess of police cars parked outside an alley. Great. This didn’t look promising.

I got out of the car and searched for Raven in the crowd of cops, holding my hot coffee in my hand. Finally I saw his jet-black hair standing tall above the others. I strode toward him, ignoring the police tape.

“Ma’am. You can’t be here,” a cop said. I ignored him and strode toward Raven when the cop tried to stop me.

“She’s with me,” Raven said, shooing the other man away. “Did you get me a coffee?” he asked, looking down at my drink.

“You didn’t ask for one.”

“You didn’t say you were going for coffee.”

I sighed and then pursed my lips. “What do you have to show me?”

He pulled me aside and spoke in a low voice. “This isn’t a normal murder. The body is missing its skin.”

“Now I regret getting the coffee. Here,” I said, handing it to him.

“I don’t want your backwash.”

“You don’t seem to mind when your tongue is in my mouth.”

“Just come look at the body, Olivia.”

He led me to the crime scene as forensic analysts were snapping photographs of the mutilated corpse of a man, lying in the back of a dirty alley. Gross. My stomach grumbled. I’d seen a lot of dead bodies in my day, but skinned? That was a new one.

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.

“Skinwalker, maybe?”

“Yeah. Got an ID on this guy yet?”

“Not yet, but we’re running dental records.”

“I’ve got something to tell you, and I don’t want to do it while looking at a corpse.”

Raven stiffened. “Okay, let’s take a walk.”

We walked away from the crowd of cops and strode down the sidewalk in the middle of a pedestrian friendly, quiet commercial distract.

Raven grabbed my coffee and took a swig before handing it back to me.

“Hey,” I scolded. “You said you didn’t want it.”

“What do you have to say, Olivia?” he asked, stopping. He turned to me, annoyance playing across his expression.

“Edana came to see me this morning about the cleanup and the portal.”

“Yeah? Got another assignment already?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. They want me to stay in Portland.”

“They want you to stay? How long?”

“Indefinitely.”

“What does that mean for us?”

“What do you want it to mean for us, Raven?” I asked, turning away to continue walking.

“Olivia, stop.” He grabbed my arm and turned me back to him. His hand continued to grip my arm. He cupped my cheek and tilted my face up to look him in the eye. “I love you so much, Olivia. I want you. Only you. Don’t you get that?”

“I do, Raven. I feel the same way. I’m just. You know. I’m messed up. I kill people for a living. I’m bad news. I hurt everyone I know.”

“Stop running Olivia, and you won’t hurt people anymore.”

I sighed and moved toward him, resting my face on his chest. A tear wanted to squeeze from my eye. God, I loved Raven. I wanted him so bad. I didn’t know how to tell him how important he was to me, how much I longed to be his everything.

“Want another sip of coffee?” I said, lifting up the cup to offer it to him.

He laughed and took the cup, draining the contents, then tossed it in the garbage. “Come here,” he said, pulling me close as he leaned back against a wall.

“You’re going to be my girl, Olivia Fanning. Don’t give me any of your wishy-washy bullshit either.”

“Okay. This is great timing because Mom kicked me out of the house. I totally need a place to stay.”

He leaned his head back to rest on the wall, looking at the sky. He laughed and I could feel it vibrate through his taut chest.

“You can stay with me, babe, but you’re going to have to do something for me in return.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t leave.”

“Deal,” I said, vowing to myself that I would keep my word this time.