The crow sat on the open windowsill, staring out at the full moon. The creature was almost as wide as the window, even with its wings tucked close to his side.

The glossy feathers had a blue sheen to them in the moonlight. Ram stared at her without blinking, just like the first night he’d come to her home.

She’d slept so soundly but woken up to an empty bed. Vina propped the pillow under her cheek and murmured, “Ramsey? Are you okay?”

He didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t caw.

He was leaving. The realization hurt in ways she’d never been hurt before. Ramsey had slept with her and bonded to her, but his crow had not. And now that he was Changed, he would hurt them forever by going to Ten.

“Stay with me,” she pleaded, her eyes prickling with tears. Pick me.

Three breaths, and Ramsey turned away from her, bunched his body, and then disappeared into the night.

The crow was punishing the man.

She wasn’t the type of girl to stick around while a man pined for another. At some point, she had to be enough or it would destroy her, just like Ethan had talked about.

Five minutes was all she dared to wait in his bed before she got up, tears burning her eyes, and dressed in her jeans and one of Ramsey’s T-shirts since her blouse was in shreds.

The walk of shame was awful. It was worse because she’d thought sleeping with Ram was bigger than it actually was. She’d been tricked. God, she was a fool.

Sniffing, she closed Ramsey’s door behind her and made her way downstairs. It was three in the morning, and no one was here except the one person she wished wasn’t.

Ethan was playing pool by himself with a half-empty bottle of Maker’s Mark near one of the corner pockets. He didn’t look at her as she made her way past. Just lined up for another shot and said, “I told you.”

She hated him. “Bye, Ethan,” she choked out. The bonus to Ramsey’s crow shitting on their relationship and choosing another was she wouldn’t have to see Ethan ever again.

“Here,” he said. She turned just in time to catch a set of keys. “There is a truck parked on the side of the building. I’ll have someone pick it up tomorrow. Don’t fuck it up.”

She lifted the keys. “Thanks, I guess.”

He didn’t answer, just gave her his back, and went back to shooting pool.

When the door swung closed behind her, she splayed her legs outside, looked up at the moon, and huffed a sigh.

How could one day be the best and worst of her life?

The truck was an old black F150, but there was someone leaning against the driver’s side door. It was the woman from earlier with the dark hair and blond streaks. The one who had told the girls to leave.

“You were supposed to come sooner,” she said.

“What?” Vina asked, shaking her head in confusion.

“I mean, you were supposed to get to his crow before Tenlee did. You were late.” She sighed and looked Vina up and down with a slight frown to her dark eyebrows. “You’re not what I expected.”

“I’m not what anyone expects.”

“Good.” The woman pushed off the side of the truck. “I gave my heart to a man once who couldn’t give me his in return. I did it out of duty, so I understand the sacrifice. Sometimes it’ll hurt, but that hurt will make you stronger and stronger until nothing can break you. It won’t feel like it at first, but you’re a lucky one.”

“I don’t understand,” Vina murmured.

The woman walked away but over her shoulder she said, “Be patient with him.”

“I’m Vina!” she called.

“The boys call me Momma Crow.” And then she disappeared around the back corner of the building.

Okay. Well, that was a weird ending to an already weird night. Be patient with him? With Ramsey? No spank you. She wasn’t chasing some man who wouldn’t choose her back. He’d slept with her and then left to stalk Ten. Another wave of pain washed through her.

She was used to driving bigger vehicles, so she got home just fine in the giant truck. She couldn’t stop imagining Ram in a tree on Two Claws property, watching Ten’s house where she slept. His focus was on her, while Vina’s heart felt like it was breaking in two.

Stupid hope.

Everyone spoke that word like it was a good thing, but it wasn’t. Hope was a bomb disguised as a butterfly, sitting inside a heart, waiting for a misstep that would set it off.

And the worst part, the very worst part, was that no one expected a butterfly to be lethal. To have the potential to change a person from the inside out, disintegrate layer after layer of their souls until there was nothing recognizable left.

This was her second time to give hope a chance. She felt so stupid.

But…she’d been through rejection before, and she knew her limits. She would survive. She would spend a week of nights lying on the shower floor with miniature plastic bottles of wine, crying until her tears ran dry. And then after a while, it would hurt less. Or she would get used to the pain. Or both.

Maybe she was just one of those people destined to be alone. Maybe that was her fate. Maybe rejection was toughening her up to endure a lonely life.

Feeling utterly broken, she pulled onto her street, the truck’s headlights making a wide arch to her duplex. Something strange reflected from the tree branches in front that made Vina lurch to a stop. She wiped her eyes and blinked hard, thinking she was imagining the large crow sitting on the bottom branch of the tree.

“R-Ramsey?” she murmured over the soft sound of the heavy metal playing in the truck.

She crept forward, parked in the driveway, killed the engine, and got out.

The white diamond on the crow’s chest was unmistakable. It was Ram.

“You didn’t go to Ten,” she said to the frozen crow.

He turned his head and looked at her with his other unblinking eye.

“Tonight, you didn’t choose her.”

The crow spread its wings and flew down to the yard where her plastic chair and cooler still sat.

“Okay then,” she murmured, utterly stunned.

She made her way through the dirt and weeds and sat down gingerly in the lawn chair. Ramsey didn’t back away from her or tense up. He just looked up at the moon.

Ramsey was two beings. A crow and a man. Just like she was a woman and a moose. But for him, the man and the animal were completely separate. Two different personalities, two different creatures altogether.

And she had to win them both.

And tonight, the King of Crows had chosen a moon-gazing date with her.

Vina smiled as potent relief washed over her. There was no rejection. He was giving them a chance.

And there was the butterfly…bomb…butterfly…bomb…in her chest once again. There was that hope.