A Raven in the Hand

CHAPTER 13

Crowing, that's what she was hearing. It was Reaper's crowing, she had heard it every morning since the bird came to live with her as a baby. It usually meant that it was time for her to get up to feed him, he was always up way before she was. Kayla liked her sleep.

"Go back to sleep…" She rolled over on the bed to get a more comfortable position, her eyes till closed.

The crowing continued, louder infact this time.

"For crying out loud Reaper…" She sat up on the bed, her eyes wide in shock at her surroundings.

She wasn't at home, she wasn't in a hotel room, she was in what looked like a Victorian styled boudoir, equipped with antique furnishings and even a giant of a four post bed. It was actually quite comfortable infact. Thick black curtains hung around the post of the bed as well as on both man sized windows, they were drawn apart, to allow the morning sun to light the room. The walls were red, accented with a gold scroll like trim almost to the ceiling. The gothic iron candle holders had unlit white candles, there was even an ebony wood desk in the far corner. This was definitely no where she's been.

She looked at herself, she was still dressed in her cotton pants and blouse, but her boots and coat had been taken off. She was lying on the black silky sheets of the bed, her head was propped up with the pillows.

"How are you feeling?" Kay jumped as the voice that came from the side of the bed.

She turned to look and saw him sitting on the chair, Reaper was sitting on his shoulder. He wasn't dressed in smocks or blue jeans. Now he was dressed in what looked like black silk pj bottoms with a similar looking house coat, and it just had to be left open, to reveal his strong and muscular chest.

"Where am I? She asked in a confused tone.

"You are here, in my home. I had found you lying in front of your car, you were unconscious." He was smiling, she seemed to be alright, physically at least,

"Just a headache, but I think I'm ok…" Was it his true form she had seen last?

"That's the second attempt from the Boogieman, I think we should take this serious."

The Undertaker raised himself from his armchair beside the bed and sat beside her on the bed, he felt her head, his hands were definitely soothing to the touch. The pain seem to disappear as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

"That should be better…" He spoke quietly as he removed his hands, smiling down at her.

"Thanks, do you know what happened?"

He looked a little taken back, "Well, I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I came out here to look for you, the phone number on your file is a fake."

"Couldn't this wait until Monday at work?"

"No, not really. I don't think I have that much time to find out what's going on."

The Deadman looked puzzled at the sad expression on her pretty face, "What's wrong?"

"Dave. And the Boogieman….mostly Dave." She looked at him, a little sadness in her eyes, "He really doesn't want me around you, Mark, and I'm scared that he's going to find out about us."

Mark definitely was puzzled, what did she mean by 'us'? Did she think he was courting her? The mating rituals were still new to him, he never really interested in is, as much as Kane was. Kane had gone as far as forcing an innocent Diva into marriage, and there was even the prospect of a child. But unfortunately, the child was lost and the woman went a little mad. Kane had never recovered from the lost of the child. He was more eager to live as the humans than Mark was. He had actually just gone with him to make sure he didn't mess with them too much. He just figured he would lay back and just watch Kane in his follies with human interact, and help him out if he needed.

But this little witch seem to have captivated him, she had found him, she was not afraid of him or of what he was. She didn't run from his touch, it was actually as if she enjoyed it, and he liked that. But to actually go into the same unending turmoil of the human heart as Kane failed at everyday, no, that's not his style.

He had to ask, "Us?"

"Yes, the magic world!" She replied.

He should have been fine with that answer, but it seem to make him feel a little disheartened instead, "Oh…yes…"

"I need to find out why the Boogieman is coming after me and before Dave finds out!"

"I don't believe that you are capable of doing that by yourself." He grinned, "That's twice now that I'm come to your rescue."

"And I'm thankful for that, really I am." She couldn't help but smile in his company.

"I want to ask you something, why are you not using your natural abilities? I have seen witches perform some very powerful things with them. I have yet to see yours. I would think that someone with all the elements would be powerful…"

Kay began to laugh out loud, "Powerful? I can't call out water or fire without getting dizzy and fainting! If it wasn't for the fact that I can recite any spell that I learned, I would probably be in the archives, doing the research instead of investigating."

He could tell this subject frustrated her, "I can help you with that."

"How? What do you know of Witchcraft?" It seemed that he always had a surprise for her.

"I do know that the power becomes more powerful as you use it, and since you don't use it, your body has a hard time compensating for the use. The elemental powers a witch has is born with her, making a part of her body, mind, and soul. Therefore, if you keep using it, you will grow a tolerance to the draining, and perhaps, you won't feel drained anymore." There was a little arrogance in his face about the knowledge he possessed, but he did hit it on the nose.

"So, if I just start using it a little at a time, then I should grow into it?" If she started to show some interest in learning, then he would definitely come around more often, they would get more chances to talk.

"That is exactly what I'm saying. You don't use it because you're sacred of it, however minor the scare is, it's still a scare. Now would be the time to get over it. The Vodu after you is powerful, and I won't be around you twenty four seven. I would hate to think what could happen if I don't get to you in time." He seemed generally concerned for her, Kayla couldn't help but feel that Dave was wrong about him, as were the books of the tome about his kind.

"If we knew why he was after me…"

"Why a photographing witch?" He threw in.

"He is a rogue, my Matron had informed me of that. And he knows blood magic."

"How do you know that?" This was something he knew little about and was interested.

"Well, Voodoo dolls can affect a victim's mind if the Vodu had blood magic. By getting something personal, say like a few hairs from my hair brush that he could have gotten out of my locker at work, he can transfer the bond from the hair, through the doll, and into me. That's how I believed he did this."

"And he can do that?" Mark confirmed.

"Yeah, you see, blood magic drains the life right out of a caster, so to protect themselves, they had to feed it an outside source. And the only source for that are souls. And if that's the case, we are dealing with someone who has knowledge of the most deadly magic this world has ever known…"

Now the Undertaker was taken back by this, but he would not let on, "I believe you know what that is."

"Yes…" She was shaken by it, "Death Magic…"

To be continued.