That’s what the police found after Penelope spun her bizarre tale. In a hysterical state, she said her father was butchered and eaten by a mob of birds ~ in her bedroom.
They claim she’s crazy. That she suffers from delusions. Penelope is dead set on proving them wrong.
After being institutionalized for eight months, Penelope is out and more determined than ever to find answers to her so-called hallucinations. With her father’s untimely disappearance, she’s convinced her family is hiding something sinister.
THE OMEN OF CROWS NEST is the latest masterpiece by the award-winning author Cathrina Constantine, and is sure to leave fans of fantasy gasping!
I returned to Crows Nest searching for hope, only to find ghosts.
Gone for eight months, give or take a few weeks, there had been a drastic change in the house. Perhaps, I’d overlooked the turrets I once imagined as a stairway to Heaven were scarred— like me. Cylinder peaks somewhat askew and shingles hanging in disarray correlated with my life thus far.
Some things remained the same. The worn exterior didn’t discourage flocks of birds to hover above and roost on the turrets and power lines.
Dad declared he was the cornerstone of the household, but we all knew it was Gramma. When her fancy tickled her, she told us myths and legends whence our house got its name because crows infested the land. Circling crows, like today, was an omen of death. I shivered. Heedful of that premonition all too well.
“Crows are inherently clever, intelligent,” Gramma would say, “Pay attention, they bring messages. They’re a symbol of magic, mystery, and destiny.” Her fowl wisdom had been indoctrinated in me since I toddled around the Nest.
What message are they bringing today? Welcoming or cautioning?
I should’ve carried a machete to cleave through the scrub, yellowing stalks. Snaking ivy coiled the pillars and canopied the second story balcony, which precariously bowed. On the long drive, Dean had informed me that the unforgiving winter had taken a toll.
My boots crunched on mulch and brittle leaves as I stepped onto the wraparound porch. It had been my responsibility to sweep it, a chore that should have been handed down to my younger siblings. The ornate beveled picture window was cracked. Something had smashed into it, creating jagged veins in the glass.
Planting indecisive legs at the front door, my toes grew into unyielding roots, wrestling into the tongue and groove boards. Heartier roots to replenish those that had been trimmed, uprooted, and torn to shreds.
Will my brother and sister despise me? Considering all those weeks before I was sent away, they’d never given me any reason to doubt their trust or their love. Nevertheless, in all these months, I seldom saw them. Gramma could have brainwashed them against me. She maintained that kind of authority.
I stared at the tarnished door knocker. Still scary and still life-like. A crow’s head with a gaping beak. Emotionally fraught, I turned, searching for Dean. He was body-deep in the trunk of the car grappling with my baggage.
“Need help?” I asked, voice squeaky.
He peeked his head around the car. His expressive, honey-amber eyes flashed as he flicked his arm, a signal to go in. Many nights I’d dreamt of him and those eyes. It shouldn’t be this hard. I veered to the door and thought, I’m home.
I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.
I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I’m devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.
I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.
There is only one hybrid fae in existence, and that dishonor goes to Lane Callaghan.
After a life spent dodging slurs, threats, and assassination attempts, Lane gave her past the one finger salute and ditched her former fae home for good. The detective agency she and her sisters run on the edge of Las Vegas continues to limp along, with Lane doing more debt collecting and intimidating than investigating, but anything to pay the bills. Between working for low-lifes to bring down even lower-lifes, eating cheesy poofs by the bucket, and flirting with the criminally attractive bartender where she conducts business, life is good.
That ends when a routine job goes sideways, leaving Lane with a sack full of stolen sun shards—the source of sun fae power. Without the shards, the sun fae face giving up their magic completely, or risk death if they use their power. Considering they would rather see her dead, good riddance, as far as Lane’s concerned—except her father and adopted sister are sun fae. Lane must choose—return home to save the fae bastards that almost killed her, or let them burn.
The salty, buttery scent of popcorn filled the house. My favorite soft blankets were piled on the plaid sofa I refused to part with. On the television screen, unnaturally beautiful men and women wearing barely there beach attire and drinking champagne were frozen mid-toast on some tropical beach. My sisters’ bantering voices floated in from the kitchen. Something tugged in my chest, and I blew out a shaky breath. Stars, I didn’t deserve them, and I’d spend every day making sure they never regretted following me from Ta’Vale.
I padded across the wooden floors to the river rock fireplace where the broken arm of the sundial hung above the mantle. My pulse thumped in the base of my throat. Iola said she carried me to my family. I’d never considered what my family suffered seeing me unconscious, impaled on a four-foot length of petrified wood.
Reaching up, I traced the bright red streaks of my lifeblood preserved beneath a thick layer of clear shellac. After the accident, I wouldn’t let them throw it away, and I wouldn’t let them clean it. Instead, I’d insisted on having resin laid over the evidence of my almost-death. Never forget.
They call me monster, but it’s monsters who haunt my nightmares, hands slamming into my back, the inexorable tilt over the side of the sun bridge, the moment of breathlessness when my feet still touched something solid as my body fought the inevitable grip of gravity. The screaming wind against my face, and the ground below rushing to greet me.
The microwave door banged. Seconds later came a curse, and I winced as a piece of our dishware shattered on the floor.
“Y’sindra! Those bowls are too big for you,” Mae screeched. “That’s two this week. I swear I’m replacing everything with plastic.”
“No, it’s not too big, the counter’s slippery.” Their bickering voices overlapped one another, shoving the bitter memories to the back of my brain. I took a deep breath. It was good to be home.
S.L. Choi is an urban fantasy author with a deep love for humor, fast-paced action, and hit-you-in-the-heart feels. She grew up imagining goblins living in the rocks outside her bedroom window, while fairies flew through the flowers. Now she puts those stories to paper. When not writing, she is either photographing the beautiful New England area, hiking, gaming with her equally nerdy husband, or attending to the small furry overlords who rule them both.
As myths, legends, and ancient tales rise from the shadows, these heroes and heroines are left to face the darkest challenges of them all.
Life’s hard enough as a paranormal. Shifters, vampire, elementals, witches, fae… we all have our weakness, our curses, our wars to wage and battles to fight. But being a hybrid or a halfling, things just get worse. We don’t fit in anywhere, our powers are thwarted or out of control, and everyone wants us dead. Can we overcome these trials…or are the odds stacked too high against us? We’ll risk it all—even our lives—to find out. And hope we don’t die trying. This paranormal and urban fantasy romance anthology includes 19 brand new, never before published novels from today’s bestselling authors and exciting up-and-coming talent! Including all new stories by…. Kira Nyte Fiona McArthur Renee Hewett & Mandy Rosko Cassidy K. O’Connor & Sheri Lyn Krista Ames Stephanie Hansen Mia Ellas Ryan Southwick C.A. King Charlie Nottingham Emma B. Layne Mireille Chester Ruby St. George K. Rea Cherron Riser Marissa Nofer Shana Vernon Victoria C. Taylor Here’s a peek of what’s inside!
Nora would do anything to protect her sister and avoid the Pit—even take a deal from the one archangel she despises. – The Archangel’s Deal by K. Rea All she wanted was to find the guy terrorizing Midtown; instead, she found a magical underground war going on right under our noses. – A Fire Awakens by Mireille Chester A college freshman turned rumored chosen one must save her university when an ancient demon returns and possesses one of their own. – Faust University by Emma B. Layne A vigilante hell-bent on revenge, a reincarnated angel in a fragile human body, and a mission to right the wrongs of the past. What could go wrong? Turn out, everything. – The Angel’s Fury by Mandy Rosko and Renee Hewett … and many more!
