Reaper: A raven paranormal romance (Crookshollow ravens Book 2) Read Free Page A

Elizabeth Bennett were going to swoop in to perform a waltz at any moment. I sniffed – there was a faint smell of ammonia in the air.
    Victor held open a set of French doors on the end of the room, and we stepped out into the walled garden I could see from my bedroom. I noticed immediately a building to our left extending out from the end of the ballroom and down into the garden, creating a small courtyard enclosed on three sides by the castle. The building was clad in the same stone as the rest of the castle, but it was clearly a new addition. Oddly, there was no door leading to the building at the end of the ballroom.
    “What’s this building?” I asked, as we walked down a stone path along the side of the extension. After about twenty feet the building gave way to some kind of outdoor greenhouse. Tall glass walls reflected the afternoon sunlight. Behind the glass was a layer of thick wire mesh, and beyond the mesh was a thick canopy of trees. I peered through the glass, but could barely see a foot inside the expansive space.
    “That is my aviary,” Victor explained. “This area is where I keep injured and recovering birds. The building extends around the corner, and there you will see some fine specimens. The aviary connects to my laboratory and office. I am able to conduct my experiments in peace.”
    “Experiments?” My body tensed with foreboding. I had a feeling what Victor was showing me had something to do with why Cole hated him so much.
    “I am a scientist, Belinda. I thought Cole would have told you? I work on cures for diseases spread by birds. My research has been published all over the world, and has been instrumental in creating human vaccines for several avian-carried viral strains.”
    “I don’t see any birds,” I said, pressing my nose up to the metal lattice and squinting into the dense trees.
    “Oh, they are all in there. Most of them are probably asleep. I have a lot of nocturnal birds at the moment. They find the sun bothersome.”
    Victor led me around the corner, and the rest of the aviary came into view. It was enormous, running nearly the full length of the castle. A thick metal internal door separated the infirmary section from the next. As we passed through the main section of the aviary, several birds fluttered down from the trees inside to peer out at us. They tweeted enthusiastically to me, their voices muffled by the thick glass walls. Despite my fear of Victor, I couldn’t help but laugh at two gorgeous yellow parakeets in a tug-of-war over a breadstick.
    “—this aviary is absolutely state-of-the-art.” Victor was explaining. “I spent a year designing it for my specific requirements, and another two sourcing all the materials from a specialist German glazier. I have been conducting most of my work here since I had it installed ten years ago, but originally it was much smaller. I extended it some years ago in order to accommodate my more ambitious experiments. Now, graduate students from around the world come here to learn my techniques.”
    That explained why I didn’t remember the aviary from my last visit to the castle. It must have been quite a bit smaller, and I was probably too distracted by Ethan to notice the birds. As Victor walked me through the rest of the gardens, memories from the visit flooded back to me, each one tearing me apart. Ethan had packed a picnic lunch for us to enjoy on the grounds, and we’d tacked ourselves on to the end of a National Trust tour. In the middle of long-winded speeches about historical battles and the history of the castle draperies, Ethan had pulled me behind the topiaries and under the gazebo to snog. As he’d dragged me behind a hydrangea bush and shoved his hand up my skirt, working me until I came while a woman prattled on about the coronation in the background, I’d realised I was in love with him. Ethan was going to save me from my parents and their tug-of-war over my life. We were going to have wonderful dates like