How It Will Be by T. S. Joyce

Chapter One

 

“Where has loyalty ever gotten you?” Krome asked.

Bron didn’t understand. He just stared at his Crow Blooded King and waited for the punchline.

“I’m serious. Where has it gotten you?” Krome asked.

He’d been tricked. Bron had thought his King had invited him over for beers and to shoot the shit, and honestly? That’s what he’d desperately needed. He needed one night away from healing after that stupid Crow War. One night to escape the flashbacks of being thrown to earth by one of his best friends. Of falling and not being able to change because he’d been so badly beaten by crows he’d trusted. Of hitting the earth and knowing with certainty that he would die. He wanted one night where Krome’s mate, Cora, didn’t have to check up on him and put his Humpty Dumpty body back together again.

One night to just relax with his best friend, his leader, and pretend everything wasn’t falling apart.

Bron relaxed back into the chair and glared at Krome. He took a swig of his beer before answering. “Loyalty isn’t something I choose to do, Krome. It’s how I’m built.”

“I know it is. You didn’t answer my question.”

Krome’s dark hair was sticking up all over the place like he’d been running his hands through it, and his black eyes stayed trained, unblinking, on Bron.

Bron narrowed his eyes. “What is this?”

“A simple question that shouldn’t make you uncomfortable to answer.”

“I don’t feel like answering questions.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t.”

“Bron,” Krome said, leaning forward on his couch and resting his elbows on his knees as he stared intently at Bron. “It has been two weeks since the war, and you haven’t said anything.”

“I talk.”

“But you don’t say anything.”

“Because I don’t have anything to say, Krome! Fuck!” Bron stood and paced in front of the fireplace. “What do you want from me?”

“Fealty.”

“You have it! God, can’t you see that you have it? Do you know why our Murder beat me? Do you know why our friends beat me until I couldn’t fuckin’ Change into my crow to save my life? Do you know?”

“Tell me,” Krome said low.

“Because everyone was okay with that coup. Everyone but me. The second I found out, I told them how wrong they were. I defended you, I went to war for you, I didn’t back down and it was me against the entire Murder. They were our friends and I fought all of them. For you! You are the King. You earned it. You led us well, and you would have continued to lead us well if they would’ve pulled their heads out of their asses. I tried to stop them from hurting you and from hurting Cora because if they hurt you…”

“Say it.”

Bron gripped the back of his neck and wanted to scream. He hated talking about his emotions. Hated talking about this stuff. He just wanted one minute where things felt normal, like how they used to be.

“If they hurt you, it would hurt me.”

Krome’s chest rose and fell with his breathing, and there was a fire in his eyes that Bron didn’t understand. “Will you challenge me for King?”

Bron laughed. “God, no. Why would I want to be King? Look what happened to you.”

Krome nodded and stood. “I’m going to rebuild the Murder, but we will do it differently.”

Well, that was a turn in conversation Bron hadn’t expected. “Differently how?”

“We are no longer at war with the Banes. Their oath is done, and ours to the old way of life for the Crow Blooded is done, too. I will remain King, and I won’t invite challenges. Fuck everyone who wants my territory. And you…” A slow smile stretched Krome’s face. “You will be unchallenged as Second.”

A feather could knock Bron over in this moment. “W-what?”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t want to challenge for King before we move forward. You are my Second, Bron. Your loyalty is appreciated more than you will ever know. I won’t let anyone challenge your place in this Murder. You earned Third in the old Murder, and your loyalty has earned you Second for as long as you stick with me.”

Bron took a step back and dropped his gaze so Krome wouldn’t see the emotion building in his eyes. His chest felt like an oak had fallen on it. He was having a hard time dragging air into his lungs as he went down on one knee. Second. Second? That was right hand to the king. He’d never even dreamed of being Third, much less Second. He’d known he would have to fight for his ranking again when Krome rebuilt the Murder. He’d been trying to heal faster to prepare for it, but an unchallenged Second?

Krome stood up from the couch and closed the space between them, hesitated there, and then knelt in front of Bron. “It’s me and you now.”

“And me!” Cora called.

When Bron looked up, Krome’s mate was peeking her head around the corner of the hallway doorframe with a big grin plastered across her face. She plugged one ear and started singing, “Just the three of us…we can make it if we tryyyyy.”

Krome sighed and corrected himself. “It’s me and you and Cora.”

An explosion went off and Bron hunched down in shock, only to be sprinkled with pink and purple rectangles of thin paper.

“A confetti cannon?” Krome asked his mate from where he was holding his hands over his ears.

“I got it for half off!” Cora crowed, showing the discharged pink tube in her hands. “To celebrate! For when you told Bron he was your Second!” She cast the thing in her hands a look of pure adoration. “I searched for black, like your feathers, but they only had pink and purple. I bought eight of them.”

Bron pursed his lips against the look of sheer exhaustion on Krome’s face. “So we have to look forward to that seven more times?”

Cora inhaled deeply, but told them, “I think I lied on accident. I meant I bought eight three-packs.”

Bron gave an evil chuckle and caught one of the pieces of pink confetti that fell off of the ceiling fan blade above them. “I’m glad you live with her, not me.”

“Um, is it the job of the Second to help me clean this up?” Cora asked.

Bron chugged the rest of his drink, stood, and headed for the door. “Nope. I have more important stuff to do.”

“Like what?” Cora asked after him.

Bron pulled open the door and tossed a look over his shoulder. “I’m going to get us a new Murder.”

“How?” Krome asked, cocking his head to the side like the curious crow he was.

“Ren,” Bron said simply.

His King’s face went blank for just a moment before a knowing smile took his face. “You gonna start some rumors?” he asked.

Bron gave a single laugh, then made his way outside as he called over his shoulder, “Nope. She is.”