Page 60 of White Raven (Nevermore Duet #2)
“I simply wish to see how your stories play out, little bird. Nothing more. You’re the heir to a much bigger kingdom than this common world can offer. Find each other, and you’ll find me. When you do, I’ll hand you both the keys to your future.”
“And what if I want no part of your fucking plans for my future? What makes you think you’ve earned the right to decide that for me? For us?”
“Your bitterness for me is justified. But we want the same things.”
“I want nothing from you.”
“There was only one other being that felt hate as deep as I, for Dahlia Van Hausen,” he argued, voice poised in victory at her sudden gasp of intrigue.
“When Athan Kane proved to be the sword that struck down the queen, the only surprise after watching him for so long was that my own daughter wielded the sword.”
“I never used him. He’s my mate.”
“That he is. Another surprise. And if I told you that the fallen queen still had a card to play…can you tell me you wouldn’t seek to stop her?”
“She’s dead.”
“Dead, she may be. But her evil knew no bounds. I do not claim to be a good man, and I’ll never earn the gift of hearing you call me your father. It’s time the two of you finish what I started centuries ago.”
“Athan wanted her dead so he and the coven could be free. Whatever started between you and that fucking witch isn’t our problem.”
“Oh, but it is. Her selfishness cost her her life. Mine cost me you. If you truly want freedom for your coven, and for others you love…then put your pieces on the board, Lenore. Make your move.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It was not my involvement that brought you here. By executing Dahlia, and letting the coven scatter, the inner workings of her twisted soul have been allowed to play out. It’s her story, don’t you see?
Your meddling, and the meddling of those close to you have introduced the danger I’ve fought so hard to contain. ”
“What are you talking about?!”
“The wolves! You foolish girl. If you want him back, then it’s time you play the detective. Sort out what you’ve found, and you won’t be the only one that finds all the answers you seek. I’ll be waiting on the other side.”
Sarah’s eyes lined with tears and rage as she raised them to Rhaena, who stood frozen in shock. She’d heard every word with her heightened senses.
“Wait,” Sarah begged, “What do the wolves have to do with this? Why are you punishing me?! All we want is our fucking freedom!”
“Punishing you?…I’ve spent long years keeping to the darkness in which I belong.
To protect you. To guard you. To make sure that the stigma of what we are doesn’t—” he paused.
“I’ll not harm him. You have my word. All your questions will be answered in due time.
Though, you should know…you’ve held all the answers all along. Farewell.”
“Wait!” she cried, grinding her teeth. The call ended, and Sarah shrieked. “You fucking bastard! Where is Athan?!” She slammed the phone down on the floor and a small crack budded over the screen. “Fuck!”
“What did he say? I don’t understand!” Wren yelped, angrily. Brent stood silent by the window, pale and distant. Sarah stood and threw her arms out as she turned toward an equally silent Rhaena, who hadn’t moved an inch since he’d uttered the word “wolves”.
“What are you not telling me?” She stood chest-to-chest with Rhaena, who didn’t balk. “What does he mean, ‘meddling’ ?”
“It had nothing to do with either of you!” Rhaena spat, dropping her arms by her sides.
“What didn’t?! Tell me, Rhaena! Athan is gone !”
Rhaena leaned into her face and trembled with anger. “And that’s suddenly my fault, is it?! This all started when you brought a dead fucking bird to my house! That was on your front door! Not mine! All I’ve ever tried to do is help the two of you!”
“What was in those reports Athan gave you? What is it that John Allan has on you, that somehow has something to do with me?”
“Nothing!” Rhaena screamed, turning and gripping her hair in frustration.
“Every damn lead we have takes us nowhere! All we know is that your creepy vampire daddy has left useless, cryptic messages, and that Ryan Sykes was some undead harlot psycho that does his bidding! ” She spun around, chest heaving, and a thin sheen of sweat beading on her brow.
“The only other thing we’ve worked on, was a side quest to find out where the rest of our pack was, and that wasn’t even my doing!
I’ve let sleeping dogs lie! Foley wouldn’t let it go.
He had me help him go through Lindsay Trainor’s junk in storage, and we found out that she was working with Dahlia to experiment on wolves! ”
Sarah conceded a step, and Rhaena clenched her fists, turning away. Brent finally had enough of sitting out the fight and stepped forward.
“Was my father a part of this?” he asked, turning a shade of green. Rhaena glanced over her shoulder, breathing heavily.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
Wren folded her arms and bit her lip. “Remember that blame game we were talking about at my place? This isn’t gonna help bring Athan back or figure out what the fuck this guy is up to.
I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but everybody needs to put their claws away and stop pointing fingers at each other. ”
“She’s right,” Brent agreed, coming to her side.
“Sarah, when you were attacked, and I got questioned at the precinct, you were the center of a whiteboard. That put so much in perspective for me. Made it more real, in more ways than one. Showed me the bigger picture. I was part of something that should have never been, and I continued to do my father’s dirty work because my focus was singular.
It wasn’t until I saw that board that I realized just how wrong I was, and how it connected us both to so many bigger things. ”
“The web,” Sarah choked, batting away a tear. “You’re right.”
It seemed like hours ago, she had been talking to Athan about that very thing.
Now he was gone, and likely thought the worst before being dragged off to God knows where.
They had been so focused on building a future they could both be happy in, that neither one was fully committed to figuring out what was at the bottom of this fucking rabbit hole.
That future started to seem farther and farther out of reach.
It was enough to crush her soul. Her concentration broke when she heard a low growl beside her, and all three of them looked towards Rhaena, who twitched uncomfortably with her back turned.
“Rhae?” Wren called, clutching Brent protectively.
The muscles in Rhaena’s back moved in broken waves, and her spine curled in a familiar, sickening angle. Sarah swallowed.
“Stay away!” Rhaena choked out, sounding dangerously similar to the way she had when they’d talked her into calling Brandon the night she’d changed, and Sarah had given her blood.
“Oh, fuck!” Sarah panicked, eyes darting around the apartment.
“What the hell is happening?!” Brent gasped, moving Wren towards the door.
“It’s not a full moon!” Wren yelled over his shoulder as he practically dragged her along. “What do we do, Sarah?”
What could they do? What was normal, now that Sarah’s blood coursed through an already unnatural body? Should she give her more? It worked once, didn’t it?
“Brent! Go into my bathroom and grab the white box on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet!” Sarah ordered, ripping her jacket off and rolling up her sleeve.
“‘No!” Rhaena growled, turning, and gasping for breath. “You’re not doing that again. Just run! Get out of here! All of you!”
“Rhaena, please! It worked the last time!” Wren pleaded, half her body out of the doorway, and the other half leaning in as she braced her hands on the frame. Brent rushed into the bathroom.
“Just take it, Rhaena! It’ll help you!” Sarah snatched the box from Brent’s hands and ripped the package for a fresh needle. Rhaena’s body made horrible crunching sounds as bones began to break, and regroup, morphing her into the beast she tried so hard to cage.
“Don’t! Y-you…d-don’t understand, I—” she broke into a scream, and coarse hair started to spread across her chest. Brent cursed, and took off towards the door as Rhaena’s teeth began to lengthen, and long trails of saliva strung from her growing snout.
Sarah jabbed the needle into her vein, pulling a hearty blood sample, and charging toward Rhaena’s form just as the unchained monster lunged for her, teeth snapping, and claws ready.
“Sarah!” Wren screamed, fighting against Brent’s hold as he tried desperately to get her downstairs.
Sarah took a slash to her leg as she slammed Rhaena against the wall with every bit of her inhuman strength, the pain from her razor-sharp claws forcing her eyes to darken, and her fangs to fight their way out.
She jabbed the needle into Rhaena’s neck and emptied the syringe, holding the beast steady with her forearm over her heaving chest. Rhaena roared, putting up one hell of a struggle, before falling limp against her hold, the roar ending in a labored, hoarse wail as her naked body began to take form again.
“Brent! Get the blanket off my bed!” Sarah yelled, catching Rhaena as she slumped into her arms. He rushed in, Wren right behind him, and they wrapped her in the duvet from the bed.
Sarah lifted Rhaena effortlessly, and laid her down on the mattress, turning her chin up, and checking her pulse.
Strong. Wild. Completely untamed. “She’s alive,” Sarah huffed, trying to catch her breath.
The chill air against the slash in her jeans felt like a blessing as it cooled the blooming blood in the denim.
The scent of her own injury sparked a hunger that began to rage.
Sarah stood, turning towards them, and Brent flew backward at the sight of her face.
“Holy fuck!” he gasped, pressing his back against the wall next to the fridge. He’d never seen it. And she didn’t have time to warn him. She wouldn’t have time to warn him about what she had to do next, either. He’d likely never look at her the same.
“Where is it?” Wren asked. She’d never seen Sarah this way, either, but knew exactly what she needed.
“Bottom drawer,” Sarah pointed, keeping her eyes on Brent as Wren pulled a blood bag from the fridge.
She tossed it, and Sarah wasted no time puncturing the bag as soon as it hit her hands.
She drank heavily, the ache of that hunger slowly easing with every pull of the chilled blood down her throat.
“Jesus Christ,” Brent whispered, completely consumed by fear and disbelief.
“Brandon…hey, it’s Wren.” Wren sat on the edge of the bed next to Rhaena, brushing the damp hair away from her face as she pressed her phone to her ear. “It’s Rhaena. Come quick.”