Page 74 of White Raven (Nevermore Duet #2)

HE RUNS WITH WOLVES

“You’re late,” Dahlia crooned, twisting a slender, red-painted finger around in her platinum hair. “Do you assume that because you’ve chosen to live outside the safety of your coven, that you’re not still on the leash I’ve allowed to stretch?”

Athan plopped down in the leather chair across from her desk and toyed with the silver ring on his thumb. “I had a long night. Had some shit to attend to.”

Dahlia leaned back in her chair, studying him with predatory fire in her strange eyes.

He hated those eyes. Hated every single part of her.

The thought of ripping that useless unbeating flesh from her chest was overwhelming.

Her mouth curled, and her chair moved as she waved her ankle over her knee.

“Need I remind you that nothing takes priority over your coven? I figured you’d be more careful not to have to receive a reprimand from your queen. ”

“Nobody said anything about the order of my priorities. I got caught up with a situation.”

She huffed through her nose, rolling her eyes as she put both feet on the floor. “Is there a difference? With that optimism, you’ll do a horrible job at my right.”

He pinched his bottom lip between his fingers and narrowed his eyes at the witch. “I’m never gonna be at your right, Dahlia. We have a deal, and I’m fully committed to fulfilling it to rid myself of you and this fucking place.”

“Such nasty words. That’s a great many years for something to go wrong, pet. Especially with distractions…like the new puppy you’ve taken in.”

His stomach may as well have dropped through his chair and crashed through the floor.

He raised his pointer finger from his lip and directed it at her.

“You don’t know the first thing about her.

She’s got nothing to do with this, and if you drag her in the middle of our bullshit, you risk starting another war between vampires and wolves.

I wasn’t here for the first one, and I don’t plan on being the reason for the second. ”

“And how do you know there isn’t already a war? How do you know she wasn’t placed in the perfect position for you to wreck everything we have?”

“She’s not. Leave her the fuck alone.”

She smiled deviously. That cunning, wicked smirk that always meant she was up to something. Always cooking up a steaming pile of bullshit in her cauldron full of souls. The Devil herself. Wrapped up in pretty paper and topped with the most attractive bow—power.

“As you wish, dearest. Wouldn’t want you to have another reason to hate me, when your fate is sealed at my side. Eternity doesn’t have to be so vexing.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes, but I’ll never be by your side. Never again.”

“Hmm…we’ll see about that. The delivery this month seemed smaller than the last.”

He straightened in his chair, and took notice of the eyebrow she raised.

“It was late. Not light. So, if you’re missing anything, it isn’t because of me, or EverLife.

Better keep closer tabs on your army of parasites.

I delivered it myself and left it in their hands.

You have an invoice from Specter for that reason. ”

“Clever boy. Covering his tracks. It’ll be interesting to see how far you’ll go to stay away from me, Kane. You’re a disgrace to your coven. You’d be wise to earn their respect before this is all over.”

“They don’t respect you, and you’re well aware of that. You give them no choice but to fear you, and I couldn’t give two fucks what they think about me. Are we done here?”

She raked her eyes over every inch of him, making the churn of nausea hard to hide.

“For now. But keep me in mind, pet…when you scratch behind her ears. One wrong move…and…” She made an exploding gesture with her pale hands and smiled with a carefully executed threat.

She shook her head in a slow, deliberate show of disgust. “Running with wolves. Get out of my sight.”

“Green’s an awful color on you, Dahlia.” He stood from his chair, and bowed mockingly. “Your Majesty.”

The look on her face was triumph enough. He let the smirk carve his mouth when he’d turned around to leave.

The gasp of precious air was shorter…less satisfying.

His energy was completely spent. There wasn’t even enough of it to lift his head.

Athan supposed he was glad for it. He wasn’t strong enough to bash it against the lid of his tomb anymore.

He didn’t know much about the ‘idle sleep’, but it was probably a decent guess that he was in the beginning stages of it.

Not much else one could do once the battery runs out.

“Rhaena…” He knew Sarah would be searching every part of the world for him.

Knew that no matter how pissed she was at him, that it wouldn’t stop her from looking.

He only hoped that Rhaena was leading the search.

Her sharp instincts, and their past would be the push Sarah needed in her corner.

Especially if his baby was growing in that belly.

One of them would find him…but what if they’d be too late to stop what seemed inevitable?

What if all that was left was a dried-up husk that no one knew how to fix?

He didn’t want any of them to see him that way.

Sarah…

How long had he been in here? Why did that bitch claim she wasn’t here to harm them, but then snap his neck and bury him alive? What’s her angle? What’s her purpose? Why was John Allan playing all these games to be a part of Sarah’s life? It seemed ridiculous. About as ridiculous as—

Athan?!

His eyes popped open, seeing nothing but eternal dark, and he thought for a moment he’d imagined it.

Sarah!

Even the sound of his voice in his mind was hoarse, and weak. He nearly wept when he heard hers again.

Athan! Thank God! I’m here! Where are you? I’m here!

He was about to answer, when the telltale searing of acid in his veins and down his throat began to swallow his consciousness. The monster inside would never let him have her.

No! Sarah! Sarah, I love you!

He forced her face into his mind, but the darkness reached out with clawed fingers, snatching every piece of her away.

Where are you?!

He panicked, raising a hand that plunked against the coffin as she started to disappear. Any attempt to reach for her was thwarted.

Casket…I’m in—

The monster took him with a satisfactory growl…

And he was lost again.

“No! I heard him!” Sarah panicked, breathing wildly as Tony tried to sit her down in the courtyard. “He said casket, Tony! He’s got to be buried here somewhere!”

“I think you’re imagining it. I didn’t hear anything, doll.”

“I’m not fucking imagining it! We can talk to each other without speaking.

I don’t know how it works, it just does, okay?

He’s here. He’s gotta be.” Her eyes shifted across the courtyard towards the entrance where Poe’s headstone sat near the wall.

“We’ve gotta come back. We can’t dig it up with everybody around. ”

Tony met eyes with people that were nosing around and offered them a soft smile before returning his attention back to her.

“You gotta keep your voice down, mate. People are looking at us. I understand you’re upset, and I don’t blame you.

But you start giving people the idea that we’re gonna break into this place, and we’ll be dealing with a lot more trouble. ”

The flutter of wings startled them, and Poe landed on the bench next to her thigh, mimicking sounds of screaming. She’d never heard him do that before. “Poe,” she exhaled.

“Is that Athan’s bird?” Tony asked.

“Yeah.” He hopped to her leg, and she stroked him between his wings.

“Nevermore,” Poe trilled, clicking his beak. “Nevermore.”

She wanted to rage. To cry. To scream at the top of her lungs.

“Do you know her?” Tony asked, looking at a window across the courtyard.

“Who?” Sarah asked, peering around him.

Tony turned his body and pointed at the woman standing at the window, watching them intently.

That face… “She’s staring awfully hard to be a stranger,” Tony concluded.

Athan’s phone started ringing in her pocket, and she pulled it out, revealing yet another unknown number.

When she looked back up, she realized then who it was.

Why she seemed so familiar. Sarah answered the call.

“You fucking bitch. I’m gonna rip your throat out!” Sarah leapt up, Poe scattering off, and landing back on the bust from earlier.

“He’s not here,” Sykes said quickly.

“What the hell did you do to him? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take your head clean off!”

“Look, I don’t have much time. My orders were to report back about where you are, and what you’ve figured out. If he finds out that I’m talking to you, I’m as good as dead, and so is—look, just hear me out, okay? John’s got people everywhere. I’m not trying to get caught.”

“What the hell are you talking about? It’s real fucking grimy to tell me that we’re all so violent, and you’re the one kidnapping people. Where the fuck is Athan!”

“I only did as I was told. It doesn’t mean I liked it or wanted to. I can’t tell you where he is, but if I’m right about what I think you finally know, then your mate is your next stop, little bird.”

“What did you do to him, Sykes?”

The stare between them threatened to hack anyone in half that passed through the space between Sarah and that window. As much as she wanted to end this bitch, she had to admit…the look in her eyes wasn’t vengeful, or malicious. It was sad, and apologetic.

“He didn’t know I was there. He seemed pissed off or upset. I broke his neck and took him where I was instructed.”

“You killed him?!”

“Sarah, you know damned well he isn’t dead. Not permanently, anyway. When I take a life, I take it because I’m hunting. I’m not a murderer.”

“Lie. You killed Nell! You robbed and murdered a defenseless old woman!”

“You don’t know shit. I would never do that. You know nothing about me, St. James.”

Sarah stepped forward. “Then what happened?”