Page 166 of White Raven
Rhaena tossed one of the chairs like it weighed nothing, jamming the door with it as she faced off against her mother—a hybrid that looked almost the same, but slightly smaller, and just a shade redder in coarse fur. Loud banging sounded from the door, and the window, and he had no idea what to do in the middle of an oncoming bloodbath between two foaming werewolves. Ashina raised on her haunches, not coming even a tad close to Rhaena’s full height and lunged toward him over the flipped table. Rhaena moved so fast that she seemed like a blur, and slashed her across the breasts, throwing her against the back wall like a slab of meat. Her roar nearly busted his eardrums. Ashina recovered from the floor, but Rhaena continued to roar at her with every calculated step, kicking the table aside, and approaching her slowly. Dominantly. Every step showed him the twitch of surrender in Ashina’s muscles. Every pain-stricken howl from Rhaena’s lungs made her mother seem smaller, and no matter how desperately Ashina tried to fight it off…her body continued to lower itself to the floor.
Rhaena stood over the bitch. She bent over her reluctantly bowing head, and bellowed out one last damning roar, and he could swear he heard howling from the sound-proof room down the hall.
She ripped that fucking crown off her head.
The door burst open, and Kane rushed in, Foster on his heels, and they carried a familiar set of chains. Boat chains. From Rhaena’s apartment. Brandon couldn’t have swelled more with pride as Rhaena snarled over her mother, and helped the two of them wrap her in the chains that she’d used to contain the tremendous strength that this woman never fathomed she had. Every image of Rhaena kicking ass in the training center. Everyrecollection of any time she’d ravaged his body, bringing him to the most indescribable euphoria…Rhaena Northwood had never been weak. She was the alpha now. And as Foster’s team of well-trained agents came to help move Ashina’s squirming form in the chains, he watched the woman of his dreams come back to him. Her clothes were ripped half to shreds, and her hair was damp with sweat…but she was more beautiful to him then than any other time before it.
Athan remained in the doorway as the sound of angry curses filtered from another now-human mouth as they carried Ashina down the hall. He wasn’t sure where they’d contain her, and right now he didn’t care.
“Kane…give us a minute, brother.”
“Don’t forget your safe word,” Athan smirked, closing the door.
Brandon strode with purpose toward her, ripping the remains of Rhaena’s clothes from her body and throwing her against the wall as their mouths crushed together.
CHAPTER 33
SALUTE
It was fitting…the cold bite in the air today. Unfair though, that they’d be laying Captain Foley to rest on an absolutely gorgeous day—a day that was blindingly bright, unlike all their spirits. Sarah foresaw it being a gloomy, overcast blanket of grief on what would undoubtedly be one of their hardest days…and it almost pissed her off that she’d been wrong. Athan had been in the bathroom for nearly an hour after she’d gotten out, and he hadn’t spoken a single word all morning. She understood it enough to leave him alone, even though it was killing her not to knock on that narrow bathroom door. She’d been shopping with Wren earlier this week to honor Foley by buying something respectful, expensive, and better suited for the occasion than what they both had hanging in their closets. A sea of black clothing, and one would assume that they had something appropriate…but neither one of them could choose a single thing that seemed deserving of the man that was so important to Boston as a whole.
Sarah stood in front of the full-length mirror, smoothing out the sleek black dress, and pushing her hair back as she started carefully removing all the hoops and studs from her ears. Her tattoos were barely visible on her legs through the black hose, and the suede pumps set the entire ensemble off. Foley would have smiled at her effort. Poe sputtered from his perch stand, watching her as if he agreed. Wren’s telltale knock at the front door distracted her, and she continued to remove her piercings as she clacked to the door to answer it. She hadn’t seen Wren try that dress on the other day. She looked absolutelystunning. As did Brent, who paired his best black three-piece suit with a black tie that had a simple blue line through it.
“Damn,” Wren smiled, looking her over. “You’re gonna have me batting for the other team, bestie.” They hugged, and Wren made her way inside while Brent leaned in to brush a chaste kiss to her cheek and followed Wren into the apartment.
“You both look flawless,” Sarah said, softly closing the door, and returning to the mirror. “Wren, can you help me? I can’t get this last hoop out.” Wren nodded, walking awkwardly in her foreign heels as she made her way over. Brent chuckled through his nose.
“Shutup, bastard,” she snorted.
“You look about like Sarah did, tripping over that dress at the benefit.” Sarah shot him a glare and stuck her middle finger up while Wren pried out the earring, snickering.
“Where’s Detective Brood?” she asked, tossing the hoop into Sarah’s tiny jewelry box on the side table next to the mirror. Sarah nodded towards the bathroom, and shook her head silently, indicating Athan was in no mood today. Brent tightened his mouth in sympathy. Wren fluffed Sarah’s hair back down her shoulders, fixing pieces, and nodding. “Rhae-Rhae hasn’t spoken all morning. I think yesterday was hard enough without adding this to it. But wait til you see her, dude. She just about got a tear outta me.”
“Jenkins, too…” Brent added, shoving his hands into his suit jacket. “They both look like completely different people.”
As if on cue, the doorknob unlocked, and slowly turned, and Athan turned the light off as he stepped out of the bathroom. Sarah’s breath caught in her throat.
Mother Mary…
His formal dress uniform was immaculate. Shoes were shined. His white gloves might as well have sparkled, and the hat sat proudly over his brow. His hair was slicked back beneathit, and he was clean-shaven, and poised. She couldn’t stop her heart from pounding, or her mouth from dropping open…especially when those blazing blue eyes met hers. Brent and Wren seemed about the same—utterly speechless as they all gawked at him.
Sarah slowly made her way over, standing toe-to-toe with him, and smiling with a pride she’d never felt as she carefully adjusted his collar, and brushed her fingertips over the shining silver buttons of his jacket. “I’m at a loss for words, detective.”
Athan swallowed, and his sorrow burned through that stare. He was at a loss too, and it had nothing to do with the way he looked.
You remember when I left your apartment the day I found out the truth about what happened in the alley?
His eyes went glassy, and he stared at her, offering a slight nod.
I walked all the way here in the rain. I told myself I was gonna be alright. That I just needed to get through this day…I’d allow myself that one day…and then I’d pick myself up and march on. We’ve all been through so much, Athan. And we’ll all get through this, too. We just have to get through this day.
It seemed like it took all of his effort not to choke up, but he nodded again and pulled her to him. Their arms found their way around each other and squeezed tight. Brent and Wren gave them the moment, excusing themselves to wait downstairs. He finally pulled back, steeling himself, and straightening his jacket.
“I remember the day I sat across from Foley in his office, reporting on the case me and Rhaena were working on. I remember it so clearly. That split-second that he handed me a file and told me that he wanted me to go check out a lead. I never realized that my captain handed my entire life over to me in thatlittle folder. But…hemust have. He asked if I was alright…always called me ‘kid’. He never judged me. Even when he was starting to figure out what I was. What I’d done. And when he realized I was in love with you, I think he even helpedmerealize it. He was always so protective of Rhaena when it came to me. I think somehow, he always knew…everything. I know I’m not ready to say goodbye, and I may not have ever had a dad, Sarah…but laying him to rest today feels the same as the day I buried my mother. I’m glad I’m not alone this time.”
“No,” Sarah whimpered, taking his face in her hands while her heart slowly broke. “You’re not, baby.”
“Nevermore,”Poe trilled from the perch stand. He and Sarah softly smiled at one another and he straightened himself, offering her his arm.
