Page 94 of White Raven
If the blame game was gonna be played, Rhaena figured she’d more than earned her share, regardless of what anybody else thought. The guilt of being the center of their conflict was rearing its ugly head again. “Sarah, I’m really sorry. I never meant for any of this to come between you. Truthfully, I didn’t even think about that one incident until Athan had freaked out and reminded me about it. I was scared enough just thinking about the fact that my life might be over.”
“It’s not even that. I asked him if he still had feelings for you. I practically accused him of being in love with you before he told me that your baby might be his. I shouldn’t have fucking said that. I feel horrible.”
“Sarah…” Rhaena took her hand and squeezed it. “If I ever made you doubt his feelings for you, then I’ll let you lay me out right here. Athan has been beside himself ever since he first laid eyes on you in that bar. He’d do anything for you.Anything. My friendship with him will always be an unbreakable thing. But he’s never cared about anything more than he cares about you.” It was hard to decipher whatever was going through Sarah’s mind, and Wren said nothing as she leaned against the kitchen counter. “He’s probably pissed at me. Maybe that’s why he didn’t answer when I called to tell him he could relax. I didn’t know he hadn’t told you.”
Sarah’s phone started buzzing, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Brent,” she said, swiping open the call. “Hey.” Her brows lowered, and worry started flooding her face as she raised it to Rhaena. “No…he wouldn’t do that.” Her eyes started darting all over the place, and a cold darkness started taking them over as she raised herself from her chair, causing Rhaena to spark with worry, and do the same. “He wouldn’t leave without that bike, Brent. It’s gotta be something else. Stay put, we’re on the way.”
“Tell me!” Rhaena barked, breathing heavily.
Sarah rushed into the living room, grabbing her coat. “Brent said Athan wasn’t at home. The door was wide open, and all his shit is still there. He thinks he left.”
“He wouldn’t do that to you,” Wren said, pulling her jacket over her head.
“No, there’s no way,” Rhaena added. “Any sign of a struggle? Blood?”
“I don’t know,” Sarah said, starting to panic.
“Let’s go. I’ll drive.” Rhaena rushed them out the door, stopping at her own apartment to grab her badge, gun, and keys. Anybody that would attempt to take him had to know what Athan was. She didn’t want to think about what they’d have to do to subdue him…or what kind of being could actually succeed in doing so. Her panic turned to rage as they barreled for the elevator, and a sharp, searing pain shot through her arms, stopping her dead. Rhaena looked down, noticing the muscle trembling under her skin, and the slight increase in the length of her nails accompanied by a familiar dark color at her fingertips, before the pain disappeared just as quickly as it came, and so did the changes to her body.
What the fuck…
“You okay?” Wren asked, gripping her shoulder as the elevator doors opened. Clearly, she hadn’t seen what Rhaena saw. Did it even happen? Or was she hallucinating?
“I’m fine…let’s go.”
“You never unpacked your bags for Seattle?” Wren asked, pointing a thumb by the door as Sarah held Athan’s keys and stood in blind shock. They hadn’t. They had spent the last couple of weeks trying to decide where to start…and then this secret had come out. But if he’d left, he would have taken a bag…right? Sarah glanced over her shoulder.
“No. Just the necessities. That’s why I know he didn’t leave on his own accord.”
“He wouldn’t do that anyway,” Rhaena added, bent over as she searched for any clues around the small apartment. “Not to you. Not to any of us.”
Right again. Especially if he actually thought there was a chance he’d also be leaving a piece of himself behind. Whether she liked the idea or not, Sarah couldn’t see Athan Kane abandoning his own child. He’d never leave Rhaena to deal with it herself, either.
“My first thought was that he walked to the store or something. Maybe he went to get more cigarettes? Isn’t there a store close by that you used to get that nasty candy, Wren?” Brent asked, gaining himself an unmistakable look of adoration from Wren as her head popped up in surprise.
“You remember that?” she asked.
Brent only smirked, busying himself behind Rhaena, and looking over her steps with a second pair of eyes.
“If he went, he’d take his keys. His jacket. Something.Andhe’d be back by now,” Sarah debunked.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Rhaena huffed, pressing her hands to her hips and shaking her head as she looked around. “There’s no obvious sign of a struggle. Nothing that looks like forced entry. I’m going outside.”
“Should we call Captain Foley?” Wren piped up. “Or Jenkins?”
“Not yet. Let me look around.” Rhaena tread forcefully through the apartment, and out the door, clunking down the stairs like she’d skipped two at a time. Sarah could only linger by the counter, staring a hole through the valuable parchment, enclosed in glass, that seemed to taunt her from a foot away…
John…what if it was John?
Anger started to simmer beneath her skin as she looked over Poe’s scribbled, psychopathic remnants, and she pulled out her phone, dialing Athan’s number. A few seconds later, a buzzing sounded in the apartment. She caught stares from both Wren and Brent, who started searching for the source with wide eyes. Wren opted to check the bed—probably forobvious reasons—while Brent checked between Sarah’s side of the mattress and the window. As Wren shuffled the duvet, Sarah caught a low light fluttering away the darkness underneath the bed.
“There!” Sarah pointed, rushing over and kneeling to reach for it. He’d had several missed calls from Rhaena, one from Brent, and now hers…but there was also an unread message from an unknown number. “Fuck!” Sarah ground out, as the number lock appeared on the screen. “I don’t know his pass code.”
“Try your birthday?” Wren suggested, kneeling down next to her. Sarah punched it in…nothing.
“What about his?” Brent added, looking on from the window.
It hit her like a truck. She didn’t know his birthday. Her own mate. The man of mystery that she’d already given her heart and soul to—and agreed tomarry. Shame coated her tongue, and Sarah swallowed, the feel of it like a cotton ball that stayed lodged in the middle of her throat. “I—I don’t…” She couldn’t even finish the sentence.
