Page 123 of White Raven
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 adisgrace 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 notfuckingimagining 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.
