Page 134 of White Raven
Ryan was silent for a moment.“You did.”
“You deceived me.”
“I did everything that you asked. I just want my family whole. I couldn’t hurt them anymore. What you’re doing is wrong.”
He dragged his fingers across his mustache. “It was never for you to decide. I warned you.”
“Please,”she begged.“Hear me out. Doing this to me…doing this to your daughter, and her mate…it doesn’t make you any better than her. The woman that you warned people about. All the humans that thought you were crazy? Where are they now? The vampires respected you. They never respected her. They gave you an eternal life for what you did for them. Why stoop to her level? This isn’t who you are, Master.”
He pondered it for a moment, warring with himself. It only seemed to make him angry. “You brought this upon yourself, Ryan. Farewell.”
“Wait—”
He flipped the phone closed, hanging up before she could say another word, and clenched his fist around it. It pained him. But it didn’t pain him enough not to carry out what he’d promised.
Who he was…nobody truly knew him. He never even knew himself.
He made one more call.
“Yes sir?”
“Ansel…are you in position?”
“We are, sir.”
“Do it.”
“Are you sure you want to go through with this? Ashina’s daughter has the girl. This could start a blood war.”
It was never what he wanted. When Ashina had agreed to place her daughter in quarters beside a rogue vampire—his daughter’s mate—neither of them had suspected things to go this way. Everything had fallen into place so wickedly. The vampire willingly fornicated with the wolf. The wolf did the same. An alliance between both species. A new speciesbred, instead of created. Dahlia Van Hausen was a fool. A head too large for the power she believed she had. Ansel hadn’t been wrong. But if he was to die…his research…his work. It would all go with him.
“You have your orders. Execute them.”
“Who are the other two?” Tony asked, as Sarah beat bricks, and stone with a large rock. This was fucking ridiculous. She hadn’t thought this through. Even with their inhuman strength, unearthing Athan was proving difficult without a shovel, or a pick.
“Mary, and Virginia. They were his family. It’s a long story,” Sarah huffed, wiping sweat from her brow as she continued to break through stone. Tony hacked away beside her, stopping every so often to listen for anything down below, and glancing around for any suspecting eyes.
Athan? Can you hear me?
Nothing. Not a ripple. Not a sound. Only a weak tug of the bond between them. He had been in here too fucking long.Adrenaline beat through her like a war drum, and she bashed the rock against the unforgiving stone harder, finally causing a large crack with her rage. She’d get to him if it killed her.
“I’ve never had the pleasure of knowing what love feels like, Sarah. I told you I’m no good at it. But there have been some changes…I’ve lived a really…really…long time. I’ve known what pain feels like. Loneliness. I’ve felt how bitter and cold the dark can be, and I know you have too. I know you’ve suffered in unimaginable ways, and we were both looking for the light. We were both chasing the sun. In all my years, I’ve never met anybody like you, Sarah St. James. I finally caught up to the sun, and I wanna stay in it…forever. With you.”
He had told her so many times that she’d brought him out of the dark. And she’d do it again. She’d keep doing it for eternity, as long as he’d stay with her.
Stay with me. Don’t go. Come back to me, Athan.
Tony helped her move pieces of the heavy vault cover, and Poe cawed, and sputtered from the head of the monument above them as the ancient coffin finally showed itself.
“Athan!” she called, barely able to contain her emotion as she dropped to her knees on the rubble. Tony panted…maybe with anxiety…maybe with exhaustion, she didn’t know. There was barely enough room on either side for them to crawl in and lift the lid. Tony took one side, and she took the other, Poe growing increasingly restless above them, and dancing on the bust of Edgar Allan Poe in impatience.
“What the hell is that?!” Tony gasped, holding his ears. She heard it too. The remnants of the pendant at her chest warmed and roared with whispering—and she knew exactly who it was now.
“You can hear that?” Sarah asked, situating her fingers on the lip of the coffin.
“Yes!” he heaved, confused, and seemingly terrified.
“Don’t worry about it. Help me. Pull that side up!” They pulled at it together, and it finally gave, lifting off. The smell was alarming…the sight even worse. Tony tossed the lid of the coffin over the side of the grave, and Sarah choked on the growing knot in her throat as she scrambled for Athan’s phone and turned on the flashlight. “Jesus…hold this, Tony!” she handed him the phone, and he shined the light down onto Athan’s damp, withering form.
