Page 95 of White Raven
“1793,” Rhaena offered, walking through the door. “That’s his pass code. There’s tire tracks around the back of the building…and…” she took a long pause and swallowed loudly as her breathing kicked up.
“And?” Wren pushed.
Rhaena focused on Sarah, and the dread that stretched between them was heavy. “Somebody had to have taken him. And he didn’t put up a fight. There’s drag marks from the edge of the concrete through the mud. They stop about mid-way. Like he got dumped in a trunk or hauled into a van.”
Sarah punched the number into the lock, and it opened. “How did you know his pass code?”
“It’s the year he was born. He uses the same PIN number for everything.”
Something about that struck more of a nerve than she wanted to admit, but the context of that message left an ice-cold emptiness in her very bones. “Oh, my God…”
“What does it say?” Wren asked, peering over her shoulder.
UNKNOWN: Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine…
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine.
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.
Sarah’s body went rigid. They took him. It had to be John. Or one of the members of the coven he headed. Rhaena approached, and Wren read the text out loud.
“What the hell does that even mean?” Brent asked, crossing his arms and lowering his brows.
“It’s by Edgar Allan Poe,” Sarah choked. “It’s about someone he lost…someone heloved.” Her eyes burned, and her chest ached. “He’s taunting me. He’s smoking me out.”
“You think John Allan is behind this?” Rhaena asked, her voice edged with fury. “If we ever find that son of a bitch, Sarah…father or not, I’ll fucking kill him if he’s harmed a hair on that fucker’s head.”
“Not before I do,” Sarah promised through her clenched teeth. She hit the call button on the number, and by nothing short of a fucking miracle, it started ringing. A clicking sounded on the other end, and the faint sound of breathing, which none of them could probably hear, with the exception of Rhaena being what she was. “Is it you?” Sarah asked, adrenaline coursingthrough every vein, and entombing every word that left her mouth.
“It is. I never intended for this to be our introduction.”The man’s voice sounded as if it had been dragged through shards of jagged rock, and strangely…familiar.
“You have a real fucked way of showing sincerity whenyou’vebeen the one playing games. The only introduction you’ll get is a slow death if you don’t tell me where the fuck he is.Right now.”
“You’re right about that, Lenore. But it won’t be because of the creature you’ve come to love.”
“Don’t fucking call me that. And don’t pretend you don’t know that the creature you speak of, and I, are the same. That you’re not just like us.”
“You’re nothing like me, beautiful girl. And you’re too good for the likes of him. Neither of us are deserving of you.”
“If you hurt him, I swear to God.”
“God,”he chuckled.“Heaven doesn’t grant wings the color of nightshade. Tell me. Do you feel your bond?”
In all the panic, she hadn’t even thought about it, but that tether to Athan was there. Strong. Unrelenting. “Yes…”
“Then it’s obvious, I’ve not harmed your dark prince,”he crooned.“He’s a smart thinker, much like myself. And one to appreciate the beauty of misery. That is what drew you together, is it not?”
“Stop talking in fucking riddles,John. What the hell do you want from me? A relationship? Because you’re well on your way to getting nothing from me, short of what I’ve already promised if you don’t stop fucking around.”
“I simply wish to see how your stories play out, little bird. Nothing more. You’re the heir to a much bigger kingdom than this common world can offer. Find each other, and you’llfind me. When you do, I’ll hand you both the keys to your future.”
“And what if I want no part of your fucking plans for my future? What makes you think you’ve earned the right to decide that for me? For us?”
