Page 97 of White Raven
It seemed like hours ago, she had been talking to Athan about that very thing. Now he was gone, and likely thought the worst before being dragged off to God knows where. They had been so focused on building a future they could both be happy in, that neither one was fully committed to figuring out what was at the bottom of this fucking rabbit hole. That future started to seem farther and farther out of reach. It was enough to crush her soul. Her concentration broke when she heard a low growl beside her, and all three of them looked towards Rhaena, who twitched uncomfortably with her back turned.
“Rhae?” Wren called, clutching Brent protectively.
The muscles in Rhaena’s back moved in broken waves, and her spine curled in a familiar, sickening angle. Sarah swallowed.
“Stay away!” Rhaena choked out, sounding dangerously similar to the way she had when they’d talked her into calling Brandon the night she’d changed, and Sarah had given her blood.
“Oh, fuck!” Sarah panicked, eyes darting around the apartment.
“What the hell is happening?!” Brent gasped, moving Wren towards the door.
“It’s not a full moon!” Wren yelled over his shoulder as he practically dragged her along. “What do we do, Sarah?”
Whatcouldthey do? What was normal, now that Sarah’s blood coursed through an already unnatural body? Should she give her more? It worked once, didn’t it?
“Brent! Go into my bathroom and grab the white box on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet!” Sarah ordered, ripping her jacket off and rolling up her sleeve.
“‘No!” Rhaena growled, turning, and gasping for breath. “You’re not doing that again. Just run! Get out of here! All of you!”
“Rhaena, please! It worked the last time!” Wren pleaded, half her body out of the doorway, and the other half leaning in as she braced her hands on the frame. Brent rushed into the bathroom.
“Just take it, Rhaena! It’ll help you!” Sarah snatched the box from Brent’s hands and ripped the package for a fresh needle. Rhaena’s body made horrible crunching sounds as bones began to break, and regroup, morphing her into the beast she tried so hard to cage.
“Don’t! Y-you…d-don’t understand, I—” she broke into a scream, and coarse hair started to spread across her chest. Brent cursed, and took off towards the door as Rhaena’s teeth began to lengthen, and long trails of saliva strung from her growing snout. Sarah jabbed the needle into her vein, pulling a hearty blood sample, and charging toward Rhaena’s form just as the unchained monster lunged for her, teeth snapping, and claws ready.
“Sarah!” Wren screamed, fighting against Brent’s hold as he tried desperately to get her downstairs.
Sarah took a slash to her leg as she slammed Rhaena against the wall with every bit of her inhuman strength, the pain from her razor-sharp claws forcing her eyes to darken, and herfangs to fight their way out. She jabbed the needle into Rhaena’s neck and emptied the syringe, holding the beast steady with her forearm over her heaving chest. Rhaena roared, putting up one hell of a struggle, before falling limp against her hold, the roar ending in a labored, hoarse wail as her naked body began to take form again.
“Brent! Get the blanket off my bed!” Sarah yelled, catching Rhaena as she slumped into her arms. He rushed in, Wren right behind him, and they wrapped her in the duvet from the bed. Sarah lifted Rhaena effortlessly, and laid her down on the mattress, turning her chin up, and checking her pulse. Strong. Wild. Completely untamed. “She’s alive,” Sarah huffed, trying to catch her breath. The chill air against the slash in her jeans felt like a blessing as it cooled the blooming blood in the denim. The scent of her own injury sparked a hunger that began to rage. Sarah stood, turning towards them, and Brent flew backward at the sight of her face.
“Holy fuck!” he gasped, pressing his back against the wall next to the fridge. He’d never seen it. And she didn’t have time to warn him. She wouldn’t have time to warn him about what she had to do next, either. He’d likely never look at her the same.
“Where is it?” Wren asked. She’d never seen Sarah this way, either, but knew exactly what she needed.
“Bottom drawer,” Sarah pointed, keeping her eyes on Brent as Wren pulled a blood bag from the fridge. She tossed it, and Sarah wasted no time puncturing the bag as soon as it hit her hands. She drank heavily, the ache of that hunger slowly easing with every pull of the chilled blood down her throat.
“Jesus Christ,” Brent whispered, completely consumed by fear and disbelief.
“Brandon…hey, it’s Wren.” Wren sat on the edge of the bed next to Rhaena, brushing the damp hair away from her face as she pressed her phone to her ear. “It’s Rhaena. Come quick.”
CHAPTER 18
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED LIES
It had been hours, and all he felt was a gnawing in his stomach as he watched Rhaena sleep. She hadn’t so much as fluttered her eyes since they’d gotten her back home, cleaned her up, and dressed her in something loose, and comfortable. Her skin had gone ghostly pale and was damp with a light sweat. Foley made himself known in Rhaena’s bedroom doorway, handing him a hot cup of coffee.
“Still nothing?” he asked, staring past him at her motionless body.
Brandon sipped from the mug, and returned his attention to her, taking her cold fingers into his hand. “No,” he breathed.
“You didn’t tell me that you two might be expecting.” The captain palmed his own mug and inched into the bedroom to lean against the wall.
“False alarm,” Brandon replied, deciding not to let his captain see the disappointment on his face. “I have every reason to believe this was why she thought she was in the first place.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, cocking his head.
These silent, tense hours had given him time to be the detective he was, and search for every available explanation. “‘Do you remember when we were both in the dark about what she was, Cap?” Foley didn’t answer, instead slowly nodding. “She used to be so moody, and somehow, I knew it wasn’t always around that time of the month…but adifferenttime of the month. Maybe that was when I started to realize how hard Ifell for her…and she didn’t even notice me then. Back then I was pretty sure she only had eyes for Kane.”
