Page 100 of Rafe

His heart pounded in his chest, his wolf howled in anticipation. Rafe turned away, concealing his excitement. Fuck, he shouldn’t want this human, but he did. “Skylar. You, okay?”

“Rafe?” A familiar voice asked. Patty.

“They took her,” she cried.

“What happened?” Anger shot through Rafe, his jaw clenched tight. He tapped on the speaker so everyone could hear.

“Skylar’s gone.”

“I’m gonna find her. It’s gonna be okay.” Rafe looked to Greyson who pointed to his own phone. Sebastian.

“We were home. She was only out for a minute to feed the birds. Sebastian was in here too. He and Dad had been playing the piano. I was right there when it happened. I was standing on the back steps outside with her. And then this thing…this woman was at the edge of the cliff. One minute Sky was feeding the birds. It happened so quickly. We went running to her. Then they were…gone.”

17

Pain ripped through Skylar’s body as she rolled over, her cheek pressed to the cold floor. She grimaced, choking back the stench of the urine-soaked dirt. Disgusted and determined, she pressed the palm of her hand to the ground and shoved up to sit. Her head spun with dizziness, the room a whirling blur as she blinked open her eyes. Where am I?

She fought the rising panic curling in her chest and stumbled to her feet. The last thing she remembered was being outside tossing pecans to the crows. Though her first instinct was to scream, self-preservation kicked in, warning her to remain calm, evaluate her situation.

A stream of light speared through a small window illuminating the adobe clay cellar. As her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of a wooden arched door. No handle. Drip. Drip. Drip. Water leaked from a pipe extending out of the wall down into a vented grate. Bare, the room held no furniture.

Skylar rubbed her hands, shedding dust. She sized up the window, estimating if she could fit through it. Considering it was her only option out of this shithole, she’d have to attempt an escape.

She listened, the familiar raspy croak of a raven called to her from the distance. Its song calmed her nerves, reminding her of home. Though the crows were far more abundant and territorial of her parents’ backyard, the occasional ravens would swoop in for a treat or two.

“Oh, hey buddy. I’m stuck in here. Can you help me out?” she called to the bird. I’m losing my mind. No, you’re desperate. Skylar might have been able to imitate a crow, but the raven vocalizations were a little tricky. Once again, she called to the bird and whistled. “Hey, buddy. Can you talk to wolves? Tell them to find my friend Rafe.”

He’d come for her, she told herself, refusing to allow a seed of doubt to take root. Remain positive. Sebastian would tell Rafe. She was fairly certain her mom had been watching her. She would have seen it happen. They would have contacted Rafe and Greyson. It was just a matter of time before they searched for her.

Thoughts of Rafe spiraled. Her lips tightened, her emotions rushing over her like a tidal wave. She wondered if the spell had truly worked. The last time she’d seen him his majestic wolf had run off into the countryside. Ilsbeth declared that the bond had been broken yet it certainly hadn’t severed her feelings for Rafe. The aching in her heart confirmed she’d fallen in love with him.

“I’ll be okay,” she mumbled under her breath, wondering if she could pry the bars off of the window. She studied the room once again, searching for a tool. “Come on, Sky. We’ve got to get out of here. There’s got to be something I can use.”

Unstable on her feet, the sweltering heat caused her to sway. She glanced to the water dripping from the pipe, shuffled toward it and sniffed. The clear water didn’t smell rancid. “Good enough.”

Decision made, she leaned onto the wall to balance herself and ran her fingers through the cool water. She didn’t dare drink, but it instantly brought her relief. Her eyes fell to the grate where a shard of broken metal hung precariously from the eroded adobe mud.

Skylar stuffed her hand into the bottom of her shirt, tugging at the fabric, to protect her fingers. She reached for the metal and snapped it off. “Oh God, thank you.”

Grateful, she once again put her hand into the water, washing it clean. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breath, calming her nerves. Her mind drifted to Rafe. Picturing him in her mind’s eye, energy prickled over her skin, and it was almost as if he was with her. He’s coming.

A loud thud rumbled from the door startling Skylar. Her heart pounded in her chest. She looked to the shard of metal in her hand and stuffed it deep into her jean pocket, concealing it. She tugged her t-shirt over her pants and pressed her back against the wall, steeling her nerves.

The door screeched open, smoke billowing from the doorway. A beautiful woman dressed in a long crimson gown glided towards her. A set of silver horns protruded from her scalp through her long black hair.

Skylar’s pulse raced. Do not show fear. Staring into her pitch-black eyes, Skylar stood her ground. “Rafe’s going to come for me.”

“Humans are such easy prey. Interesting. My sister’s prodigy chooses a human.” Zyaire sniffed the air and gave a laugh. “But are you? You’re something, aren’t you? Very clever.”

“He’s gonna come for me.” Skylar ignored her rantings. “He’s not alone.”

“No, no, no. Not quite a human, are you?” Zyaire outstretched her hand.

Skylar turned her cheek as the witch’s blood-red coffin nails raked over her braid.

“You’re going to die, pet. He’s going to watch.”

“They’re coming for you. Ilsbeth. Rafe. Greyson. That’s right. They’re together.” A cold smirk emerged on Skylar’s face as she noticed a twitch of Zyaire’s eyelid. She’d gotten to her. “That’s right. I hear you can’t keep a man. I hear Ilsbeth likes yours. Greyson.”