Page 70 of Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven
Declan is usually the easy going one. He’s not tense. He’s not serious, which has me terrified he’s relapsing.
“You never lie to me, Dec. We’ve been through too much. Did you break your sobriety?”
He scoffs out a laugh and shakes his head.
“Did you get her to steal from the blood bank?” I ask.
“You think I would do that?” His movement is so quick I don’t have time to react. His palm is around my throat in seconds. “You think I would take someone as innocent as her and use her for that?”
His face changes to the usual shade of gray that shows when his emotions are high. His fangs appear, but there’s no danger in his gaze. I see something else, something I have never seen in all the years I’ve known him.Fear.
“I didn’t ask her to steal blood for me.” He squeezes. “I did compel her. But I had to.”
“Ok, man.” I tap his wrist. “I believe you.”
His grip loosens as he takes a step back. His face returns to normal and he presses his thumbs to his eyes.
“Talk to me. What’s going on?” I reach out to grip his shoulder.
“I told her to pick up her medical records.” He keeps his gaze averted from mine.
“Why?”
Before he can answer, Raven peers around the corner. “We’re leaving.”
Giving his shoulder a squeeze, I cross the kitchen to her. One hand lands on the door frame and the other on her chin.
She presses those perfect lips to mine.
“You’ll come back to me?” She asks.
I press one more kiss. “Always.”
When I face Declan, it’s clear he’s in no mood to talk.
“Let’s go see what other bullshit your brother has to say.” Then he brushes past me and out the front door.
Chapter fifty
Raven
This was the first time I had been in Frankie’s bar and honestly it had a great vibe. I haven’t had the energy to go out since Bethany, but surrounded by three pretty amazing girls, I let myselfbe.Tonight was about letting go of my grief. My guilt. My anger. My old life. Tonight was about embracing the new Raven. In the hour we had been here I’d managed to slide a shot glass down the bar with a subtle movement of my finger and when we were dancing, I gave one girl just the right nudge she needed to fall into the man she had been making eyes at all night. I was learning that having this power wasn’t abad thing.It didn’t make me evil. What it made me was someone who had the tools to make situations better.Or worse.
I was on the path to being a witch with morals when we step out onto the sidewalk into the crisp night air. But all of my morals went flying right out the window when I saw the blonde prancing down the sidewalk.Sasha.
Some guy behind us calls Autumn’s name, and she excuses herself for a moment while we wait against the building. Sasha must have been coming from the restaurant next door. She was dressed in her signature clothing that was too tight and too revealing.
“Raven.” She says my name with a distain that can’t be missed. “Presley.” She says next with a smile.
“Sasha.” I responded as dryly as possible.
Her lip tilts up to smirk. “I was just heading out. Locke asked me to meet up with him.”
She’s baiting me. Presley squeezes my arm and Frankie mutters. “This bitch.” Under her breath.
I knew she was lying. I knew where Locke was. He was with Declan, Nyko, and Zander. Not meeting up with her.
“Seems like a waste, Sasha. I hear he’s seeing someone.”
