Page 102 of Rafe

Rafe ignored their banter, intent on finding Skylar. He studied the barren Mojave Desert landscape. To his right a mountain range appeared to waver underneath the late afternoon heat. The mirage, a trick of the light, continued across the horizon. As he turned around to the east, he caught sight of a black dot wavering in the distance.

“There.” Ilsbeth pointed to a huge sand dune. “She’s hidden.”

Rafe looked to the dune then into the distance. A single raven cried out to him from above. The great bird circled Rafe. It released a great croak and dive bombed. Rafe dodged it as it nearly clasped his hair.

“What the fuck?” He waved it away, trying not to hurt it.

“What’d you do to piss off the crow?” Greyson studied the bird.

“He’s testing the Alpha,” Thorn suggested.

“It’s a raven,” Dominique corrected.

“It’s not shifter,” Rafe said.

The raven circled and swooped at him once again. He watched in fascination as it flew toward a structure in the distance, then returned to him again.

“Maybe I was wrong. I don’t sense a shifter but it’s tryin’ to tell me something. I can feel her. Skylar’s here.”

“You still sense her?” Greyson asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. “If she was here, I think I’d scent a human.”

“The bond isn’t broken.” Rafe concealed his true emotions, but it was too serious a situation at this point to lie any longer to the vampire.

“Sorry, what? Did you just say you feel a bond with this human?” Greyson asked. “But you feel no blood lust? You don’t crave her blood? No fangs?”

“I already told you guys. The hunger is gone. The fangs are gone. The vampire is gone but the bond? I can sense her. I think I could almost speak to her.” Rafe held up a hand, searching, projecting the energy of his Alpha to the creatures of the desert. Skylar, he repeated in his mind. A raven called to him once again but as he opened his eyes, there was no raven.

“We can find her later,” Ilsbeth insisted.

“No, not without Skylar,” Rafe growled. “She’s at most a couple of miles away. Greyson?”

“Let’s roll.”

“Follow the raven.”

“Skylar!” Rafe called out to her.

As she came into view his heart sank. Naked. Dirty. Alone. She turned to him, tears streaming down her face.

He scooped her up in his arms. “Greyson! Over here!”

Rafe dropped to his knees, cradling her. Guilt tore through him seeing her broken. He stripped off his shirt and tugged it over her head. “Hey, I’ve got you. It’s okay, baby. Oh Goddess. What did she do to you?”

“I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not. Look at you. Your feet. How long have you been walking out here alone?”

“She’s here,” Skylar whispered.

Rafe’s jaw clenched, enraged with the witch. “I’m gonna fucking kill her. What did she do to you? Let me see.” He inspected her arms.

“Something happened. Rafe…” Skylar began.

Four ravens soared above, and landed on the roof ridge, gathering one by one. The ominous scene escalated as more and more ravens descended. The conspiracy croaked in unison, one after another.

“What the fuck’s going on?” Greyson asked as he reached for his gun. “I don’t like the looks of this.”

“No, no, they’re fine. Don’t hurt them,” Skylar pleaded. “They’re here for me.”