alter ego was a jaguar, fierce and quick on his feet-or paws, as the case may be.
“I’m just taking a walk down to the water. Maybe I’ll sit on the rocks and meditate for a while,” Raven called out over the rising winds.
Seth just nodded.
Raven’s favorite formation of jetty was one that jutted into the sea with perfect steps leading to a large, flat stone. The wind carried Bo’s laughter from the front of the house to the back. A familiar ache settled within her, and she longed to be in his arms again.
She thought about how Bo held back yesterday in bed. He must have been afraid of what their lovemaking might do to her. She was a human, and he could not totally lose himself in her anymore. Not as he had in the past. They had no boundaries in the past. It had been part of the way they made love-uninhibited. But that was then, and things were different. That saddened her.
She stepped on the first stone. It also frightened her that he would somehow stop loving her as a result. She knew it was unreasonable to think that way, but the passion they’d shared was unlike anything either had ever experienced. And, in a way, she felt cheated. She walked farther out on the jetty, like she used to. She felt cheated. She was sure Bo would eventually feel it, too.
These thoughts tormented her as she lifted her leg to step onto the last stone.
Something grabbed at her leg.
A small dinghy hid among the rocks. Hands latched onto her pants and pulled her down. She fell into the boat. A sweet-smelling cloth covered her mouth before she had a chance to scream.
Chapter Thirteen
A humming echoed in the back of Raven’s head as she fought to reach the light of consciousness.
The memory of walking out into the yard came back to her. She had wanted to go and sit by the rocks. Seth was outside with her.
She tried to move her arms and legs, but something kept them from responding to her mental cues. Her eyes fluttered open, but darkness enveloped her once again.
“What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Bo growled as he searched the backyard and headed toward the rocks. “Seth, I told you not to take your eyes off her. She might have slipped and fallen into the ocean.” Bo worked the muscles in his jaw furiously. He threw off his shirt and dove into the turbulent Atlantic. The water was murky, but Bo’s altered state of awareness allowed his sight to hone in on the shapes under the water. None were human.
The young man, Seth, couldn’t really remember much of what had happened in the minutes prior to Bo asking him where Raven was. This wasn’t the first experience he’d had of being unable to account for certain blocks of time. In fact, it was happening often recently.
“Bo!” Seth called out to his heartsick friend before tossing off his shirt and following him into the water, washing away any remnants of the
“What’s going on?” Kyle, in charge of guarding the north side of the property, called to his friends before they dove down below the water’s surface. The winds strengthened and the water churned.
When Bo resurfaced, he told his friend to call 911. “Raven may have fallen into the water.”
Kyle flipped his cell phone open and immediately dialed, requesting assistance for Detective Wasake.
Seth resurfaced from the rolling seas. He wiped the salt water out of his eyes and turned to look all around him. There was no sign of Raven. “I’m sorry, Bo. She said she wanted to sit by the rocks and meditate. I turned away for a split second.”
Bo pulled himself out of the water and onto the rocks. The wind caused goose flesh to spread across his body and whipped his hair behind him. He reached for Kyle’s cell phone. He punched in Solaris’s number at Blood Pool, striding anxiously up and down the backyard, waiting for her to pick up the phone.
Bo rubbed the back of his neck, kneading out the knots of building tension. “Sol, Raven is missing,” he blurted. “I need you to come to the house and see what you pick up psychically about what might have happened to her, please.”
Silence filled the other end. “What? Oh, no! I had an eerie feeling all morning, and could not get thoughts of Raven out of my mind.” Bo heard Sol take a sharp intake of breath. “Bo… I don’t need to come over. He’s got her. Laroque’s somehow gotten to her. I was just about to call you and see if she was all right. I’ve been worried about her. Shit! I knew I should have stopped by.”
Bo knew enough not to ask if she was sure, even though the words were on the tip of his tongue. His whole body stiffened. His nightmare became reality. Fear gripped its stone cold fingers around his heart and squeezed mercilessly.
This simply could not be happening.
His voice had a cold edge to it. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“I knew I shouldn’t have disregarded my inner prompts. All my thoughts revolved around Raven. It was as if I was walking through sludge. I was about to call you as soon as I realized I was under the influence of powerful magick.” Solaris’s voice was childlike on the other end. “Whoever conspired with Laroque has no memory of it. He was coerced into it.”
“Terrific.” Bo clicked the phone shut.
Tobias reined in his temper while trying to convince his friend to make certain changes in the itinerary of the island’s celebration.
“The Festival must take place, Tobias. Our success in the coming year depends on it,” Frank Dubois argued, seemingly unaffected by the recent happenings. Lately, Tobias noticed an air of detachment around the mayor. He seemed to be distracted, by what exactly, Tobias didn’t know.
He slammed his fist onto the maple desk separating them “He is going to try and destroy our island and my daughter in the process, and he’ll use the Festival to do it.”
Frank shook his head in denial. “No. We’ll find her. We have search and rescue looking for her. If she’s out there, we will find her.”
Tobias exploded, his anger spilling over, and for one second he bared his fangs, threatening Frank. What had come over his friend? This was not the same man who claimed to love Raven as if she were his own flesh and blood.
“Damn you, Frank-what is wrong with you? Solaris has already informed me that Raven is in the clutches of that lunatic. Raul and Seth are infected and in the ICU. I need to find out where Laroque is holding my daughter. Solaris is trying to find out, as is the rest of the community, but his magick is powerful. He has many charms and glamours to keep Raven’s whereabouts hidden.”
Frank leaned back in his chair, seemingly phrasing in his head what to say. “This is a delicate situation, Tobias.” Apparently he chose blunt and to the point as the best way to handle Tobias. “I can’t cancel the celebration. You know that. It’s only a few days away, and the people of the island expect it. It’s bad enough that we’ve shortened it to one day. Folks are threatening to move off Mirabelle. There are others I must consider-people’s livelihoods are on the line. You know this is the time when everyone makes up for the country’s failing economy. I can’t have people threatening to move. I do love Raven, too, you know.”
Tobias felt the burn in his eyes as they flashed to platinum, and hundreds of years of resentment flared. Resentment of what he’d become, simultaneously powerful and powerless. “Then show it,” he growled. He stormed out of Frank’s office, slamming the door behind him without having to lay a finger upon it.
And strode right into Jade Laroque.
The temptation to grab the young girl was unbearable, and for a moment, he gave in. He took her by the arm, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into her tender flesh, but he couldn’t. She looked too much like his Nicolette.
“I want to help. I heard what my father has done, and this has to stop,” she whispered, trembling. She seemed to be summoning all her strength to stand up to the infamous Tobias Strigoi. Squaring her shoulders, she said, “My mother would have wanted us to get along.”
The anger seeped out of his body at the sound of her words. “Thank the gods you
Frank was obviously shocked when Tobias returned so quickly to his office. He looked even more stunned to see who accompanied him. Seeing Jade standing in his office caught him off guard. His face flushed, and perspiration seeped onto his skin.
For a moment, it was as if Nicolette were standing there.
He reached out to her then pulled his hand back. “It can’t be… What’s going on? Jade… Is that you?”
She expressed no emotion whatsoever. “Yes, it’s me,” she answered, a chill emanating from her.
The mayor’s mouth became dry as the desert. His lips stuck together as if he’d eaten a peanut butter sandwich. “Is this some sort of joke? Did your father send you? Tobias, what’s going on?”
Tobias turned toward Jade. “She claims she wants to help.”
Frank looked from Tobias to Jade and back again. “H-how? I don’t understand. Why did you return? Why didn’t you come to see me sooner?”
She splayed her arms. “I’m here now, Frank. You seem very nervous. Does my being here upset you?” Jade even sounded like Nicolette.
A slow smile dragged across his face. “No! Of course not, I’m thrilled to see you.” He stepped forward to embrace the young woman, but she moved away.
Tobias spoke sternly. “Frank, there will be time enough for questions later. We have to find Raven before Laroque kills her.”
“Tobias,” Jade interrupted, “I think it’s important we take the time to get reacquainted. Don’t you, Frank?”
Visibly shaken, Frank turned to get a drink from his liquor cabinet. “I think
“Yes, I thought you would.” Jade moved over to sit in one of the chairs opposite Frank. “You may want to sit for this, Tobias.” She patted the arm of a chair next to hers. He declined the offer.
“I-I don’t understand,” Frank stuttered, pouring a glass of bourbon. He clearly struggled to regain his composure.
Jade was livid, could feel rage’s heat and see angry red spots flaring throughout her aura. Her porcelain expression was hard, as if just baked. “Yes, you do, Frank. You see, Tobias, Frank here has been working with my father all along.”
