Page 71 of Endlessly Raphael
Rapha: See you soon.
His ending feels a little cold, but he’s on someone else’s phone, so maybe he’s just keeping it chill. I hurry and finish finger styling my hair, then throw on my shoes as I use an app to schedule a ride.
I guess tonight’s the night he wants to show me what he does for work. I just wish I could shake the strange feeling of foreboding gripping my bones.
TWENTY-FIVE
Raphael
Walking through the alley with Thorn, Eros, and Midnight, a strange feeling hangs in the air. When I left Haven earlier, I was confused, my mind chaotic. I hadn’t thought it through. How would I explain fated mates to him without revealing my vampire nature? A stupid move on my part that forced me to compel him.
Now I’m out working to blow off some steam, but I was interrupted by a frantic text from one of our trusted contacts. We were told there was a group of gang members shooting up restaurants and clubs downtown, but we’re here now and everything is eerily quiet.
Midnight tries the contact again, but he’s not answering. “I don’t feel good about this,” he says, sliding his phone back into his coat pocket.
“Something is off,” Thorn confirms. “I can feel it down my spine.”
“I’ll call Yves again,” Eros says.
We stop walking and simply let our senses explore the area. I lean against a brick building and text Haven to check in. It’s possible he’s still asleep, and as long as he’s at my place, I know he’s safe, but I’d still like to hear his voice. I need to touch base with his father too and make sure the parents make it to our building unscathed.
The sudden shift in the air hits me like walking into a brick wall, and I lift my head sharply, my gaze focused on Eros.
“What’s wrong?” I demand.
“Yves said he thinks we’re walking into a trap,” Eros says. “He made some calls after we left, and Terrence has been in California visiting family for over a week.”
“Fuck. How would someone get my number plus pretend to be Terrence?” Then the pieces start to slot together, and I immediately tear off towards home, instinctively knowing that Haven is in danger, but I’m stopped by my ringing phone. My panic settles when I see my love’s name on the screen. “Haven.”
He doesn’t speak, but I hear heavy breathing and feet shuffling.
“Where’s your phone?” a man’s voice comes over the line, thick with an unfamiliar accent.
“I don’t have it.” That’s Haven.
My blood crawls when I realize someone has Haven. I focus on the call as my brothers gather around me.
“Fucking liar,” the man spits. “Everyone has a phone.”
“I forgot it at home.” Haven’s voice is strong and brave, like he’s not afraid, but he must be. “Just let me go, okay? This was an accident.”
The man scoffs. “An accident? No one shows up here by accident. Who sent you?”
Where are you? The question radiates off me and I pray to Hades it reaches Haven.
“Just don’t hurt me, okay,” Haven says. “Because if you do, my husband is gonna find you and tear you limb from limb.”
“Is that so?” the man says, chuckling darkly. “I ain’t afraid of no one. So why don’t you just tell me who sent you here, and maybe I’ll let you live.”
I turn to Eros, my jaw tight. “Someone has Haven, and it’s not his uncle. He doesn’t know who it is.”
“We’ll find him, brother,” Eros says, squeezing my shoulder. “Focus on your connection.”
Closing my eyes, I shift my attention to the tight ball in my chest, pulsating with energy. Slowly, as it coils through me, I sense Haven. His bond reacts with joy, bouncing along our connection, but it’s still hazy.
My brothers put their hands on my chest, all of us intently focusing on Haven. Then, finally, an image forms in my mind, and the sense of my mate strengthens. I open my eyes.
“The Onyx,” I whisper. “The old nightclub over on Park and Eighteenth. He’s there.”