Come outside, Tobias.
I reach for the doorknob, determined to prove to myself it’s all in my head. But something stills my hand.
What if itishim? What if the mark… Oh, God.
I touch the bracelet again. Is it my imagination, or is it warmer?
“Leave me alone,” I whisper.
Rip’s laugh is like ice in my veins.Leave you? Oh, no, pet. That wasn’t our agreement. You were never supposed to leave. You’re mine.
I lean forward, trying to see more of the trees. Is he here, hiding? Everything looks normal.
I twist the bracelet again, and this time, I know I’m not imagining it. The leather definitely has some warmth to it. Faint, but it’s there.
Come outside, Tobias,he tries again, his tone cold.
My pulse quickens, and all I can think about is Rowen. My mate.
I stand my ground, something fierce bubbling up inside me.
“No.”
Rip is quiet for half a beat.No?
“No. I’m not yours anymore!”
His anger makes me recoil, heat searing through my shoulder and down my arm. I cry out, clutching the mark. It seems to pulse under my skin, and that damn tug at my mind is like a fucking noose.
“Tobias?” Taren says, clearly alarmed.
I ignore her, looking through the window. “Where is he? Where the fuck is he?”
“Who?”
Something catches my attention, and I look up. Blood drains from my face when I see a tiny speck of black against the dreary gray sky. It can’t be.
“That’s impossible,” I breathe. The raven?
The bird circles twice in a figure eight before diving toward the trees. The closer it gets to the house, the warmer the leather bracelet becomes.
The bird lands on the tree at the end of the driveway, right next to another raven. For a long moment, I can’t move. I can’t breathe. My brain scrambles to make sense of it. How is Rip a raven? He’s a vampire, not a shifter.
Come to me, Tobias.
I shake my head again. “No.”
Rip’s anger snaps like a rubber band inside my head.I said come!
“You don’t own me!” I shout.
Movement stirs behind me, but I don’t dare look away from the window, afraid that I’ll lose sight of Rip.
“Tobias? Are you okay?” Jasmine is just as concerned as Taren. I can only imagine what they’re thinking:He’s going crazy. He’s losing his mind.
I don’t answer.
When I don’t move, Rip tips his head back and caws. The other raven flutters.Come, pet.
