When I heard him say those words, adrenaline seeped through my every vein. Beg him, Evelyn, say something.
“Please, please, I’m begging you, let me go,” I said, realizing that when he said, “they never listen,” he had done this to other girls.
“She will see, she will see, and then she will believe you,” he continued, ignoring my plea.
Chapter Thirteen
You have to drop something else so when Kate starts looking for you, they can find you.
I glanced down at myself, desperately wondering what I could leave behind. The white-gold bracelet on my left wrist, my brother’s gift for my sixteenth birthday. I began trying to unclasp the bracelet with one hand when I noticed a car driving toward us. The black Bentley GT neared, but the vagrant completely ignored it and mumbled in Italian as he dragged me behind him.
If I screamed out for help, I knew he would kill me, but surely the person passing by would see that something was wrong? As the car finally reached us, I caught the eye of the driver. Victoria. Our eyes met, and I mouthed the words help, tripping behind the man as he forced me off the road and into a field of uncut green grass still wet from the rain. My feet slipped as I looked back, hoping that Victoria had stopped the car to help me, but instead, she accelerated, leaving me behind in a desolate field with a murderer.
I let out a sob as I slipped on the muddied ground, but the man’s strength hauled me back to my feet as he continued dragging me through the field like a rag doll. I looked wildly for a familiar place, a point of reference for where he was taking me and landed on a small gray stone house among the trees. I knew then that he was going to kill me. He had probably done the same thing to the other girls who hadn’t listened to him before. I thought about Victoria’s stone-cold expression as our eyes met. Would she bother to tell the police or anyone what she had witnessed? That the madman had dragged me through this field?
“Questo finirà presto, Evelina,” the man muttered, throwing a quick glance at me over his shoulder. Our eyes met. His dark eyes glistened with tears. Did he feel guilty about what he was about to do to me?
The field suddenly ended as he dragged me through the first group of trees, their skeletal branches hanging low and, unable to move away in time or far enough, my breath hitched as the sharp end of one scratched my cheek. I was completely unaware that I was crying until I tasted the salty tears on my lips. My arm throbbed, and my face burned as I stumbled several times on the uneven ground, but his firm grip on my arm never allowed me to fully fall.
The man stopped, abruptly jerking me to a halt, and I looked up to see that the stone house I had seen through the trees was, in fact, a small church.
A low stone wall with a decaying metal fence surrounded the entire property. The man mumbled something, seeming to come to a decision, and dragged me farther until we reached a rusty ornate gate.
Thick gray clouds blanketed the sky, covering all of the earlier sunlight as he pushed the gate open. The shrieking of rusty metal made my skin crawl. Among the tall grass, the tips of headstones peeked at us. My eyes moved away from the stones and their reminder of where I was soon to be and darted to the church; the colored-glass panels were intact and displaying images from the Bible. One was of a saint fighting a dragon.
My heart sank, and a loud sob escaped my lips as we entered a huge graveyard. The dead brown branches of the withered trees waved in the cold wind, and their lower branches reached out to us like hands. I flinched, but the man just continued weaving between the graves.
I glanced at the headstones as we passed by. Some of the inscriptions were in Latin, but the grass and moss that grew freely over most made them difficult to read.
I glanced back to see if Victoria had changed her mind. I slipped on some moss, and this time the firm grip that had been holding me up until then let me fall. The man didn’t take notice as his hand slipped down to my wrist. A loud pop followed by excruciating pain told me that the force had finally dislocated my wrist. I bit down on my lip, trying not to scream in agony.
He continued to drag me by my wrist, and my body scraped on small stones and against the gravel over some of the graves. When he stopped, I nearly cried out in relief, but with more ease than seemed possible, he picked me up roughly before dropping me on an ancient grave. I landed on my hip with such force that I was sure it had broken.
Lying on my side, unable to move, I had no choice but to lie still until the pain subsided. He started muttering in Italian again, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him pacing. If I could just reach the church and the door was unlocked, I could lock myself in.
Try to sit up. You have to ignore the pain. This man is going to kill you.
I tentatively sat up, ignoring the pain in my hip, clutching my wrist and trying to spot the rusty gate. It would be safer to try to run toward that. The man suddenly stopped pacing and looked directly at me.
“Do you know whose grave you are on?” he asked, his eyes piercing mine.
I turned my head to look at the tombstone. I had to crane my neck to see that I was sitting under a sculpture of an angel holding a sword. At the angel’s feet, one word was engraved on a block of gray stone. Astara. I turned back to the man.
“I think you have the wrong person. I have no idea who this is,” I said slowly, meaningfully, hoping he would realize he had made a terrible mistake.
“Serena—” he started, but before he could continue, we heard a car engine.
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks as relief washed over my body. I focused on a black Range Rover speeding over the field toward the churchyard.
Thank God.
The man immediately started moving away from me. For someone his age, he moved incredibly fast, and in seconds, I watched him disappear behind the church. A car door slammed, and I turned back to it.
“Astara?” I mumbled, feeling the saltiness of the tears run into my mouth.
A beautiful girl with long silver-blond hair walked toward me. Her clothes were modern, and her eyes were a darker shade of blue.
She reached me. “Are you all right, love?” she asked in a British accent that was a bit less aristocratic than the rest of the people in Greyhaven.
“That man—if he comes back—” I breathed, my heart still racing.
Just as she opened her mouth to reply, we heard another black Range Rover park next to hers. Blake stepped out of the car and walked toward us. Why did I have the sudden urge to run to him? What the hell was wrong with me?
“Is she okay?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yes, only because I saved her,” the girl replied coyly with a grin. I glanced back at the church again and wrapped my arms around my waist.
“Ravenna, what the hell are you doing here?”
Ravenna. This was Blake’s sister, I remembered Bastian mentioning her name when we were examining the painting in the hallway. Except, it couldn’t have been them. Ravenna and Blake seemed to be the same age.
“What kind of welcome is this?” she asked, grinning as Blake reached us. He still smelled like pine trees and cherry blossoms. I pushed a strand of loose hair behind my ear and took a deep breath. I felt small and weak out here, knowing that the man was somewhere nearby. But Blake and Ravenna seemed at ease.
“As unwelcome as the surprise is, Sister,” he replied, but I could see a smile curve his lips. I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a family reunion.
He finally glanced at me. “She needs to go to the hospital.”
“Lorenzo did quite a number on you didn’t he. Such a crazy old man,” Ravenna said, turning to me and examining my face and arms. She was only slightly taller than me, but her black knee-high leather boots granted her a spare four inches.
“Take her to Kate’s hospital. They’ll be able to help her,” Blake ordered more than suggested.
“Okay, Your Majesty, would you like any
thing else in the meantime? Latte? Dry cleaning?”
“Ravenna.” He glared.
“Yes, all right. So moody, nothing ever changes. Come on, Evelyn, we don’t need him and his taciturn little mood anyway.” She took my hand in hers, and we started walking away from Blake, who I could see, out of the corner of my eyes, was moving toward the church.
“Is he going after Lorenzo? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said, now looking back and watching Blake step into the shadows of the church.
“Oh, he’ll be fine,” Ravenna replied dismissively as we reached her black Range Rover.
“You guys have the same car?”
“Believe me, that was not done purposefully. I fully intend on getting rid of it as soon as possible now that I’m aware. Come on, let me help you in,” she said, opening the passenger door.
My entire body still shook as Ravenna helped me into the car. “You okay?” she asked kindly. I leaned back in the seat and started feeling the full extent of my injuries.
“I’m okay.” I nodded and closed my eyes for a few seconds. Between my burning arm and face and my throbbing side, I was definitely not okay, but at least I was more okay than I would have been if Lorenzo had had his way.
Ravenna closed the door and a few seconds later slid into her seat and started the engine. “Let’s get you to the hospital,” she said and reversed the car. I glanced back to the church, suddenly worried that Blake was alone with Lorenzo. Why was Ravenna so calm about that?
“Seriously, he’ll be fine,” Ravenna added when she noticed that I hadn’t taken my eyes off the church as the car drove across the field.
I nodded and tried to swallow down my anxiety. “How did you even find me?” I shifted in my seat, trying to get rid of the pain around my hip.
“Victoria got to school and told Blake she had seen Lorenzo dragging you down the road,” Ravenna explained. “I happened to be there.”
At least Victoria hadn’t abandoned me after all.
Surprisingly.
“A few of us split up, unsure of whether Lorenzo was taking you back to his house or into the forest. I decided to try my luck and go to the church, and Blake followed,” she explained.
“But why would he be looking for me?” I asked, thinking back to his cold attitude toward me in Eden.
“My brother has a bit of a reputation for being ruthless and taciturn, but he would never allow anyone to be hurt,” Ravenna said. “I had better call Kate and warn her that you may need more than a few bandages.” She glanced at my face.
I gently placed my wrist on my left leg and reached for the sun visor, pulling it down to access the mirror. My eyes widened when I saw my face. The entire right side was scraped and bleeding. There were even some small stones still imbedded in my skin.
“Why would Lorenzo do this to me?” I mumbled, more to myself than her.
“Lorenzo is insane. He lost his daughter and with it his mind,” Ravenna replied darkly.
“How do you know so much about him?” I asked, turning to her.
Ravenna was truly beautiful. With her wavy silver-blond hair, pale skin, and full lips she resembled a Nordic Goddess more than a mortal girl.
Well, she looks like Astara more than anything else.
“He’s—a distant relative, on my mother’s side,” she said, still facing the road as we crossed the bridge.
“Does your mom live in Greyhaven too?” I asked.
“My mother is dead—a long time ago,” she said, her voice thin and her confidence suddenly gone.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“She died years ago, so long ago, in fact, I can barely remember her.”
I glanced over at Ravenna again. She looked so similar to the woman in my dreams, to Astara.
“Was your mom related to a woman named Astara by any chance?” I asked before logic could stop me.
“Where did you hear that name?” she snapped and glared at me, her eyes wide.
“Um, I just found a painting of her, and she looks a bit like you,” I stammered.
Her shoulders relaxed a bit as we drove through the forest. “My mother and Astara were very much related.”
Very much related—what does that mean?
I knew not to pry anymore. I wouldn’t want someone to bring up Grace or Lucile to me, and I wasn’t going to do it to Ravenna.
“So, what’s your story, Evelyn?” Ravenna asked, breaking the silence.
“Besides the fact that someone just tried to murder me?” I grimaced and shifted my weight again.
“Ah, you haven’t really lived unless someone has tried to kill you. Remind me to tell you about my time in Romania someday.”
I grinned, and my face stung. “My story is pretty boring,” I replied. “I was born in London, my mom died, we moved to North Carolina, and then my dad and my step-family died in a car accident that I survived.” I said it without wanting to cry.
“I would say that’s quite a story,” she replied in a soft tone.
“Maybe. Have you lived in Greyhaven your entire life?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Oh God, no,” she scoffed. “I left a while ago.”
“Without your family?”
“Blake and I traveled together for a while, and Tristan joined us whenever he could. Have you met Tristan?”
“Yeah, I sure have met Tristan.”
She laughed. “He does seem to inspire that reaction quite often.”
“How did you guys finish school with all this traveling?”
“We do a bit here and a bit there,” she replied casually. “I go back every once in a while to finish a semester, but what I want to do in life doesn’t really require an education.”
“What’s that?”
“Lounge around all day and have gorgeous men serve me caviar and champagne.” She laughed.
I grinned and leaned back into the seat.
“So where did you really hear about Astara?” she asked. I could hear she was trying to keep her voice level.
I took a deep breath. Could I trust Ravenna with the information I had?
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” I replied, looking out of the window as we broke through the forest and into green hills.
“Believe me, whatever you could possibly say to me will not be the craziest thing I’ve heard by far,” she said with a surprisingly serious tone.
Just tell her. What’s the worst that can happen?
“I’ve been dreaming about her,” I admitted. I glanced at her expression and noticed that her knuckles had gone white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
“She appeared to you in a dream?” she asked lightly.
“Yeah, the first night I was here. Men were chasing her, and one of them ripped out her heart in a meadow near a cottage.”
Ravenna clenched her jaw and took a moment before she inhaled.
“Have you had anymore dreams since then?”
“One, last night. She came to me and asked me to help her.” Don’t tell her about the passageway and the scratches.
“Help her? Help her how?” Ravenna asked, now glancing my way.
“I don’t know, I mean, it’s just a dream,” I replied. I could see her eyes narrow.
“How long are you planning to stay in Greyhaven, Evelyn?” she asked, her tone more relaxed.
“If I could get hold of my friend Serena, I’d leave tomorrow,” I replied easily, thinking about my friend. I would have to call either her or Kyle. I couldn’t live in a town where someone was clearly trying to kill me.
“Did you just say Serena?”
“Yes, she’s a friend.”
“What does she look like?”
“What?”
“It’s just, I know a Serena. Wouldn’t it be strange if it was the sa
me person?”
“Um—fiery-red hair, green eyes, alabaster skin,” I muttered, trying to remember her features.
Silence.
“Do you know her?” I asked, wondering what the hell was going on.
“No,” she breathed, now smiling. “That would have been too much of a coincidence anyway.”
Wait. Lorenzo mentioned a Serena right before Ravenna arrived. He said Serena. Is it possible that he and Ravenna know a different Serena? Of course it’s not your Serena; your Serena lived in California most of her life and moved to Raleigh at sixteen.
I sat back slowly and tried to ignore the pain everywhere in my body. I thought about the grave of whoever Astara was and how she was related to Ravenna’s mother.
“I should call Kate,” Ravenna mumbled, “Call Kate Sinclair,” she said in a clear voice.
“Calling Kate Sinclair,” the car responded.
The phone rang twice before someone answered.
“Kate, I’m in the car with Evelyn, you’re on speakerphone,” Ravenna immediately said. When you asked Kate, she said she never met Ravenna. I wasn’t even surprised by the lies anymore. Kate was hiding something and so was everyone else.
“Is everything okay?” Kate’s voice echoed.
“She’s a bit—well, we’re on our way to the hospital. It’s nothing to worry about,” Ravenna replied.
“I’m okay, Kate,” I assured her when she didn’t respond immediately.
“Where are you, Ravenna?” she said, ignoring me.
“We should be there in ten. I have to get back to Blake pretty quickly, so if you could meet us outside, that would be great.”
Was she worried about Blake now, or was she going back to report what I had just told her?
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t catch Kate’s response.
“Evelyn,” Ravenna breathed. “I need you not to tell anyone about your dreams.” Her tone was level tone now. “I think there’s something more going on here, and I’d like to figure out what it is.”
The Eternal Page 11
