Mae POV
I am scanning the menu when a disgusting smell reaches my nose. I look over the top of the menu and sniff the air, and I see that Raven is doing the same thing.
Our eyes meet, and hers flash a weird shade of gold. Raven's eyebrows narrow and she takes in a deep breath and holds it. She folds the menu and places it on the table in front of her.
'Can you hear me?' Raven's voice breaks through my mind.
My eyes widen in shock, but I don't know how to respond. I nod my head slightly, hoping Raven sees it.
'Good,' she says in my mind. 'What you are smelling is a rogue. We are not safe. I am going to contact Oliver. Try to act natural.'
Act natural. That is easier said than done. There is no safe room here for me. It will be like the forest all over again.
My hands are shaking as I place the menu down in front of me. I quickly place them in my lap, squeezing them together. Beads of sweat are starting to form on my brow, and I feel like I could vomit.
Raven looks calm and collected. She sits silently and waits for what is coming.
My eyes dart around the room, looking for the source of the smell, but there is no one in the private dining room but us. I keep waiting for Oliver to burst through the door, but he doesn't.
The foul smell of rogues gets stronger, and Raven sits a little taller in her chair. 'Oliver can't get inside,' she informs me. 'He is fighting rogues in the parking lot.'
Suddenly, the door of the private room opens, and two people walk in. One is a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes, and the other is Jameson.
Raven sighs. "Francesca. How lovely to see you again."
Jameson immediately walks behind me and tugs on my braid. "You know I love it when you wear your hair like this," he whispers next to my ear.
His hot breath on my neck makes me shudder with fear, but I try not to let it show.
Raven narrows her eyes at Jameson, and a growl escapes her lips. "I would appreciate it if you would step away from my sister-in-law."
Jameson returns a growl. He tilts my head to the side and holds me still by the back of my head. "What the fuck is this?"
He runs his thumb over the mark on my neck as if to test whether it is real or not. A wave of nausea washes over me when he doesn't take his thumb off my mark. I try to pull my head away from Jameson's hold, but he refuses to let go.
"Let her go," Raven growls.
There is a command behind her voice that even I cannot ignore. Jameson lets go of my hair and steps away from me. I stretch my neck awkwardly, but I don't take my eyes off Raven.
I notice that her claws are starting to elongate from her fingertips. Raven is getting ready to shift. I have seen her wolf fight before, and I am confident that she will be able to get us out of this.
I see Francesca moving closer to Raven and she is holding something in her hands. I try to reach out to Raven through my mind like she did to me, but I am unable to find her.
"Watch out!" I scream as Francesca plunges a syringe into the side of Raven's neck.
Raven hisses out in pain as she pulls the syringe from her neck. She tosses it onto the table in front of her and laughs at Francesca.
"Did you really think that a little wolfsbane could take me down?"
An evil smile spreads across Francesca's lips. "Who said it was wolfsbane?"
Raven's eyes begin to flutter shut, and she is swaying back and forth. Her head falls forward and thumps onto the table.
I try to jump to my feet to check on her, but Jameson pushes me back down into the chair. "She will be fine," he informs me.
"What did you inject her with?" I demand to know.
"A little of this and a little of that," Francesca waves her hands.
Jameson picks up Raven and throws her over his shoulder. Her lifeless body flops against his back.
Francesca pulls a gun out of her purse and points it in my direction. "Are you going to come quietly?"
"If I don't?" I ask bravely.
Francesca pulls Raven's head up by her hair and presses a knife to her neck. "I will kill her."
Pressing my hands to the table, I get to my feet and step out from behind the table. "I will come," I whisper.
"Good girl," Jameson says, and it makes my skin crawl.
Francesca studies me carefully before she drops Raven's head. She grabs me by the arm and leads me out of the door. Jameson is following behind us with Raven over his shoulder.
The restaurant is empty. I look out of the front windows, and I can see Oliver's lifeless body lying on the ground in the parking lot. I want to go to him, but Francesca's nails are digging into my skin.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
Francesca shrugs her shoulders and keeps dragging me out of the back door of the restaurant. There is a dark car waiting in the alley. The windows are darkly tinted, and I cannot see in.
Francesca opens the back door and Jameson tosses Raven in before climbing in himself. Nudging me with the gun, Francesca edges me toward the open door. I glance around at my surroundings, looking for anything that could help me. But the feeling of the gun barrel against my back pushes me into the car.
The car door slams behind me, and I jump. Jameson wraps his arm around me, and I try to wiggle out of his touch. Francesca gets in the passenger seat, and I finally realize there is a large man in the driver's seat. I can only see the back of his head in the darkness, but there is something familiar about him and his scent.
"Drive," Francesca orders the man.
"Not until I say hello," the man grumbles.
The sound of his voice makes me tremble in my seat. The man turns around and flashes me his award-winning smile.
"Daddy?"