Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven

23. Chapter 23

Chapter twenty-three

Locke

I escort Sasha into the ballroom, trying not to grind my molars down to nothing but shards of bone. She was playing dirty, and normally I wouldn’t care, but the fact she could possibly hurt Raven had me conceding to whatever bullshit charade she wanted to play. So here I was, walking with her on my arm, and my eyes searching for my girl.

She’s here. My wolf rumbles.

He had been hammering hard since class. Wanting to get to her. Explain. Prepare. But there wasn’t time. Hendrix had intel on a possible perp that was hunting in the neighboring town and then I had to get dressed.

We arrive at our assigned table, where Declan is already seated. His company gave a lot of money to the science department, and to the town itself. His stock in every multi-million dollar company opened within the last sixty years has made Declan very respected. Too bad none of them know he’s a ruthless killer and where his loyalty really lies. With us.

To my surprise the chair next to him is empty. It wasn’t like him to not have a woman. The next chair housed Hendrix, who donated to the technology department along with his date. Honestly, I’ve never even seen her before. Callum sat next to him, along with Nyko. Both dateless. They handled all of the security measures for the university.

“Sasha,” Declan practically sneers.

He never hides the fact he dislikes her.

“Declan. So good to see you.” She smiles as I pull out her chair.

This evening wasn’t one I looked forward to every year, but it was one that was a necessity. All of the people who have any clout in Stone Crest and the surrounding areas will attend tonight. There’s one thing rich people love more than their money, and that’s flaunting it. Tonight, the crowd would be a mix. Human, and those like us. It takes a trained eye to spot them, but it’s how we keep count. Keep up with what we are up against.

A small breeze passes through the room, and my head whips to the left. It’s subtle, but I can smell that familiar mint and floral floating in the air. My eyes catch on her figure, wrapped up in black fabric, accentuating every curve that I’ve traced with my tongue.

My cock begins to swell behind my dress pants, so I excuse myself to the bar, offering to bring a round of drinks.

I weave my way across the room, stopping to shake hands with a few other professors and the dean who seems rather agitated tonight.

Just as I make it to the opening that leads to the bar, I see who enters the ballroom from the corner of my eye. Elias Barcelo struts in, flanked by four men as usual. My eyes narrow; and my pulse thuds. His menacing dark eyes scan the room, and my fists clench. This motherfucker is here for one thing. And it’s not to give away his money. No. Elias Barcelo doesn’t have a humane bone in his body. He’s here for his own selfish gain.

He’s here to hunt.

My eyes move to Raven next, who’s got her camera up, facing the group of people huddled around the appetizer table. Without thinking, my feet move, my dress shoes pounding along the thin carpet. I’m almost to her when a hand lands on my forearm, stopping me from my pursuit.

Sasha blinks up at me. “I’d like a dirty martini please.”

I would shrug her off but, Gemma steps in front of me, a huge smile on her face as she calls out Raven’s name.