Bereft: Demise

58 | Of Wrath's Reckoning

I was almost to the foyer when I answered the call and held the phone to my ear. "What?"

"Hello. Is this Sara?" 

It wasn't my mother. The voice who spoke from the other end of the line was male and vaguely familiar. I wondered if it was one of her coworkers, and a plethora of scenarios that would require a coworker to call Eleanor's daughter played through my mind. Was she hurt? A weight settled in the pit of my stomach.

"Yes, this is Sara."

"Good. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet, but we will very soon. My name is Sethan."

I missed the bottom step and caught myself on the newel—the newel I had clung to when I'd almost bled to death. Open-mouthed and breathless, I was at a loss for words and didn't immediately respond. 

The Sin of Wrath. Sethan was calling from my mother's phone. 

Darius. I need Darius—!

I twisted in place with the phone forgotten at my ear, but when Sethan began to speak, his words anchoring me in place. They poured into my ear like saccharine poison, and I comprehended why his voice was familiar. It was reminiscent of Darius's, an example of what Pride's voice would be like if he lost all his anger and his arrogance and was left with nothing but calm, emotionless grace.

"You're thinking of running to my brother. You aren't sure what's happening, what my contacting you means—but I warn you, mortal girl. Approach Darius, and their lives are forfeit."

Their. Their lives. Did—did he have my father as well?!

I rose a step upon the stairs, still looking to the landing and the office door I knew lay just out of sight. If Sethan was calling me from Eleanor's phone, if he somehow had my parents, had found them and hurt them—

My lungs burned for air that wouldn't come. I hadn't taken a breath since answering the phone. Pride would know what to do, or Peroth, or even Amoroth. Someone else would know how to handle this.

"Look behind you."

I did, if only because I sensed a presence standing too near. My heart must have stopped in that moment, because when it started beating again, all I could hear was its thunder.

Roman Barnaby stood in my shadow. The vampire had his arms wrapped around himself, his fingers crimped upon his shoulders as tremors rolled through him. His eyes were wide, red, and totally unseeing. Blood welled and dripped from the impressions left by his fangs in his bottom lip.

"He's strong, despite his appearance, and has been gorging upon Sloth's blood. Cuxiel must have realized using his own blood subverts the taint of mine and mitigates the strength of my Call. Alas, proximity is king, and with me so near...the boy had no other recourse but to submit."

"Roman...." I choked on the vampire's name. Tears formed smeared rivers upon his pale face as the skin about his eyes marbled with black veins. The pain in his mind brought on by his Night Father's presence was evident.

"If you take one step toward my brother or Sloth or his wench, I'll know. And I will kill your parents."

"Why?" I demanded, wanting to back up, not daring to test Wrath's resolve. "Why are doing this? You've no reason to hurt them!"

Sethan didn't answer my questions. I heard his quiet breath buffet the receiver as Roman watched with unblinking eyes. "You're going to walk out to the road. You're not going to say a word to anyone."