The Blackthorn Saga: The Heir (Book 1)

The fog rolling off the ocean covered the dark road like a blanket. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing off the side of the mountain like an eerie warning. His eyes darkened and adjusted to his surroundings as he sped down the road. It wasn’t a good night to be out on the streets, but finding them was the difference between life and death.

The pain slicing through his heart when he discovered she’d left, was a physical reminder of what he’d lost. He shook his head and clenched his jaw tightly. He couldn’t lose them, especially not him. From the moment she’d said those words, “I’m pregnant,” his love had been instant.

His phone rang, the sound cutting through the thick silence that surrounded him. It wasn’t her name on the screen though, not that he thought she’d call him and explain.

“Carter,” he answered.

“What the hell’s going on? The guards said you sped away like a bat out of hell.”

“She saw me.”

“She saw you? What the fuck are you talking about? Saw what?”

He had to keep the growl out of his voice. “Selene. She saw me kill Gustav. She’s running, Carter … with him. She’s scared and confused. The fog’s taking over. She’s going to get herself killed and my son with her!”

“Shit, Cain. She saw you drinking from him? Where were the guards? Why the fuck was she even down in the dungeon?”

“I don’t know!” Cain snapped, his anger tasting bitter and lethal.

“I’m an hour away. What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. I should’ve eased her into it. You should’ve seen her face, Carter. She was fucking afraid of me, liked I’d hurt her.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. “What happened with your meeting?”

“The test was positive. Muriel’s parents want the wedding to happen before she starts to show, which will be any day now.”

“I’m glad one bonding’s working out. I’ll call you when I find her. Find out where the fuck those dungeon guards were and how Selene got past them. I might have to kidnap her to get her back home.”

“Be careful, Cain, it’s not a good night to be out on the road,” Carter said.

“Like I don’t know that. If I can’t see shit then she can see less. This is my son we’re talking about.”

“We’ll talk later.”

His phone landed on the passenger seat as he focused his gaze back on the road, willing the fog to pull back so he could see where he was going.

The moose appeared from nowhere, the horns appearing first, cutting through the fog as Cain tapped on his brakes. The hood of his car crumpled as if it hit a wall head-on, crushing metal, breaking glass, and spinning the car out of control.

There was no time to react, not even with his reflexes. His eyes widened as the moose disappeared from view, his car coming to a stop against the bark of an old paper birch tree, the force making the tree sway.

Cain groaned as he opened his eyes. His left leg was caught beneath the steering wheel, the pain shooting through his muscles and tendons informing him that he was trapped.

His phone wasn’t on the passenger side anymore and he wiped the blood from the side of his face. It was dripping onto his thigh, the gash not healing yet.

“Carter will come,” he whispered to himself. He leaned his head back against the seat, having no other option than to wait. He could physically feel Selene slipping away, the bond with his son pulling tighter.

A shadowy figure emerged from the fog and Cain squinted his eyes. The figure moved slowly, almost carefully. “Selene?” He blinked his eyes, his vision impaired by blood, a concussion, and the never-ending darkness around him.

“You should have stayed away,” she said softly.

The man at her side sneered at him and Cain’s gaze narrowed. “You.”

“It’s the end of the road, Cain.”

“Fuck you, you’ll never win.”

His hands gripped Cain’s head and the snap of his neck echoed in the stillness of the woods. His head lolled to the side, his eyes still open as they stared into the void of eternal darkness.

“We should leave before they come looking for him,” she said.

The two figures blended with the darkness, the fog rolling over Cain’s body, engulfing him in a final farewell as his body cooled and the ticking of his engine died down.

The minutes ticked by and by the time headlights cut through the shroud of fog, nature had taken over and replaced the scents on Cain’s body, the predominant scent of coppery blood was all that remained.

“Cain!” Hurried footsteps could be heard on the tarred road, Carter’s breath puffing in white clouds as he ran toward the crumpled up car, sagging to his knees in the dirt as he stared into Cain’s lifeless eyes.

A sob escaped his throat, the sound hollow, pain-filled and raw. It took hours before the emergency services arrived and cut Cain’s body free. The car was towed away, the ambulance slowly driving back to the hospital. Carter’s eyes darkened, knowing his brother was in the back, resting in a body bag, his body broken beyond repair.

It didn’t take long for the call to be answered. “Ravenwood.”

“Nathaniel … it’s Cain.”

“No.” The voice on the other end cracked, the pain evident as the man screamed out his pain.

“It looks like he lost control of his car. The fog made it almost impossible to see.”

The man cleared his throat. “Where’s my grandson?”

“I don’t know, Nathaniel. Selene ran. Cain was looking for her.”

“I’ll be there in a few hours. Have Cain’s body released. Find out what happened to my son and find out where Selene took the baby.”

The call ended and Carter wiped the stray tears from his eyes. It was a bleak start to the new day as the sunlight filtered through the trees, the sun rising over the horizon. Carter knew nothing would ever be the same again. His loss was too great… it was too much. The pain in his soul was taking over and he could feel it engulfing him. A part of him died that day as well, a piece of his soul remaining behind in the woods, tethered to the stripped bark of the birch tree as it leaned against its neighbor.

Cain Ravenwood was dead and his son was missing.