Raven's Desires (Night Hunters) (13 page)

Raven and her mother laughed.

“I’m going to make breakfast.”

Raven got up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She flicked on the lights and stared at herself in the mirror. At first she just looked normal, but then she noticed a little difference in her skin tone. She looked paler
—
her skin resembled a greyish color.

Turning her head she examined the two small marks on her neck where Kristian had bitten her. Surprisingly there were only two small red marks where his fangs had penetrated. She touched the marks, trembling at the sensation inside her. How could his bite marks do such a thing to her?

Raven looked back to the mirror and screamed at the flaming man standing behind her. She turned around backing up to the sink to try to get away from the man but no one was there.

After taking a couple of deep breaths she finally calmed herself.

“God, I’m losing my mind,” she whispered.

After calming herself enough to move again she slowly looked into the mirror, and then turned around to make sure that no one stood behind her. After looking into the mirror once again she let out a deep breath. If this was a slayer’s normal life she didn’t want it. Day after day, week after endless week of being stalked by demons was not something she looked forward to. She might not be ready for it, but she knew she had to embrace this new thing and be ready for anything that evil threw at her.

Raven decided not to think about the man in the mirror any longer. She had only a month left in school, and she was ready to graduate and start a new life
—a
life she knew would involve Kristian. No matter how much she denied it, she knew Kristian would be a great part of her life.

After a quick shower, Raven dressed and had some of her mother’s famous pancakes and coffee. She felt new and rejuvenated and ready for class.

* * * *

“Wow, that looks expensive,” Maxwell Conway, Raven’s classmate said as she got out of the car. “Whose car?”

Raven closed the door and immediately noticed the stares from the surrounding students. She’d never paid the car any attention but she was sure that a lot of them must know what type of vehicle it was.

“It’s a friend’s car, Conway.”

Maxwell walked beside her, giggling like always. Maxwell always liked being around her, ever since elementary school, when he used to pester her like a fly, always pulling her hair or pinching her. She finally got fed up with it in middle school and kicked his butt all over the gym. Ever since then he’d stop pulling her hair and pinching her, but then he started to just be around all the time. Like now, it was like he was waiting for her to show up. It didn’t bother her as much as it did a couple years ago. Lately, she even looked forward to her morning walks into the school with him.

A lot of people whispered about her and Max being a couple but it could never be. For one, he was about a foot shorter than she, making him about five-feet-six-inches. She didn’t like short men at all. Also, Max wasn’t a drop-dead handsome guy like Kristian. Hell, she doubted anyone was as handsome as Kristian, but Max was cute in his own way. Just not a man for her. She loved her men tall, handsome, blue eyes and blond hair. Now that was her type of man.

“That must be some friend, then.”

Raven placed her bag on her shoulder. “Why do you say that?”

Maxwell stopped beside her, turned then pointed at the car. “It’s not like we run into a lot of Aston Martins on the road, Raven. That car is a classic, a rich person’s car. Now, who is this friend of yours?”

Raven shrugged. “Just a friend.”

“Raven!” Cynthia Bradshaw, a friend
—
well kind of a friend, walked up to her.

Cynthia was like Maxwell. They’d sort of befriended her without her knowledge. She never made them go away because they were nice and friendly.

Raven put on her best
I am glad to see you
smile as the blonde walked up to her.

“Where were you? The school trip was awesome! The band Broken Promises left no broken promises. The guitar lead, Dylan, is a hunk! Oh my god, I just wanted to eat him up.” Cynthia finally looked at Maxwell. “Oh hiya, Max.”

Max didn’t speak but waved at Cynthia. Raven frowned at the way he always shied away or got quiet when Cynthia was around. Maybe her little Max had a major crush on Cynthia. With a little makeover she was sure Max could pull off being a stud.

“I heard the band is great. I even heard a couple of their songs. It didn’t really do it for me.”

“Are you nuts? That band is great! You need to give them another try.”

Raven shrugged her shoulders, not really caring about the band.

“Oh, you gotta hickey!” Cynthia’s voice almost startled her.

This chick had such a high pitch voice that it could put anyone on edge.

“What?” Raven said, but she already knew Cynthia meant the bite mark on her neck.

When she looked in the mirror and saw the faded bite mark she didn’t think anything of it. She did expect to see two tiny holes there, but there was no trace of skin breakage
—
just a spot where it appeared that someone gave her a major hickey.

“Here, silly,” Cynthia said as she touched Raven’s neck making her stomach cringe.

It didn’t hurt, but more like an electrical shock that went through her body, starting where Kristian had bitten her.

Raven slapped her hand away.

“I know I have a hickey,” Raven said while pulling her collar on her shirt up.

“Must be the same man who let you
borrow
his car,” Maxwell’s voice crackled with hurt as he spoke.

Raven looked at them both. She didn’t need to lie about it and maybe it would get Max off her back about dating.

“Okay, I can’t lie. I met this man and we have been dating for a while. I haven’t really talked about him much because I don’t know where this relationship is going.”

“Man?” Max repeated.

“Yes, Max, he is a man. He’s twenty-six and has a great job as a detective.”

“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t come on our trip? You claimed to have headaches but instead you were with this man?”

Raven sighed at the hurt in his voice.

“No, I was really sick that night. Kristian helped me through my pain.”

“I bet he did,” Max interrupted.

“Shut up, Max. Raven can date whoever she wants. You don’t have any dibs on her.”

“Yea whatever,” he said before storming off.

“Max, wait!”

Max didn’t stop walking away. He just kept going until he was out of her sight.

“I’m sorry, Raven, but Max needs to know that you are not his girlfriend and he can’t get upset every time a guy wants to talk to you.”

Raven heard Cynthia but she kept looking in the direction Max had stormed off. She didn’t want to hurt him like this.

“It’s all right, Cin. He will get over it.”

“Yea. So is this guy you are dating handsome?” She quickly changed the conversation.

Raven started walking again. Kristian was very handsome. She’d only known him for a few hours but she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since she left him. The kiss of all kisses had her on edge. The romance novels and romance books she had read had never described what she felt when she kissed him. The heaven and earth moved when Kristian touched her and she was sure that it would keep moving for her each and every time he touched her.

“He is—”

The sound of the bell made Raven sigh in relief. She really didn’t want to talk about Kristian. It’s not like she knew a lot about him and if anyone asked too many deep personal questions, she was afraid that she would have to lie to some of her friends. That’s not something she wanted to do.

“I’ll have to tell you later.”

“Ok. I’ll see you later, Raven.”

Cynthia walked off, her blonde ponytail bopping up and down as she moved.

Raven turned to look at Kristian’s car once again. The only thing she wanted right now was to jump in it and go back to him. She wondered what he was doing at this moment. Was he sleeping? Thinking about her? If not, what? Thought after thought flew through her mind.

After a few moments of debating, she decided that school was more important. She had only a short period to go and she would be able to make any decisions after she walked across that stage.

* * * *

“Kristian, are you going to sit here and stare out the window all day?” Shane spoke from behind him.

“And if I am, of what concern is it to you?”

Shane moved to stand beside him.

“Are you doing all right? Does this human have your mind in some distant, bastard land?”

Kristian rolled his eyes. Why must his friend be such a pest all the time? Yes, he was standing here hoping and wishing Raven would come back to him. Shane didn’t have to acknowledge it.

“Me a bastard?”

“Yes, you. And frankly I don’t like this way on you, Kris.”

Kristian turned to him. “Why not?”

“Like you don’t know it. Being an asshole is my role in this friendship. If you become one, then we are left without someone of reason to go to. That will doom us both.”

Kristian laughed.

“Are you telling me that you are jealous and think I’m going to take your spot?”

“Damn right I am! Now go back to sweet push over Blackburn before I have to step it up a notch and become a narcissistic asshole.”

“That’s different from being a regular asshole?”

Shane nodded. “Yes, a step above you.”

Kristian never got a chance to answer him before his and Shane’s cell phones went off. Opening his phone he saw a message from the council.

“We have to go.”

* * * *

Raven placed the backpack in her locker then froze when she got a strange feeling creeping up her spine. She turned quickly to see a guy wearing all black, which was a school dress code violation, making his way towards her. Raven studied him closely. He was tall, the same height as Kristian. He had short black hair and very dark eyes. His skin was pale, not so much he looked dead, just noticeable.

The man made his way up to her. Raven didn’t feel any danger from him, but she knew he was not human. The last bell rang for class and the last of the students scattered to get to their homeroom. Raven had not moved from her spot. Time seem to slow down as this guy walked towards her. Raven closed her locker when the guy was only a few feet from her.

He smiled, his teeth pure white. She couldn’t miss the two sharp looking ones in the top.

“You know what I am and know what you are. I just arrived back in the area last night and I wanted to give it another go at being a teenager.”

“Another go?”

“My sweet slayer.”

Raven froze in her spot. He knew exactly what she was and she was sure that this man was not a man at all.

“What are you?”

The guy looked her over once then he tilted his head.

“You know what I am. You bear the mark of a vampire. Hmmmm…I’m driven by this. You let a vampire bite you, or do you not know what you are?”

“Don’t get into my business. Who and what are you? I don’t have time for these games.”

“All a slayer has is time.” His gaze caught hers. “I am Alec Sullivan. I’m a six hundred year old vampire. And I wonder when slayers start letting vampires bite them willingly.”

Raven slapped his hand away when he tried to touch the mark on her neck.

“Go to class!” Raven turned to see Mr. Washington come from the other hallway.

Alec raised his hand and Mr. Washington stopped in his tracks and fell to the ground.

“What did you do to him?”

Raven turned to walk away to go check on her principal when an invisible force field stopped her in her tracks.

Feeling trapped, Raven felt an energy surge through her body. She took a step back and lifted her hands ready to defend herself if she had to. She had not had any training and she was sure that this six hundred year old vampire could kill her but she would go out with a fight.

“Wait, young slayer, I come in peace.” Alec raised his hands.

“What did you do to him? And what’s this thing?”

Raven touched the shield and it shimmered.

“I merely put him to sleep. He will wake up feeling like a million bucks. And this thing is only a protective barrier. We can see out but no one can see in. I don’t want to be interrupted again.”

“What do you want?”

“I know you don’t have much training but I know you know the difference between dangerous and non-dangerous feelings. You should not feel any danger with me because I have not come to harm you or anyone at this school.”

“And?” Raven pushed for more information.

“I knew what you were the first time I saw you and you know what I am. If you have not even been told what you are I’m sure I could have passed you and you wouldn’t have known what I was. But I thought that it would appropriate to introduce myself to a slayer, and again I say, who lets a vampire feed on her willingly?”