Raven's Desires (Night Hunters) (17 page)

Kristian let out a long laugh when Shane turned on his side on the floor when Raven walked over him. She walked up to Kristian and gave him a quick kiss before standing beside him.

“When I get the feeling back in my nuts I’m gonna kill you!”

Kristian held back the laughter bubbling inside him. Raven had projected doing that to Shane and he saw it way before she opened the door.

“You should have given me back my shirt. I don’t like being walked in on while I’m half naked.”

“Fuck…you…” Shane rolled onto his other side as he spoke.

“Not you.”

Shane snarled then jumped from the floor at Raven. Kristian knew that Shane was hurt, but he would not do anything to harm Raven, even with her kicking him in the balls, but he did want to scare her.

Raven moved away from Shane before he made contact, letting him run into the dresser. Instead of screaming, she took her elbow and jammed it into Shane’s back. Shane growled and turned over. He at lunged Raven again, this time connecting. They both went to the ground hard. Kristian decided this would be a fun thing to watch. If Shane got too rough with Raven, then he would intervene.

“Careful, Shane, she might beat your ass,” Kristian taunted.

Shane sat on top of Raven, holding her down with one arm. “If Raven beats me you can slap me and call me Susan.”

Raven lifted her legs, tossing Shane over her shoulders and onto his back. She pushed up and the moment his back touched the ground she sat on his chest.

“Holy shit!” Shane said as Raven leaned down and grabbed his shirt.

Raven smiled.

“All right, Susan.” Raven slapped Shane hard. “Next time you come into a room, you need to knock!”

Kristian laughed so hard that he couldn’t think straight.

“Enough,” Arthas said from the doorway.

Raven snarled at Shane before standing and releasing his shirt and standing.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Arthas asked.

“Nothing serious,” Shane said as he stood.

Arthas lifted an eyebrow. “Nothing? The slayer had you pinned to the floor and was slapping you while calling you Susan and you say nothing?”

“Maybe he deserved it, dear,” Jana said from behind Arthas.

“No, I said nothing serious.”

“Raven?” Arthas questioned.

“It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

“Ah, the slayer is becoming as she must. I’m impressed that you took down an eight hundred year old vampire.”

Shane snorted. “I was only playing with her.”

Yes, he was playing with her, but Kristian knew that Shane was surprised when Raven got the upper hand on him. That made him proud to see her in action on her own.

“Very well. I will let you three get back to your unusual play. I was in the area and instead of calling I decided to stop by to make sure the slayer was safe.”

“I assured you that I would keep her safe and I have,” Kristian told him.

“I had no doubts. My next concern is that an hour ago, two of my men found two freshly-dead bodies in the woods here.”

“Really? How fresh?” Kristian asked.

“Maybe two hours or less.”

“Alec?” Raven said.

“Alec Sullivan? Is that who you are referring to?” Arthas questioned.

“Yeah. I met him today and left a message for you at the Council.”

“Oh yes, I read your message and I sent for him the moment I did. They say he was leaving Meadville High School when they spotted him. He did not resist and came in.”

“So he’s been there all this time?”

“Yes, I called the Council the moment the bodies were discovered and they said that he had been there for a while.”

“So it couldn’t have been him,” Kristian pointed out.

“Get her trained and I want you to go out tonight and see if you can find any leads to who did this. There is a vampire in this town who I dare to show his face for killing.”

“Yes, sir,” Kristian said.

“Have a good day and, slayer, don’t beat up on Shane too much. He does not know when to stop.”

Raven looked at Shane then back to Arthas.

“I do promise not to kill him, but I don’t promise that I won’t break a rib or two in the process.”

“Oh, I like that. Slayers are so powerful once they have accepted their fate,” Arthas said before leaving.

Kristian took Raven’s hand to make her look at him. His little slayer was not so little anymore. With each passing moment Raven’s mind, body and soul were changing. Her fears would be a thing of the past. Her body would become stronger than his. Her soul would be, as they said, no more. She would be the same person, but fearless, one who thought nothing could take her down.

“Kristian, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. We have about six hours until dark
—
care to go watch a movie or do you want to beat up on Shane some more?”

“The part of beating up Shane is tempting, but I would have more fun with you.”

“Screw you both. As soon as I get the feeling back in my balls, it’s on, Raven.”

“Promises, Promises.”

Raven proceeded out the door. Kristian wanted to suggest they stay in here, lock the door this time, and make love, but he had a lifetime to make love to his mate. Now, he had to try to get her to control the changes in her body.

* * * *

Raven snuggled closer to Kristian on the couch. He lay on his back with her on her stomach, half on him and half on the couch. As the movie went on, Kristian would caress her arm or back with his hand, and frankly it drove her mad. She had hoped that he would ask her to stay in the bedroom but he hadn’t. She knew that Kristian wanted to take it slow but this was moving backwards. Something had begun to boil inside her and she didn’t want it to stop.

The whole thing with Shane kept replaying over and over in her mind. The old Raven was dying and this new and improved Raven was coming to life. She felt that she could take him out, and she had.

“Kristian?”

“Yes?”

“Tell me about you. We were about to have sex after not even forty-eight hours of knowing each other, and I don’t know much about you.”

Kristian sighed. “There’s not much to tell you about me. I’m a four-hundred and twenty-six year old vampire with a very boring lifestyle.”

“Why don’t I believe that your life is boring? What aren’t you telling me, Mr. Blackburn?”

Kristian laughed, his body vibrating as he did. It felt so good to be lying next to him. To her, nothing could get better than this.

“I’m not lying to you.”

“What about your parents? Would they accept you dating a younger female? A black female at that?”

“Yes and no.”

“No?”

“That’s something difficult to explain, and I really don’t want to get into it right now. Just know that as long as I accept you, that’s all that matters.”

Raven sat up on her arms, looking up at him.

“Are you saying that they will not accept me?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying, Raven.”

“Then what? I know there is something between us that I have no idea about, but I need to know who I have to defend myself from.”

“Defend? Wait, Raven, you are misunderstanding me. My family’s bloodline is very rare, and my parents have this expectation of our family. No half breeds or humans have ever had the name Blackburn. Yes, it’s going to be difficult for them to accept, but they will have to. One day I hope to have children of my own and I will accept their mates no matter whom or what species they are.”

“Children? Are you telling me that vampires are able to have children?”

“Yes. We have working, functioning bodies. Our hearts beat and push the blood through our bodies just like a normal human. We can eat, which really doesn’t do much for our health, and our bodies break down every drop of food for very little energy. Blood sustains us and keeps us alive.”

“Why does the sun bother you? All the other myths I heard about vampires are false. You know the mirror trick and garlic, but why is the part about the sun true?”

Raven lay back on his chest when he pulled her to him. The closeness made her feel calm again.

“You know, Raven, after many centuries, we have not figured that out yet. Vampire’s blood is different from humans. If it is exposed to natural sunlight, it boils. Whoever made the very first vampire had to know what he or she was doing. He wanted a creature like me to not be able to live a normal human life.”

“That’s interesting. I’m glad I know about you being able to have children.”

“Why?”

“I’m not interested in having any kids right now. I am just living
—
and to get pregnant, what would that be like with you? I’m a slayer and you are a vampire.”

“There are hybrids as I told you. A vampire can get a human pregnant. Not very common, but there are a few running around.”

“Is Shane a hybrid?”

“Yes, Shane was turned by a female a long time ago. She left him once Shane could not show that he was able to keep his sexual need for other women under control.”

Raven laughed.

“Can you?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know, control you sexual need?”

“I’m not interested in other women and now that I have you, I may never want to be with anyone but you. My worry is that I don’t want you to get bored with me. I would be extremely jealous if a man so much as touched you or if you were interested in another. But one day if it comes that you want to leave
—
and I hope it’s many centuries from now
—
know that I will always care for you.”

Kristian’s words made her want to cry. This man who had changed her in just a few hours made her feel like she could have it all. But right now, all she wanted in her life was Kristian.

“And all I want is you,” he said.

Raven breathed in then settled closer to him.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

“About?”

“My mom may not like the thought of me dating an older man. When she thought you were sixty she freaked. What would she do if I told her your real age?”

“Maybe try to put you away for a very long time in a crazy house. You do know that you can’t go around talking about what you are or what we are?”

“Yes, I know. I thought about it, but then it came to me that not everyone would take this as I have. Scientists would give their right arm to examine something like us to find out what gives us everlasting life.”

Raven closed her eyes when he stroked her hair.

“You are right.”

“This feels so relaxing, being here with you.”

“Yes it does.” Kristian breathed out.

Raven watched television, and the feel of Kristian’s arms around her made her feel so safe. Soon her eyes fluttered close and she drifted into a light sleep.

Chapter 8

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you did that!” The sound of Veronica’s voice woke Raven from her sleep.

“You dared me and I did,” Shane answered.

Raven groaned and opened her eyes to see Shane and Veronica walking by the living room area. She smiled when Kristian’s arm tightened around her waist.

“How long was I sleeping?”

“About an hour.”

“Why didn’t you wake me? We were supposed to be watching a movie and talking.”

“You were tired and needed to sleep.”

Raven stretched. “I guess so.”

“Looky what we have here,” Veronica’s voice made Raven look up. “A vampire and his whore.”

Raven shook her head. What had Veronica just said? She couldn’t have heard her right.

“You heard me, bitch. Now stop fucking around and let me out of this fucking place!”

“What?”

Raven pushed herself off Kristian, who hadn’t said a word about what Veronica had said. She looked back at Kristian but jumped up when she noticed she lay on the man of flames. He laughed.

“What’s wrong honey, I’m too hot for you?”

Veronica and the guy of flames both began to laugh. The walls and the floor fell away from Raven leaving only a tiny space for her to stand on. Walls of fire blazed up around her. She could hear people screaming down below her. When she looked down she saw nothing but fire.

“I will see you soon!”

Raven looked up to see a large creature with gray skin and silver eyes looking down at her. His eyes changed from silver to red.

“I am going to eat you alive, slayer!”

“Fuck you!”

The demon laughed at her outburst. “I don’t do that with outsiders, but if you need to be fucked I have many willing slaves that would fuck you daily while you are here with me.”

“I will never be here!”

A wind built around her, swirling faster and faster until she knew it would knock her off the small piece of floor she stood on.