by Heather Karn
“No, and until she does, she’s vulnerable. I’m going to train her, and she’ll come on our less risky missions. Until she has her First Blood, know that if any one of you harms her, you’ll have to deal with me.”
Everyone nodded. Everyone except for Lee. He was still too busy staring. Unable to take his silence anymore, I dropped my gaze to the table.
“I didn’t know,” I whispered to him. “Raven told me during my Interview, and I wanted to tell you at the house, but there wasn’t time. I honestly had no idea.”
“And I don’t care. You’re still my sister.” His words had me looking up to face him. “If you didn’t know, then Mom and Dad don’t know either. Let’s keep it that way, shall we? At least until they get over the shock that we both made it into Elite training.”
“They’re never going to believe I made it,” I murmured, a smile growing across my lips. “And why should they? I can’t fight. We all know it.”
“You can’t fight yet,” Raven corrected. “By the time I’m done with you, there’s not a creature on this planet who will want to mess with you. It’s about time the females of our species took control back. It’s going to start with you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I muttered, and a chorus of chuckles followed.
Jackson reached for a pork chop with his fork. “Okay people, no one is defeating anyone today on an empty stomach. Eat up before all my hard work goes to waste.”
It didn’t take long to fill our plates, and I was shocked at how little food was left. Even Luella had her plate piled high. Shannon and I could have tied for the meagerest portion, and even I wasn’t sure I’d finish everything on my plate.
Raven left me alone to explore after lunch. I didn’t do much of it. Instead, I pulled one of the books I’d packed out of my suitcase and found a window seat on the first floor to read and bask in the sun. After everything that had gone down thus far today, I needed to forget about it all and enter the world of my imagination. That world was simpler, and less painful. I could be a warrior and not faceplant into a tile floor.
Dinner came before I knew it, but consisted of random finger foods that Shannon and Luella placed on the dining room table for anyone to snack on. Raven and I arrived at the same time, and he nodded toward my book as he picked up a plate.
“You like to read.”
Nodding at his statement, I chose to start with the cheese and crackers tray. “Yeah. Even though I have a picture perfect memory, I still love to reread my favorites. I wanted to learn how to play the drums, but it became obvious fairly quickly that I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, so while Lee went that route for a few years until he discovered technology, I settled into the book world to distract myself from his playing. Even when he quit, I didn’t.”
Raven nodded, scooping an amazing smelling bean dip onto his plate before reaching for some tortilla chips. “I see. You should look around after dinner and familiarize yourself with the house and yard. When I ask you to find someone, I want you to know where they are.”
Okay, it was the first day and already I was getting into trouble. He’d told me to relax, and I wanted to kick myself for forgetting his urging to explore the house. It seemed not every order from him would be packaged like one. Some would look like suggestions.
“Yes, Sir.”
With a grunt, Raven turned and left the room, heading back toward the game room and our basement home. Maybe that was his problem. He didn’t get enough Vitamin D from sitting in the sun. Also, it couldn’t be good for one’s personality to seclude yourself in a basement away from everyone else like that. He should have taken his food somewhere else to be with people. I had to remind myself that I barely knew the man and therefore had no right to judge him.
After I finished my finger food dinner, I went in search of Lee so that we could talk, but he was busy training with Avery and Jackson on the third floor. They offered to work with me too, but after being pummeled by Raven a few hours earlier, I declined. Raven had already let me know what awaited me tomorrow. It was better to save my energy for him.
A bit more exploring enlightened me that while the two men, and now Lee, lived on the third floor, the women lived on the second. I found Luella in their training area sharpening some knives. When she saw me, she looked up and grinned.
“Lost? Or taking the tour?”
“Just looking around,” I told her, unsure if I should approach or excuse myself. She answered that dilemma for me.
“Come here. We need some girl talk.”
Without any other choice, or a polite way to decline, I walked over to her, sitting in the open chair across the small table from her. The way she held the knife in her hand as she wiped it down after its maintenance proved this woman knew her way around a blade. I was sure Raven knew how to handle one just as well, but if I ever needed a second teacher, maybe I could stomach Luella long enough to have her teach me.
She looked up from the blade and grinned. “How’s Raven treating you?”
“Okay, I guess. I don’t know him yet, but so far he’s just been a bit grumpy.” I shrugged.
“Oh girl, that’s not grumpy. That’s his normal self. You’ll know when you see him grumpy.” Luella shook her head. “Make sure to avoid him when he gets that way or he’ll take your head off. Although,” she looked me over with an appraising stare and one side of her mouth lifted, “I’ve never seen him care for anyone like he seems to care about you. Maybe having a female around he can tolerate will help him calm down a bit and let loose.”
“He doesn’t care for me, and I’m not sure tolerate is the right word. I annoy him. He said so himself.”
“Everyone annoys him, especially if you’re a woman. It’s nothing personal. It’s why I said he can tolerate you better.” She picked up a new blade and inspected it. “He deals better with men. I tease him about his bromance with Avery and he growls, but there’s no menace behind it. I’m not sure what the history is between those two, but Raven trusts Avery. It took him far longer than you’d expect for him to trust the rest of us.”
“But you’re a team, right?”
“Yes. We’ve only been together a few years so we’re still working out the kinks, especially since I like to push his buttons and see how much of a rise I can get out of him.”
“And I tell her to be careful because you don’t know if you’ll finally hit the button to make him snap,” Shannon announced, coming up from behind me to stand next to the table where she inspected Luella’s progress. “He’s testy, but I’ve met a few other vamlure males, and they’ve been the same. I’m not sure if it’s a male thing or an overall resentment as a species for what the rest of us did to them in the Blood War.”
“Probably a bit of both,” Luella commented, setting the blade down beside its twin. “I guess what I want to say is, if he becomes too overbearing, let us know. You’re also his first trainee, so keep him on his toes. At least it’ll be entertaining for the rest of us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date.”
“Is it that human again?” Shannon asked her friend, grinning like a woman with a secret.
“Nope. He couldn’t keep up with me. This one’s a bear. A mutual friend set us up, so we’ll see how this goes. It’s dinner and a movie.”
“You cleared it with Raven, right?” Shannon asked, walking away. “You know how livid he was the last time you up and disappeared. It was way too awkward after that.”
“Yes, I already told him I was leaving. That man needs to ease up on his control issues.”
Shannon turned back to us when she reached the stairs, but continued walking backwards toward the other side of their floor. “He does it to protect us, don’t forget that. One day you’ll be glad he knows where you’re at when you run into trouble, and he doesn’t judge you when you decide to stay out all night.” She winked at Luella before disappearing through a doorway, which I assumed led to their living area.
Luella chuckled as she gathered up her weapons. “Time to change. See yo
u around, kid. Don’t let Raven be too hard on you. Shannon’s right about him. He means well.” She nodded her head and disappeared through the same doorway as her female companion, leaving me to show myself to the staircase.
With nothing better to do, I descended to my level. Now that I was more comfortable here, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to inspect my new home. I’d seen the obvious parts, but now subtle differences between this level and the rest of the house were clearer.
First, there were no windows. Even though it was the basement, and I was sure some areas were above ground, no windows had been built into the house’s design. That meant no sunlight could penetrate the area. It relied on dim, unnatural lighting. Then again, a vamlure lived down here. Maybe he didn’t like the sun much. After all, vamps couldn’t go into the sun, and vamlures were their cousins.
The next item I noticed were the dark colors. Every wall was painted a darker shade of green, blue, or brown. Even the flooring was a deep shade of brown, as was the ceiling tile. Had the house been this way before Raven moved in, or had he had some input in this design? Shaking my head, I made my way past the training area to our version of an apartment.
The kitchenette sported a full-sized fridge, but a mini fridge off to the side, near the TV of all places, caught my attention. Opening it, I found vials of blood. Each one contained a few swallows, and each was labeled. Bile rose in my throat when I read the descriptions. Avery, Jackson, and Luella were written on several. Then there were a few names that I didn’t recognize. Shannon’s name never appeared.
One vial caught my eye. It was in the door, and I twisted it to see the name listed. Raven. Why would he have a vial of his own blood? If there were more vials, or larger ones, I could see it as a way to provide himself more blood if he lost too much, but only one tiny container? Since I wasn’t sure I was supposed to be nosy and look in the fridge, I shut it, determined not to ask Raven about the contents unless he showed me the fridge.
Not knowing where the man was, I decided to start unpacking my belongings. The sooner I did, the sooner this place might start feeling like home. Or as much of a home as I would have for a while. Elite training could take years, and even after training was over, you weren’t guaranteed a permanent place to call your own home. Raven’s team was proof of that. Heading to my room, I closed the door to give myself a bit of privacy incase Raven walked past.
By the time I’d set my suitcase on the bed, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day. Staring at the clothes and items inside made my already tired muscles and brain feel fried. It was time to hit the sack. There was no doubt in my mind Raven started his day early, which meant I was likely to join him. He’d probably want to torture me more before breakfast.
“Pajamas. Of course I’d forget pajamas,” I moaned, throwing a pair of jeans onto the bed as I rifled through the suitcase to find my sleep clothes. Yes, I’d packed comfortable clothes and sweats, but I was pretty sure I’d need all of those for training. There was no way I would risk running out of clean workout clothes so I could sleep in them, and I wasn’t going to bed in my birthday suit, especially with Raven living down here with me. Jeans and a hoodie it was going to be until I could find a way to purchase something more comfortable.
Raven cleared his throat, and I turned to find him standing in my open doorway. Apparently closed doors didn’t mean much down here. “Don’t you know how to knock?” I almost shrieked. “I could’ve been half naked.”
He shrugged. “I heard you say you forgot something to sleep in. Will this work?”
I eyed the clothes he held up and narrowed my gaze at him. “You just so happened to hear me or were you eavesdropping?”
“I was walking past your room, and I have excellent hearing. You will too when you finally mature. Now, do you want these or not?”
“What is it?” I held out my hands and he handed over a large t-shirt and a pair of workout shorts that would be way too big on me around the waist. But they were better than nothing. “Yeah, these will work. Thank you.”
“Get some sleep, and be up by five. Training starts no later than six.” With that, he was gone, closing the door behind him. Of course there was no lock on the door handle. Privacy appeared to be a thing of the past.
Moving my suitcase to the floor, I grabbed my toothbrush and headed for my private bathroom. By some miracle, I wouldn’t have to share a bathroom here, especially with Raven. Once my teeth were clean, I changed into the shirt Raven had given me. The shorts weren’t going to work. They kept slipping off, but the shirt was long enough to cover me, even if it only came down to my upper thigh. Throwing the shorts aside, I climbed into bed, setting my alarm for five o’clock before closing my eyes on the longest day of my life.
Happy birthday to me.
Chapter 6
A hand grabbed my arm, startling me out of a deep sleep. Shrieking, I lashed out at my attacker, but he grabbed my wrist, holding me still. Hot breath coated my cheek before a silky voice rumbled in my ear.
“Get dressed. You have five minutes to be battle ready. This is not a drill.” Raven released me, moving from the room so fast I swore he had wings. If I wasn’t positive he was a vamlure, I would’ve sworn he was a dragon shifter.
Knowing Raven’s strictness for keeping to his time table, I leapt out of bed, turning the bedside lamp on so I could see what I was doing. Raven had the decency to shut the door behind him as he’d left, which was a blessing. Since I didn’t have a uniform yet, my personal clothes would have to do for this mission. Jeans were the best option for pants and a t-shirt was the first top that met my hands when I dug through my suitcase. I should have unpacked last night instead of being lazy.
The duffle bag was in the bathroom and I took out what I needed to tie my hair into a ponytail. If there had been time, I would’ve braided it. Splashing some water in my face, I dried off and headed from the room. I hadn’t kept a timer running, but I was certain my time was almost up.
“Are you ready?” Raven asked, emerging from his room wearing the same style clothing as yesterday, with a leather jacket covering his bare arms.
“As I’ll ever be,” I told him, ready to follow my trainer to our destination.
He appraised me for a moment before his lips pressed into a thin line. Disappearing back into his room, Raven returned a few seconds later carrying a wide, thin, wooden box. I watched with expecting eyes as he set the box on the coffee table in front of one of the couches and opened it. My gasp was audible as I stared at the knives laying inside on a bedding of black silk. They were beautiful, or the hilts were. The blades were all sheathed.
“Here. You need weapons.” Raven handed me the largest of the knives, and I took it. Taking the hilt, I pulled it free of the sheath to study the blade. It was perfect, or as perfect as a knife could be, and it fit my hand better than any knife ever had. Even the hilt’s design was gorgeous.
“Are you sure you want me to take this? What if it gets damaged?” I almost handed the blade back to him, but the stern expression in his eyes as he held two more knives out to me stayed my hand.
“I’d rather have the knives damaged than you. Use them. They’re yours now.”
Within minutes, I was dressed for battle, complete with boot knives, knives strapped to my thighs, and two on my hips. I wasn’t sure what Raven expected me to do with them. He’d never seen me handle weapons. Sure, knives were my best weapons, but I still couldn’t use them well. If I ran into trouble, whoever was attacking would likely be able to use my weapons against me. But now wasn’t the time to mention that to him.
Raven stalked from the room when my weapons were in place, and I followed after him. He grabbed a sword from where it hung on the wall on his way past the weapons area and slung it on his back over the leather jacket. I was positive that wasn’t his only weapon, but I couldn’t tell where the rest were hidden on his person.
He led us upstairs to the main foyer where everyone but Luella waited, already armed and ready to go.
Even Lee stood beside Avery, two throwing axes hanging from his belt. Avery carried a small crossbow while Shannon wore a sword like Raven’s. Jackson didn’t carry any weapons that I saw, but as a wolf shifter, he was a weapon. If Avery ran into trouble, he could always throw aside the crossbow and bolts before shifting. Since his trainee couldn’t shift, he was likely to stay human during a fight for as long as he could manage.
“Let’s go,” Raven ordered, and the others followed after us as our leader led the way to the multi-car garage.
Once inside, he walked to a wall with keys hanging on pegs. He grabbed a set and tossed them to me and pointed to a black Suburban next to his large truck.
“You’re driving.”
My eyes bugged as the rest moved toward the SUV. “Me?”
“Do you know how to drive?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you. Get in.”
I didn’t ask any more questions as I climbed in behind the wheel and began adjusting the seat and mirrors. Raven took the copilot chair before reaching across me to press the garage door opener which hung on the sun visor above my head. While the door opened, I finished settling in. Once finished, I took a deep, settling breath and turned the key with a shaky hand. My heartbeat raced as the engine turned over.
“Where are we going?”
“Follow these directions.” Raven set his phone inside a clip that attached to the dashboard. The GPS was all set to go, and linked with the car’s Bluetooth, as a woman’s voice directed me to turn right when I crept the SUV toward the gated driveway exit.
“So, what are we looking at boss?” Avery laughed from the first row of seats. “It must be something fun for you to wake us up at one in the morning to go hunting.”
Raven turned in his seat to pin Lee in his stare. “Boy, what do you know about ghouls?”
My heart leapt. We’d studied ghouls this year, and never during our lessons did I ever think I’d come into contact with one. They weren’t few in number, but they tended to stay better hidden than other supernatural creatures. Like vampires and werewolves, ghouls weren’t picky about what species they killed, making them a threat to everyone, and actually landing them on the Threat list of categories. If a ghoul had been spotted, it was going on a killing spree.
