First Blood (The First Blood Series Book 1)

by Heather Karn

  Raven nodded. “Yes. We’ll discuss this on the way home. If you have everything you need, we’ll be on our way.”

  We bid our farewells to Oscar and started toward the door when it burst open and Clara collided with Raven, who caught her before she fell to the ground after bouncing off of him. He didn’t even budge, but considering his size and strength, that wasn’t surprising. When she was settled on her feet, Raven released her and backed away, leaving her wide eyes to travel the length of him to rest on his face, particularly his eyes.

  “Umm, I’m sorry?” she sputtered, making the statement a question. Shaking off whatever thoughts and emotions were tumbling through her head, Clara tucked loose strands of her long, auburn hair behind her ear before meeting Raven’s eyes again. “I’m so very sorry, Sir.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping closer and gaining her attention before Raven could respond. “Where’s the fire?”

  Her eyes grew wider. “I forgot to turn the stove off this morning. I remembered during my class.”

  Oscar chuckled from where he stood, leaning against the kitchen doorway. “Way ahead of you. I noticed right after you left so I turned off the burner. You were acting really weird this morning. You okay?”

  My witch friend nodded, releasing the breath she’d been holding. “Yeah, I’m fine. Big test today in one of my classes. I think I passed it. I’ll have to wait to find out for sure.”

  When my eyes narrowed on her, Raven noticed, but remained quiet. Clara may not have had a photographic memory like I did, but she wasn’t stupid. She rarely worried about tests, no matter how big. There was something else at work, and even Lee and Oscar sensed it, but no one called her out on it. Her family life wasn’t the greatest, so maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe something had happened at home. She never talked about it, or confided in any of us, but we all knew something was up.

  “Are you leaving?” Clara squeaked, backing away from Raven and closer to me. He was intimidating for anyone, but especially my hedge witch friend. Next to him, she was miniscule. Yes, I dwarfed her in size because of my height, but Raven had far more mass than I did. By her voice, I wasn’t sure if Clara wanted us to leave right that moment or if she was just picking up on the vibes that we’d been heading out the door.

  “We were about to leave.” I choked on the last word and coughed several times, leaving my eyes watering when the burning in my throat turned to a sharp sting. “I just need a drink.”

  Clara squeezed past Oz and a few seconds later a cupboard door slammed shut and the kitchen faucet ran. When she reappeared, she carried a tall glass of water. The moment it was in my hand, I guzzled it down. Too bad the water didn’t seem to help, and I choked on it as the sting grew worse.

  “Thanks,” I croaked, trying to hide the fact the water hadn’t helped a bit with my dilemma.

  “Here, take a water bottle just in case,” Clara ordered, opening the closet door behind me to pull a water bottle from the case on the floor where she usually kept it stashed. She was a believer in emergency preparedness, and so that meant there were cases of water in the house. Right now, she was down to one, which meant she’d be stocking up again soon.

  “Are we ready?” Raven growled, his patience gone. My five minute packing job hadn’t lessened the time he’d be waiting on me.

  Clara flinched under his hard stare, and as much as I wanted to stand up for my friend and tell him to back off, I knew better already. Raven may have times where he wasn’t so grumpy or in such a foul mood, but those were almost deceiving. The real question was, which personality type was the real Raven? Not that it mattered. I was already picking up on signals, and right now it was time to leave.

  After giving Clara a quick hug, I waved farewell to Oscar before leading the way out of the house. This time, the apprehension of leaving wasn’t nearly as bad, mostly because I was too distracted by guzzling more water to relieve the aching in my throat. When we returned to the mansion, my first stop would be the kitchen to grab some ice. Hopefully the chill of the melting water would numb my throat better than lukewarm water.

  As I climbed in behind the wheel after tossing my backpack to Lee, I set the water aside and started the engine. Yes, this situation mimicked when Raven brought me here to grab my belongings our first day together, but I wouldn’t let that get to me. Tonight would not turn out like the first night on the job when I faced the ghoul. It couldn’t. Unlike Oscar, I wasn’t part cat. I didn’t have nine lives to start ticking off.

  Chapter 16

  Shannon and Luella were cooking in the kitchen when I snuck in for a glass of water before dinner. I’d emptied the water bottle Clara gave me on the way from my old home to the new one, but I was still thirsty. The cool liquid didn’t seem to help, but I drank what I could stomach anyway. Before I left the kitchen, I snagged a few crackers and headed downstairs to my room, intent on calling my mother.

  Raven had other ideas.

  “Sit,” he directed, pointing to one of the couches in our small living area.

  I didn’t comment on the order being like one you’d give a dog, but sat, nibbling on my crackers. Raven surprised me when he sat on the edge of the coffee table, his thighs on either side of mine since there wasn’t much space and both of our legs were long. Heat radiated in the space between our pants, and I perked up. I hadn’t sat this close to a man in quite a while, if ever.

  He held a water bottle out to me. “Still thirsty?”

  Taking the bottle, I opened it and took a few swallows to wash down the crackers. Dry, salty food probably wasn’t the best idea to eat at a time like this, but I was hungry. Like before, the water didn’t help. The itch grew worse, and my mouth was drier than it had been seconds ago.

  “Did that help?” Raven asked, a glint in his eyes telling me he already knew the answer to his question.

  “No. I don’t understand. No matter how much I drink, I’m still so thir-.” My mouth clamped shut. How had I not noticed this before? How had I drank and drank with no relief and not thought anything about this? “What’s happening to me, Raven? You know, so you’d better tell me before I start to panic.”

  “By the look in your eyes, you already know.”

  “Blood.” My whispered word sounded hoarse as my throat constricted. Raven nodded, his lips forming a grim line.

  “Yes. Your maturity is nearly complete. It was still a few weeks off when you joined us yesterday, but I believe the adrenaline and fear from the night of the ghoul attack pushed the final changes through your body much quicker. It happens, so that’s nothing to worry about.”

  I swallowed, feeling the itch turn into a burn. Now that I knew what was causing the burning thirst, I couldn’t focus away from my need to drink. It was going to drive me crazy.

  “What do I do now?”

  A smirk lifted Raven’s lips like I’d asked something funny. “Now, you drink.” He stood and moved to the mini fridge and took out one of the blood vials I’d already noticed inside. When he returned to me, he held a vial with his name written on the side. “It’s best if your first drink comes from a vamlure. Not to say that human or shifter blood wouldn’t be as effective, but they don’t taste the same, nor do they have the same nutrients in them that young vamlure need.”

  I stared at the tiny vial, but didn’t take it. “That’s not much blood.”

  “You don’t need much. Young vamlure can’t judge the correct blood amount right away. Most tend to overdose their first few feedings.”

  I stared up at him, shocked at what he was saying. “Feedings?”

  Raven rubbed his brow with his free hand. “It’s the term for drinking blood. Long ago, before the ability to take blood from the body without using our teeth, we had to bite people, just as vampires still do. Since it was the same method as a vampire feeding, the name was the same, and it hasn’t changed since.”

  “So, how much do I drink?”

  He lifted the vial closer to me, but I still refused to take it. �
��This should do for now. If you’re still thirsty, a second vial should suffice. Never drink more than two vials at a time, and never more than that within four hours. We aren’t vampires. We need the blood, but not to the extent in which they take it. Any more than two at a time and you’ll end up in a drunken state. It’s not deadly, but it opens you up to danger since you can’t protect yourself.”

  My eyes found the vial still sitting in his outstretched hand. The red liquid reflected in the fluorescent lighting and my stomach turned and cramped with need while my brain backpedaled in disgust. It was the liquid of life for me, but it was still blood.

  “What does it taste like?” I squeaked, trying not to let the revulsion I was feeling show on my face or in my voice.

  “It’s sweet, like honey, only a thinner texture.” He eyed me like he knew exactly what I was feeling. “Having been born and raised human, this must be odd for you. Actually, probably far more than odd. It goes against everything you’ve been taught. You can always mix it with fruit juice. The juice hides the flavor.”

  Raven held my stare as I cocked my head at him. “How do you know that?”

  He grinned, showing off his short fangs, which were slightly longer now that blood was around. “Most people don’t like to watch a blood drinker tip back a vial of blood like they would a shot. It’s easier to mask that you’re drinking it if the blood matches the color of the juice, and no one is any the wiser.”

  One side of my lips lifted in a wry smile at his description, but it fell just as fast. “Raven, I can’t.”

  His eyes darkened. “Why not?”

  “I’m not ready. I only found out a few days ago that I’m a blood drinker, and now, now I’m supposed to drink blood. Can you tell me what it’ll do to me? Will I always crave it this badly?”

  With a long, loud sigh, Raven leaned back, toying with the vial between his hands. “No, you will not always crave blood. It’s the worst it will ever be before you take your first drink. After that, it’s manageable, and if you drink at least once or twice a month, you’ll be fine. For us, being in the Elite, it’s best if we drink at least twice a week, or more as necessary.”

  “Why the difference?”

  “The more often we drink, the stronger our bodies become. If we don’t drink, we are as weak, or weaker, than humans. Eventually, without the added nutrients we receive from other’s blood, we’ll die, but that takes over a year, and it’s a painful way to die. As Elite, we need to always be at our strongest, and the more we assert ourselves physically, the more nutrients we require. So, let me adjust my statement: it would take a normal vamlure over a year to die. For us, if we continued at the pace of a normal Elite, we’d be dead within six months without the proper nutrients.”

  I tossed that thought around in my head, shrinking away from it. So, I would have to drink blood eventually, or I’d die. Neither option sounded tantalizing, but of the two, I really didn’t want to die. But nothing said I had to drink it tonight, or even tomorrow.

  “How long do I have before I have to drink? Before I would die?”

  His eyes darkened even further, the magenta gleam in them taking on a vicious glint. “You’ll drink before you die. You won’t be able to help it, and I won’t let you die.” The threat in his cold voice was evident, but I shook my head. He’d misunderstood.

  “I’m not saying I want to die. But I want to know if I have a few days to prep myself for this?”

  “Yes. I would guess you have no more than a week before your body drives you to drink. And until you do, I won’t allow you to join in the missions. You’ll be stuck to the car, and this time, you stay there. No bathroom breaks.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  My head fell into my hands. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I pushed all thought aside. A few days ago I wanted nothing more than to land a punch to Lee’s face because he’d dumped me on my butt so fast in our pre-Interview sparring. Now I wanted to go back to that time and choose to run away so that I never had to take that stupid Interview.

  “You don’t have to drink this now. I’ll put it back in the fridge until you’re ready. Remember, drink my blood first. It’s sweeter. Oh, and never take blood from Shannon. Luella’s is bad enough since it’s so bitter, but Shannon’s true magic makes her blood toxic.”

  “So don’t drink from witches?”

  “Don’t drink from any true magic user. If you ingest too much of their blood, it will kill you, and it won’t be painless. An elemental magic user is safe, though their blood tastes more muddy, which means that Luella’s blood is safe to drink, but like I said, it tastes horrible. If you know someone is a magic user, don’t drink their blood until you know if it’s true magic or elemental. If you do ingest a few drops of true magic blood, you’ll be sicker than a cat shifter with a hairball for about a week.”

  I tried to picture Avery puking up a hairball in his feline form, and held in a chuckle at the mental image before confronting my trainer again.

  “You never did answer what will happen to me after I drink,” I told Raven as he turned back to me from the mini fridge.

  He crossed his arms over his wide chest and watched me, likely to see when he needed to stop talking. “The changes won’t happen all at once. It’ll be gradual, but quick. The moment you drink, the changes begin. You’ll have venom, which tastes sour in your mouth. Be careful with that. It’ll kill most creatures, and if it doesn’t kill them, they’ll be sick for hours. Then your fangs will grow as the venom increases. You’ll learn how to control that. Also, your strength and speed will increase, as will your senses. You won’t be able to smell or hear like a shifter, but it’ll be better than it is now. Your eye color will also change. That will be instant.”

  It took me a moment to realize he’d paused his explanation. I’d closed my eyes, trying to take it all in. Venom. I’d be like a venomous snake. Sharper senses were okay. Those weren’t so drastic. My eyes. I loved my eye color, the bright green stood out in a crowd. I’d lose them to the bright purple that stared back at me when I opened my eyelids and looked up at Raven.

  “When you drink, your eyes will be bright. If you haven’t fed in a while, they will be dull.” He paused before his voice grew harsh. “Before a fight, always drink, even if it’s only a sip. If you go into a battle with dull eyes, whoever you’re fighting will go for you with an intensity you won’t be able to fight off. They’ll be gunning for you and doing their best to make you fall since they’ll know you’re in a weaker state.”

  “I think that’s all I can handle for now,” I told him, rubbing my forehead.

  “I know. There’s more we need to discuss, more about the changes and our kind’s history. To survive, you’ll need to know it all.”

  Lifting my head, I pinned him with my tired gaze. “Why did you choose to train me, even though you saw how crappy of a fighter I was?”

  “Because if I didn’t, you’d be left on your own. Defenseless and clueless. At least now I can teach you, and train you to be the best female warrior our kind has seen in centuries. We can’t keep hiding, and you’ll be the one to show them that.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because I can’t do it alone.” He cleared his throat, ending that conversation. “You should call your human mother. Don’t tell her where you are or who you’re with.”

  “Can I tell her what I am?”

  Raven headed toward the exit of our small apartment area. “Yes. She’ll eventually need to know, so if you want to tell her, go ahead. If you need me, I’ll be in my office doing necessary paperwork.”

  It didn’t surprise me that Raven hated paperwork. What he could, he delegated to Shannon, which I found out when I’d stopped into the kitchen for my drink. With nothing else to occupy my time before dinner, I locked myself in my bedroom, grabbed my phone, sat on my bed and found my parent’s phone number. It took another thirty seconds to call them.

  “Koda, are you all right? We haven’t heard from you or Lee since you were chosen,” Dad said i
n a rush, answering the phone on the third ring. In the background, I heard Mom direct him to put the call on speaker.

  “Koda, honey, what’s happening?” Mom sounded in a panic, and I wanted to laugh and groan at the same time. She worried too much, and since I knew that, I should have called her sooner with an update.

  “Mom, I’m fine. Both Lee and I are good. We’re safe and well cared for.”

  “You’re together?” She sounded shocked, but I didn’t blame her. Just because we went to college together didn’t mean that one of us wouldn’t end up halfway across the state, or the country.

  “Yes. Different trainers on the same team. I can’t tell you anything more than that yet, so don’t ask.”

  “I’m so happy,” Mom breathed, and Dad reassured her we’d be fine. After a few moments, Mom came back on the line, sounding more like her usual, cheerful self. “Listen, Koda, there’s something we need to tell you.”

  My stomach flipped as apprehension settled in my gut. “What?”

  “It’s about your real Mom,” Dad explained when Mom was silent. “She left some things for you and asked us to give them to you on your eighteenth birthday. With everything happening around that time with Grandma being sick and the home repairs, well, we forgot about it until we were cleaning our closet out the other day and came across it. We’re truly sorry about that.”

  Shock struck me between the eyes. My birth mother had left me something? A strange excitement filled me. I’d never cared to know much about my real mom. To me, Mom was my mother and that was all I needed. Meeting Raven had changed that in a big way.

  “It’s okay, Dad. Really. When can I get it?”

  Mom came back on the line, sounding a bit breathless. “We’d planned on coming to see you in a few weeks, but Grandma’s sick again and Grandpa needs help with the leaking roof so we’re heading up to their place at the end of the week. I’ll try to mail it out before we leave, but I may not be able to until after we get back. Is that okay?”

  Now, more than ever, I wanted that package in my hands, but I wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on my parents. It had been safely hidden in their closet for twenty years. A few more weeks wouldn’t hurt it.