by A. P. Jensen
“And that’s why you don’t have any friends? Because no one seems to remember you?”
She got to her feet, aggravated that he was poking at the ragged hole in her chest. “You’re an asshole.”
“I’m not being sarcastic. I want to know-.”
“Why?” she demanded. “I’m a job to you, nothing more. We don’t need to know everything about each other. Once your grandpa realizes he screwed up, it’ll all be over.”
“Raven-.”
She slammed the penthouse door on her way out and took the stairs down one flight instead of taking the elevator because she needed to do something even though, technically, she needed to conserve as much energy as she could. She wasn’t rational right now. She went back to the room that needed service and paused when a young kid opened the door.
“Your parents told me to come back,” Raven told the boy.
“Whatever,” he sighed and flopped back on the bed to watch his movie.
Rich parents ignore kid, Raven thought as she took in the electronics scattered around so carelessly. What parent left their kid alone in a hotel? She cleaned around the boy and tossed him several dirty glances when she saw the state of the bathroom. Disgusting rich boy in the making. She finished the room and grabbed her trash and dirty linen bag and dumped them on her cart when a fire alarm screeched through the halls. It was so loud that Raven almost fell on her ass with her clapped over her ears. Lights blinked everywhere and the boy in the hotel room started shrieking like a banshee. People poured out of their rooms and looked around frantically. When the guests saw her, a hotel worker in uniform, they mobbed her.
“Is it a real fire?”
“What do we do?”
“Is this a drill?”
“Are we going to die?!”
Raven shoved her way through the crowd and led them over to the emergency exit stairs. They followed like fretful children and watched, dumbfounded when she opened the door. “This isn’t a drill. Don’t use the elevator.”
Now that the door was open she could hear other people in the stairwell. She walked in and leaned over the railing at the endless spiral of stairs and saw pinpoints of light as doors on other floors opened and people dashed down. The noise was deafening. She drew in a breath and caught a faint whiff of smoke and her heart pounded.
When the frightened people made no move to take the emergency exit stairs she said, “I smell smoke.”
The mob of scared guests nearly shoved her over the railing in their haste to pass her. She knew Cain was on his way towards her. Should she wait? She tried to look at the floor above but his penthouse was on the other side of the hotel and they were on the top floors. She had visions of being burned alive and her throat tightened with panic.
She peeked back into the guest hallway and saw a large man shoving his way through the crowd. He headed directly for the room she just finished with the young boy inside. The man shoved her cart to the side and she thought, at least his father came for him. The man reappeared in the hallway, dragging the young rich boy.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” the boy shrieked.
The man turned his head and something in his movements, in that predator stillness translated loud and clear to Raven. Even as the man’s face turned, she knew he wasn’t the boy’s father and she knew who he was looking for. She dashed down the stairs, which were now empty as everyone else was well ahead of her. She reached in her pocket and clicked the pen twice even though she knew Cain was on his way. The door above her slammed open and she glanced up. She was relieved to see the boy wasn’t with the asshole. She leapt down the stairs, jolting her shoulder but her senses were shrieking at her to do whatever it took to get away. Pain exploded in her neck and the impact threw her against the wall of the stairwell. Everything went blank.
Raven woke on something lumpy. She felt as if she had the worst hangover ever. She blinked, threw her hands up to block the bright light and groaned.
“So you’re up.”
She froze because the voice was a stranger’s voice and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. She forced her eyes open and saw that she was in an empty warehouse. Black garbed men lined the walls and she saw they were all armed with rifles peeking out from their backs. She lay on an old couch that was so filthy that even in her panic, she blanched.
Raven pushed herself into a sitting position and took in the man sitting in front of her. He was sitting on a plastic orange school chair with his long legs crossed. He wore leather shoes with playful tassels dangling in the air and an impeccable suit. His blonde hair was artfully tousled and he was beautiful with eyes a startling blue under the bright light they sat under.
“So we finally meet,” he said pleasantly. “My name’s Angel.”
His name suited him, she thought. He smiled and showed a set of even, white teeth.
“I’m sorry for the rough handling, but you’ve put down quite a few of my men,” he said apologetically.
“What do you want?” she croaked and ran a hand over her neck which throbbed from whatever that bastard shot her with in the stairwell.
“I thought that was obvious,” Angel said with a great smile. “I want you.”
Raven eyed him. “For what?”
“For the war, darling.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “War?”
“You know anything about our world?”
She didn’t answer and he clucked his tongue like a disapproving mother.
“I was sure you knew nothing but when you kept getting away from us, I wasn’t sure. The Council’s interference wasn’t appreciated, but that fool Rich was bound to see something sooner or later. The problem with him, though, is he will never be able to see your power.”
Angel laughed and the men around him chuckled as well. It made her heart pound in her ears.
“I don’t have power.”
More laughter. Angel leaned forward and she lost herself in his eyes. He ran a finger over her lips and she forced herself to stay still.
“Such a powerful weapon in a pretty package. You’ve walked this life without family, without companionship. I can change all that, Raven.”
“I don’t have a power,” she repeated, voice shaking.
Angel leaned so close their noses touched and then he kissed her lips. She gasped and jerked away, even as a knife appeared in his hand and he sliced her forearm open. She swung with her left and caught him on the cheekbone. When the men tried to interfere, Angel held up a hand and gripped Raven by the throat, squeezing the breath out of her.
“I don’t want to fight with you. I need you badly,” Angel murmured, pressing kisses over her face.
She felt blood dripping down her arm, over her clothes and she shuddered against Angel. She felt his lips curve against her cheek.
“We could rule the world, did you know that?” he whispered.
“I’m nobody,” she gasped.
“You’re somebody to me.”
For a long minute, they stared at each other. Fighting him with at least thirty armed men watching wasn’t smart. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do. Angel looked around at their spectators.
“Leave us,” he ordered.
They didn’t hesitate. The men filed out of the warehouse, leaving Raven alone with a beautiful monster.
“I have a theory,” he said. “Has Cain taken anything from you?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Has he kept something of yours on him?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. No. I haven’t noticed him with anything of mine unless he’s wearing my underwear, which I can’t verify.”
He smiled. “You have spirit. I expected no less.”
Without a word, Angel raised her arm and put his mouth on her cut. She screamed but he raised the knife in warning. She stared, eyes as huge as they could go as he lapped at her blood until every last drop was gone. She trembled, stomach rolling. He licked his lips and let her arm
drop. He grabbed a first aid kit and tended her arm without a word. He disinfected the shallow cut, bandaged it and got to his feet. When he turned his back to her, she looked around for a weapon but he sheathed the knife he cut her with. She was judging if she was strong enough to brain him with the orange chair he’d been sitting on when Angel turned back to her. He licked his lips hungrily as he stared at her.
“You’re a vampire?” Raven whispered. Didn’t Cain say vampires didn’t exist?
He smiled. “For you, I will be. What has the Council offered you?”
She swallowed bile. “Nothing. I don’t know anything.”
“Cain hasn’t figured what you are yet? Boy’s slipping,” Angel said with relish.
“You have the wrong person.”
“No, Raven, I don’t.” He cupped her face and leaned in close. “What do you want?”
“I want everyone to leave me alone!” she shouted and knocked his hand away.
She couldn’t get the memory of Angel drinking her blood out of her mind. She wasn’t quite in control of her stomach yet.
“You were destined for this, the moment your dad screwed your mom.”
Raven’s head jerked up. “You know my parents?”
“I know of your father. You’ll meet him if you stay with me.”
Meet her father? She knew Angel could be lying but what if he wasn’t? “Why do you want me?”
“For your power.”
She was too nonplussed to be cautious. She shoved him away so she could have breathing room and paced, hands clenching and unclenching. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t have any power!”
“I beg to differ, baby. Your power is so great it doesn’t seem like a power. I’ve been chasing you almost ten years and now that you’re here, you won’t be able to cover your tracks.”
“I haven’t been running from you or anyone else.”
“Which shows how powerful you are.”
“I don’t get any of this!” she shouted. “I’ve been shot and kidnapped and watched you suck my blood. Tell me what I am.”
His tongue dipped out of his mouth as if he could still taste her. She made a gaging noise and he chuckled.
“There’s no sense in telling you what you are until you choose a side. If you give me your allegiance, we could rule the world.”
“I like being by myself,” she said flatly.
“I can make that happen for you.”
She watched him drink her blood. For that, she would never ally herself with him. Through everything, Cain hadn’t hurt her and there was a razor edge to Angel that told her he would turn to violence in a moment if he didn’t like what he was seeing or hearing.
“What else can you do for me?” she asked.
“You want money?”
“No.”
“Family?”
“No. If my dad’s such a bastard that I’ve never met him, maybe I’m better off not knowing him.”
A hint of impatience crossed Angel’s face. “You like to clean?”
She shrugged. “Yeah.”
Angel was out of his depth and he didn’t like it. She could see so clearly what he was about- vanity, riches, greed and dominance. It was in his too pretty face and eyes that never warmed. Maybe she didn’t know what the hell was going on, but her instincts were telling her she had to get out of here while the armed guards were gone. How to accomplish that though?
“What did you shoot me with?” she said, fingering the welt on her neck.
“Tranquilizer. Easier to handle you.”
“Did you burn down the casino?”
“Only a couple floors. See how nice I am?”
She wanted to smack him but reined it in. “What are you going to do with me?”
“Keep you close, that’s for sure. You’re like smoke. Elusive, mysterious.”
“I pick up used condoms,” she said in a flat tone. “I don’t see what’s so mysterious about that.”
He blanched. “You deserve so much more. I can give you whatever you want.”
“And what do you want?”
“Besides you?”
She wanted to retch. “Yes. Besides me.”
“I want the Council at my feet.”
She cocked her head. “Personal agenda?”
“The Council controls everyone. The only one they can’t control is me and I run the Battalion.”
She glanced sidelong at him. “And what’s your power?”
His smile made her break out in a cold sweat. He slapped the bloody knife in her hand. She didn’t hesitate. She swiped the blade across his throat and leapt back. She saw the blood spray across the concrete floor and backed away, knife held in his direction. He didn’t sway or fall to the floor like he should have. He stood right where he was, smiling at her with blood gushing down his front. Abruptly, the river of blood stopped and he walked towards her, stride even and strong. Holy fucking shit! Raven ran as fast as she could to the only door she could see and slammed it open. She didn’t care if these men had guns. She would rather be gunned down than be tortured by a sadistic bastard.
The armed guards turned to her and she didn’t think, just reacted. Her body took over and she shut her mind down and let her instincts take over. Slice, kick, punch, elbow, stab. She was a whirlwind of movement and she heard yells, grunts and a sickening gurgle that she blocked out. No time, her mind chanted. She was outside and that was all that mattered. She shoved and hacked her way through the men that couldn’t shoot at such close range. She burst through the group and saw a line of SUV’s.
The sun began to set as she bounded for the nearest SUV. She wrenched the driver’s door open and locked the door. A man came up to her window and pointed a gun at her. Raven stared at him as her hands jiggled the keys in the ignition. Just as the guard pulled the trigger, Angel appeared and hit the barrel up so the bullet fired above the SUV. Even as Angel shoved the man away from the window and turned to her with fire in his eyes, she slammed down the gas pedal.
Dirt flew as she barreled down a narrow street between abandoned warehouses. She weaved as she tried to orient herself and the tires squealed as she turned down an alley between tall buildings. There were no lights or signs and her windshield was clouded with dust. Her heart pounded with panic and fear. What if she got boxed in? What if she was headed towards a dead end? Up ahead she saw a metal gate with a chain. She slammed the gas pedal down and closed her eyes. There was a screech of metal and for a moment she thought the gate wouldn’t give, then she squealed onto a deserted road. She drove like a madwoman and looked into the rearview mirror as lights appeared behind her. The other SUV’s were in pursuit.
She realized they were several blocks from downtown Las Vegas. She forced her mind to focus as she set the dripping knife in the cup holder and weaved in and out of one-way traffic. It was traffic hour. That might be her saving grace. She got onto the freeway and sped in and out of the barely moving cars. She knew the streets of Las Vegas like the back of her hand and she took full advantage, getting on and off the freeway, merging onto familiar side streets before getting back on the freeway to see if anyone followed. She drove for three hours before she thought she lost them.
She drove with her back ramrod straight, eyes constantly moving to the rearview mirror. Her whole body trembled and she knew she’d had a close call. She was tempted to drive out of Las Vegas, away from everything. She could drive to California or Utah and start over. She’d done it before. Her lower back ached and the bandage Angel put on her arm was soaked in blood from the guards she’d hurt or worse. She could try to bury her head in the sand but something was very very wrong. There were too many coincidences and too many players now. She needed answers and Cain was the only person she trusted to keep her safe.
There was a car phone but she didn’t dare touch it. She dug in her pocket and found the pen and cell phone gone, of course. There was some change in the cup holder and she looked for a populated gas station with a lot of traffic before she
pulled up. People stared at her SUV, which was covered in dust and had a smashed grill. She sat in the car for ten minutes before she forced herself to let go of the steering wheel and get out of the car. She looked around and saw people staring at her maid uniform splattered with blood. She hurriedly walked to the pay phone and called Decadent.
“Mr. Henson left his cell phone number. Let me transfer you,” the front desk agent said.
“Thanks,” Raven said in a monotone voice.
“Cain.”
She sagged with relief. “It’s me.”
“Where are you?”
No emotion. She paused and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. He didn’t sound like the Cain she knew and she felt a moment of doubt.
“Raven? Tell me where you are.”
She looked down at her trembling hands covered in brown liquid. Her stomach dipped and she started to hang up, but his voice blasted out of the phone.
“Don’t you dare hang up on me. Tell me where you are. Right now.”
She whispered the cross streets and hung up. She ran back to the SUV and backed up in the back of the gas station in the shadows and kept the engine running just in case. She grasped the bloody knife in one hand because it made her feel better. She kept remembering the way blood poured out of Angel’s neck when she cut him. He hadn’t lost his smile and the worst of it was, she was sure she’d seen excitement and approval in his eyes. It turned her stomach. Twenty minutes later, Raven blinked in surprise when she saw her Saturn stopped in front of the SUV. Cain got out of the car and walked over to her door.
“Open up, Raven.”
She stared straight ahead, hands still gripping the wheel and the blade encrusted with dried blood.
“Come on, Raven.” He knocked on the window. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”
Slowly, she turned her head and looked at him. His face looked scary in the darkness but she preferred his mug to the pretty one who drank her blood. She shuddered and unlocked the door. Cain yanked the door open and pulled her out. She was a cold, shaking mass that he gathered and placed in the passenger seat of the Saturn. Cain didn’t say a word as he drove back to the Strip. She couldn’t stop looking for SUV’s driven by men in black or a man with disheveled blonde hair. Cain parked in the parking lot for the Bellagio.
