“Thanks?” he chuckled, tilting his head in confusion. “Wait, so are you flirting with me now, too? Am I getting this right?”
“Oh, you wish,” I replied with a wink, briefly touching his arm.
I hadn’t meant to do that, either. But now that I felt safe around him again, he brought out this side in me that I didn’t even know I had. A flirty, girly, adventurous Raven who tried new things, had new experiences. A Raven who danced in a gorgeous dress at a vampire ball and went to a Starbucks.
She was very different from the other Raven, who was generally grumpy, cautious and a little boring. I liked that Raven. She was what had kept me alive all these years. But now I was wondering if that’s what was missing in my life. More than survival. Fun, excitement… maybe even a dash of romance.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Octavian frowned at me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
I blinked quickly and looked away as I realized I had been staring at him the whole time. My cheeks turned red, but hopefully, he wouldn’t notice it.
“I was just thinking… about our, uhm, problem,” I quickly stammered.
“Our problem?”
“You know, the one with the ring and all that.” I didn’t want to talk about magical artifacts in a Starbucks, but as the girls behind us stopped talking and I felt their stare in my back, I realized that talking about our ring problem might not have been the best choice, either.
“Let’s just get out and talk somewhere quiet,” I exclaimed out before he could respond and make it worse.
“Let’s do that,” he nodded, an amused sparkle in his eyes.
After we received our two cups to go, both still pretty hot, we found a nearby park and settled down on a bench, bathing in the last bit of sun for the day.
“You do believe me now, right?” I started as we sat down.
“What?” He threw me a confused look.
“About the incident in the castle. That I didn’t do anything.”
His furrowed brows eased up. “Ah. Well… I don’t know. Someone took it, and I don’t think it was a vamp. But I guess…” He shrugged. “I don’t believe you were involved. At least not knowingly. You may be a merc, but I don’t think you’re the bad guy here.”
A slight smile spread on my face as he looked at me with reconciliation.
“I’m glad to hear that.” When he didn’t respond, I continued. “So… We both agree to believe in this mysterious trifecta, right?”
“Yes, but you can’t just go straight down to business like that,” Octavian teased, shaking his head with playful disappointment. “First, you have to try your very first PSL.”
“My what now?”
“Pumpkin spice latte,” he added, raising his cup of coffee.
“Are you sure you’re a big bad vampire? Because if you’re going to use abbreviations like that, you might as well join the yoga girls from back there,” I laughed.
“Hey hey hey! Don’t knock it before you try it!” He replied with playful indignation, putting a hand over his heart. “We vamps just have taste.”
I chuckled, but then obediently raised my cup and took a sip. I never really got why people drank coffee from coffee shops, where you paid a ridiculous amount for the same coffee you could make at home. But when the flavors spread through my mouth, I understood. It wasn’t just coffee.
It didn’t have the bitterness I was used to, and even if I didn’t mind it, the difference was huge. Milkier than I usually liked my coffee, softer, rounder. But also sweet and spicy, like pumpkin pie. Like colorful leaves drifting through the air. Like sitting in the park on a chilly day and feeling the sun warm your face.
“See?” Octavian looked at me with a grin on his face that clearly said, ‘I told you so.’
“Yeah, it’s all alright.”
“Alright?” Octavian stared at me. “Okay, no, stop,” he laughed as I raised my cup again. “You don’t deserve the PSL.”
I pulled my hand away as he reached for my cup, quickly taking another sip. “Fine, it’s the best damn coffee I’ve eeever had,” I mocked. “You happy now?”
“That’s better.” He grinned.
I took another sip and felt the warmth of the coffee spread through my body, the soft tickle of sunlight on my face, the light breeze blowing through my hair. I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed.
Right now, I didn’t feel like a supernatural mercenary. I was just a girl enjoying a nice cup of coffee on a beautiful fall day, next to a handsome, funny guy I liked.
No, not “liked liked,” I quickly corrected myself. Like a partner for missions, with a bit of friendly flirting at most. I wasn’t big on the whole “romance” thing. When you peeled the kitsch off a romance movie, it was just two people sacrificing their own lives and passions to be together. And in my case, it meant gaining a liability that would either get murdered sooner or later, or be used against me and get me killed.
A relationship might be fine for people with nothing better to do with their lives. For someone whose worst worry was about almond or coconut milk, for someone who didn’t need freedom and the thrill of the hunt. But that just wasn’t me. I lived a dangerous life. I couldn’t get all tangled up with someone else.
“So, uhm,” I started, quickly jumping back into the conversation to stop my thoughts from wandering. “What are we going to do about the artifacts of doom in the hands of our mysterious thief?”
Octavian’s face turned stern, the sparkle in his eyes fading. “I want to visit a shaman I know. She knows about most magical artifacts and enchanted items in this city. She might know something.”
“Why do you think she’ll help you?”
“We’ve interacted in the past.” He frowned. “We’re not friends per se, but why wouldn’t she help save the city?”
“Because, well, you know, you vampires are currently kind of at war with the magicals. Not exactly the best time to ask about world-ending artifacts.”
He stared at me for a moment, then laughed. “Right, there’s that.”
His face turned sour again after a moment, though. He let out an angry sigh—or was it a sigh of frustration?–and let his gaze wander through the park. “I knew that many of my brothers didn’t share my empathy for non-vampires,” he began. “But I didn’t think it would divide us like that. Many are still loyal to the Countess, who tries keeping the peace, but those who always thought she was too weak to rule are taking the chance to rise up.”
“What makes her weak? Because she’s… softer?” I asked carefully. Judging by the unusual amount of emotions on his face, this seemed to be a sensitive topic for him.
“Because many believe that vampires should rule like they used to, as the superior race, without rules and treaties. They think of themselves as better than everyone else.” He took another sip from his coffee, then shook his head.
“Don’t all vampires kind of think they’re better than everyone else, though?”
I had realized my mistake before I even saw the anger flashing in his eyes. But it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
“I guess recent events agree,” he replied, a hint of anger in his voice. “But we’re not all like that. We built this city, we manage it, and we try to keep everybody safe and happy. Or at least safe. Like… supernatural caretakers.”
“Oh, so we’re the unruly kids, then?” I snorted.
“You could be a fragile senior if you prefer.” He grinned.
I shot him an angry glare, but a smile was playing around my lips. I had the mental image of Octavian in a retirement home, trying to break up a kerfuffle about someone cheating at Bingo night.
“Anyway, I had expected more,” he sighed again. “My mother always drilled loyalty into me, that the clan always came first. I was always proud to be one of our finest warriors and peacekeepers, but right now, I’m ashamed at how my people turn on each other and use this excuse for open violence. I just thought we were better than this.”
; I looked at him awkwardly for a moment, then focused on my coffee and took another sip. I didn’t know what to say. I had never seen him like that. I had seen him angry, shocked, even fearful when he had been viciously attacked by a cat, but never so… lost.
I wanted to hug him, take him in my arms and tell him that everything would be okay again. Until now, I would have scoffed at the thought. He had always been strong and unshakeable, but now I could see the soft parts of him. Hidden behind carefully controlled facial expressions and expensive suits, he was just a young man who was struggling with his place in the world and desperate for approval of his mother.
He gazed into the distance a few seconds longer, then his expression hardened, and he got up. “Well, we better get going. We have a shaman to visit and a city to save.”
His voice was full of determination again, deep and raw, all trace of his worries wiped from his face. But after his surprising outburst of raw emotions, I felt like I could still see the pain beneath, the struggle as everything he believed in was in question.
I got up and, following a spontaneous impulse, took his hand as I straightened up in front of him. “We’re going to find the thief, and then we can fix this situation, I promise.”
His eyes softened as he looked at me with an appreciation I hadn’t seen in them before. I was suddenly aware how close I was standing to him, my body tingling in reaction to our closeness, like a magnet unable to escape the pull of its opposite.
A shiver ran through my arm as his thumb brushed over my hand, pressing it gently in response. But my eyes were still stuck to his, and his to mine. When he leaned in slowly, my heart skipped a beat, then continued racing in my chest.
My thoughts had long stopped working, but I could feel his presence washing in waves over my body, warm and exciting, but safe. When his hand landed on my middle back, drawing me in gently but firmly, my eyes fell closed and a small gasp escaped my mouth. I leaned in, my body shivering with more excitement than I had expected.
Then I felt his shoulder against my face. As I opened my eyes in confusion, I realized my mistake. He had been going for a hug.
His muscular arm was laying across my back, gently holding me against his body. I tensed up for a moment, not used to so much closeness, but I quickly relaxed again. I could feel his breath on my neck, his fingers grazing my back, his heart beating against my chest. Vampires’ heartbeats were slower than humans’, I had heard, but his was beating almost as fast as mine. The thought of it beating this fast because of me sent exhilaration through my body.
The last tension left my muscles as I let myself lie in his arms, soaking up this feeling that I had never felt before.
It had been a wonderful feeling when I felt accepted by Allard and the others, like I was welcome. But this was more than just that. He didn’t just accept me, he wanted me around. And that made my heart flutter with excitement that I was totally not prepared for.
Then he slowly removed his arm from me, his fingertips gliding over my back, leaving a trail of tingles behind. We parted, but only by a few inches. Our eyes met again, and I could see that he felt the same.
Without breaking eye contact, he raised his hand slowly toward my face. My eyes darted down to his lips, then back to his eyes. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I just let my instincts take over. There was a time for careful consideration and overthinking, but it was certainly not now.
I leaned in slightly, feeling the back of his hand against my cheek. It was such an innocent touch, and yet it felt more intimate than our hug just seconds before.
My whole body was buzzing, the air between us heating up, my breath short and shallow. My eyes couldn’t leave his, and I felt physically drawn to him.
Then he cleared his throat and awkwardly smiled, pulling his hand back. “Uhm, so… we should go, I guess,” he mumbled, scratching his neck while avoiding my gaze.
I swallowed, then blinked rapidly to clear my head. My brain was still a molten mess. As I slowly regained control over my body again, I managed a stuttered, “Uhm, yeah, sure.”
My body was trembling like I had just ran a marathon, weak and exhausted. The excitement that had burned in me had left me hollow when it turned to disappointment.
Like a badly played marionette, he turned and started walking and looked over his shoulder to see if I was following. I quickly willed my legs to move, concentrating on one foot in front of the other until they remembered how to walk.
What the hell just happened?
***
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at a modern house in one of the outer districts of the city. Its white and grey walls with sharp edges, coupled with lots of glass and a flawlessly kept front lawn, made it look like a tech millionaire’s house, not the home of a shaman.
Octavian rang at the entrance—a light grey metal fence door next to a wide gate that led to the garage. It looked big enough for at least two, maybe three cars. Whoever this shaman was, she was clearly not the kind I knew.
“Who’s there?” a rough, female voice sounded through the panel.
“Octavian van Cross. We have a plan to save the city, but we need help.” His voice was firm and decisive, but I could hear the respect in it, too. He knew he was in no position to make demands right now.
For a few seconds, the panel remained silent, then it buzzed briefly. The door clacked and driften open. We walked through it and onto the white marble tiles leading through lush green grass straight toward the house. The tiles looked like they had been placed directly into the grass, seamlessly connecting the path to the environment.
As I inspected the trees and shrubs on the front lawn, the flowers and the small fountain, I noticed that they all seemed to be arranged in straight lines going outward from the house. It wasn’t clear from my perspective, but it would make sense. Many witches and shamans used all kinds of items to focus their magic, from weird voodoo dolls to crystals and magic circles engraved in the ground. I had never seen or heard of it before, but I could imagine that someone had built their entire estate as some kind of magic circle.
I turned my attention back toward the front door as Octavian knocked on it. It was opened without delay. Behind it an old lady greeted us. Her grey hair was bound into a bun, and an oversized, hand-knitted pullover covered her thin frame. She looked like the most cliché old-lady-witch I’d ever seen.
“Come in, come in,” she said warmly after scanning us for a long second.She ushered us toward the living room.
Octavian took a step forward, then suddenly jumped back, almost knocking me over. I put my hand on his back to stabilize him, then burst into laughter. Between the old lady’s legs, a cat had appeared and was staring down the vampire.
With a meow, it stepped closer, and licked its fangs. Octavian took another step back, squinting at the cat.
The old lady laughed, too, as she picked up her cat and stroked its head. “Oh, yes, I remember. Not too fond of cats, are you?”
Octavian shook his head without taking his eyes off the cat. And neither did the cat. It kept staring at him, hissing slightly, until its owner took it away into the house.
After a long second, Octavian relaxed slightly, smiled at me awkwardly, then walked into the house, still looking around nervously. There was a small hallway for our shoes and jackets that opened up into a room not unlike the one in the Elder’s house. Big, floor-to-ceiling windows covered the wall leading to the garden, extending the open spaces in the living room even further.
We settled on a big couch, adorned by a side table with a flower vase on it. Two modern leather chairs on the opposite side of the glass coffee table completed the setup. As I looked around, I still got the impression of a modern, carefully designed home that just didn’t match its owner at all.
Apparently noticing my confusion, the shaman smiled at me. “Not quite what you expected, my dear?”
“Uhm, no, it’s very… stylish,” I quickly stuttered. “Very open. It’s nice.”
Th
e lady chuckled, then sat down in one of the leather chairs across from us, leaning back comfortably. “What can I say, influence has its privileges. And I’ve sold an expensive artifact or two in my time,” she added with a wink. “I suppose that’s why you’re here?”
The cat jumped on her lap, purring. I noticed a small necklace on the cat, with a beautiful crystal on it. Maybe a protection charm. Judging by the house and the quality cut of the crystal, the necklace was probably worth more than a car. “Shh, go on, kitty,” she whispered as she gently pushed the cat forward. It obeyed and walked away, out into the garden through an open door.
Next to me, Octavian relaxed again. “Not directly, but yes,” he said. “Have you ever heard of a… uhm, trifecta of darkness?”
The shaman froze, her eyes widening, then squinting at us. “Whatever you are planning, don’t. You have no idea of the powers you are messing with.”
Her voice was like ice, cutting through the air. Octavian seemed taken aback by the sudden shift in her mood. Heopened his mouth as he leaned forward, then looked at me pleadingly as he closed it again.
“The dagger that was stolen by the vampires,” I answered instead of him. “That was one of the artifacts. But it was since then stolen from them.”
“In a brutal attack in the middle of our home,” Octavian added quickly, glancing over at me.
“Yes, either way, someone has it now. And the ring was… stolen, too,” I continued, stopping myself from revealing Lazar’s involvement just in time. The old man had made it sound like secrecy had been a big part of their plan to keep the artifacts safe.
“So it’s true? Lazar did have the ring, and it was taken when he was murdered?” Her face darkened, sadness and worry filling her eyes. “That is grim news indeed, my dear.”
“We think the thief may already be in possession of the idol,” Octavian added reluctantly. “The rash actions of the vampires may have… accelerated their plans when we took back the knife.”
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