"It hasn't really kicked in yet," she admitted. "I mean… Elaise tried to tell me that Jason was a werewolf, but I just assumed she was paranoid. She is superstitious after all."
"And how do you feel now that you know our kind exist?"
"I honestly don't know," the blonde shrugged. She was about to speak again but felt a hand brushing down the side of her head. She froze in place and glanced at Speed at the corner of her eye as he slowly brushed his hand gently through her hair.
"I really do apologize," Evan half hid his face with his hand. "Speed has a petting fetish. He pets everything and anything."
"You have very soft hair," Speed commented. "Is it okay if I pet you?"
"Go right ahead," Raven said robotically, not daring to say no. Speed continued to pet her and she somehow found it soothing.
"He used to pet Jason when he was with us. Jason loved the attention," Evan went on. "Since he left, Speed has been reduced to petting Boulder."
"Jason was more fun to pet!" Speed whined. "And he was cute."
Raven blinked. "Is he-"
"Yes, he's gay," Evan nodded before Raven could finish her question. She blinked at Speed and couldn't help but smile.
"Would you like a gay friend?" Speed asked and Raven nodded before she even thought about it. "Yay! I have a friend!"
Raven wasn't sure how to react when she told herself she had a gay vampire friend. She shrugged it off slowly but one little thought suddenly threw her off her calm streak. Realization kicked her again and she felt more goose bumps rising on her arms. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her breath became hitched in her throat. These were vampires; dead creatures that feed off humans to keep themselves alive…
These things drank blood!
"Now, you wanted to know what the difference it has made since becoming Jason's property?" Evan spoke up and Raven barely heard him.
She became very aware of Speed's petting, his dead fingers combing through her blonde locks of hair. She took deep breaths and slowly nodded, her hold on Rover increasing. She felt her jewelry against her skin but Jason's gifts didn't make her feel any safer.
"What difference is there?" she found her voice. "Surely it doesn't matter if a human is claimed or not…"
"Of course it doesn't," the leader of the coven chuckled. "But you were claimed by Jason, my dear."
"Why does that matter?" she blinked. "Jason left this place. He wants nothing to do with it anymore."
Evan glanced at his companions and Raven suddenly hoped she hadn't just asked them to kill her. She was relieved when the man spoke again, but also much more frightened. "We need you alive, so we can make a deal with your boyfriend."
"Deal?" she barely managed to bring her voice above a whisper.
"You go free and will never be harmed," Evan grinned, "if Jason joins us again."
Christianity Pays Off
18. Christianity pays off
"And if he won't join you?" Raven challenged, fighting with her mind to stay where she sat. If she tried to run, she wouldn't even make it to the door. She couldn't believe they were trying to get Jason back simply because his boyish charm was able to trick girls. She hugged Rover and didn't care what the vampires though of her.
"Then you will die," Evan smiled evilly.
"Why does she have to die?" Speed whined. "She's my friend now!"
"If Jason returns, she will be free to leave," one of the other vampires muttered to the boy who continued to pet Raven's head.
"He won't do it," Raven hated to say it, but she knew it was true. "Jason will never come back here. He'd rather die himself than come back to such a vile and disgusting place!" She was suddenly swept from her chair and yelped as she was slammed against the wall with Evan's hand against her throat. The vampire glared down at her with the first spark of deadliness in his eyes since she had met him.
"If he really cares about you, he'll come back," Evan whispered to her.
"He doesn't even know where I am," she breathed, feeling fear grip her as her ribs pulsed with pain and her legs felt like they were going to fail her.
"Oh, but he will, my dear," the man grinned. "As soon as he catches the scent of his brother, he'll know. As soon as he gets here, we will give him our proposal."
"He won't do it again," Raven chewed her lip. "I know he doesn't want to go through it again."
Evan snorted. "We'll see. Derrick!"
"Yessir?" came the reply from one of the vampires.
"Take this young lady to her friends," Evan smiled. "And give them a drink."
"Yessir!" Evan stepped back and another man grabbed Raven by the arm, dragging her to the door.
"Bye, friend!" Speed called before Raven was pulled out of the room.
Raven winced from the pain in her arm as Derrick held her firmly, feeling as though he was about to crush her bone. She groaned and he quickly eased his grip. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not accustomed to treating humans so kindly."
"This is kind?" the blonde retorted. "Wow. Makes me wonder what rough is like."
"You don't want to find out," he shook his head. "You'd be missing a part of your body by now."
Raven gulped and was led through the building. She held onto Rover and when Derrick opened a door, he pushed Raven inside and the blonde was caught by Elaise. She quickly checked if her friend was okay but the three girls looked up as Derrick cleared his throat.
"Here's a little drink for you girls," he grinned and placed a wine glass on the floor, shutting the door as he took his leave. Raven was busy scoping out the room and she saw the large window first. The moonlight was streaming into the room and there was a table off to the side with a few seats as well as two couches facing each other with a coffee table between them.
"Uh oh," Elaise whispered and Raven turned back to the glass, her eyes widening when she took note of it. Blood was dripping along the side of the full glass and Raven tried to back away. "Rich, it's okay!" Elaise tried to say to her.
"No," Raven fought back tears and memories swept through her mind. It was going to flood the room, she thought. It was going to fill up and she couldn't escape! It was going to choke her and smother her and drown her in its depths. She hugged Rover tightly and tried to look away but she knew it wasn't going anywhere. It was going to suck her up and never spit her out!
"You okay?" Sally asked.
"She's scared of blood," Elaise explained. "Does the window open?"
Sally ran to the window and tried to find a latch to open it but failed. "No," she shook her head, still trying. Raven felt her legs buckle and she sank to the floor, holding her teddy. Elaise tried to soothe her but the blonde couldn't hear her friend. Elaise and Sally tried to find a way to get it out of Raven's view and Raven shuffled back, her body shaking violently as she imagined the blood all around her, pulling her down as she struggled to get out, clawing at the walls but unable to pull herself out.
"Is it gone?" Raven asked as Elaise tried to kick the door open.
"There's nowhere to put it," Elaise answered grimly. "Raven, we can't get rid of it!"
"What are we going to do?" Sally sounded scared.
Elaise didn't reply and Raven risked a glance up. She saw Elaise delicately step over to the glass, wearing her Elmo boxers with a black singlet. She bent and picked the glass up, glancing over her shoulder at her friend.
"Elaise, no!" Raven suddenly realized what her friend was thinking. "Don't!"
The brunette forced a sick smile. "Bottoms up," she said and Raven felt her stomach churn as Elaise pegged her nose and drank the blood as fast as she could, shutting her eyes tightly and clearly trying not to gag. Raven's body convulsed and tears ran down her cheeks. She hid her face with Rover's body when she heard Elaise coughing, choking on the blood. Raven looked up and saw Elaise holding her throat, rubbing it to try and keep it all down. She still held the glass in her hand and the brunette breathed deeply.
"Why did you do that?" Sally looked horrified.
"God forgive me," Elaise muttered. "Those motherfuckers aren't gonna get the best of us! If they want to play this game then we're gonna have to play it better."
"Elaise, they're vampires!" Raven's voice broke and the brunette looked at her. "They're going to kill you." Elaise chewed on her lip and a spark of fear crossed her face.
"Why aren't they going to kill you?" Elaise asked.
Raven hugged her teddy strongly but winced when her ribs ached. "They want Jason back."
"So Jason worked for vampires?" Sally blinked. "I still don't understand this. How can vampires and werewolves be real?"
"Didn't you see Boulder?" Elaise retorted to the ginger. "They are real. Jason used to work for these guys because he's a werewolf too. Stephanie, Courtney, Jocelyn and Rebecca… All the girls that everyone thinks had transferred or gone home…"
"Didn't they?" Sally took a step back and Raven knew the truth was going to hit her harder than a brick.
"They were kidnapped," Raven explained. "They're all dead."
Elaise helped Raven to her feet and Sally took another step back. "So Jason used to kill them?"
"Some of them," the blonde nodded.
"And you knew this?" Sally's eyes were wide. "He's a killer… How could you still be around him? Why haven't you told the headmaster?"
"The headmaster knows," Raven frowned, everything piecing together in her mind. "He's a werewolf too. And Jason isn't a murderer anymore. He's changed."
"You said the vampires want him back, though," Elaise said before Sally could say anything else. "Why? If he left… why would they want him back?"
"He was able to kidnap the girls better than Boulder," Raven friend. "Just like Speed said. Jason was the best at it."
"He won't come back by choice," Elaise stated. "That's obvious."
Raven nodded. "The vampires want to use me. They're going to force him to come back." Elaise's mouth fell open and Raven took a deep breath. "They're going to bargain with him; my permanent safety for his return. If he refuses, they'll kill me."
"That's cruel," Elaise frowned. "He'll definitely come back. He cares about you too much."
Raven walked over to a couch and sat down, aware of her two friends watching her. "He told me. From the very beginning, he let me know that he came from a bad place. Every Sunday he goes to church to ask God to forgive his sins, but he's convinced he'll never be forgiven. He's still haunted by the memories of this place and all the girls he had murdered. He doesn't want to be the horrible person he used to be…"
"But your life is on the line," Elaise pointed out. "Rich, he's not going to let anything happen to you."
"And I'm not going to let him come back here," Raven felt her throat closing off when she admitted it. "I won't let him be caged and tortured again like an animal."
"He is an animal!" Sally exclaimed. "He's a werewolf-"
"He's my werewolf!" Raven silenced the ginger girl. "He's done nothing but protect me since I came to White Grass. The only reason he's being put in this situation is because of me. It's my turn to protect him now."
"If he comes back then you're safe," Sally tried to persuade her friend to change her mind. "If he's done this before then he can do it again if it means you get to live."
"You don't understand," Raven growled. "You have no idea what he went through. He told me everything… I heard the sadness in his voice. He's terrified of coming back."
"Rich," Elaise frowned. "Please."
"I won't let him," the blonde said firmly. "I'm not going to reconsider."
"They'll kill him if he refuses," Elaise tried. "Then you'll both be dead. If he comes back then you'll both live. Which one sounds better? Be honest."
Raven growled. Neither of them understood. She knew what Jason went through. He had trusted enough to tell her everything, and she had accepted him despite what she knew. She still trusted him and she still cared about him. She just wished that he had trusted her enough to tell her the truth about what he really was. He had been able to tell her that he was once a murderer, but why couldn't he tell her that he was a werewolf?
She shook her head roughly. "It's better than forcing him to be a monster again!" she said to Elaise. "I won't be the reason why he returns to this place."
Elaise and Sally exchanged a glance but Raven didn't care. She wiped away her dried tears and refused to reconsider. Jason had protected her from the start and now she had to protect him from the one thing he was truly scared of. She just knew that she would have to argue this point to him when he finally figured out where she was.
"This is stupid!" Sally snorted. "You're going to die for an immortal?"
"Just because books say they're immortal, that doesn't mean it's true," Raven scowled. "And why are you arguing? The vampires are you to kill you two regardless of what happens." She hated to say it to her friends, but it was true; the vampires were going to kill Sally and Elaise no matter what happened.
Elaise frowned and Raven saw the brunette's eyes turn glassy. "Raven, I'm scared."
"I am too," Raven gulped. "But we might get out of this."
"How?" Sally challenged her. "If we try to escape then the vampires will catch us before we even reach the front door!"
Raven glared up at her. Fear was making them all angry. "When Stephanie was taken, Jason wanted to get the other werewolves to rescue her… I understand it all now. The headmaster knew about the vampires but he was convinced that the werewolves weren't strong enough to tackle the coven. If Jason can convince the others to come with him, then we should all get out alive."
"How can you be so sure?" Sally almost whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm not," Raven admitted. "But it's the best hope I have."
They looked up as the door opened and Raven was somehow not surprised when Speed skipped into the room. "Hi, friend!"
"Hey," Raven greeted him and Elaise blinked at her as if she was crazy. Maybe she was.
"The boss said I could hang out with you," he jumped into the seat beside the blonde and smiled up at her. "You're heaps pretty."
"Thanks," Raven glanced up at Elaise. "Can I ask a question?"
"Only if I can pet you," the boy chuckled.
"Sure," she nodded and he instantly petted her head. "How do you fit into all of this? I mean, you're a vampire, but why are you with this group?"
"I haven't been with the coven for long," he answered. "They took me in… I think two months after I turned."
"You weren't born a vampire?" Elaise blinked and Speed shook his head.
"I was supposed to die," Speed frowned. "When I was thirteen I was walking in the park to go home. I had stayed out late and it was dark. My mother would have been worrying about me.
"When I was passing the playground, a group of vampires attacked me," he sounded sad, Raven thought. "They bit me all over and slowly drained my blood. I can't remember how I got away, but I did."
"What happened after that?" even Elaise seemed interested in his story. She sat on the other couch and looked at the boy curiously.
"I ran home and tried to tell my mother that it was vampires," he shrugged. "She didn't believe me and just thought it was rabid dogs. She was going to take me to the doctor the next day, but they were already healed. There wasn't any evidence that I had been hurt."
"Why are you listening to him?" Sally spoke up. "Soon enough he's going to be drinking our blood-"
"Sally, shut up!" Elaise snapped as Raven looked down. "Yes, we're going to die, but that doesn't mean we're not allowed to learn about them!"
Sally snorted and Raven sighed. "After that?" she said to Speed.
"My mother still tried to take me to the doctor, but when she pulled me outside into the sun… I burned," Speed shivered. "I had to run back inside where I was safe in the shade. When my mother saw the burns from the sun, she believed me. She cried for a long time and didn't know what to do. As soon as it got dark… I got hungry."
"Hungry for blood," Raven understood.
&n
bsp; Speed nodded. "I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. I'll always regret murdering my mother. After that I ran away. I hid in house after house during the day and kept moving at night, trying to hold back my cravings. I survived the two months without drinking blood, but I was so exhausted that one day I collapsed and couldn't get up. I was out in the open and it was almost dawn… That was when Jason found me."
"Jason found you?" Raven blinked.
"Yep," the little boy smiled. "He was in werewolf form and he carried me in his teeth. I was scared, but I wasn't able to fight against him. He brought me here to the coven and told the boss that he found me. When Jason was ordered to, he went and got one of the girls from this room and brought them to me."
Silent World Page 24