"Did you have to feed off her?" Elaise dared to ask.
"I didn't want to," Speed admitted. "She looked so scared… I tried to say no but the boss insisted, otherwise I was going to die. Even Jason was concerned and tried to convince me to drink from her." Raven felt her breath catch in her throat. "He didn't want me to die and he bit into her throat, ripping a huge chunk out and letting her blood spray everywhere."
"Don't start!" Elaise scowled at Sally as the ginger girl opened her mouth to say something. "Sorry, Speed."
Speed took a slow breath and continued. "I couldn't keep my hunger at bay. The smell of blood was too much so I had no choice but to feed off her. I felt horrible, but Jason sat with me while I cried. The boss explained to me that I should stay with them where I would be safe. I had nowhere else to go so I stayed."
"And you developed a craving for blood?" Elaise murmured.
"I didn't like it," the vampire told them. "Every time I had to feed, I would cry. My cravings got worse and worse as I got older."
"That's horrible," Raven whispered and felt bad for the boy. "May I ask about… your drug addiction?" Elaise blinked with confusion and glanced at Speed, waiting for the answer.
"That was Jason's idea," Speed smiled and Raven rolled her eyes. She thought Evan said he was an addict before he came to the coven… "He gave me my first shot of the sugars and told me it would reduce my blood cravings. It really did work! That was also when I started having to pet everyone. Jason like getting pets; he never got attention from anyone else and he's still a puppy."
"That explains why he's so cuddly," Raven half smiled. "Puppies love attention."
"Isn't Boulder a puppy too?" Elaise asked. "He's Jason's brother after all."
"Boulder is twenty-two," Speed explained. "When a werewolf turned twenty-one, they become an adult. They get stronger during that time, but Jason can still kick Boulder's butt."
"It is because of his temper problems?" Raven mumbled and Speed nodded.
"I miss Jason," Speed said sadly. "He was my friend too."
"And you have a crush on him?" Raven dared to ask and Elaise once again looked confused. Speed nodded quickly with a grin.
"But Jason claimed you so I'm happy," he chuckled. "At least he chose a pretty girl!"
"I like this kid," Elaise smiled. "He's adorable!"
"He's a vampire!" Sally objected.
"So?" Elaise grumbled.
"Has the brunette been claimed?" Speed asked. "Sorry, I don't remember your name."
"Elaise," the brunette smiled. "And… I don't know." She chewed her lip.
"Has he kissed you?" Speed asked and Elaise nodded. "Then yes. Werewolves make their claim after the first kiss."
"Hang on," Raven frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Jake kissed me first. So wouldn't that mean Jake had claim over me before Jason?"
"Jason has more dominancy," the vampire boy explained. "Jake would have been forced to give you up if Jason challenged him. Jason also would have sealed his claim after you and him… slept together." Raven quickly ducked her head in embarrassment. Elaise failed to contain her giggles.
"That means Kyle would have tried to seal his own claim and knock Jason off," Elaise muttered when she calmed down.
Speed looked thoughtful. "Did they fight?" Raven and Elaise both nodded slowly, glancing at each other. "Who won?"
"Well… from the fight we saw, neither of them won," Elaise admitted. "Eliza got between them and stopped them."
"But Jason said he and Kyle were going to finish it later. I didn't know what that meant," Raven added.
"Since it's a full moon, they would have gone to the woods to transform," the boy told them. "They have no choice on full moons."
"That explains 'chess club'," Elaise rolled her eyes.
"But if they fought there, then it means the winner has the initial claim," Speed said. "If Kyle won, he owns Raven."
"What?!" Raven exclaimed and jumped away from Speed, looking down at the vampire boy. "No. If Kyle won then I refuse to go anywhere near that piece of shit!" Speed shrank away. "I hope Jason ripped his throat out!"
"Rich, calm down," Elaise said soothingly. "With his temper, there's no way Jason would have lost. Chill, okay?"
Raven took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She closed her eyes and knew it was fear that was causing this. They were staring death in the face and it wasn't a nice feeling. She paced around the room until she was sure she could think straight. "I'm sorry."
"We'll be okay," Elaise offered.
"That's what you'd like to think," they all looked up and Raven recognized the woman from the other room, Angelica. She glared at the three human girls. "Two of you are going to become midnight snacks, and if Jason refuses to return, it will be three."
"Why do they have to be eaten?" Speed complained. "They're my friends now."
"You try to make friends with every victim Boulder snatches for us!" the woman hissed. "I don't even know why you bothered with their other friend."
"Stephanie!" Elaise rose to her feet to glare at the woman. Raven felt her heart race as her friend dared to face up to a vampire. "You're a real bitch for saying shit like that."
"What are you going to do?" the woman sneered. "I'm a vampire and you're a pathetic little human." She circled around the brunette to get a better look at her, inspecting her meal before she ate the brunette.
"Angelica, don't be mean," Speed frowned and Raven felt her skin crawling.
"I enjoyed draining your friend dry," Angelica ignored him and whispered in Elaise's ear, standing behind her and slowly brushing the brunette's hair from her neck. Raven clung on to Rover and wanted to scream, but her body wouldn't let her. "Just like I'm going to do to you."
"Elaise!" Sally yelped.
The brunette looked mildly calm and Raven watched as she put her hands together, palms flat against the other. She closed her eyes and spoke quietly. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Angelica quickly drew back as smoke rose from her skin and Raven heard the quiet sizzle of burning flesh. The vampire glared at Elaise with hatred in her eyes.
"You rotten little carcass!" she snarled.
Elaise opened one eye and looked over her shoulder at Angelica with a smile. "Hey! It worked!"
"Quoting from the Bible?" Raven blinked. How did that work?
"Vampires can't speak of God," Elaise looked cheerful and Angelica and Speed flinched away from the mere name of God as though it hurt their ears. "And when a mortal quotes the Bible, the vampires can't touch them. I think we just found a way out of here!"
"Don't even try it!" Angelica looked furious.
"That's the problem," Raven said grimly. "I'm not a Christian. I don't know any quotes from the Bible."
Angelica snapped something quickly to Speed and the two vampires left the room in a hurry. Elaise turned to Raven and Sally with a grin. "Maybe I can get back to the school and tell Jason and Der where you guys are-"
"Elaise, you can't do that," Raven frowned.
"Why not?" the brunette blinked. "I know the whole Bible off by heart. If I quote it the whole way back, the vampires can't touch me-"
"Boulder can," Raven interrupted her friend again. "And Evan will give him permission to kill you."
"Oh, yeah," Elaise looked down at the ground. "Well… We're screwed."
Bloodbath
19. Bloodbath
"Will you calm down already?"
Jason snarled at his friend and Der took a step to the side as they made their way back to the school. The other students, as well as the headmaster, left before them and would have already entered the school by now. His broken arm finally mended itself and Jason stretched it, feeling the pain disappear. "Next time, I'll kill him."
"I know," Der sighed. "But it was a good fight, nonetheless."
Jason snorted. "If he goes anywhere near Raven again, he won't get the chance to crawl away."
> "So you'll change in front of the entire school?" Der challenged.
"If it keeps that mangy ball of fur away from Raven… yes," the green-eyed boy nodded.
"And then after you kill Kyle, the headmaster will kill you," Jason looked to his other side where Eliza appeared, her golden eyes glaring at him. "Think before you act, moron, or you'll be laying in a grave beside Kyle."
Jason was still annoyed at her for choke slamming him before they went to the safe house. He said nothing to her and they left the safety of the trees, seeing the school looming over them. The dawn light peeked over it and Jason hoped Raven was okay after what Kyle did to her. He wondered if he should check on her before classes started.
He froze in place when a scent whiffed up his nose. Der and Eliza paused to blink at him and he felt his skin crawling when he took a few good sniffs. "Jason?" Eliza muttered.
The scent was strong, and it carried the emotions of suppressed excitement and anxiety. His blood pumped wildly when he detected other scents, all excited. He looked up at his two friends who shared worried looks. "They've never gone this far onto the oval…"
Eliza took a sniff, recoiling. "And they've never been so… carefree. It smells like they knew what they were taking."
"More like who," panic rose in Jason's chest and he didn't care if his friends followed him as he raced towards the school. He heard the footfalls of Der and Eliza and the three of them ran through the doors of the building. The scent became stronger, but it was stale, telling the green-eyed boy it had definitely been a few hours ago.
"They've never entered school grounds before," Der muttered.
"Not even the other times we were away from the school," Eliza agreed. "What changed?"
Jason was equally confused. Why would they enter the school now? There were many full moons when the refugees left the school grounds and never before had their enemies infiltrated the buildings. What made a difference now?
Realization kicked him in the face and a scared puppy whine escaped his throat by accident. Der and Eliza looked at him. "What's the matter?"
"I think I know," Jason frowned. "I just hope I'm wrong!" He raced down the hallways of the school with all the speed he had. He didn't waste his time waiting for the elevator; he took the stairs, jumping up them ten at a time. His two confused friends tore after him and Jason followed the scent all the way up to the top floor, detecting another scent that made him whine again. He skidded to a stop outside Raven's door and the scents all mingled together.
"Oh no," Eliza gulped.
Jason tried to say it was wrong as he picked up Raven's scent with the others, included the strong scent of mistletoe that was Elaise. He tried not to panic and he kicked the door open, stepping into the room and looking around. The stench of the first scent he caught was all over the room and Jason went to each bedroom, checking them while Eliza and Der stood in the doorway, exchanging scared looks. Jason returned to them, his heart racing.
"They're gone," his voice cracked and Eliza tried putting a hand on his shoulder but he flinched away from her.
"It was your brother, wasn't it?" Der dared to ask. "I know a fellow werewolf scent when I smell one."
"He's not a werewolf," Jason snarled. "He's a vile monster! I'm going to tear him apart piece by fucking piece!"
"We have to go tell the headmaster," Eliza told him, taking a step away from the green-eyed boy. Jason nodded and pushed his way past them, breaking into a run with them both already at his side.
He couldn't believe it! His brother had come right into the school to take Raven. Why? Why did they pick out Raven? He shook himself roughly as they ran up the stairs to the headmaster's office and Jason wasn't even out of breath by the time they barged the door down.
Headmaster Smith was in there, talking to Storm. Both of them looked up at the intrusion. "The polite way of entering would be to knock-"
"The vampires entered the school!" Eliza interrupted him and Jason let them exchange shocked expressions.
"What?!" the headmaster rose from his chair. "Why?"
"They took Raven," Jason clenched his hands and didn't miss the snort that came from Storm.
"As well as Elaise and Sally," Der frowned, his eyes glassy.
"You're saying the vampires took the girls from their dorm?" Storm muttered and Jason nodded. "They couldn't have! Vampires can't enter a human's living quarters unless they're invited in."
"They used Boulder to go in and get them," Jason took deep breaths to try and calm himself as his vision started to turn red. He had to stay calm, for Raven's sake.
"Your brother," the headmaster understood. "Why them?"
The shadows of truth seeped into Jason's body and he admitted to himself that he was scared. "They want something from me… They took Elaise and Sally because they were with Raven," he mumbled and everyone looked at him. "Boulder knows Raven from the time I saved her. He knew we were close. The vampires want something from me."
"You think they're holding her hostage?" Eliza blinked.
Storm rolled his eyes. "They probably want their dog back." Jason turned on him and snarled, the sound bouncing off the walls. He took a step towards Storm but Eliza stood in the way, putting her hands up on his chest to ward him back. "I told you before, Jason; that's what happens when you let your puppy emotions take over and fall for a human."
Jason wanted to rip his throat out but he couldn't waste time when Raven's life was on the line. He turned to the headmaster. "We have to go and get them back!"
"I can't let you do that," the headmaster shook his head. "Jason, this may be what they want. By going in there, you're risking everyone's lives. There's nothing you can do."
"I can save them!" the boy growled and fought the temptation to pick up the huge desk between him and the headmaster and throw it across the room. "They're going to torture the girls until I get there."
"No!" the headmaster spat. "This is what happens when you fall for humans. They're too fragile and can't protect themselves. They hold no value to our kind. Raven is just a human."
"She's my human!" Jason snapped. "I won't let the vampires kill her."
"You can't go back there! Your temper isn't stable enough!"
"I don't care!" the green-eyed boy slammed his hands on the desk and the wood cracked under the force. "Raven has stood by me even after I told her what I used to do. She's the only one who accepted me from the very start despite knowing that."
"We accepted you," Storm raised his chin.
"After you pulled your tail out from between your legs!" Jason scoffed. "All of you were scared of me in the beginning."
"And Raven wasn't?"
"No," he shook his head. "She was never scared. And right now she's probably more terrified than she's ever been because of me!"
"I'm sorry, but I won't let you risk your life," the headmaster declared. "Going back there is a suicide mission and I'm not calling the shots for you to die."
"It's not your call," Jason grumbled. "It's mine. I'm going to get the girls back. Alone if I have to."
"You're not leaving!"
Jason glared at the headmaster and stood tall, squaring his shoulders. "Are you going to try and stop me?" the older man made no move. "Are you coming, Der?"
"Yep," the blonde boy nodded and Jason walked out of the room with Der at his side. The two of them jumped down the many flights of stairs, taking almost twenty at a time. As soon as they were outside, Jason glanced at Der. "I've never been to that place before…" the blonde said, chewing his lip.
"Well it won't be Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory," Jason told him grimly. "It's a slaughter house. Keep your eyes and ears open and try to stay in as much light as you can so the vampires can't hurt you."
"What about Boulder?" Der looked worried.
"Let me handle him," Jason growled and they ran across the oval, entering the forest.
*.*.*
"Move, already!"
Raven flinched as Sally screamed from Angelica's grip.
The vampire pulled the ginger girl to her feet. Snake made a move to grab Elaise but the brunette quickly quoted the Bible and the man jumped back with a snarl.
"Get out of the way," Boulder shoved him aside and roughly seized Elaise by the throat. Raven's friend yelped but the huge man wasn't going to show her any mercy.
"Take them to the chamber," Evan said and Raven clung on to Rover as her two friends were lifted off their feet and carried out of the room. The leader of the coven turned to Raven with a smile. "Would you care to join us?"
Silent World Page 25