I couldn’t help but laugh. “No kidding? An umbrella?”
“Yeah, he was fighting like a madman,” Raina chuckled. “But then he realized he couldn’t take on all three on alone. So he challenged the leader to a duel. Took a pretty bad beating, but eventually he had him. But he waited to end it. Just for a second, just long enough for the vampire to understand what was about to happen. Then he broke his neck. The others took off immediately after that.”
Raina looked at me, her eyes still wet, but a slight smile on her face. “And that’s how I met Octavian. He kept visiting every week to make sure I was okay. Of course, I was devastated, but I was just glad I had decided to leave my kids at home that evening. I can’t even imagine what I would have done if the vampires had killed them instead of my dog.”
“The vampire… that was Octavian?” I asked with surprise. “It’s hard to imagine him losing his temper like that.”
“Oh, sure, he’s all grown up now, calmer. He doesn’t go around killing people now that he’s in the Fangs. But he’d still turn into a madman for those he cares about. I know I can always count on him when it comes to it.”
“Huh.” I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t doubt she was telling the truth, but I hadn’t seen that side of him yet. Only the snarky, standoffish side. Sometimes, maybe, the charming smartass side of him.
“They might be arrogant, but at least Clan Dulaire keeps their vamps under control. Don’t let them drink too much blood, so they don’t succumb to their primal side, like that clan of lunatics. If it were up to Nox, everyone else would just be food for them.”
I hadn’t known that there were such differences between clans. To an outsider like me, all I knew was ‘don’t mess with Clan Dulaire’, since they owned this town. Other clans were just rival gangs. But apparently, they were more different than I thought.
“But enough about me and my sob stories,” Raina continued when I didn’t answer. “What about you? What else did you do all day?” Raina asked with a smile, wiping her tears away.
“Uhm… There is not much to tell, I guess.” Images of me in my girly pajama, watching Netflix flashed through my mind. Nope, not going to tell her that.
“Oh, I have a dog, too,” I added, as she was still looking at me expectantly. I swallowed, realizing that this might not be the best topic to talk about right now.
But Raina’s face lit up immediately. “Oh really? Do you have a picture of her? Or him?”
Hesitantly, I pulled out my phone. Of course it had pictures of Lady. Almost every picture on my phone was of her, obviously. I just didn’t want to remind her of her own loss.
My thoughts must have been written on my face because Raina put a hand on my arm. “Sweetie, it’s okay, don’t worry. I will miss Wolf until the day I die, but I can see a dog without crying.”
Somewhat reassured, I unlocked my phone and showed her pictures of Lady. Her running in the park, chasing colorful leaves. Her standing majestically in the afternoon sun. Her looking at me with a silly face, lying on her back while waiting for a belly rub.
“Aww, she’s so cute!” Raina exclaimed and laughed.
I showed her a few more pictures and then the bell at the door jingled again. Octavian walked back into the shop, his face full of resignation.
“Oh, it looks like you two are bonding,” he said as he looked at us, the resignation quickly wiped from his face and replaced by a slight smile. Like always, he seemed to have his emotions almost perfectly under control.
“Everything okay?“ Raina asked, a hint of worry in her face.
“Yeah yeah, just my mother.” Octavian waved his hand. “Asking me if I was still helping those witches instead of doing my job, and why didn’t have a date to the ball yet. And she complained why she had heard that I have been speeding again,” he added with a grin, glancing over at me.
“Oh, so just the usual,” Raina chuckled.
“Yeah,” Octavian sighed. “I have to go, though. Thanks again for the help.”
“Any time. And we,” Raina added, turning to me and putting her hand on my shoulder, “will have to continue our chat another time.”
“Yeah, sure,” I replied with a smile and awkwardly mimicked her gesture.
Octavian chuckled, then walked out the store. After a friendly nod at Raina, I followed him.
“So, you two had a good talk?” Octavian asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
“Oh, we just talked about how messy your hair was today,” I shrugged, trying not to let a grin onto my face. After looking through and showing off the pictures of Lady, my mood had improved significantly.
He stared at me for a moment before turning around, to check his hair in the side mirror of his bike. I burst out in laughter as he slowly turned around again, visibly displeased. After a moment, he couldn’t suppress a grin either.
“All right, you got me this time.” He laughed. “Now get on the bike or I’ll leave you here.”
“Oh, but don’t go too fast,” I said as I got up in the seat behind him. “Otherwise, mommy will call and complain again.”
He looked at me for a long second, his face stern again. “Oh, she’s no joke. She’s a tyrant. However bad you think you have it, she’s worse.”
I looked at him, tilting my head to the side. “My mother is dead. Got killed right in front of me when I was eleven.”
He looked at me in surprise, his mouth half open. “Oh… Uhm, well this is awkward.”
“It’s fine. But go ahead, keep complaining about how the castle you grew up in didn’t even have heated floors,” I teased him with a grin.
I really didn’t like talking about her. Or my past. Even if we had become a little closer those last few days, I was not willing to talk about my childhood.
“What about your dad?” Octavian asked hesitantly.
So much for not talking about it. “I don’t know, never met him. Are we going to actually drive or just sit around on the bike?”
“So you were a young girl alone on the street, without magic training…” His voice trailed off. “How did you even survive?”
“I did what I had to. Then started taking jobs. Deliveries and stuff at first, then more dangerous jobs. Whatever paid enough so I could eat.”
Alright, that’s it, Raven. Time to change the subject.
He looked into the distance for a second before he turned around again. “Is that why you took that smuggler’s job back then?”
“Hey, I was just a bodyguard,” I shot back. “But yeah. I was just renting an apartment, my first actual home, and wouldn’t have been able to pay the deposit without that job. Now can we stop this therapy session and go back to Lazar’s place?”
“Hm. I see.” Without further comment, he turned the ignition and handed me the helmet again. This time, my heart quickened, but didn’t go crazy anymore when we drove off. I still felt awfully vulnerable.
But apart from the feeling of unease deep in my bones, I also felt that excitement again, jumping up and down in my belly. I felt the air rush past me, the roar of the engine under me, the thrilling feeling every time we raced past a car, sometimes followed by angry honking. I inhaled the smell of hot tires on the street, of Octavian’s leather jacket, even his smell that I hadn’t noticed before. Wooden, but spicy. Like forest with a hint of cinnamon.
It was a strange feeling, being so close to someone else. And not just physically. I hadn’t talked about my past like this in a long time. Since I told Evie, probably.
I still wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. It felt nice not being alone, nicer than I would have expected. But letting people in also meant opening up, making myself vulnerable. It meant getting abandoned, left behind. Betrayed. I was not going to let my guard down again.
With a deep breath, I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the ride. Though I wasn’t the one in control, I could feel the power between my legs, the way the bike sped up obediently with just a flick of the wrist. It was exhilarating, roaring as
we wove through the streets of Darkhaven. I had never bought a car because I had no need for it, but maybe I had to consider getting a bike. It felt wild and untamed, flirting with danger while showing off gracefully. It wasn’t quite my usual style, but it spoke to a side of me I didn’t think I had.
A few minutes later, I was almost disappointed when we arrived at the meeting house of the Ring. As I got off the bike and looked around in confusion, Octavian explained, “Allard texted me. The regrouped here, not at Lazar’s place.”
I shrugged and gave him the helmet back, which he put in the container at the back of the bike. Once everything was tucked away and locked, he walked toward the house. I followed close behind as we walked over the path through the front lawn, about twenty feet between the entrance and the door.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. My head spun to the right, but it was just an orange-brown cat, one we apparently woke up from a nap.
But when Octavian heard it hissing, he spun around and jumped backward, almost hitting me with his flailing arms. He looked at the cat, his face full of terror for a second.
“Oh. It’s just a cat, don’t worry.” He trembled, but his expression quickly turned neutral again.
“Are you afraid of a cat?”
“No I’m not,” he blurted out, his eyes still fixed on the cat.
I looked between the two of them and laughed, both their gazes fixed upon each other. Then the cat took a step forward and hissed at him again. Octavian retreated a step, then hissed back at the cat, fangs exposed.
The scene was simply too good. I took two steps toward the cat and picked it up carefully. It didn’t seem happy about it, but it didn’t resist. While it calmed down a little as I petted it, it still didn’t look away from Octavian.
“Put it away before someone gets hurt,” he hissed through his teeth.
“What, afraid the cat will kill you?” I mocked.
“It wouldn’t be the first one to try,” he said sternly, glancing at me for just a moment.
I raised my eyebrow but decided it was better not to ask. I would keep this question for later. Shaking my head, I turned around and put the cat down a few steps away. “Go on, kitty cat,” I said in a singsong voice, and it obediently meandered away.
“Good to know you don’t flinch at the sight of a demon, but are petrified at the sight of a cat,” I mused. “If we ever have to hunt a cat, I’ll take point.”
“It’s not funny.” He pouted, then quickly walked toward the building.
I laughed and followed him. I couldn’t help but make meowing noises until he entered the house, which he tried his best to ignore.
I still felt hurt that he didn’t trust me, but it had been pushed to the back of my mind for now. I didn’t fully trust him, either, after all. Didn’t mean I couldn’t make fun of him.
This time, as we walked into the house, I could already hear agitated chatter. In the living room, a bunch of witches, shamans, and this time even elementalists were standing around the dinner table. Maps and various items were strewn across it.
When he saw us enter, Allard quickly came over to greet us. “Did you have any luck?” he asked with hope in his eyes.
“Not exactly. But we did get the dagger back,” I replied sarcastically, pulling the wrapped dagger out of my coat. “Careful with that. It transformed the vampire who used it into some demon monster thingy.”
Allard reached out for it, then stopped mid-movement. “Demon monster thingy? That sounds bad.”
“Nothing a good old decapitation couldn’t fix.” Octavian grinned beside me.
Allard looked between us, then chuckled nervously. “Well, I’m very glad we have such capable fighters on our side, then. Thank you, again.” He took the dagger, still wrapped in its bloodstained shirt sleeve, and put it in a bag carefully.
“I didn’t see Lazar’s ring, though. Have you found anything, Allard? Or is it still not trackable” Octavian said as the witch came back.
“I’m afraid not. The two crime scene inspectors found some hints, though. The attacker was definitely magical. Lazar tried to fight, but was quickly overpowered. However, they couldn’t find any trace of anyone else in the room. It’s like he was killed by ghost.”
“So we have another unknown attacker, and the vampires just happened to have the dagger? How do they fit in?” I asked, crossing my arms. This was starting to get interesting. I wasn’t usually one for crime TV shows or books, but I felt the pull of the unknown, the mystery waiting to be solved.
“No idea, yet.” Allard sighed. “Maybe whoever killed Lazar wanted to make a quick buck and pawn of some magical artifacts. If it wasn’t for the other attacks, I might even suspect a simple robbery. Well, simple magical robbery. With ghosts.”
“Oh, there was one thing,” I added. “The vampire who turned into a demon… he said something about a stranger. Someone who gave or sold them the dagger, I guess?”
Allard looked at me and thought for a second. “So someone stole two specific items, then got rid of one of them? Hm. Were they after the artifacts or after Lazar?”
“What do they Elders think? Are they taking it serious?” Octavian asked.
Allard shrugged and looked back at the dinner table. Right now, it looked more like a war table, with all the Elders around it, arguing aggressively. “They decided that we have to treat this as a serious threat, as someone openly trying to kill us by any means necessary. Whoever it is, they’re not playing games.”
Octavian crossed his arms before his chest and thought for a second. “Who would want to target the Elders specifically? This is obviously not the work of a vampire, or werewolf, but why would a witch want to go after the Ring of Elders?”
“They think it must be a small group, not just a single witch or shaman,” Allard said. “We can’t make sense of the Medusa, but these attacks are too well coordinated to be the work of a single person.”
“Well, we can probably expect them to make an appearance tomorrow, then.” Octavian sighed, but he looked almost happy about it.
“What’s tomorrow?” I asked, confused.
“You’re right. That’s what the whole fuss back there is all about,” Allard said, pointing over his shoulder toward the table.
“I’ll tell Davorin to beef up security, then. Assuming you’ll still come?” Octavian asked.
“That’s the plan. We can’t let the community know of this threat until we know more. We—"
Angrily, I interrupted Allard. “What’s happening tomorrow? Anyone wanna fill me in?”
“An open buffet for our mysterious killer,” Octavian responded with a grin.
Allard ignored him. “A ball. Clan Dulaire organizes it every year, to bring together all the factions in peace. Only this time, it could easily turn into a slaughter.”
“Oh. So everyone important is going to be there, right?” I frowned. “That does seem like a pretty stupid idea with a gang of unknown attackers just waiting to strike again.”
“Yep, that’s about it.” Allard chuckled. “The good thing is, we have a ton of magical powers in one place. It would be a suicide mission for anyone to attack.”
“But if they were to neutralize the magic…” Octavian mused.
“Then we still have the Crimson Fangs as honor guard. Right, Mr. Van Cross?” Allard asked.
I suppressed a chuckle. Especially after the cat incident, I just couldn’t take him seriously anymore. Then again, Allard’s respectful behavior was what made me like him in the first place.
“Of course, we will be there. But we don’t know what they will hit us with.”
“That’s where I was hoping we would have an ace in the sleeve,” Allard said hopefully, turning toward me.
I looked at him in confusion until it clicked. “Oh no. Nonono.”
“Come on, it would be fun. Also, free drinks and appetizers,” Octavian teased.
I opened my mouth and protest, but then shut it again.
Free drinks a
nd appetizers. Huh.
No, what am I thinking? I can’t go to a ball!
“No!” I protested as I saw his grin. “I don’t exactly feel like embarrassing myself in a room full of everyone that matters in the city.”
Allard chuckled. “You wouldn’t have to dance. Just stand somewhere with a good view, smile and nod at people. Keep a lookout.”
Octavian sighed. “That’s my plan as well. Luckily, most people will be drinking champagne and talking all night, so if all goes well, a bit of small talk is all we will have to endure.”
Allard’s face lit up immediately. “Wonderful, you can go together then!”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I laughed.
“True, my mother would literally kill me if I brought Raven,” Octavian said with a shiver.
“Hey! What is that supposed to mean?” I put my fist into my hips as I glared at him.
Octavian raised his hands in defense. “She’s just very… strict. She wants to set me up with a nice, elegant vampire lady.”
“Oh, so I’m not nice? Or elegant? Or a lady?”
“Or a vampire,” Octavian said dryly.
I stared at him a moment longer, then laughed. “Alright, okay, I guess I’m none of these things. But at least I’m not some boring, stuck-up girl you have to entertain all night.”
Allard stepped closer and patted us on the shoulders enthusiastically. “Wonderful. I’m sure Mrs. Van Cross won’t mind. Just tell her it’s important for the Elders.”
“That will not exactly help,” Octavian mumbled in defeat.
“Great, so I will see you two there. I feel safer already.” Allard smiled at us, then turned around and walked back to the others.
Octavian looked at me apologetically. My hands were still on my hips. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t agree to this!” I grumbled.
“So you are going to just leave me hanging? Trust me, I’d rather hunt bad guys, too, but I have a duty. And a controlling mother,” he added with a chuckle, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
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