Killer Rayne

by Alanna J Faison

  I tilt my head so that she can take more even though I know that she’s taken enough. Her long, slow draws cause a fire to ignite between my legs. The vampire pheromones cause me to feel this pleasure even as I try to fight it.

  “Zara, no,” I tell her passively.

  She pushes harder against me, one hand now roaming my body, touching my breasts, reaching between my legs. A trail of heat lingers from her touches. Zara pulls away, moaning quietly right before slamming her lips against mine, causing my head to spin and my world to explode. I pull her in deeper, tasting my blood and finding it a rush. Her soft tongue seeks out mine as she lifts me against the tree. It scrapes my back, lifting up my shirt and drawing blood. Zara smells it, sets me down, and turns me around before licking the blood from my back, slowly, purposefully.

  Both hands against the bark, I bite my lip in delight before my senses rush back to me. Without her taking my blood, the pheromones no longer rule my mind as strongly. Mixed with the bond, I’d be helpless against her if she was still taking my blood from the vein, pumping those feelings inside me. Now, my heart and mind scream, “no” in unison and I manage to push her away.

  I look at her in sorrow as her eyes still possess the blankness that is not the vampire I know. She looks at me in confusion and growls, crouching low as if threatened. I open our blood-link and call to her. My knees are weak and my heart is beating against my chest as if it is trying to break out. I touch my neck punctures and do my best to hide my fear. That total loss of control is unnerving.

  Stop. Listen to me Zara, you’re not hurt anymore. You’re safe. I gave you my blood to heal and it’s working. Look, I say showing my vampire her own image in her mind.

  She looks at me sideways in confusion before touching the side of her neck where her own wound is now closing.

  “Rayne,” she says aloud. She begins to take a step toward me then stops as she touches her lips in rememberance and then looks at mine in horror.

  Zara falls to her knees once more and says, “Oh God Rayne, I am so so fucking sorry. Oh shit, I fucked up.” She pounds a fist in the ground and says something unintelligible.

  I run my fingers through my hair and then wipe my mouth. “There’s no time for this right now. We’ll handle it later. Right now, we need to get to Selene and I don’t think that I have that much in me now,” I say honestly, leaning against the tree that she pinned me against.

  She looks up at me once more, eyes still burning crimson and filled with honest regret. As she opens her mouth to speak, my eyes linger on her sharp fangs that just roamed my body and I shudder.

  I have to tell Selene about this. I have to make sure that she’s safe first.

  Zara pauses to listen to the commotion back on the road right before I hear sirens in the distance. She looks farther beyond the trees then motions for me to come along.

  “We have to move quickly. I didn’t want to show you this just yet, but I’ll do this to make up for what I’ve done and also to get to Selene quicker. I owe this to both of you,” Zara says mysteriously.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m about to use one of my special abilities. When I take blood from an awakened, I can use their powers. As far as I know, I’m the only vampire with this gift. It’s how I was able to kill Blake,” Zara reveals.

  I let those words sink in. The gift of taking abilities through blood gives her the potential to have unlimited powers if she can master them. If she were someone else, someone evil, I don’t think that I would want her living.

  “Don’t ever forget Rayne; I may not be evil, but I’m not the good guy either. I’m a vampire first. I kill with no remorse and often with a lot of satisfaction. Don’t ever forget what I am; you’ll be safer that way,” Zara warns listening to my thoughts through our still open link.

  I think about her words and nod. Selene was basically telling me the same thing. She said that vampires are always plotting and working their own angles. I should tread carefully when it comes to them. It wasn’t dislike, it was just facts. Still, I can’t picture Zara as a cold-blooded murderer, not in the way Namen is. Maybe they aren’t so different though.

  “Now, the key is to understand the power and having time to learn it. It just doesn’t come immediately. I’ve been a werewolf, used witch magic, and even some demon magic too. Using all those different abilities has given me advantages that other awakeneds can’t hope to possess. It also gives me insight about other races and their weaknesses. I took a piece of that demon during the fight, so I’ll be able to transport us like he does before it wears off. Luckily it’s pretty much the same as a spell that witches use and I’ve done it before. Let’s move. Come closer,” Zara beckons me.

  Above us, lightning strikes and thunder cracks. It’s going to be pouring any time now. Hopefully any traces of blood will wash away. I step into Zara’s arms, trying not to get too close, any more intimate than we’ve already been. Then, I am pulled through a void.

  ◊◊◊

  We arrive just as the rain begins to pour. I run up to the front door prepared to break it down if I have to. I try to ignore the woozy feeling in my stomach as Zara pulls me away from the door to go around back. Something crashes through the glass just as we head around. Selene leaps through the broken window with one hand, glass cutting into her hand, brow and lip bleeding, hair wild. Electricity leaps across her skin and I follow her gaze to the monstrosity that is lying on his back in the grass.

  The demon looks to be covered in stones, much less comical than the Thing from The Fantastic Four comics and more deadly. The Thing is a large, orange, superhero whose body is made of rocks. No, this monster is more realistic and much more intimidating. As he picks himself up off of the ground, Zara and I both rush to Selene’s side. She doesn’t even turn since she’s focused on the enemy.

  “This cadela is strong. There was one more, but she disappeared into the sky so be careful,” Selene warns just as she slams a fist into the ground, causing the earth to shake.

  I keep my balance by pushing Katsu into the dirt. The demon is wobbly on his feet and both Selene and Zara use that to their advantage and attack in unison. Rain begins to pummel the earth as Zara draws the demon’s attention. Selene weaves a hand sign by quickly lacing her fingers together in a specific pattern and lashes out with a spell.

  I push my wet hair from my eyes as I scan the sky for signs of the other demon. Dark clouds overhead make my vision less helpful. Instead, I close my eyes and seek the demon energy that I’m getting all too accustomed to. In the distance, I can feel the other one watching, but making no moves. There is no intent to strike there, just to observe.

  Selene is knocked through the air, but Zara catches her before she hits the ground. Slipping out of the way of the next strike, the ground shakes where the demon stands. I call out, forcing him to turn his attention toward me.

  “Hey!” I yell over the thunder screaming out to the sky. “Don’t you want to fight a real opponent?” I tease, gesturing for the monster to attack me.

  He roars in response, a sound that will definitely have the neighbors poking their heads outside any minute. Looks like we’ve really got to finish this quickly. Abandoning my fatigue, I stand firm on my feet, knowing that I have two capable women backing me up. I have no doubt of the outcome of this one. I search for weak points as I open my bond with Zara once more. Through her eyes, I see Selene prep a spell, slowly pulling the energy from the world around her like a vacuum. Incredible. Zara slips into the shadows and I silently ask Katsu to sharpen enough to cut through the armored body of the demon.

  My sword is only as strong as its master, so I just hope that I’m powerful enough to do this. The only weak point I see is the eyes, so that’ll have to do. I play it all out in my head, my analytical skills seeming to grow exponentially. Each move will be calculated and precise, there will be no strength wasted here. There’s a shift in the wind as it begins to howl through the trees causing the branches to genuflect. I shift
once, tattoo glowing, and take off in the direction of the demon with both hands on my katana.

  Two steps slower than me to react, he clumsily tries to pick up speed. The demon weight causes him to sink more into the ground as he moves due to the pouring rain. Perfect. I leap through the air right as he attempts to catch his balance. Too late. With a leaping, two legged kick, I slam right into the demon’s face as hard as I can. He falls backwards hard just as Zara comes up behind me, catching Katsu in the air as I toss her to my vampire. Zara slams my blade into one of the demon’s eyes with teeth jarring force. The demon screams in rage. A spilt second later, I feel the force of Selene’s magic rip through the air like a bullet, more powerful than I’ve ever felt it.

  I scramble out of the way just as Zara pulls Katsu from the demon. I roll over just in time to watch Selene raise an arm to the sky and slam it down to her side. A powerful, deadly bolt of lightning collides with the demon’s body. He screams in his final seconds, drowned out by another clash of thunder.

  In seconds, we’re left with the stench of a burned body and scorched earth. Elemental magic still electrifies the air. Selene turns wild green eyes on me and then on Zara. I step toward her, shaking from the feeling of the power she just called. I really don’t know what Selene is capable of. Before I can ask, Selene slams Zara against the house with a surge of energy. Before Zara can defend herself, Selene strikes again. Blood flows from Zara’s lip and nose, but she makes no attempt to defend herself. I stand there, helpless and confused as Selene strides toward her, fingers crackling with another spell prepped.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zara stands up, expressionless. I take a step closer to them, shivering from the cold caress of the rain. Not realizing that I’m holding my breath, my heart begins to beat firmly against my chest. Selene raises her glowing hand and releases the spell.

  She gets as close as humanly possible to Zara without touching her and then slaps her before grabbing her face tightly.

  “Selene, stop-,” I begin, but she doesn’t hear me.

  “She’s mine!” she cries. “Don’t you dare think that you can take her away from me. She’s not yours to claim, vampire. I can feel your energy all over her.”

  Oh God. She knows. She already knows. I open my mouth to try to explain, to make her understand, but suddenly I am mute, afraid that anything I say will sound like a lie.

  “How could you?” Selene spins on me, tears clearly evident in her eyes despite the rain. My heart breaks at her pain. Pain that I put there. “How could you? I’ve given up nearly everything for you and it takes you all of two seconds to run into her arms. I warned you, Rayne. Did that one omission change everything? Do you not even care about my feelings at all?” Selene is shaking in rage and all I do is stand there and look like an idiot.

  “You need to understand,” Zara says, reaching out gently, eyes red from the emotions charging the air, but her body language is non-threatening.

  “I’m not speaking to you!” Selene screams, lashing out with her power.

  This time, Zara blocks it and growls, but doesn’t make a move to retaliate. Instead, arms in the air, she walks away, giving us some space.

  “Does she speak for you now? Because last I recall, you’ve always spoken your mind.”

  Something about her words lights a fire inside of me. I’m not being controlled, at least not in the way that she’s thinking. How dare she think so low of me.

  “You’re judging me now about lies? Fuck you, Selene. I was coming over here to own up to what I’ve been doing. I was going to be honest and tell you everything because I love you and I need your help. This is hard to explain and it’s not what I want. I don’t love her. I feel a connection with her that is not entirely of my own doing.”

  Selene seems to want to walk away from my explanation, but I step in front of her, forcing her to listen. “We both made a mistake and underestimated the power of the blood-link. Because of that, we’ve had to deal with consequences. But no, I’m not going to blame it all on that. Part of it is me too. Part of it is attraction to her and her power. But, I want to leave it at that, we both do. She has Sage and I thought that one day, I’d have you again,” I respond, pacing back and forth, hands moving wildly as I speak.

  I come to a stop back in front of her, fuming. “You kept your brother a secret from me for a very long time. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to bring him up. It’s not like I couldn’t handle it. I think I can handle just about anything now, after the murder of my family, don’t you think? You told me once that trust is a gift not easily given, but you’re full of shit, you know that?”

  “And why can’t you trust that I know my brother more than you do. You formed judgments based off of what your enemy told you. Your enemy, Rayne! That’s all it took for him to divide and nearly destroy one of us. Have you ever thought of that? No! I’m sure you didn’t figure that part of the plan did you? There was a reason I never told you about my brother. He was on the run for a very long time. I haven’t seen him since I was seventeen. In order for him to be safe, no one could know anything about him, not even you.”

  “Well, we all see how well that’s worked out, right?”

  Selene pushes me. “Vai se foder!”

  My tattoo comes to life in reaction to the physical action. I push my power back down. “Listen, Selene. I kissed Zara. Twice. The first time was in reaction to me attempting to push back the bond. My power reached out to her and it was like a drug. I asked for it. The second time was right before coming here. I fed her blood because she was pretty banged up. She lost herself and pushed the vamp pheromones really heavily into me. Neither one of us meant for it to happen. You know that I’m not lying because you know how that works. She’s probably regrets it more than I. No one is cheering harder for us to be together than her. If you’re going to lash out on someone, let it be me. She doesn’t deserve it,” I sigh.

  Selene is silent for a few seconds, then she asks, “So, why is so hard for you to give me the benefit of the doubt? You’re standing here in my face, asking me to do the same thing for you, after you’ve promised to kill my brother. Why, Rayne, must you be the moral citizen of this story? You just became a part of this world. I’ve lived in it for my entire life. I’ve protected you as best I can and I’ve stood by your side, yet, you act like you can’t even forgive me.” She sobs into her hands. I reach out to touch her, but she pulls away.

  “Selene, I-,” I hang my head down and choose my next words.

  “Selene. I know I don’t deserve how good you’ve been to me. I should have stayed. I should have listened. I didn’t and now I have to earn your forgiveness. But, if your brother really had something to do with either my family’s or Anubis’s pack’s murder, I don’t know if I can ever forgive him. I will defend myself if he attacks me. You can get the explanation you need from him, tell him to run if you see him, but I can’t give you more than that. I’m sorry. I won’t lie to you,” I say honestly.

  My tattoo glows, warning me of a force that I couldn’t sense just a couple of seconds ago. “So that’s it, huh? You’d kill her only brother, her twin, her best friend, just like that? Have you no heart Rayne Whitmore?” A velvety, deep voice with a hint of an accent steals into the night. He sounds like an actor with that “A plus” performance. Selene freezes like she’s just seen a ghost and I turn to find someone I least expect step into view.

  “I didn’t sense your presence. How long have you been lurking?” I ask the man standing before me. He can only be Santos as I peer into the face of the stranger that looks so much like Selene. He’s slightly taller than her, has short, dark, thick, straight hair, alluring green eyes, a diamond shaped jaw structure, neatly trimmed goatee, with a dangerous smirk painting his face.

  Santos is just as handsome as Selene is beautiful.

  “I have my ways. I came to observe and to show my sister here that this isn’t the life that she wants. She should be by my side, where her rightful place is. Selene, you k
now that I’m right. You’ll never reach your true potential without me. We are linked, you know that.” He looks at her, completely ignoring me.

  “Santos. What are you doing? What is your plan in all this?” Selene asks, physically forcing herself not to run into his arms, wary of her own brother. I watch as she squeezes her hands into fists and sways back and forth.

  “Hello to you to irmã,” he smiles a hundred watt smile. They are twins alright.

  He still ignores me and I take that time to seek out Zara as well as the winged watcher. There is no sign of the demon, but Zara is stalking somewhere close by, waiting for her opening. Good. She’s angry that she didn’t sense him either.

  “I want you to join me on the right side of this war. Make no mistake, Selene, this is war. We need to take our rightful place on top and Namen is the key to doing that. Anyone who opposes us is a threat to our future. Selene, the world is going to find out about us sooner than you realize. We must go on the offensive while we are strong to ensure our survival. You have to understand that,” Santos explains. It sounds good, but their intentions aren’t that noble.

  “Santos, Rayne’s family died because of Namen. The people that worked for their family. Her mom, her dad; her sister was only thirteen. What threat was she to have been murdered by a demon? I saw the bodies Santi. I’ve been here every day helping her pick up the pieces. What happened that night is unforgivable. So… why?” Selene asks, stepping closer to her brother.

  I want to stop her, but he’s still her brother right? Will he hurt her? Will he see my movement as a threat?

  “If Namen made that decision, then there’s a reason. He makes sacrifices for all of us. There are no mistakes,” he responds like a press secretary. I look at him sideways, pulling Katsu slowly out of her sheath.