AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He doesn’t see me like that.” If he did, he would have made a move already. He’d had plenty of opportunities during the last two years.
She twisted the wraps around her hands. “Maybe tonight you can change that.”
Her tone sent warning bells blaring through my ears. “What’s happening tonight?”
“We’re going somewhere fun.” Her mischievous giggle did nothing to ease my anxiety.
“And where is that?”
Roxie tsked. “I’m not telling you yet. I don’t want you backing out.”
My spine snapped straight, and I crossed my arms. “I’m not doing anything crazy, Rox.” She had a knack for getting into trouble, and I wanted no part of it.
Roxie fell back on the mat like she’d been shot. “Stop being so perfect and good. Live a little!” She poked my thigh. “I heard you were some ruthless, badass bitch that Coltrane pulled off the streets. You throat-punched a teacher and cold-cocked another one on your first day of training.”
My lips pressed together, fighting a smile. “I did not throat-punch a teacher. I broke his nose.” Her eyes widened, and I lifted my hand to cut her off before she could speak. “That was an accident.”
It wasn’t.
She twirled a lock of ebony hair around her finger. “Weren’t you in a fight club? Didn’t you beat up gang members?”
“No.” I unwound the wraps from my hands. Ididparticipate in fights to earn money. And I won. A lot.
My stomach soured as memories of my last fight whipped through my mind. The crunch of my opponent’s skull when he went down echoed like a gunshot, and the roar of the crowd, feet stomping and the stench of blood, sweat, and vomit fueled some of my worst nightmares.
The guy had been dropped off on the curb of the hospital. Two days later, he died.
“Didn’t you behead a high demon with a rusty piece of metal?”
My head jerked up, my body transforming into granite so hard that one gentle flick would shatter me. “You sure have heard a lot of tall tales about me.” Ice surrounded my voice, turning it sharp, cold, and brittle.
“That one is true, isn’t it?” She drummed her fingers on the mat as she waited for my confirmation. She knew it was true. It wasn’t a secret, but I never talked about it.
I tossed my wraps aside. “I need some water.”
Roxie’s voice followed me as I darted away from her as fast as my feet could carry me. That night was one thing I didn’t talk about. I didn’t even want to think about it.
All of the warmth Hawk had poured through my bloodstream evaporated as memories tried to surface. I snatched a paper cup and twisted the spout on the cooler until water reached the brim. I downed it in two gulps and refilled it.
“We’re going after those vamps in a few days.” Kourtney Tran, another novice, leaned against the glossy cinderblock wall a few feet away, talking to her friends, Tasha and Mark. “Jake’s already got a lead on their home.”
Mark tore open a bag of beef jerky with his teeth. “But they’ll hear us coming.”
Kourtney scoffed and snatched a stick out of his hand, tossing her raven bob. “We’ll attack during the day when they’re most likely asleep, giving us the element of surprise. Plus, after we’re initiated, we’ll be almost as strong and fast as they are. Those bloodsuckers won’t know what hit them.”
Tasha, a blonde Amazonian that towered over my small frame, tapped her fist against Kourtney’s. “Let’s slay some leeches.”
Stupid idiots.
“You can’t just hunt down a bunch of vampires,” I said, shaking my head, amazed at their stupidity. “Not only is it against the accords, but a couple of newly initiated ravens against a gang of vampires will end in disaster.”
“Mind your own damn business, Teague. Just because you’re Coltrane’s little pet doesn’t mean you have any authority to call the shots for us.” Kourtney sneered, smearing peach lipstick on her teeth. “And we’re ravens. We’resupposedto protect the innocent.”
“Killing vampires without provocation isn’t protecting the innocent.” I crushed my paper cup and tossed it in the trash. “You’re asking for trouble.” I’d love to take out a bunch of nightworlders, but if we disregarded the rules, they’d rebel and come after us.
“No one asked for your opinion.” Kourtney closed the distance between us and jabbed her finger in my chest. “Keep your mouth shut.”
My eyes narrowed on her finger. Had she done that two years ago, her digit would have ended up broken or severed.
