“Raiven!” Somewhere in my thoughts, I heard Eve’s voice and I realized we had reached the back of Dream of the Incubus, or The Dream, as it was more commonly called. Lucius, being the Overseer of The Capital, owned The Landing and many nightclubs in Decver, but The Dream was one of two clubs that allowed humans and the Supernatural to mingle. By default, that also made it one of the more popular night clubs.
“Raiven, where have you and Crispin been?” She was in her security outfit and, given by her attitude, was not happy about playing babysitter at the club tonight. Lucius required all his Command to help with the business, and Eve was no exception, as much as she liked to be. Besides that, we were technically coworkers outside of the clan, and Eve never got over that I was on the federal team while she was stuck on the local. She failed to understand that I had been working with the department since its inception back in the 1930s and merely saw me as a rival in her quest for power.
The ala was glaring at me as if she wanted to eat me alive and I decided I couldn’t pass up the chance to make her even more upset. Besides, Crispin had already managed to find his way on my bad side and Eve…well, she was always there.
“Well, he needed a ride back.” I started, and Crispin sighed, relieved that I was telling the truth. I couldn’t help my smirk as I continued. “So, I picked him up and brought him here. Then we got freaky in the car and it was great. You should’ve been there: you would have loved it.”
Crispin and Eve glared at me as I smiled and shrugged. Crispin cut her off before she could say a word. “Leave it, Eve: it’s not true. I did need a ride back, but I accidentally called Raiven instead of you. If you don’t want me calling her, get your number changed.”
‘Now who’s lying? At least my lie was fun.’ I thought, turning away. I guess it helped to cool her down, because she turned from us, her fists curling and uncurling as she sought to control her anger. Eve’s cell number was terribly similar to mine, with only the last two numbers being different and she had been encouraged to change her number several times. However, she saw it as losing to me and refused to concede.
“Anyway, both of you need to hurry. Lucius is looking for you.” She stomped off into the club, her red hair waving as she left us in the darkening parking lot. Crispin and I walked down further, entering a door that would take us beneath The Landing and into the Coven. Climbing down the dimly lit stairs into the earth, Crispin suddenly stopped, and I unerringly ran into him. He whipped around like lightning, grabbed me, and pinned me to the wall with his body. With our bodies so close, I knew he felt my heartbeat quicken and I did my best to hide my anger.
“Why is it every time I touch you, your heartbeat quickens? Do I scare you or…” He leaned in close, his breath dancing across my skin. I had to fight the involuntary shudder it caused and instead I glared at him. He chuckled at my glare, clearly entertained. “Is it more?”
“Because I want your body. Now put me down.” I quipped, and Crispin chuckled again, moving as if to bite me. Instead, he lightly kissed my collarbone, and it only enraged me more. I moved my leg as if to kick him, but he quickly shifted his weight to stop me. His eyes swirled with power when he looked up at me, and I knew he was using his inhuman strength to keep me pinned.
“Stop being sarcastic, Raiven. You’ve turned me down every time I’ve offered it to you.”
“Then let me down and maybe I’ll be honest.” I stared into his eyes as he let me down, his blue eyes burning with mischief. I didn’t appreciate the whole “pinning me to the wall” part of his question or the light teasing he had decided to indulge in. I rolled my shoulder a bit and cracked my neck, knowing I was only annoying him. “I’ll tell you later, if I feel like it.”
“In my room, then.” he agreed and continued down the stairs, leaving me enraged on the steps. I felt less like telling him the truth and more like helping him to stake himself. I knew it wouldn’t kill him, but it would at least incapacitate him for the rest of the night.
“Raiven, coming?” I snapped from my thoughts and jogged down the stairs to meet him. We walked down the hallway together, close enough to touch as I matched his stride. I considered smacking him for being an arrogant prick but lost the chance when we reached the living room of the underground space, Crispin opening the heavy doors.
As soon as we stepped into the room, I knew something was off. Lucius usually kept the living room fairly furnished: a couple couches, a few armchairs and a coffee station so we could gather and talk. However, now most of the furniture had been taken out: only two couches and the coffee remained, making the space seem bigger than it ever had appeared before.
“Crispin, Raiven, please sit.” Lucius motioned for us to sit on the couch across from him and his guest as soon as he noticed us. Lounging on the couch beside him was a caramel-skinned vampire who was all smiles and his eyes followed us as we moved through the room. Justina, his third-in-command, stood against the far wall next to the coffee, staring off into the distance. I couldn’t see her face, but the air in the room was almost suffocating, which meant she was upset about something. Lucius ignored her and continued as we sat, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. “I’d like to introduce our guest, LeAlexende, Overseer of the Southern Grove. He will be visiting with us for a few days.”
“Welcome to our territory. We look forward to your graces as we bless you with ours.” Ignoring the angry witch, I addressed our guest and he nodded, his already wide grin growing wider, emphasizing the oddity of his purple eyes. He tossed his dyed blonde hair as he laughed, clearly pleased with my words.
“The pleasure is indeed mine.” His eyes flashed with mirth as he turned to Lucius. “She still knows the traditional greeting. An interesting one indeed, just as you said.”
“Yes, indeed.” The Overseer agreed and returned to addressing us. I glared at him kindly in return and he shrugged, still smiling. Sometimes Lucius’ arrogance to brag about me was as annoying as Crispin thinking he owned every woman in the world. It was no wonder they got along so well. “While Alexende is in our territory, we will not use the strict Rule, but everyone of Command must remain here, save those who are out of Decver.”
I groaned internally at the order but was careful not to show my disappointment on my face as I spoke. “For how long?”
“Until Monday.” Three days stuck at The Dream, except for Kisten. According to Eve, he caused too much commotion when he had to stay at the Coven. Considering no one had ever seen it and the fact that Kisten was the most mild-mannered person I had ever met, I think she made it up as an excuse to not have him around to influence Lucius. Kisten never wanted to be around anyway, so I guess it was a decision that worked for both of them, which is why Lucius allowed it.
“I’ll be here: I have Monday off from the office.” I shrugged, doing my best to hide my annoyance. I wasn’t close to most of Command and it was always awkward when I was forced to spend time with everyone else. “But I’m on call for an important case, so if it comes, I’m gone. The Rules won’t keep me here anyway.”
“You may leave.”
I wasn’t sure which way he meant it but I took it for both: I stood up to escape the room. As I walked by, Crispin grabbed my arm, forcing me to pause in my movement. At that moment, Justina glanced up with her green eyes, her deep blue hair rippling. My own power rippled through me, and I knew my eyes had grown brighter.
“Strike two, Crispin. Try me for three.” I growled. I knew it was rude to fight in front of a guest, but Crispin had been working on my nerves since I picked him up. Lucius didn’t say a word but the charge in the surrounding air increased, making the already dense air even harder to breathe in. Crispin glanced at Lucius, who maintained his soft smile and polite expression, which to me made him even more frightening. Crispin slowly released the grip on my arm and turned away from me.
“Crispin, I’d like to speak with you.” he looked at LeAlexende and Justina. Justina left without so much as a word and LeAlexende nodded as he stood.
“I can take a hint. We can finish catching up later.” The dyed Overseer waited for me to pass him. “After you.”
“Merci[1].” I passed him and carefully held the door open as he walked through, making sure to close it behind us. It was about time someone talked to Crispin about his manners, or lack thereof.
“By the way, you have an interesting accent, even when you speak French. I look forward to getting to know you better… Raiven.” he flashed another bright smile before walking away. Steamed by Crispin’s actions and Lucius’ bragging, I continued to Crispin’s room and slammed the door. On the other side, I heard someone mutter about me being inconsiderate, but I didn’t care in the least. I leaned against the door, the weight of my evening trying to drown me.
Sighing heavily, I forced myself up from the heavy wood and collapsed into his armchair, closing my eyes as I waited.
[1] French “Thank You”
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