“Here?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe you followed me,” Raven said. She was starting to sound frantic, and she looked around. “Kim, you have to go. You have to leave this place and never come back. I meant it.”
“What is it that you’re scared of? I can help you, Kim. Just tell me, and I promise I can help you.”
“You can’t help me,” she whispered sadly. “Not this time, little bird.”
“Please,” I said. “Please tell me how to save you.”
“I can’t be saved, Kim, and you know what?” Tears were running down her face now, and my heart felt like it was being slowly crushed into bits. “I don’t really want to be saved. I like being a vampire,” she said. “I always thought it was one of those things people only said in movies. You know, about vampires being strong? It’s true, though. Everything about it is true. It’s wonderful,” she said. “I can hear everything. I can smell everything. I can even hear your damn heart beating, Kimberly. How fucked up is that?”
My mouth was dry, all of a sudden. It was dry, and I was scared. What was she saying? It kind of sounded like Raven was saying she wanted to hunt me. Either that, or she was trying to convince me to find myself a sire. Neither of those were things I was interested in. I didn’t want to be a vampire. I wanted to slay the vampires. I especially wanted to slay the lord of the vampires: the one who had slaughtered all of my friends.
“I thought maybe you were going to the Vampire of Garnetia,” I whispered.
“You have to give up on the idea of killing him,” she said. “Please. For your own good, Kim. You have to go.”
She jerked her head back, nodding toward the road where we’d both walked.
“Go while you still can, and never look back, Kim. Never look back.”
Something in Raven’s voice had changed, and when I looked at her, I realized that she was giving me a chance. She wanted me to be free. She wanted me to go and live my life and find happiness. Maybe she was right and seeking revenge wasn’t what I was cut out for.
“Yeah,” I finally whispered, nodding curtly. “I’ll go.”
“Good,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “Fast. Don’t let anyone see you.”
I reached for her and hugged h
er, and then I turned around to leave and walked right into a huge wall of...lace and ribbons.
A woman.
There was a woman there, and she was looking right at Raven.
“Well,” the woman said. “What do we have here?”
“It’s not what you think,” Raven said. “I don’t know who she is. She’s lost.”
I was experienced enough to know when someone was trying to save my ass, and I closed my mouth immediately. I wasn’t going to protest or argue with Raven. This wasn’t the moment to feign irritation that she wasn’t being “loyal.” Raven was as loyal as they came. If she was saying she didn’t know me, then it was for a damn good reason. I stayed silent.
“No?” The woman raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. She was taller than I was, and leaner. She wore clothing that looked like it was from the days of yore. She had a Victorian-style dress with a high neckline, lots and lots of lace, and actual, literal bustles. I’d never seen anything like it before. I would venture a guess that if she were to lift the hem of her dress, I would be able to see petticoats under there.
Not that I wanted to look.
“No,” Raven agreed. “Besides, she was just going.”
I nodded when the woman looked at me.
“I apologize for interrupting your evening,” I said to both of the women, and I started to walk away. The woman’s hand landed on my shoulder before I’d even taken two steps, and her fingernails dug into my skin. It didn’t matter that I had a hoodie on. I could feel every single nail, and I stopped in my tracks.
“Raven understands that I’m not a fan of lying,” the woman said. “So why don’t you both try again? As of right now, Raven’s punishment will be mild. I can only assume she’s trying to save you from her own fate. Should either of you lie again, however, I can guarantee that neither your, nor Raven’s punishments will be quite so simple.”
I swallowed hard. My throat felt raw, like someone had shoved daggers down it. Every memory I’d ever shared with Raven seemed to go barreling through my head, and I couldn’t think straight.
Me and Raven fighting side-by-side.