been much room in the back of the van with Christian’s bike inside, so Raven sat in his lap, her face nestled in the crook of his neck as she drank his blood. Nothing was more natural to a Vampire than drinking blood, and Raven had no need to ask. While he had warned her about the dangers of Vampire blood, Christian would always offer his own to ease her suffering.
What came as a surprise was that afterward, Raven snapped out of it and was herself again. Maybe it was Claude constantly asking if she needed anything, but Raven did everything in her power to allay everyone’s fears by cracking jokes and asking about their drinking party. Gem’s worry faded just as quickly as she told the story about the energy ball. Viktor didn’t know about her disappearance or that some of them had left, so she asked them not to mention it when they got home. She wanted to celebrate, and Viktor wouldn’t be able to enjoy his victory if he had to learn about this one minor detail of her getting buried alive.
She had no memory of who put her in the ground or what happened just prior, only that she had last spoken to the club owner. She never mentioned Houdini by name, and Christian didn’t press the subject. At first he thought she might be protecting her Vampire maker, but the more Christian thought about it, he realized that she was protecting him—afraid of what Christian might do.
Once home, Viktor congratulated Raven on the job, invited her for a drink—which she accepted—and apprised her of everything that had transpired since her disappearance. The total number captured, how many worked for the higher authority, details about the data Wyatt confiscated, and some who’d even provided the Shifters. The fights had been going on for decades, and the higher authority even planned to bust those who no longer attended the matches but were in the records. This was officially the largest crime ring in Cognito history, one that spanned decades and international borders. The public wouldn’t be that surprised to hear about the secret death matches, but come tomorrow morning, they would be stunned to hear the names of those involved. People they looked up to and trusted, many of whom were women. Blue remarked that it would shake the foundation on which women had struggled to build. Many had fought for their independence and had tough beginnings, so it was a disappointment to see how a handful of bad apples could set them back.
Raven had said “good riddance” as those women weren’t ones they wanted in power anyhow. And she was right. Regardless of gender or Breed, there had to be a purge every so often to flush out all the shite.
After Viktor had gone to bed, Wyatt entertained the others with his account of the rescue, which changed by the fifth retelling. Christian couldn’t help but notice how Raven listened with a brave face, minimizing the experience as the others would have done. Hell, like any immortal would have done. Death and mayhem were par for the course. Raven continued drinking long after everyone had gone to bed, and Christian sat with her before inviting her upstairs.
Once alone, he had asked her about her peculiar behavior. She replied, “I didn’t want Viktor to see me shaken up like I can’t handle a bad break. It was bad enough that Wyatt, Claude, and Gem saw the whole thing, but two of them were drunk, so maybe they’ll remember it differently in the morning. Gem panics about everything, but she’s one of those people who always looks on the bright side of life.”
Madness ensued rather quickly during a burial, most of the terror occurring in the first few hours after the oxygen ran out. When he invited Raven to talk about it now that they were alone, she grabbed a bottle of tequila and said, “Don’t put me on the therapy couch. Look at Blue. She almost died and has all those scars, but she bounced back and proved how tough she was. If Viktor sees that I’m an emotional tornado, he’ll cut me from the team. Everyone’s always telling me to bury my emotions before they do me in. If this is what being an immortal is about, then let me deal with it. I don’t want to talk about it, Christian. I just want to get over it.”