The Raven Four Books 1-3 - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,97
and when he reaches our table, he stabs it into the table then fixes his gaze on me. “It’s time for you to take the oath. This can’t go any further until you do. And if you’re not going to, then you need to leave, because I have stuff to talk about with my brothers and I can’t do that in front of you until you’ve taken the oath.”
I glance from the knife stabbed into the table then up to him. Part of me knows I should be afraid with how much these guys seem to like pulling out knives, but I’m not. I don’t know why. Don’t know what’s wrong with me.
“Dude, what the hell did that table ever do to you?” I ask, arching a brow at Jax.
Hunter snickers then sticks out his fist in my direction. “That one deserves a fist bump.”
I bump his fist while Jax shakes his head and pulls his knife out of the table and sets it down. Then he fastens his gaze on me.
“No more jokes. It’s time for you to decide,” he tells me. “Either you take the oath and become one of us, or we take you home and you can forget everything that’s happened. I’m not about to have secrets in this circle, but until you take the oath and make a promise of silence to us, I can’t just say what I want and need to.” He places his palms down on the table and leans toward me. When the scent of his cologne touches my nostrils, I have to admit that it smells really good. Almost as good as this diner smells. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to run from us or fly with us, Ravenlee?”
It’s weird to hear one of them say my real name.
I mull over what he’s asking, conflicted. I’ve never been one for being put on the spot or for making decisions on the fly. Usually, I procrastinate for as long as possible. But I can tell that Jax means what he says.
The thing is, I’m still not even fully certain what I’m getting into if I take this oath and become part of their circle. All I really know about them is that they’re part of the mafia, like to torture people, carry around knives, and they’re impressed when people defy them and do crazy shit. Well, impressed enough to bring them into their circle.
“How do I even take the oath?” I ask. “I mean, what am I promising?”
Jax smiles. Actually fucking smiles. But it’s not a warm smile. No, it’s completely and utterly sinister, a taunt that would make most freak the heck out. But I’ve seen a lot of scary stuff in my life, so I don’t spook that easily. Then he slowly shakes his head. “No, if you do this, you go in blind. That’s how it works.”
I glance at Zay, who’s watching me with a smirk, and then at Hunter, who looks amused and less pale than he did earlier. Then my eyes land back on Jax and his sinister smile. I really have no reason to trust these guys, and really, I don’t. But a part of me, the one I pretend doesn’t exist, doesn’t want to be alone all the time anymore.
Freak.
Murderer.
Loser.
Maybe, just maybe, being part of their circle will put a stop to the whispers.
And besides, if I want to find out if I really know Zay without him knowing, getting close to him might be my best option.
“Fine,” I say with a shrug, but it’s mostly bravado. “I’ll take the oath, but I’m not moving in with you guys.”
As their grins grow, I worry what sort of fate I just sealed for myself, of what I’m about to lose. But not enough to back out.
And really, it’s not like I have anything to lose.
Twenty-Five
Raven
After I agree, everyone sort of relaxes. It makes me even more concerned over what I’m getting myself into, but not enough to back out.
“So, now what do I do?” I ask after a couple of seconds go by and no one does or says anything.
“Now, you take the oath,” Jax sinks down in the booth beside Hunter.
“And then we’ll discuss this whole moving in thing some more,” Hunter adds with a grin. “Because you can argue all you want, but it’s gonna happen.”
I feel like banging my head on the wall. And I thought I was stubborn.
“Yeah, but what does that entail?” I question suspiciously.