Raven's Desires (Night Hunters) (7 page)

Raven frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect to men but does that…” Raven pointed back to Veronica, “look like a person who wants to take it slow?”

Kristian looked past her than back to her. His light blue eyes watched her closely.

“You are right, but trust me, Shane will be the perfect match for her.”

Raven smiled again. She could not stop smiling at him.

“So, Raven, why are you up so late at night?”

“I don’t know. Even before my headaches began, I was up late at night. It got later and later as I grew older. Now, I don’t need much sleep. What about you?”

“I’m a night hawk. I like the night life. It’s so much more interesting than day life.”

“What do you do for a living?”

Kristian was quiet for a moment and Raven thought that she had overstepped a boundary.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

“It’s not that, Raven. It’s more like I am a night time patrol officer. I scan the streets to make sure that nothing bad is out there.”

“Oh, so you are with the police department.”

Kristian shook his head. “More like freelance. My company is a very private company. I think you might be interested in visiting it sometime.”

Raven frowned at him. “Why would I be interested in visiting your
private company
? Wait! Are you being sexual because if you are I’m about to kick you?”

When Kristian laughed, Raven couldn’t help but notice the goodness in his laughter. It made her feel so good inside that she could make this man laugh.

Kristian looked down under the table. “I hope not. I may want kids one day.”

“Well, I’m sure your girlfriend or wife would be happy to provide them for you.”

Oh my god, why did I say that?

Kristian tilted his head and looked at her closely for a moment then sat back in the booth.

“Sadly, I don’t have either of those at the moment.”

Raven snorted. There was no way in hell she would believe that a man like Kristian would not have a female in his life. Just look at him. He was handsome as hell. The wet damage to his hair did nothing to ruin his features. The man was, in other words, flawless.

“You
don’t have a girlfriend
is like telling me you don’t need air.”

Kristian smiled. “I don’t, Raven. I have not been really looking for any companionship at the moment. It’s hard to find a woman that is as old fashioned as I am.”

“Old fashioned? Yeah, right.”

“I am, Raven. You women today are very hard to keep up with. I’m not use to the fast life as you are.”

Raven laughed. “You speak as if you are almost ninety years old. What are you, like twenty-five?”

“Around the age of twenty-six,” Kristian answered.

“Around the age? What does that mean?”

“That means that I am a lot older here,” Kristian said and pointed to his head. “Than my body.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Keys.” Shane said as he walked up to the table, almost startling her.

Raven looked up to see his arm around Veronica’s waist, and she was smiling more than a child on Christmas morning.

Kristian groaned. “Don’t wreck my car.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.”

“I will see ya later, Raven,” Veronica said.

“Uh, Veronica, does Billy know you are leaving?”

“Yep. I told him and he said he would lock up when you two leave.”

Shane picked up Veronica before she could get the words out of her mouth and put her on his shoulders.

“Don’t wait up,” Shane said then slapped Veronica on her butt.

“Hey!” Veronica protested.

“You know you like it.”

Shane turned and walked towards the door. Veronica waved as she was being carried.

Raven looked back at Kristian. “I guess I better get going also. It was nice meeting you, Kristian, and thank you so much for getting rid of my headache.”

“The pleasure was all mine.”

Kristian stood from the booth and extended his hand. “If you need any more help just look me up.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. It had his name and cell number on it. The top of the card read NH.

“NH
—
what’s that?”

“I can’t really tell you, but just know that I work undercover.”

“Nice. You must work for the C.I.A.”

“You can say that.”

Raven grabbed the cup of cold coffee.

“Nice to meet you again, Kristian. If that headache thing comes back I will make sure that you are the first I call.”

“I will be very happy to receive your call, Raven.”

Raven placed the cup and money on the counter. “I’m out, Billy.”

“Okay, Raven. Try to get some sleep.”

“I will.”

Raven walked out of the diner and to her car. The rain had lessened but it was still drizzling. She started the car then looked at the door of the cafe as Kristian walked out. Raven remembered that he had given the keys to his car to Shane. Maybe it would be all right to give him a ride home. She drove up to the door of the cafe.

“Do you want a ride home?”

Raven thought he would decline her offer when he looked away from her.

“Sure. I doubt that anyone would be out in this storm.”

Raven never invited a stranger into her car before but with Kristian he didn’t seem like a stranger to her. It seemed like she had known him all her life.

Chapter 4

Raven knew it was crazy having a complete stranger
—
well almost stranger
—
in her car at nearly two in the morning. The rational part of her brain seemed to shut down when Kristian had asked to ease her headache. She was glad he could do that and she hoped that if needed he could do it again. Now her brain had gone on vacation to some distant place and she seemed to be making all the wrong decisions tonight. Maybe having a clear mind was what was making her think unclearly. She didn’t know what was going on but the only thing she wanted now was a nice long bath and deep sleep.

She glanced at Kristian, who hadn’t said a word since he got into her car. Mr. Talkative had gone quiet.

“Are you alright?”

Kristian looked at her. “Yes, why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. You have gotten quiet. Thinking of something you might want to share?”

Kristian gave her that drop dead smile.

“Trust me, it’s nothing. I have a lot on my mind lately. My job is about to make a hell of a turn around.”

“What’s about to happen?”

“There is going to be a new worker. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s about to have a more important job than the president.”

“The president? How is that?”

Kristian looked at her for a moment then looked out the window.

“She will have to protect a lot of people by fighting evil and making dangerous decisions. She will not like it at first, but soon she will know this is what she is destined to do and will accept it. Hopefully.” Kristian pointed. “Make a right here.”

Raven turned down the street where Kristian directed her to go.

“Well, if it is so dangerous, why would anyone take that type of job? I understand you want to save the world, but why put yourself in a situation where you can die at any moment?”

“She will not really have a choice in the matter. The danger will follow her, and soon she will have to accept her job.”

Raven slammed on the breaks. “Are you trying to tell me something? Because you are freaking me out a little. You are talking about dangerous situations and other things as if I should be worried about having you in my car.”

Kristian chuckled at her, which made her think giving him a ride was a bad idea.

“Raven, I assure you that I am in no way putting you in danger. It’s hard sometimes for a person to just tell the newly born about what is going to happen to them. Trainers are very few and many don’t know what to expect in their lives. They live their lives in danger and if they don’t know what they are or who they are, then they are killed.”

“I don’t under
—
”

Kristian growled loudly, making Raven jump. The sound resembled an angry dog about to attack.

“Raven, drive now.”

Raven was taken aback by the tone in Kristian’s voice.

“What…”

“Don’t question me. Just go, now!”

“What the hell!” Raven screamed as the side window of her car broke and her body was pulled out of the window by a large hairy arm.

Raven clawed at the arm around her neck but doubted she was getting any results from it.

“Kristian!” Raven screamed and fell to the mucky ground.

Raven opened her eyes to see Kristian jumping over her car and towards whatever had grabbed her. Raven could see that Kristian’s eyes were now a dark, red color and he had long teeth in his mouth that looked like…like…fangs. What the hell was going on? What the fuck
was
Kristian?

A loud snarl erupted from behind her and the next thing she saw was Kristian’s lifeless body being tossed back across her car.

The hair on Raven’s head was jerked back and she reached up, grabbing her hair to keep it from being torn from her scalp. Whoever had her hair pulled her away from the car.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

A snarl came as a reply. Raven tried to fight the pull but she couldn’t. She was pulled up from the ground like a rag-doll and turned to face—what the fuck was it? A wolf? But she didn’t know of any wolves that stood up on two legs like this thing. She didn’t even knew wolves got this big.

It gripped her arms and held her off the ground. Raven stared into its golden eyes and did what any woman in her predicament would do.

She screamed.

The wolf howled the moment she started to scream and she stopped.

It leaned forward and sniffed her. Raven leaned back but could not make it release her.

“If you are thinking about eating me, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

The wolf snarled at her and she took it as a sign to shut the hell up.

“Wolfy, play nice?” Raven could feel her entire body trembling from fear. She doubted she would be able to hold her bladder for much longer.

The wolf continued to sniff her then placed her over its shoulder and began to walk towards the wooded area. Raven saw Kristian lying on the ground beside her car. Was he dead? God, she hoped not.

“I don’t think going off in the woods with a wolf would be a nice thing.”

The wolf snarled quickly.

Well, isn’t this grand
. This was the way Raven Nowles would die. By a mutated wolf.

Kristian began to move and she almost called his name but she didn’t want this thing to do any more harm to him.

Kristian’s red eyes lit up the night. One moment he was at her car, the next he had reached them. He kicked the wolf in the back and Raven went flying. She hit the ground hard.

“Raven, run,” Kristian screamed.

Raven jumped up and rushed to her car, not waiting to see what happens.

When she touched the door on her car she felt bad for leaving Kristian with that thing. She couldn’t let Kristian get killed. She opened the door and pressed the button for the trunk. She raced to the back of the car looking for anything that could help.

A loud howl came from the wooded area where she knew Kristian and the beast were.

“What to get! What to get!”

Raven tossed items around until she came across a crowbar.

“Not a good weapon, but it should help.”

Raven grabbed the crowbar then raced back towards Kristian and the wolf. Once she was close, everything seemed to go in slow motion. She saw Kristian standing behind the beast. Blood was splattered everywhere. Kristian grabbed the head of the wolf and twisted it. Raven heard a loud snapping sound that would haunt her until the end of time. The wolf stopped struggling and went to the ground hard.

Raven had never witnessed anything like this before in her life. Her gaze went to Kristian. She saw his chest rising and falling. His eyes were not red anymore, but she could clearly see his fangs in his mouth.

Raven dropped the crowbar, making Kristian growl and turn towards her.

“I’m going to leave now,” she whispered.

Raven closed her eyes. Her body swayed back and forth as what had to be pure fire traveled through her veins.

A slayer is born.

The voice was in her head. So deep, so dark. What did it mean,
a slayer is born?

The world around her spun just before she lost consciousness.

* * * *