Tempting Raven (Curse of the Vampire Queen 1)

A frown touches my lips as I look up at her. “From vampires who are going to try to assassinate me?”

Her eyes slightly widen. “Why would you automatically think that?”

I shrug. “Hawk told me something like that a little earlier.”

“Who’s this Hawk?” Rhyland asks, inching closer to me. “You keep mentioning him, but I’ve never heard you mention him before.”

He’s been so quiet I almost forgot he was there. I almost wish I could’ve completely forgotten. Forget not only about me being a queen, but that Rhyland is the king. From the little bit that I understand, the king and queen work together, meaning that, if Fate decides to permanently ink me with the queen title, I’ll be working with Rhyland until the day my body withers to ash.

Lovely. Just lovely. And what happens when he tries to lock me in a locker again and lets a demon loose? How can I ever trust him?

I can’t.

“Hawk’s a bouncer at the club,” I explain without looking at him. “We were talking about the king and queen earlier.”

He scoots closer to me, his leg pressing against mine. “Which one?”

I lift my gaze to him then nearly shrink back from the iciness in his eyes. He’s pissed off? Why?

I inch toward my mom, while Rhyland immediately steals the space right back.

“Which bouncer were you talking to?” His eyes are like ice.

I shrug. “One of the ones out front … Why the hell does it even matter?”

He clenches his hands into fists. “It matters because I’m going to—”

“Rhyland,” my mom warns, but her lips threaten to turn upward. “Despite your condition, I won’t let you off the hook if you kill my favorite bouncer.”

I glance at her, wondering if she’s joking. “What condition?”

My mom trades a troubled glance with my father, then with Mr. and Mrs. Midnitegale. My mind races with all sorts of terrible ideas of what could possibly be going on with Rhyland. Rhyland, who I’m supposed to work with. Forever.

“Mom, please tell me what’s going on,” I practically beg.

Her eyes are overflowing with worry as she looks back at me. “Unlike the queen, the king gets his powers the moment he gets the reading. It’s what’s known as The Rushing. And The Rushing is so powerful that the king can struggle to keep his newfound powers under control. With time, he’ll learn, but the first couple of weeks can be a little”—she pulls a wary face—“intense. And if he’s not careful, he can end up making stupid, irrational decisions.” She shoots Rhyland a harsh glance.

“So, Rhyland’s acting like a jacked up, bloodthirsty vampire because he’s struggling with his powers?” I tense when Rhyland growls again. Then I relax, remembering that I’m queen—well, maybe—and that there’s a chance he can’t do anything to me.

Kingsley chokes on a laugh. “This is always so much fun to watch. She hates him so much, and he l …” His words fade as his mom gets up and smacks him upside the head. “Ow, what the hell?”

“Watch what you say,” she warns, wagging a finger at him. “This isn’t your secret to tell.”

“Another secret,” I groan at the amount of drama being dumped on me. “I don’t think I can take much more.”

“Just be strong and hang in there, okay?” my mom says. “You’re tough, Raven. If anyone can handle this, it’s you.”

Nadine lets out a bitter laugh. “No, if anyone can handle this, it’s me. It should’ve been me.”

“No, it shouldn’t have,” Rhyland states, his dark gaze boring into her. “You’re too arrogant, which would make for an awful queen.”

Nadine’s eyes narrow to slits. “Fuck you, Rhyland. Just because you’re king, doesn’t mean—”

“Yes, it does.” Rhyland’s cold tone sends eerie warmth across my chilled skin. “It means a lot more than you think. A lot more than you’ll ever realize.”

“So, you’re going to just what”—she folds her arms, glaring at him—“throw our friendship away now that you’re royalty?”

“I was never friends with you to begin with; you just didn’t know. No one did. No one knew anything about what was really going on, except for a handful of us,” he mumbles so quietly I can barely hear him.

I glance around, curious if anyone else knows what he’s talking about, but no one else appears to have heard him at all. I did, though. I heard him loud and clear. And his statement only makes my puzzlement crack even more.

What is he talking about? He was never friends with her? Sure as hell fooled me.

Raising his voice, Rhyland says, “We have bigger problems to worry about right now than whether you and I are still friends, Nadine.” He twists to face me, the iciness in his eyes melting like thawing blood. “Whose blood did you drink tonight?”

I stare at him with what I hope is a neutral expression. “That’s not any of your business.”

His lips twitch, either from amusement or irritation. “It’s completely and one hundred percent my business. I’m king.”

I resist an eye roll. “Well, I’m queen, so technically, I have more power than you, which means, if I don’t want to tell you something, I don’t really have to.”

His fangs briefly descend from his gums, but he hastily smashes his lips together. After taking a measured breath, he leans in so closely I can feel the chill of his breath. “You’re not more powerful than me yet.”

“Is that a threat?” I ask in a low, shaky tone as all the hate I’ve ever felt for him threatens to explode.

He quickly shakes his head. “No, not at all.” A crease forms at his brow. “I already promised you that I wouldn’t hurt you.” His throat muscles work as he swallows hard, and his eyes soften in a way I’ve never seen before. “And if I ever do one thing right in my life, it’ll be that.”

The passionate look on his face throws me off balance. For some reason, it makes fear lash through my veins. What is he up to? He must be up to something.

“Too bad you didn’t make that promise a decade ago,” I bite, refusing to cower. Still, I’m nervous. I can’t help feeling that way.

For years, Rhyland has tormented and tricked me, and I can’t help wondering if perhaps this nice guy thing he’s pulling is just another trick. I might be wrong. Maybe him being king means he has to be nice to me. I’m not about to let my guard down, though.

“You have no idea what’s been going on over the last decade,” he grits out, his body stiffening. “What I’ve been do… What you…” He gulps, looking away, but not before I detect a flash of pain in his eyes.

The look makes me pause. Almost makes me ask him what he means. Almost makes me soften toward him.

Then he opens his mouth and ruins it.

“And FYI, no matter what happened over the last decade, it’s my business to know whose blood you drank.” That I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-anything smile rises on his lips. “Just like it’s my business to make sure you never drink anyone else’s blood again.”

“So, you want me to die?” I ask. “It doesn’t even matter if you do. King or not, you don’t control me.”

He studies me blankly, although his eyes flicker with a drop of intensity. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Yep, I must be stupid,” I snap with a shake of my head.

His smile starts to plummet. “That’s not what I—”

“Why does this even matter?” I cut him off, holding up my hand, then turn to my mom. “So, I took a little blood boost. Who cares? It didn’t even do much, except make me feel content. Which, according to the rumor in the crypt, that’s not how I was supposed to feel.”

My mom chews on her thumbnail, something I haven’t seen her do since word first started spreading about the rebellions. “Well, that’s not how a normal vampire should feel, but for you—the queen—that’s a normal reaction, unless you drink the right kind of blood.”

“The right kind of blood? Wait … Do I have to start drinking a different kind of blood now??

?? I wince, hoping to all hungry vampires that I don’t have to start drinking, like, pig’s blood or something similarly disgusting.

Her gaze flits to Rhyland then back to me. “From now on, after the blood boost clears from your system, you’ll have to start drinking the king’s blood straight from the vein. If you don’t, you’ll never get your powers, which means you won’t be strong enough to save our vampire world from self-destruction. And the world needs you, Raven—we need you—to restore order before everyone winds up dead.”

Blood roars in my eardrums.

No, this can’t be happening!

This can’t …

Drinking his blood …? Drinking any vampire’s blood straight from the vein is too …

It’s too intimate. Too sexy.

I don’t want that with Rhyland!

How can this be happening? After spending years friendless, practically all alone and missing out on almost every fun high school experience, I finally start living life, start being able to dance with guys and having them try to give me my first experience of a bite, and now I’m being told that will never happen? That Rhyland gets that.

Tears sting my eyes. I shake my head, refusing to look anyone in the eye. “No, I won’t do it.” I scoot to the edge of the sofa, debating all the ways I can bolt out of the room. I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do. Only that I need to escape. To think. To do something other than be in this room.

Trapped. I feel so trapped.

My mom clutches my hand, either in desperation or because she senses I’m about to run. “Raven, you have to. If you don’t … you’ll never be able to become queen.”

“I don’t want to be queen,” I whisper, my body trembling.

“I know you might not want to,” she says softly. “But you were chosen for it, which means you were meant for it.”

“All because some stupid Eternal Readers said I am,” I bite out. “If they knew me, knew how useless I am, they would’ve picked someone else.”

“You know that’s not how it works,” my mom says. “The Eternal Readers only pass along the messages from Fate. And Fate knows what it’s doing, knows that the rebellions are getting too powerful, and that pretty soon, they’ll be the ones in charge, ruling over us.”

I hear what she’s saying—I really do—but a rage so potent is roaring inside my chest.

My veins warm with power, sending adrenaline coursing through me and giving me the courage to jump to my feet. “Well, screw Fate. It made the wrong decision and needs to pick someone better.”

My fangs slip from my gums, and in one swift heartbeat, I shove my dad out of the way and bolt out the door.

I’ve never moved that fast in my life before. My heart sinks, knowing what that most likely means.

I really am queen.

The revelation sends more fear pouring through me.

I turn to run down the hallway, but the vampire mafia are now standing near the staircase, blocking my exit route.

Cam, who seems to be the main vamp in charge, notices me before anyone else does. He doesn’t look very surprised to see me, as if he expected me to run.

“Raven.” He approaches me cautiously, moving for a gun in his shoulder holster. I wonder if he’ll shoot me or if the move is only threatening. “Take it easy. It’s not safe for you to go anywhere alone right now.”

Will it ever be again?

I step back toward my mom’s office, unsure of where to go, but knowing I have to go somewhere else besides here where the walls feel like they’re closing in.

“I knew you were going to be a pain in the ass,” Kingsley’s arrogant laced voice sails from over my shoulder. “You always are.”

Trapped.

I’m trapped.

Panic soars through my body as a female vampire from the vampire mafia, along with a male, move beside Cam. Then the three of them start toward me.

No, I can’t be trapped yet. I just can’t.

Find a way out.

I glance up and down the hallway, then my eyes dart to the ceiling. The ceiling made of glass. And a couple of those windows just happen to be open.

Jackpot.

Can I make it?

Sucking in a huge breath, I don’t give myself time to think. I spring on my toes and push up, sailing for the window.

I sail up …

And up …

And up …

I leap out of the window and land gracefully on the roof.

Holy jumping vampires, I can’t believe I made it.

They said my powers hadn’t even kicked in yet, either, so just how powerful will I become?

Powerful enough to rid the world of evil, murderous vampires.

Guilt crushes my chest.

Maybe running is the wrong thing to do.

When my gaze travels back down, Rhyland is standing in the midst of vampires, preparing to jump through the window after me. And he’s smirking. Fucking smirking.

The guilt inside me shatters into a thousand raging pieces.

I don’t think anymore.

I jump off the roof.

If I thought my queen powers had unexpectedly surfaced, vampire, oh vampire, was I wrong. Because, when I land from the three-story fall, I roll my ankle and fall face first into the ground, right near the line of vampires still waiting to get into the club. Some gasp. Some laugh. Some snicker and point. It’s like high school all over again.

Graceful, Raven, real graceful.

So much for being a badass queen.

Forcing myself to shake off the embarrassing fall, I stumble to my feet and run like hell away from the club.

Away from my family.

Away from the king.

Away from my fate.

8

Don’t hate me just yet. While I did take off running away from my future, I feel guilty about my decision. And eventually, I’ll return to my fate, or whatever you want to call this curse looming over me. First, I need a timeout to think, to breathe, to process everything that’s happening. That my future, which felt like it had finally just started, is no longer mine.

I’ll admit that I’m the afraid, frightened little vampire I spent years being. I don’t want to be her again, but she’s a ghost, hanging out inside my body, reminding me that I still get scared. That I’m terrified right now.

As if I can outrun the fear, I continue sprinting down the sidewalk until I end up near some boarded-up stores and shops lining the eviler side of Mystic Willow Bay. The air is quiet except for faint screams echoing from nearby. From demons doing something sinister probably.

I slow to a stop, trying not to panic. Out of all the places to run, I came here. What was I thinking?

A rational voice whispers in my ear, You weren’t thinking; that’s the problem.

That voice. That stupid, obnoxious voice.

I grit my teeth. How did you get into my head?

It’s a secret, Rhyland whispers, his playful tone like fangs on metal.

Well, leave me alone.

Not until you tell me where you are.

Never.

Raven, just tell me. His gentle tone only irks me more.

How the heck did he get inside my head? The only vampire that should be able to do that is my soulmate, and Rhyland sure as hell isn’t that. If anything, he’s my anti-soulmate.

Maybe it’s a weird king-queen gift or something.

Raven? Rhyland’s voice fills my head again. I need to know where you are. It’s too dangerous for you to be alone right now.

Not any more dangerous than being around you, I’m sure.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Like you don’t know.

He doesn’t respond, and I latch on to the silence, walking down the sidewalk. I keep my pace quick, trying to ignore the feeling that I’m being watched. Every store in the area is boarded up, giving anyone the opportunity to watch me without me being able to see them.

Rhyland is right. I shouldn’t be alone rig

ht now.

I fish my phone out of my pocket to call someone to come pick me up. I’ve missed ten calls from Effie, three from Anders, and a countless number of texts. The last one I received was from Effie, with a simple: Where the heck are you!!! I’m getting worried!!!

I tap my fingers against buttons as I reply.

Me: Something crazy happened and I had to bail from the club. Can you come pick me up?

Her response is almost immediate.

Effie: Of course. Where are you? And seriously, what happened?

Me: I’m downtown near all those fields and warehouses. As for what happened … it’s a long story.

Effie: Why the hell are you out there? Do you know how dangerous it is at night over there?

Me: Yeah, I know. I didn’t mean to come here. It just sort of happened.

The screen abruptly lights up with an incoming call from Effie.

“Hey,” I answer as I powerwalk toward the direction of the main part of town. “Are you heading to come get me?”

“Yep, Anders and I are heading your way right now,” she says. “Anders is driving, though, so I can talk to you and give you my complete attention, because I figure you’re going to need it.”

She’s right, but …

“How do you figure that?”

“Because the last time I saw you, Kingsley was storming up the stairs of the club with you over his shoulder.”

I frown. “You saw that?”

“Hell yeah, I did. Everyone did. And I tried to run after you to see why that asshat was practically vampire-napping you, but these huge-ass dudes came up and blocked the stairway and wouldn’t let me up there. I started freaking out, making a huge scene, and then that Hawk guy came and threw me out of the club. What a freakin’ jerk. He flirts with you, but then has the audacity to throw out your BFF?”

I snort a laugh. “Hawk wasn’t flirting with me.”

Now she’s the one to snort a laugh. “Oh, my ditzy vampires, Rave. I love you to death, but sometimes you can be so clueless.”

I replay the conversation Hawk and I had.

“We were just talking.”