RELIEVED to hear her say the words he’d been hoping for, Isaac smiled widely. “Then if you swear not to attack anyone or leave, you may explore the mansion.”
“I have… I need protection for someone,” Raven said quickly as if making herself speak before something told her not to.
“Who?”
“If the blondes… disciples… are as cruel as you say they are, there’s only one person who they can use to get me out in the open,” Raven breathed a heavy sigh before continuing. “Anise.”
“Anise Jensen? The college student we found?” Isaac asked. “How can she be used against you?” he asked when she only nodded.
“She’s my sister,” Raven muttered softly, not meeting his eyes.
Isaac somehow felt she was telling the truth and grunted in consent, “We will have someone on the job.”
Raven nodded and picked at another melon cube.
“Is there anyone else who needs protection?” Isaac asked and she shook her head. “A boyfriend?”
She froze for a second. “I haven’t been dating lately.”
“Your parents? Friends?”
“I have no friends,” Raven responded with a small ironic smile. “And my father would not be taken alive if they did find him.”
Isaac stared at her for a second, trying to figure her out. This woman was so strange. She was nothing like the other humans he’d met. Even if he didn’t particularly try to get to know them. For one thing, she seemed perfectly comfortable eating on the hard ground and had asked about torture tools during her interrogation.
“So, I can’t leave?” she asked suddenly and he stared.
“What?”
“You said I could explore the mansion as long as I didn’t leave,” she met his eyes and he could swear there was a threat somewhere in those green irises.
He shook off the feeling. “I meant it as a precautionary measure to not lead anything back to us. You’re not a prisoner, Raven.”
She eyed he room before meeting his gaze again. “I do actually have to go somewhere. Consider it an appointment that I have to keep for forty-eight hours every month. If I miss it, suspicions will grow about my whereabouts.”
Isaac considered her. What is this? It sounds like a contingency plan in case of death… that’s something a soldier would do in the field.
“We could have a car take you wherever you need to go and pick you up afterward,” he nodded.
“I would prefer going alone,” Raven crossed her arms.
“Why?”
“I have business,” she answered shortly. “It won’t endanger you and your… brothers.”
Phury stared.
Raven suddenly sighed and dropped her arms. “Look, I just want to keep my life as normal as possible to not draw suspicion. You said you don’t want anything drawn to you. The least I could do is try to uphold my end of the deal since you’re helping me. I need to tie up loose ends in case this falls through and I die.”
Isaac considered her logic before noting how calmly she spoke of her death. “We will do what we can to prevent that.”
Raven nodded and reached for another melon cube.
“You know what? C’mon,” Isaac moved into a crouch and picked up the tray before straightening up. “I knew you’d be hungry but I can’t stand the sight of you eating on the floor.”
Raven stared at him curiously, fluidly standing up herself before he offered his hand to help her. She looked at him straight in the eyes for a second before looking away quickly. She nodded once and he led her to the door in the wall. He knocked three times and it opened. He stepped out and, balancing the tray in his other hand, held his left hand to her.
Reluctantly, she took his hand and he led her out of the questioning room. He watched her stiffen as she was suddenly surrounded by muscle. She looked at each Brother for a long time, no one saying anything before she released his hand and held her hand out to Damian.
“You look big, tough, and scary so I guess you’re in charge here,” Raven said when he looked confused behind his wrap-arounds.
“You’re not wrong,” Damian said and shook her hand. “My name is Damian.”
Raven let out a small laugh as she surveyed the others. “All of you are going to have exotic names too, aren’t you?”
“And ‘Raven’ is so common?” Wyatt snapped and Raven turned to face him.
Isaac felt her surprise as she laid eyes on him and saw her shoulders soften. Guess his affect on women hasn’t worn off, he thought bitterly.
“Fair enough,” she said with a smirk. “What’s your name?”
“Wyatt,” he said and shook her hand next.
“So Isaac, Damian and Wyatt,” Raven said pointing at each as she turned away from Wyatt. “You’re what? Will?”
“Close. I’m Liam,” he didn’t shake her hand, not even with his glove on, and bowed instead.
Raven followed suit, not having bothered to even raise her hand. He briefly wondered how she knew not to.
“Rubin,” Rue said next, shaking her hand.
Raven went over their names again, getting each one right.
Isaac felt a draft and turned to see Z walking to them. He handed Rue the tray and was going to head his brother off but with a sidestep, Z took his place in the circle around Raven. He managed to stand beside him and saw the moment when Raven turned and her eyes fell on him.
Immediately she faced him fully, her body stiffening. She examined Zeke from head to boots and back again, taking in the scar. Then he watched her relax, surprised.
“And you are?” she said, hands behind her back.
“Zeke,” Z growled. “What’s the matter, human? Afraid of how I look?”
If she answered yes, Isaac wouldn’t be surprised. Sure, Z had put on weight and muscle but his people skills were horrible and his face wasn’t all that kind yet.
“Not really,” Raven responded. “Compared to the others, you’re no ray of sunshine but I’m more afraid of Shades,” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Damian, who (to his surprise) smiled. “Nice scar by the way.”
She didn’t mean this as a taunt but Isaac felt his brother’s body stiffen. He grabbed his brother’s shoulder on reflex to stop any form of attack if he needed to.
“Well,” Raven’s voice said and he glanced to see her look from him to Zeke, extremely surprised. He had underestimated her ability to deduce information. Liam was right, she was smart.
“Raven, you must be hungry,” Damian said suddenly and Raven turned back to him. “You didn’t eat anything.”
“Oh, right,” Raven said and suddenly her stomach growled loudly.
The Brothers chuckled as she smiled bashfully at them.
“Follow us and we’ll take you to the kitchen. We were about to sit and eat too,” Damian said and led them off.
Raven shot him a curious glance and Isaac nodded silently. Isaac stayed behind with Zeke as Raven followed them. When they were out of earshot, Isaac looked at Z, who pulled out of his grasp.
“I don’t like her being here,” Z said with a growl. “I’m actually starting to agree with Damian. She could be a danger.”
“Liam said he would find a way to help us reverse the change. And the Doc said he’d help too,” Isaac said. “We’ll be fine.”
“Know this, if disciples knock on our front door, I’m going to kill her whether or not she is human,” Z said. “And not even you can stop me.”
With that, he walked to the kitchen. Isaac followed after a second.
The reversal was going to work. Raven was going to be human again. We will help her out of the mess he put her in.
He kept chanting to himself before entering the kitchen. Luther had taken the tray from Rue and had the new table already set up with places. They had to get a new table after the female additions and Zeke. Now with Raven, it was a good decision.
“Oh wow, a full table… uh…” Raven murmured suddenly, standing beside the chair that Luther had pulled out for her. “I’m not interrupting or intruding?”
“Oh no, it’s no problem,” Eliza replied with a big smile from her seat beside the King.
“Because you know, I don’t mind eating from that cell,” Raven said with a nervous laugh as the others took their seats.
“That’s nonsense,” Eliza said and with a wave of her ringed hand, added, “Sit.”
Isaac felt himself practically collapse into the chair at Raven’s left as she fell onto the end seat and Wyatt took the seat to her right. He looked around to notice a few others glance around bewildered too. Then Damian cleared his throat and everyone turned to him.
“It was an Order,” he said with a fond smile at his now blushing Queen. “We’ll have to practice with that more.”
“Sorry, everyone,” Eliza said as Luther set a plate of breakfast in front of her and Damian.
“An order?” Raven’s voice asked, slightly annoyed.
Isaac turned to her to explain. “Damian is our King and Eliza is his Queen. When they command with authority, it’s hard to fight their will sometimes.”
He could see the wheels still turning in her head as she grasped her situation. Then her eyes snapped back to meet his.
“You haven’t told me everything,” she said and although it didn’t sound accusatory, it still made him feel defensive.
“Only what you need to know,” he snapped and before Raven could respond, Luther set a plate in front of both of them.
Then everyone began to dig in.
Raven examined everything as if trying to detect fraud or poison. When she took her first bite of the stuffed to the rim omelet, the expression on her face was one he’d never forget. She ate two more big bites, already finishing off two-thirds of it, before taking a swing of coffee.
“How are you finding everything, madam?” Luther asked her.
“This is delicious. The dash of oregano and lemon juice you added to the egg gives it a nice tangy feel. You’re amazing,” Raven said.
Isaac glanced at the butler to find him staring at Raven as though surprised. After a few seconds, in which Raven finished off her whole plate, she finally noticed and looked at the old man.
“What?” she asked.
“I’m sorry for the disrespect, miss, it’s just… no one had ever guessed my secret ingredients before,” Luther’s eyes seemed to water a little as he continued to look at Raven. “Are you trained in the culinary arts as well?”
Raven stalled for a moment, a blush barely coming to her cheeks before it disappeared and she answered, “Uh… no. No, I just like food and have really good taste buds.”
The servant walked away with a wide smile as if having found a new hobby.
“So, Raven,” Wyatt said suddenly, making her swirl around to look at him, her beautiful hair flying. “How are you doing? You know in dealing with all this?”
“You mean how am I dealing with the fact that I made a bad choice in walking through the park one night and got mixed up in a fight of creatures I knew nothing about only to be infected with a toxin that is slowly turning me into a soulless monster while currently having breakfast with a bunch of beefed up vampires?” Raven asked back in one breath. Isaac was quite aware that everyone, including himself, was now staring at her as if expecting her to get hysterical at any moment when she said, “Oh, I’m peachy.”
That made a few of them burst into a little laughter.
“You truly are a feisty one, aren’t you?” Wyatt said with a smile. “I mean, Isaac told us of your fighting style. It totally freaked him out.”
Isaac smiled ruefully at Wyatt as Raven gave him a quick glance.
“I take it you’re a hand-to-hand type, right?” Wyatt asked.
“I can use a weapon if I have one on hand but those are last resort depending on the sitch,” Raven responded. “I just prefer hand-to-hand.”
“How many opponents have you faced and beaten?” Wyatt asked, his plate already clean too.
“I’ve lost count,” Raven replied swiftly as the Luther came to take their plates.
“I’ll have another, Luther,” Wyatt said and the butler bowed.
“Oo, we can have seconds?” Raven asked and Luther turned to her.
“If you would like another, madam, I’d be happy to serve,” he said and Raven nodded. The servant bowed again and took the plates.
“An eater too, huh?” Wyatt said with a smile. He cracked his knuckles and his neck. “Finally, some competition.”
Mary slapped his bicep. “Be nice,” she whispered.
“Wait, so you’re a vamp too?” Raven asked her.
“Oh, no. I’m human,” Mary said, training her grey eyes on Raven’s green ones. “It’s a long story but I’m kind of immortal now.”
Raven’s jaw had dropped but she recovered when Luther brought their second helpings. Without removing her eyes from Mary, Isaac watched her turn to him slightly.
“I’ll explain later,” Isaac assured her. “Just breathe ‘til then.”
Raven gulped once as if nervous. “I want my stuff back.”
“No,” Isaac said with a smile when she snapped her eyes at him. Her expression wasn’t angry or violent. It was confused and a little scared. It suddenly hit Isaac’s insides. This was her real face. She wasn’t masking herself for a second. She really was trying to hold on by a thread.
Suddenly, her expression closed off again and she was back to being tough and nonchalant.
“When will I get my stuff back?” she asked, digging into her new omelet.
“Probably after we eat. But you can’t use it here, of course,” Isaac answered, examining her face. No trace of vulnerability was visible anymore. She was very good at hiding. He suddenly wondered what kind of life she’d had to live in order to be so skilled.
“I know,” Raven said, taking another deep swing of coffee.
“Well, you have very interesting unarmed technique. I’d like to see how well you’d spar against me,” Wyatt said.
“I said to be nice,” Mary whispered to him.
“It’s no problem,” Raven interjected. “He seems very confident in being able to beat me because I’m a human. Or because I’m a woman.”
“I’m actually more curious to see your fighting style up close,” Wyatt said quickly when Mary gave him a look.
“I’m sure everyone is but I don’t want to demonstrate on you,” Raven said solemnly. “Or on anyone else.”
Wyatt froze. “Why not? You used it on Isaac.”
Isaac remembered that night and was surprised to see Raven blanch.
“It was self-defense,” she said in a monotone, staring at her plate after a quick glance at Isaac.
“Yeah, but it was satisfying, right?” Wyatt urged. “Landing a single hit and getting that kind of result? Where’d you learn to—”
“May I use the bathroom?” Raven asked quickly and Luther walked up before he could respond.
“Of course, madam, follow me,” he said with a bow.
Isaac watched as Raven let him take her by the hand and lead her out of the room. He felt confused as he stared after her. What had just happened?
He turned back to see Mary slapping Wyatt’s bicep again.
“What did I say?” Wyatt asked.
“I told you to be nice. She’s had a rough day,” Mary scolded.
“Yeah, this can’t be easy for her,” Eliza said from the other end.
“Poor Raven,” Bella murmured besides Zeke, who hadn’t looked up from his own plate. “Maybe someone should speak with her.”
“She’s strong. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Rubin said with a small wave of his hand.
Isaac didn’t add to the conversation. He wondered if Raven was truly fine or if she needed more help than they realized. He’d seen someone close off and bolt like that before… yet now Zeke had a family to care for. Raven didn’t seem to be particularly close to her father and had asked for only her sister to be guarded. What was she hiding?
After a few minutes, Raven had not returned and he abandoned the last of his breakfast.
Isaac went to the hallway leading to the bathroom Raven was in and checked through the security footage of the house. She hadn’t left yet. He put the phone away and leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. He wanted to give her space to sort out whatever she needed but, being responsible for her, he couldn’t allow her to just wander about alone.
Perhaps I could give her a tour of the house? The parts she was allowed to see.
She might not want to right now, considering her freak out.
Perhaps just her room then, he thought. The room was prepared after all and her stuff had been moved there.
Decided, he waited. Yet all the while, he wondered what kind of life she’d had.
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