Raven's Desires (Night Hunters) (23 page)

“Let her go, you bastard.”

“Don’t move, slayer. If you do I will press this in her neck. This is very powerful and if a human is injected with it, they will die. Do you want that? To be the cause of your friend’s death?”

Raven looked around the room for anything to hit him with. Not seeing anything, she looked at her unconscious friend. She could not let him kill her. The other deaths were enough to drive her insane, but to have Veronica killed on her account would be torture.

“Okay. Let her go, I will do anything.”

“See that needle under the table beside you? Get it. Now.”

Raven looked on the floor to see the glowing needle.

Kristian help.

“Don’t send any more signals out. Now get the damn needle.”

Raven picked up the needle.

“Now inject yourself.”

“What? No. I don’t know what this is.”

Veronica moaned as he pressed the needle into her neck more.

“No. No. No. Don’t!”

“Do as I say, slayer, I don’t have time.”

Raven prayed that whatever this stuff was going to do to her, Kristian would be able to save her.

“Do it now!”

Raven pressed the needle into a vein in her arm. She prayed again as she injected the liquid into her arm.

Raven pulled the needle out then tossed it to the side.

“There. Now let her…” Raven shook her head as the room began to spin. “Let her…go.”

The last thing she remembered was blackness.

* * * *

“Raven!” Kristian reached out for her when he felt her leave his mind.

“What is it?” Shane asked from the passenger seat.

“I don’t know. I can’t feel her anymore. It’s like she’s gone.”

Kristian pressed the gas, racing towards the café. When he got there he jumped out of the car. Veronica was sitting on the bench, confused.

“Veronica. Where is Raven?”

Veronica blinked. “I don’t know. I walked into the café and then I was out. I woke a moment ago and Raven was gone. Looks like she was taken.”

Veronica pointed to the wall.

“Where is the security footage?” Shane asked.

“In Billy’s office.”

“Stay here.”

Kristian followed Shane to the back room. Shane broke the door handle with one pull, and opened the door.

“Back that up,” Kristian ordered when he saw the camera equipment.

Shane sat down and worked the controllers, going back until the diner lights were off.”

“Stop, now go forward some.”

Shane screened slowly until Veronica and Raven walked into the café.

They watched closely.

“There,” Kristian pointed at the screen when Alec walked into the room. “I knew that bastard was up to something.”

“I’m going to have to kill him this time,” Shane said as they watched the video.

Kristian’s heart felt as if it dropped when he saw his mate press a syringe into her arm. He knew why she had done it, Alec had another needle pressed to Veronica’s neck.

“What the fuck is that?” Shane stopped the camera when Alec carried Raven out of the door.

“Back it up.”

Shane backed it up to the point where Raven injected herself.

“Stop. Look, she threw it under the booth. Get that tape, let’s go.”

Raven, why would you do that? Where are you my love?

When no answer came he kept looking for the needle Raven had tossed under the booth.

“What are you looking for and where is Raven?”

“Veronica, can you remember anything?” Shane asked.

Veronica shook her head.

“I got it,” Kristian said.

“What the hell is that?”

“That’s what we have to find out. For now, Veronica, look at me,” Shane spoke.

Kristian let Shane do his mind trick on Veronica while he jumped in his car to drive to the Council.

* * * *

Raven woke to notice that she was not in her bed. Where the hell was she?

“Raven, you are awake.”

The dark voice made her jump into a sitting position. The lights in the room came on. A tall man stood at the door dressed in a white shirt and black slacks.

“Who are you?”

Raven moved closer to the headboard.

“And where am I?”

“You are in Meadville, where you have been all your life. I am your father’s best friend, Alec Sullivan. I came the moment I heard your parents were killed in a house fire.”

“What! When did this happen? I have to go to them!”

“Easy, Raven.”

Alec walked into the room.

“Fire rescue found you right outside the door of your home. They say you were passed out.”

Raven frowned.

“Why don’t I remember you?”

“I used to come over to your home all the time. The doctor at the hospital told me that you may have had a slight concussion and will have a hard time remembering things.”

“How long was I out?”

“A couple of days.”

“I want to go to see my home. I want to see my parent’s bodies.”

“Sorry, Raven. Your parents left instructions to cremate them and spread their ashes in the lake.”

“What? I never knew of this? So you are telling me that I missed my own parent’s funeral?”

Raven grabbed her head, feeling it pound.

“What’s going on? I feel so sick, so dizzy.”

“Calm, my slayer. Let the mixture work. You remember everything I’m telling you. You accept this and move on. In a few days we will leave this town, just for a while.”

Raven heard his words, fighting him, but still accepting what he said.

Chapter 11

Kristian burst into the Council’s laboratory.

“Vampire, you can’t be down here,” Dominick, a young demon seeker spoke as he walked inside.

Others around the lab stopped and waited to see what Kristian would do to Dominick.

“I don’t have time for your games
—
find out what this is and tell me quickly.”

Kristian placed the needle into his hand.

“Where…where did you get that?”

“My mate was forced to inject herself with whatever is in this needle. Now hurry up, shadow demon.”

“Wait,” Dominick said as Kristian began to walk off.

“What?” Kristian growled, his eyes glowing red in the room.

“It’s just that, this needle, the engraved signature on the side of it lets me know right away that whatever is in this was created by a Dreamwalker.”

Kristian grabbed Dominick’s shirt hauling him up in the air. “I don’t care who or what invented it, find out what it does.”

Kristian turned to see Shane coming down the stairs.

“Let him down, Kristian.”

Kristian snarled at Shane, his nails growing long and sharp. The demon he had in the air shook uncontrollably. Shane took a step back from Kristian.

“If you kill him, then we can’t find out what is in the needle.”

Kristian had to control the anger flowing through him. He wanted his mate back and he wanted her now. His mate was gone and he didn’t know if she had killed herself or what.

Kristian snarled, but then released the guy, who fell to the ground.

“You have ten minutes.”

Kristian stalked upstairs without another word.

* * * *

Do as I say. Don’t ask any questions. Do as I say. Don’t ask any questions.

Raven groaned coming awake to see Alec standing over her.

“Is this how I’m going to wake always, with you hovering over me?”

Alec let out a low chuckle.

“No. But I need you to get dressed. We have to go out and do something before leaving.”

“Oh. That’s right, we are leaving town. Where are we going to move to?”

“I don’t know. What do you think of New York?”

“Never been there. What’s going on?”

“Raven, you know what you are don’t you? You kept it a secret.”

Raven thought back. She remembered something about her being a fighter. She was here to do things for Alec. He would protect her now that her parents were dead.

“Yes, I remember what I am.”

“So you know of your talents?”

Raven nodded.

“Good. This is going to be fun.”

* * * *

Kristian looked at his phone when it beeped. He jumped up from the chair, running out the door.

“Where are you going?” he heard Shane asked from behind.

Kristian drove his car wildly th,rough the streets, not caring for anything. Elisabeth sent him a message saying Raven was home.

“Raven!” he yelled her name as he walked into the living room.

His beloved mate stood from the couch. Her eyes were glossy.

“Are you alright?”

He ran up to her, hugging her.

Raven shied away from his touch.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

Kristian’s heart felt as if it fell to the floor at those words.

“How…why did you come here?”

“I don’t know. Some strange force pulled me to this area. Who are you?”

“Raven, I’m your mate, Kristian. Your partner for life.”

It came to him that Raven had to inject herself with a forgetting solution. But why had Alec released her?

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

Kristian looked up to Elisabeth as she walked up to him.

“She was wondering around the grounds when I pulled up. She didn’t remember me so I sent you a message. I will leave you be. Call me if you need me.”

Kristian nodded then turned his attention back to Raven.

“So you don’t remember the fight with Alec? Him making you inject yourself with something?”

Raven shook her head. “I don’t feel anything inside. I feel so empty. I have nothing. I remember nothing.”

Raven fell to her knees crying.

Kristian picked her up and carried her upstairs, laying her on the bed.

He lay beside her, holding her as she cried.

“Don’t cry, love. We will figure out how to get your memories back, then I’m going to kill that bastard when I see him.”

Kristian stroked her hair, holding her close. He thought he had lost her. In a way he still had. She didn’t remember him, but at least she allowed him to comfort her. When she pulled away earlier his heart broke at the thought of her not wanting him to touch her.

Raven stopped crying and lay there for several minutes not talking.

“Raven?” he called her name making sure she hadn’t falling asleep.

Raven lifted her head from his chest, her brown eyes staring at him.

“Are you okay?”

Raven watched him for a few moments then pressed her lips to his. At first, Kristian wanted to pull back but the thought of them showing emotions might trigger something in her mind. Raven deepened the kiss, pushing him to his back, then moving over him.

Raven pulled back, staring at him again.

“I don’t know why, but I feel this pull to you. I want you to be inside me.”

Kristian shook his head.

“You don’t want me?”

“God knows I want you, Raven but I don’t think it is right to take you now, when you don’t remember what we shared. The love we had.”

Raven tugged at the sundress she had on, tossing it to the floor of the room. Kristian growled at seeing her sitting on top of him with nothing but a bra on.

“Make me remember, Kristian.” She moaned as she unclasped her bra.

Kristian could not deny his mate a release, even if she didn’t remember him. He sat up, kissing her deeply. Raven fumbled with his pants while they kissed. She reached inside, wrapping her hand around him, releasing him from his pants. She stroked him, sending pleasure to every nerve in his body. Raven didn’t wait for him to undress
—
she raised up and, before he could protest, ease her body onto his. They both moaned into each other’s mouth, never breaking the kiss.

They moved together as one, the passion growing inside them both. Kristian didn’t take Raven fast as he wanted. He made love to her, hoping that something would trigger a memory.

Raven made love to him all that night and into the morning hours until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

Kristian woke from a sharp pain shooting through his leg. He tried to sit up but chains held him in place.

Raven stood at the edge of the bed, fully dressed and staring down at him with a snarl on her face.