Chapter Five
Revelations
Kara
When the car slowed to a stop, I slowly uncurled my body and sat up peering through the window, my eyes puffy and sore from too many tears. The light of the full moon illuminated the huge stone house, accenting its Gothic architecture. Ravyn’s handsome friend was already out of the car, opening my door for me.
“Where are we?” I asked, my tone empty. He held his hand out, helping me out of the SUV. I stood staring at the amazingly perfect detail of the home.
The house looked more like a mansion, surrounded by thick lines of trees; there was no sign of any other homes and it was quiet, so quiet. We started up the wide, solid stone stairway to the front door.
“This is Ravyn’s home. Although, I guess it is yours as well. Ladies, welcome home.” The man smiled as he pushed the heavy wooden door open and flipped the lights on in the foyer.
The large open foyer was dimly lit by a beautiful chandelier, which oddly only had three small bulbs in it. The dim light sparkled off of the dark cherry wood floor; the wood seemed to grow out of the floor into an exquisite staircase in the middle of the foyer. The staircase was wide and tall. Blood-red carpet lined the center of the stairs, and the same blood red devoured the walls. I smiled at the house that screamed Ravyn. It was beautifully rich, yet creepy at the same time.
He began the tour of the main floor. The wood flooring and red walls continued into the large living room, dining room, and library, with the kitchen being the only exception. It was quite different, with black marble floors and counters and black cabinets all accented by stainless steel appliances. It was a very cold kitchen, and it looked like it was rarely used at all. I noticed that all the rooms were very dimly lit; bulbs were missing from most of the sockets.
“Why is it so dark in here?” My curiosity got the better of me. Not to mention the house was big and creepy; I would feel better with more light in it.
“Ravyn prefers the dark. Do you not remember?” He grinned before continuing. “I suppose you are not as fond of the dark as she. I do not think she would mind if I brightened things up a bit for the two of you,” he said, answering my next question before I even had a chance to ask.
“Thanks.” The curiosity in my voice was very clear. But at the mention of Ravyn’s name, my mind was swept away to what I had witnessed and, more importantly, what she had said to me. The fact of the matter was she had just killed seven men ruthlessly and with incredible speed. She did it without even batting an eye. I should have been in shock, but amazingly I wasn’t surprised at all. I had watched her dish out plenty of ass-kickings on my account as we grew up. My mind instantly associated it with her protective instincts.
I guess deep down inside I always knew she would kill to keep me safe, if it meant my life or theirs. Was she really forced into it though? Maybe? I mean, they did have my mom and her friend held hostage.
Necessary or not, what had my mind on overload was how she just happened to appear after six years on the night someone tried to harm my mother and maybe would have hurt me as well. She seemed certain more of these evil men would be searching for us, but how? The questions for Ravyn were quickly piling up.
“Soon enough, child.” Nebiros interrupted my thoughts. My eyes snapped to him as if he had just caught me naked. “Let us find you two ladies a room while you wait for Ravyn’s return,” he continued, leading us to the stairs.
As we walked up the stairs, I couldn’t help but wonder if the man could read thoughts or if I was just too exhausted to hold them in. I didn’t like the thought, considering Ravyn couldn’t read me unless I let her in. It was very invasive. Could he read them all the time? Or only when near me? When we reached the top of the stairs, he winked at me, confirming my suspicions. Great! I thought.
The halls stretched endlessly in either direction at the top of the stairs. All the doors were open except two. One at the end of the hall to the right, and the other was the first door to the left of the stairs. I headed to the left, knowing that the room by the stairs was Ravyn’s. She always had a thing about being close to entry points of homes. I went straight into the room next to hers.
“I’ll take this one,” I said before I even got a glimpse of the room.
“I’m guessing Ravyn’s room is down there?” Mom said, her tone miffed.
I flipped the lights on and froze as the room came to life. It was brightly lit, just how I liked it. The carpet was thick, fluffy, white shag. The walls were matching white with red velvet curtains. The canopy bed had tall, beautifully carved white wood posts with a red silk canopy draping down around it. The bedspread was also the same crimson velvet, along with the multiple pillows of all shapes and sizes, all red and white. The ceiling had a three-tier tray with different color lighting in each tier. There were no paintings or décor hanging on the walls, with the exception of a single small oval mirror.
It was as if I had decorated the room myself. I was standing in the room I had always dreamed of. My mind began to swarm with thoughts. Did she do this on purpose? Did she know I would drop everything to be by her side again?
I sat on the bed amidst all of the pillows, thinking about Ravyn’s strange friend along with all the questions to which I needed answers. As I curled up in the pillows and closed my eyes, I had to focus hard on blocking out the violent images, replacing them with the moment I saw her for the first time in six very long years. The memory of being in her arms again soon lulled me to sleep.
I woke suddenly with one thing on my mind. “Ravyn,” I whispered to myself, quickly pulling my cell phone from my pocket to check the time. Five in the morning! I shot out of bed and ran downstairs; following the voices, I made my way to the kitchen, hoping to see Ravyn.
Emma and the handsome man sat at the table talking. He stood as I entered. “Where’s Ravyn?” I asked him nervously.
He walked over to me, slowly putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me to the chair next to my mom. “Please join us.” He motioned for me to sit as he spoke.
I obliged. “Mom, did something happen to Ravyn? Why isn’t she home yet?”
She patted my leg. “Relax, dear. I’m sure she’s fine,” she said reassuringly.
“Why isn’t she home yet? And how do you know she is fine?”
The man set a cup of coffee down in front of me. I looked down at the coffee, expecting it to be black, but he had already added cream. I took a sip and was surprised that it was made just how I like it, lots of cream and sugar. I stared at him as he sat across from me.
“How did you…” I paused, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. “I don’t like that, you know?” I said, irritated.
He chuckled. “You do not prefer your coffee that way?”
“No, I like the coffee. I don’t like how you found out how I like it. It’s very invasive,” I said firmly.
He leaned on the table fixing his eyes on mine. “Your secrets are safe with me.” He chuckled loudly as he teased.
“Funny. Why isn’t Ravyn home yet?” My irritation turned to concern.
“It is still early, child. Have you forgotten Ravyn is somewhat of a creature of the night, I believe you call it?” He grinned as he tapped into my memories.
This was going to be a pain in the ass getting used to, I thought. My mom watched me closely, worrying. She had to hate that we were here. She hated what Ravyn had done to me. “Yeah, she always stayed up all night. But aren’t you worried?” My concern grew as I remembered the night’s violence.
“Trust me, dear. Ravyn is just fine,” he replied in a very confident tone. “I have not properly introduced myself. I am Nebiros.” He held out his hand.
“Nebiros?” I asked, taking his hand.
He kissed the back of my hand, then bowed his head. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” His words escaped me; I was busy trying to recall his familiar name.
My eyes widened as it came to me. Nebiros, Marquis of Hell, demon. I had read about him in my witch studies. “Nebiros, as in the demon, Nebiros?” I asked in disbelief.
“Ah, you have heard of me as well?” He smiled, seemingly pleased.
Suddenly the strange man made sense to me. His hoarse voice, his eloquence, his beauty and his thought-reading ability. “Mom, why are you not freaking out? Why are we in Ravyn’s house with a demon sitting across from us?” I asked, suddenly nervous to be in the same room with the charming demon, but I wasn’t afraid since Ravyn obviously trusted him.
“Sweetie, calm down. Nebiros and I have been talking.” She paused, letting out a sigh. “He has informed me of what Ravyn has been up to all these years. I think you should keep your distance from her while we are here. Do you understand me?” Emma warned in her stern, motherly voice.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Keep away from the one person I wanted back in my life? This was crazy! “No! I don’t understand you! It’s the most insane thing I have ever heard, Mother.” My outburst caught her by surprise. How could she be so surprised I would act this way? I would have done anything to have my best friend back, and now my mother just wanted me to ignore her?
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Nebiros sipped his coffee, his eyes never straying from mine. “For now, I believe it may be best if you listen to Emma,” he agreed, though it felt more like a warning.
Thankfully, before I could respond, I heard a car outside. My heart raced as I rushed to the front door. Throwing it open, I ran down the stairs eager to see my friend, to make sure Ravyn was okay. A look of disappointment settled on her face as she shook her head, causing me to stop dead in my tracks halfway down the stairs.
Ravyn moved gracefully up the stairs, pushing my hand away from my mouth to stop my nervous chewing of my nails. Her fingertips pressed gently against the small of my back, ushering me back up the stairs. Her hand stayed on my back as she walked next to me. The coolness of her touch sent a shiver up my spine. A good shiver, I might add.
Her eyes squinted as we entered the house. I stared in silence before realizing the chandelier was now brightly lit, then hurried to switch the light off. The light from the kitchen strayed into the foyer, giving it a soft glow. I stood nervously, waiting for her to shout or yell. My mother’s words and Nebiros’s warning no doubt at play, but she never had in the past.
As I stared I began noticing the changes in her appearance. Her skin was very pale, her body was toned and slender, and her black clothing and deadly weapons made her look quite creepy, yet very sexy, in a weird kind of way. I continued to gnaw on my fingernails as my eyes took her in. She pulled my hand away from my mouth again as I apologized for the bright lights.
“Still biting your nails, I see,” Ravyn said, her brow raised.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Well, you were supposed to help me break the habit, but you kinda disappeared on me,” I said with my hands on my hips.
“Yes, I did,” she replied sadly. I couldn’t believe she was here, and we were bantering like our friendship hadn’t missed a beat.
Then I remembered the reason I was here. “Are you hurt? Who were those men? What took you so long?”
She just smiled at me. It was the smile that displayed her amusement, the smile I had missed way too much. “I’m fine,” she said, then turned and started for the kitchen. She paused before she entered and turned back to face me. “Kara, it is good to see you again.”
Her words melted my worries away, replacing them with the joy of having my best friend back in my life. I wanted to hug her and never let her go again, but I just stood there smiling, enjoying the happiness Ravyn brought back to me.
She motioned for me to join her in the kitchen, so I did. She immediately began ranting about the bright lights as she continued to squint. I felt bad, but I remained silent. She poured herself a glass of scotch and lit a cigarette. She leaned against the counter swirling the amber liquid in the glass, watching me as I sat down.
The silence was awkward as we all glanced at one another as if not knowing what to say. In truth, the whole situation was weird. I was sitting across from a demon in Ravyn’s mansion, with Ravyn! The sight of her opened a Pandora’s box of questions in my mind. Before I could open my mouth, Ravyn beat me to it.
“Did Nebiros show you to your rooms?”
Yes, my dream room that happens to be in your huge mansion! I sent my silent rebuttal to her, hoping to get some kind of response.
“Yes, you have a beautiful home, Ravyn,” Emma replied.
“Good.” Ravyn gave a nod of approval and started to remove her weapons. It didn’t take long for her to accumulate a pile on the kitchen counter, which she topped off with a thin black leather wallet.
“What kind of work did you say you did again?” I asked.
“I’m a detective,” she answered as she gathered her glass, ashtray, pack of smokes, and wallet, and moved to the table to join us.
“Detective? Don’t they only carry one gun?” Emma retorted, doubt evident in her tone.
“I’m not your ordinary detective. I work for a very hush-hush agency. We deal with the darker side of the world,” Ravyn explained in her very calm, confident manner.
“You mean the demon world?” I said, as the puzzle pieces started to come together. I couldn’t believe what I was saying, but then again I was sitting across from a real-life demon.
“Yes,” Ravyn replied with a grin.
“But how can you possibly take on a demon? I thought they were invincible or something.”
“No one is invincible, Kara.” Her vague answer only irritated me.
“Explain it, Ravyn. What happened tonight, was that work?”
Ravyn laughed at my irritation as she glanced at Nebiros. He shook his head. “You will have to excuse Ravyn. She has been in the business too long,” Nebiros said.
“You’re such a party pooper, old man.” She glared at him. “Fine, do you two really think you can handle the truth? Because the truth is never pretty.”
I wondered if I could, if I really wanted to know about Ravyn’s ugly line of work. Would it change our friendship?
“We can handle it,” Emma replied before I could make my decision.
Ravyn looked at me, waiting for me to agree. The look in her eyes seemed to challenge my hesitation. I nodded. “I’m not afraid of you, Ravyn,” I said, hoping I wasn’t wrong.
Ravyn leaned back in her chair, folding her hands behind her head. Her eyes danced with excitement at my acceptance of her knowledge. I suddenly worried I had made a very wrong decision. Never before would I even consider challenging Ravyn about anything, but now I instantly regretted it.
“Very well,” Ravyn’s raspy voice purred as she slowly stood.
Nebiros suddenly locked his large hand around her wrist. “No.” His hoarse voice sounded more like a growl.
“Relax, old friend. They need to understand, remember?” Ravyn patted his hand, coaxing it from her wrist.
I suddenly stood, feeling an overwhelming need to get away. “Never mind, I don’t want to know anything. I’m just going to go to bed,” I eked out as I made my way toward the stairs. Running up the stairs, I felt a rush of air at my back, but I didn’t dare look back.
Stepping into the safety of my new room, I slammed the door closed behind me and flipped the light on. A shrill scream escaped me as my back suddenly pressed against the door. Ravyn stood directly in front of me, barely leaving room for the air to pass between us.
Her cool hand pressed against my mouth, muffling my terrified scream. I remembered her being fast, but holy shit, I never even saw a blur. My heart felt like it was going to explode, it was beating so fast. When my screams subsided, she slowly pulled her hand from my mouth.
“Jesus, Ravyn! You almost gave me a heart attack!” I whispered.
I didn’t know why I was whispering, maybe because I didn’t want her covering my mouth again. She started laughing as she walked to my bed. “What are you laughing at? And how the hell did you get up here?” I asked, still whispering as I followed her.
“You should have seen the look on your face!” Ravyn exclaimed between laughs.
“Must have been freaking hilarious.” It was the only retort I could think of as I watched her climb onto my bed. Her back arched as she stretched out, every bone in her spine popping as she did.
“It was,” she agreed, lying back on the mound of pillows. She patted the empty space next her. “Come on, you have questions, and only I hold the answers.”
I hesitated for a minute, then pulled myself up onto the bed facing her. I sat in my usual Indian-style. “How did you get up here?” I asked again.
“I am very fast. Did you not feel me pass you on the stairs?” she said.
“I did… But that’s impossible. No one can move that fast,” I said, shaking my head.
“It is every bit as possible as your little tricks of the witch trade. You should know, not everything is what is seems to be, Kara,” she said with a grin.
“Like your demon friend?” I retorted.
“Life holds many secrets. Demons are among them.” She winked as she lit a cigarette, reaching into the nightstand drawer and retrieving an ashtray.
“What is your secret, Ravyn?” I asked nervously, unsure if I really wanted to know.
“My secret is just that,” she replied in a very serious tone.
“You’re seriously not going to tell me?”
“The less you know about my world, the better off you will be.” She shrugged.
“Your world? Isn’t it the same one I live in?” I asked.
“No. It’s much worse.”
“Okay, then who were those men?” I decided to change my line of questioning since I knew how stubborn she could be. If I could get enough of the right answers, I knew I could piece it together.
“Bounty hunters.” Her eyes fixed on mine as she spoke.
“That’s crazy, Ravyn! Bounty hunters do warrants and bail jumpers. I’m not stupid, you know?” I snapped, pushing myself off the bed. Pacing, I boiled over and began to rant.
“Six years, Ravyn! And now you show up only to offer me lies and deception! Do you have any idea what I went through when you disappeared? Of course you don’t, you weren’t there. I was stuck with the people who hated you for what you had done to protect me. I was a fucking open house because you left. I needed you. I begged for you to come back. Six years I’ve waited, and now you offer me lies!” I yelled, never taking my eyes off my own feet as I let out all of my pent-up anger and sadness.
Turning to continue my pacing, Ravyn stood directly in front of me. Startled, I jumped back and lost my footing. I tumbled back as gravity took over. Closing my eyes I tensed, waiting for my body to hit the floor. Hearing a cracking sound before I hit the floor was strange, and then everything stopped.
I felt something hot against my lower back and around the back of my neck, then against my chest and hips. I didn’t know if I had crashed to the floor, but this feeling was anything but painful. It was comfort and safety, with a very big sprinkling of pleasure.
“I will never let you fall again,” Ravyn whispered in my ear.
It was the most romantic thing I had ever heard, and it was coming from my best friend. I opened my eyes to a view of the ceiling. The tingling heat continued to spread through my body to my very core as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
“Do you really believe you can handle a glimpse into my world?” she whispered. Her lips trailed down my neck as she spoke, sending wonderful shivers down my spine.
“Yes,” I breathed without hesitation. Wanting to know, needing to know, what had become of my friend. Suddenly I was on the bed lying back on the sea of pillows. In front of me Ravyn sat on her feet between my legs, her eyes capturing mine.
They were black as night. I gasped, but I held my ground. She wriggled her fingers in the air, showing off her dagger-like nails and then she smiled wickedly, exposing long sharp fangs. I flinched and pulled myself back, putting a little space between us.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing so I rubbed my eyes as if fixing them, then looked again. This time her eyes were jade green, the fangs were gone, and her fingers were back to normal.
“What the hell?” I gasped. Did I fall and hit my head? Maybe I was unconscious? A dream? It had to be a dream. Only one way to find out.
Is this a dream? I silently sent the thought to Ravyn. She shrugged, then reached out and firmly pinched my thigh. “Ouch!” I cried as my leg instinctively drew back.
“I guess not,” she replied with a laugh.
“It’s not funny, Ravyn. That hurt like hell!” I scolded, rubbing the pain from my thigh. Tucking my legs against my chest, I locked my arms around them to protect myself from further harm. Abruptly realizing I wasn’t dreaming, my mind went into frantic mode. Did Ravyn really change? If so, what did it mean? Is that even possible?
“Yes. It is the answer to your question. Obviously, it is possible.” Ravyn interrupted my thoughts.
Shit, I had been thinking so hard I sent all of my thoughts to her, but what did this mean?
I rested my chin on my knees, forcing myself to study Ravyn’s eyes for the truth. She didn’t blink or break eye contact; she didn’t even breathe. When my panic subsided, only one question stood out from the rest. Taking a deep breath I asked, “Are you a vampire?” I felt like an idiot as soon as the words left my mouth, and the look of irritation on Ravyn’s face only made me feel worse.
“Vampires don’t exist,” she replied, obviously disappointed with my assumption.
“Well, how was I supposed to know? You have fangs!” I reminded her, using my index fingers to mock her fangs. She looked amused by my impression, but far from thrilled.
“Okay, so you''re not a vampire, and you''re definitely not human.”
“Half-breed, Kara. Half-human, half-demon,” Ravyn said. The honesty in her tone shocked me.
“OH!” What do you say when you find out your best friend is a demon? Because I had nothing.
Ravyn was off my bed and at the door before I could compose a better response. “Good night, Kara,” she said as she left the room.
I wanted to chase her, to say something, but nothing came. Her words just played like a broken record in my head. My heart was telling me she was still the same person while my brain tried to convince me demons were evil. She did kill all of those men without asking any questions. I had chalked it up to her job before, but now I had serious doubts. The two battled until my exhaustion finally forced me to lie down and close my eyes.