The full moon passed, sharp aches began to cover her body. Raven’s eyes began slowly open as the constant aches started to wake her. It felt like her bones were rearranging themselves by snapping in and out of place. She stretched out her body causing the sharp aches to fade. She curled up in a ball. Her raven hair cloaked her chest while her eyes searched her cave for any sign of their so-called Alpha. She let out a sigh of relief glad that he was at least a man of his word. She quickly grabbed her clothes from last night slipping them on.
The second Raven stepped out of her cave. She took notice of the falling leaves, it was weird to her fall is usually a time of cold weather. Somehow, she still felt warm. Guess it was another perk of being a-
“Sister,” Claire began walking through the fall leaves. Her shoes crushed the dying leaves as she walked toward her. She was dressed in the same clothes as last night. “Leader Lycan,” Raven’s heart sank at the name. She wished she could forget the conversation that happened last night. “He wishes to speak with you.” Claire put her hands in her jacket pockets. “Okay,” She raised her brow. “I can tell something is wrong with you.”
“It’s nothing,” Raven’s feet treeded faster through the leaves keeping ahead of her sister. The last thing she needed to do was drag her sister into her affairs. She knew Lycan well enough to know he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t think twice about hurting her sister. She had to protect her from this. But like usual, Claire couldn’t help but get involved.
“I know it’s something,” Claire accused. Raven could not let her get involved. She had to deal with her Lycan problem on her own. “Why don’t you ever tell me anything?” Claire blocked her path. “We’re sisters Raven.” She raised her voice. “We need to look out for each other. We are all that we got, nobody else is going to stick up for us. That means we need to help each other.” Forget it. She wasn’t going to drag her younger sister into this. Raven could handle this by herself. “Please just tell me what Leader Lycan told you last night.”
“You’re too young to understand,” Raven walked ahead of her. “Just let me handle it.” She let out a sigh. Claire stood there in silence, she imagined her sister to be heartbroken. This was supposed to be their chance to bond and act like sisters but. Raven knew she wasn’t acting the part. “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to help.” She reasoned.
“You don’t know that for sure,” Claire replied. “Maybe I can help but I need to know what’s going on first. Just give me that chance,” Raven bit her lip, damn it, her sister just wouldn’t let this go. What part of Lycan will kill her if she helped her did her sister not get? Hell if Raven tried to fight him. He’d kill her too, this gave Lycan the excuse he needed to wipe out the half breeds in his pack.
“Since you want to know that badly,” Raven let out a defeated sigh. “I will tell you.” She leaned her back against one of the many trees in the forest. “Last night,” She shut her eyes in an instant. She was reminded of Lycan’s potential. Last night when he hit her, he moved so fast she couldn’t even see him hit her. She couldn’t let Claire get dragged into this knowing what Lycan would do. “I can’t, if you get hurt because I told you.” She started to walk off but Claire blocked her path.
“It’s okay.” Claire put her hands in her pockets. “You don’t need to worry about me.” She assured her. But what if Lycan, her sister placed her hand on her shoulder. “I’m a strong girl, I can handle myself. Besides,” She pulled out her trusty pocket knife cutting the palm of her hand. The deep gash instantly healed due to her special ability. “I can heal a lot faster than any werewolf it would take a lot for even someone like Lycan to kill me.”
“Just promise me, if things get rough you’ll back off.” Raven stared into her sister’s eyes. She replied with a nod accepting the terms. “Last night,” She started walking towards their camp, Claire followed her. “Leader Lycan wanted me to,” She could feel it, tears ready to fall but she wouldn’t let them not in front of her sister. “Bear his child.” Claire’s feet stopped in place.
“I don’t understand,” Claire shook her head. “Leader Lycan, he hates you.” She spoke in disbelief. “It’s not like him,” She put her hands in her jacket pockets. “Why is he turning the tables now?”
“It’s his father Lord Grimm,” Raven answered. “He told him that I would make a “befitting” wife. It’s not even me he cares about.” Lycan only cared about the beauty of her physical features. For the first time in her life, Raven felt like her beauty was nothing but a curse. She felt tears starting form in her eyes. She wiped them away before her sister could see her weakness.
“He’s more of a jerk than I thought.” Claire began pacing back and forth. Raven knew her sister well enough to know she was trying to form some sort of strategy. “I’m going to need more time to come up with something.” She rubbed her chin. “In the meantime,” Claire glanced over at her. “You need to go to the cabin and see Leader Lycan. He’s not exactly known for his patience.” Raven replied with a nod. “Meet me at the stream afterward. We can continue our conversation there. I want you to tell me everything that happens.”
“Alright,” Raven entered the Nightshade campsite.
The campsite was set up with five tents resting five feet from the small cabin. To the right of the cabin was a large dark red tent set up closest to the cabin. This tent belonged to Alejandro. To the left of the cabin were two blue tents belonging to the twins of Nightshade. The dark blue tent across from the twin’s belonged to her sister. The purple tent closest to the bushes belonged to Raven. The center of the campsite was made up of short cut grass and circle of dirt to set up campfires at night.
The twins, Jay and Jayson were outside wrestling the grass. Both boys were dressed in the same clothes as last night. Alejandro stood at the entrance of the cabin guarding it while his blood red eyes watched his boys wrestle each other.
Inside the cabin, Raven took a deep breath that’s where Lycan rested and would be waiting for her. She walked up the small steps standing face to face with the formidable Beta. He was much taller in person and his sharp glares issued a warning. If she tried to do anything to hurt or kill Lycan, he would personally see to it that her life ended in the most gruesome way possible. It was frightening to her how. He didn’t need words to convey that message.
“I ugh,” Raven gulped pointing towards the door knob behind the Beta. “Leader Lycan, he wants to see me.” Alejandro casually stepped aside his footsteps lightly shaking the wooden patio. She feared for any vampire that dared to cross his path. She placed her hand on the door knob bracing for the hell Lycan had prepared for her.
Raven took slow cautious steps inside the cabin. She stepped over the jeans that were scattered on the hardwood floor. This was nothing compared to the type of clothes she’d find on the floor in Jayson’s tent. She took notice of the furnishings inside Lycan’s lair.
A well crafted dresser was placed against the wall across from the small window. The dresser had a nice clean surface. There were no pictures, no mementos, nothing just a plain surface. There was an elegant lamp that rested on a finely crafted wooden night stand. These furnishings had to be expensive. Suppose Lord Grimm would only accept the best for his one and only son. Her navy blue eyes continued to wander the cabin but soon stopped.
There in the center of the cabin, a king sized bed. This bed served as a painful reminder of what Lycan wanted last night. The very sight reminded her of the hell she had been entrapped in. She was to lose her innocence to Lycan of all people. She bit her lip to fight back the anger the sight of the bed caused.
“You’re late,” Lycan spoke his voice soft. He stood there staring outside the window watching as the leaves continued to fall. Raven expected him to be angry with her but for some reason he was…calm? The fall weather must be affecting him making him more tolerable. He began walking towards her before she knew it. His hands were stroking the strands of her hair back. She turned her head refusing to look into his eyes.
“Sorry,” Raven replied, Lycan eyes formed a glare. “Leader Lycan,” She added, the glare faded. “I got sidetracked.” She removed his unwelcomed hand from her hair. “So tell me,” She crossed her arms. “What can I do for you Leader Lycan?” She asked in a somewhat casual tone. “I hope it’s not sleeping with you.” Her eyes motioned towards the bed. “I thought we agreed that you were going to wait or are you not a man of your word?” Lycan chuckled lightly.
“Amusing,” He patted her head like some pet. “I don’t wish to defile you at this moment. I can wait as agreed,” Lycan took her into his embrace. Raven growled wishing he’d just leave her alone. She wanted nothing to do with him, she hated him. “I simply want you to reach into my pocket and attain a prize I picked out just for you.” Raven chuckled like she’d ever want anything from him. “Stubborn, I like that about you.” Lycan gripped her left hand tightly, she tried to break free but it felt like he was trying to break her wrist. She tried to jerk away but his strength overpowered her.
“I don’t want,” Raven tried to fight but her hand was shoved into the pocket of Lycan’s damaged denim jeans. She gasped as her finger felt something like a metal hoop. It’s a ring, She gasped at the realization. It’s not just any ring, it’s an engagement ring. That bastard, he has her again, left with no choice but to fall right into his clutches. Raven took out the ring, her so-called “Prize.”.
The ring was made up of real gold resting at the center was an actual diamond. The diamond was chipped into the shape of a full moon. This ring had to be worth a hefty sum but of course money was but an object to Lycan. If a man she cared about had presented this ring to her and perhaps got on one knee. Raven would have accepted it but not Lycan. She could never accept him as her husband. She wanted nothing more than to toss this expensive ring out the window and hope to never see it again. But, she knew what came next.
“Will you marry me, Raven?” Lycan slipped the ring onto her finger. Raven started to remove it but, “Consider your rank before you answer?” Once again, she had been trapped by him. Lycan had pulled rank if she denied him. He had every right to kill her. Raven growled angered by the fact that he would do this to her again. She wanted to kick the shit out of him for treating her like this. She deserved so much better. Instead, she had to remind herself that Lycan is Lord Grimm’s son. She took a deep breath hoping to calm the anger burrowing inside her.
“You’re not being fair Leader Lycan,” Raven argued. He started to hitch a laugh like she was telling some kind of joke. “You can’t just,” He continued to laugh at her. She wanted to slap him across the face for laughing at her.
“Fair,” Lycan laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Newsflash my dear Raven, life is not fair.” He chuckled. “It’s a lesson my father was so gracious enough to teach me. So don’t bother preaching to me about fair. You don’t know where to begin.” His dark russet eyes turned pitch black sending chills down her spine. “Now then,” His lips formed an evil smirk. “What’s your answer?” Raven just knew Lycan was going to abhor her response.
“I think marriage,” Raven removed her hand from Lycan’s grasp. “Can wait,” She removed the ring from her finger. “Leader Lycan,” She started to hand the ring back to him but decided to hang onto it just in case she ended up needing it. Just as she was about to tuck the ring into her pocket, she felt her body crash into the wall. When did he-
“Wait,” Lycan’s grip tightened on her throat. Raven started to fight for air as he continued to suffocate her. “Is that your answer to everything?” He revealed his sharp werewolf fangs at her. His grip getting tighter, she couldn’t breathe if this continued she’d…die. She had no choice.
Raven’s nails transformed into razor sharp claws. She quickly slashed Lycan’s face hitting him right across his left eye. His blood continued to drip from the wound. His grip faded as he covered the wound with his hand. Once he did, Raven’s body collapsed to the ground. She held her throat trying to reclaim her ability to breathe.
“You bitch,” Lycan growled. Raven rose to her feet in great haste. She could feel his anger boiling, his wolf form ready to emerge.
“I gave you my answer,” Raven glared at him. “I believe,” She smirked, withdrawing her claws. “I’m done here.” She picked the ring up off the floor tucking it into her pocket. She started to leave but Lycan blocked her path.
“Don’t think I’m just going to let you leave after hurting me like that.” Lycan started walking towards her. Raven began taking steps back knowing she stood no chance at beating him. “No Omega will dare,” She found herself backed against the wall. “Turn their claws on me,” He grabbed a handful of Raven’s hair pulling it tightly. She screamed trying to get free. “Without consequence,” Raven felt her body crash into the door breaking it open. She rolled across the ground landing at the feet of the twins. Raven heard the door to the cabin slam shut after being thrown out.
“Great just great,” Jay let out a sigh. She fought against sharp pain coursing through her body after being thrown. “You just had to piss him off didn’t you?” He held his hand out to her. She grabbed it letting him help her to her feet. “Let’s go brother,” Jay faced his brother. “Let’s convince daddy wolf not to kill Raven.” Jayson groaned.
“But I don’t want to,” Jayson complained. “Do you know how hard it is to convince Alejandro to do anything he doesn’t want to do?” He questioned. “It’s like asking a small french fry to be a wholesome tater tot.” Raven began dusting herself off. “Also like both the french fry and the tater tot,” He paused. “He doesn’t talk.” He said blankly, Jay busted out laughing.
“He doesn’t show emotion either,” Jay added. “That brother, that’s what makes this so hard but.” He shrugged. “We got to do it.” He patted Jayson on the shoulder taking his leave.
“Raven,” Jayson put his hand on her shoulder. “You are so lucky you’re hot.” He let out a sigh taking his leave. It’s nice to know she can count on the twins to save her from the great Alejandro’s wrath. Now she could focus on meeting up with her sister at the stream like she agreed.
The stream was nothing more than a small lake. A small waterfall crashed into the water below. Like promised, Claire was there bathing in the water. She was cleansing her skin cloaking it in the scent of cherry blossoms. Raven tested the water temperature placing her hand beneath the waterfall. To her surprise it was actually quite warm. She set her bag next to her sister’s and started to undress.
“Sister,” Claire turned to face her. “You’re finally here. I was starting to think that you weren’t going to show up.” She started adding shampoo to her soaked brunette hair. Raven began removing clothes joining her sister in the warm water. The second she removed her shirt, she was reminded that Lycan had hurt her. Claire could easily make out the small bruises from him throwing her. “Raven, what happened to you?” She didn’t answer.
Raven continued to undress and sunk into the warm water. The bruises would heal. Werewolves could heal at faster speeds than that of a regular human. That’s why the bruises didn’t bother her. It was the emotional pain of being trapped by Lycan that bothered her.
“You promised that you’d tell me everything.” Claire tossed Raven a bar of soap. The second the scent of the soap met with her nose. Raven started to sneeze, lavender, damn it, she’s allergic to lavender.
“Get this soap away from me.” Raven threw the soap directly at her sister’s head. “How many times have I told you that I’m allergic to lavender?” Claire rubbed her head. “I can’t stand lavender.”
“Sorry that was mine.” Claire apologized. “I forgot that you had allergies.” She tossed her a different bar of soap. This one was hers. It had the scent of black cherries. Raven began cleaning her arms only to notice the bruises had already disappeared.
“How could you possibly forget that I have allergies?” Raven asked. “I’m your older sister. You have known me your whole life.” Claire remained silent. That’s right. They were apart for two years. That could be why she forgot. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it just keep it in mind next time.”
“What happened while you were in the cabin with Leader Lycan?” Claire started to wash the shampoo out of her hair. Raven let out a sigh. She did agree to tell her sister everything. She started washing her sister’s back for her.
“Well we talked,” Raven began. “Lycan asked to marry me. He pulled rank and I told him to wait.” She placed both of her hands underneath the small waterfall and poured the water on her hair.
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“That doesn’t explain the bruises,” Claire reminded her. “Why did Leader Lycan hurt you? Was it because you asked him to wait again?” Raven replied with a nod. “So what exactly did he do, be specific.”
“Specific,” Raven faced her back toward her sister. Claire started to clean her back. “Okay well, first I told Lycan to wait. After that he choked me. He held me against the wall. I was certain that he was going to kill me. So, I defended myself.” The scrubs on her back stopped.
“How did you defend yourself?” Claire asked her. “There are rules against that you aren’t supposed to harm the alpha. It’s considered a sign of disrespect toward the whole pack.” What was she supposed to do, let Lycan kill her? She had to defend herself.
“I attacked him with my claws.” Raven answered. “I didn’t have a choice, it was either that or let him kill me.” Her sister let out a sigh.
“I can’t believe you turned your claws against Leader Lycan.” Claire continued cleaning her back. “I can’t say I blame you for it, it was in self defense. How did the rest of the pack take it?” Raven wasn’t sure. None of them seemed to be offended by it. The twins were talking Alejandro down so she’d figured that she’d be fine. If they were upset they would have done something about it by now. “It’s funny,” Claire laughed. “I have only been a werewolf for two full moons and already I have a reason to hate it.”
“Let me guess,” Raven chuckled. “It’s the fact you wake up to the sound of your bones breaking. That’s my complaint, it really sucks.” Claire laughed.
“I hate that but it’s not as bad as this.” Claire flashed a pink razor. “I just shaved yesterday and now because of the full moon. I have to shave everything all over again. That’s so frustrating, shaving is bad enough as is.” Raven groaned.
“It’s hard being a sexy werewolf.” Raven let out a sigh, Claire laughed. “You didn’t happen to bring my razor too.” Raven asked. Claire tossed it to her. “Thank you,” She caught her razor. “The constant shaving does suck.” She began shaving her legs. “However, I still think waking up to breaking bones is worse.” She climbed out of the water. “You have it easy since you heal so fast you don’t feel them breaking. It’s not fair, but, let me be the first to tell you.” She gathered up her bath supplies. “For us regulars, you know, the ones who don’t heal fast.” She took her clothes out of her bag. “It sucks big time,”
“I bet,” Claire chuckled.
“Just a heads up,” Raven slipped on a skull print bra and a pair of panties to match. “You should probably get out before the twins get here.” She put on a grey tank top. “They haven’t bathed yet.” She slipped on a pair of tight distressed blue jeans.”I get the feeling that those boys can be pretty perverse when left alone with a naked woman.” She put a grey hair tie around her right wrist just in case she needed it for later.
“I’m not worried,” Claire sunk into the water hiding her breasts. “They are a part of our pack. It’s important for us to get to know each other. Besides,” She set her cell phone next to her grabbing her ear buds from her bag. “I’m sure Jay is mature enough to be alone with a woman.” It’s not Jay, Raven’s worried about it’s his twin brother that scares her. If Claire thinks she can handle it then Raven would just leave her to it.
“Okay.” Raven put on her socks and grey converse shoes. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” She gathered her things drying her hair off with a towel. “When you’re done meet me at my tent. We need to form some kind of plan against Lycan. He’s acting fast so we should do the same.” She headed towards her tent where she would wait for her sister. She’d give it about two minutes before her sister had her fill. Probably even less than that, Claire had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Claire remained in the stream listening to soothing music while the water relaxed her body. Her eyes began to fade in and out as the music lured her into a deep sleep. Her thoughts started to fade as she enjoyed the peace and quietness that surrounded her. Too bad it was short lived.
“Last one there is weaker than a blood sucker,” That voice, it’s the twins. She could hear their footsteps sounding like a stampede of wild animals. They were coming from, Claire glanced up. -The waterfall?!- They weren’t about to jump into the water from that height. She could hear the laughter getting closer. -They were!- Claire gasped and quickly grabbed her precious cell phone protecting it from the loud splashes.
The first splash was made by none other than Jay. The second which came soon after was Jayson’s. His cannon ball created a splash so huge, Claire screamed. The massive waves hit her directly in the face. Luckily she was able to save her cell phone’s life. The bastard had no regard for others.
“Ha,” Jay laughed. “In your face,” He shouted pointing a sharp finger at his brother. “I got here first,” He performed a back float in the water. “Might as well admit it,” He began swimming backwards. “When it comes to a race,” His voice soon filled with confidence. “You can’t beat me.” He leaned against the edge of the stream. “I’m just too fast for you.”
“Oh yeah,” Jayson screamed. “You may be faster but my dic-,” He started to stand up and flash Jay. Claire quickly splashed him in the face with water before she saw something she didn’t want to see. “Who the hel-,”
“Excuse me,” Claire raised her hand. “Perhaps the two of you should consider the fact that a woman is present.” She pointed out. “I don’t want to hear about your “sizes” so please keep those conversations to yourselves.” What’s with Jay? The moment she spoke his face got all red like a tomato. He wasn’t even moving or speaking. Is he sick?
“Cl-Cl-Cl-Cl-Cl-Claire,” Jay spoke nervously. “Wh-Wh-When did you get here?” He faked a laugh. “I mean ugh, this is so unexpected. It’s great to see you here and well um,” His cheeks reddened. “Ugh, brother maybe we should come back later.” He started to push his brother out of the water.
“What’s the rush,” Jayson wondered. What’s the matter with Jay? So she was here bathing with him and his brother. It’s not like it was a big deal or anything. “This just got interesting.” A smile formed on his lips. “Claire’s naked,” Jay’s face turned even redder if that was even possible. “You’re naked,” Jay gulped. “I don’t see a problem brother.” He grabbed Jay pushing him closer to her. “Come on,” Jay started shaking his head. “Say hi to Claire.” Jay climbed over his brother’s shoulder hiding behind him.
“No, I can’t.” Jay hid his face from her. “I can’t man,” He repeated. “It’s Claire.” Why is he acting this way? It’s just a bath. Unless, is it possible that Jay has a crush on her? No, he couldn’t, could he? It was usually her sister that guys daunted after not her. “Maybe we should just go and come back later. I’m sure Claire wants to be left alone.”
“Sure let’s go,” Jayson allowed. “But of course once you get out she’s going to see,” He pointed down. “I’m sure you want her to see that don’t you?” Jay blushed hiding his face in the water. “Man this is great.” He laughed. “Claire you’re awesome.”
“What did I do to become awesome?” Claire raised her brow. Boys can be so weird sometimes. It’s a good thing she wasn’t planning on dating anyone anytime soon. She had enough problems. “Jay,” The moment his name was said he cowered into the corner. “You don’t need to hide yourself like that. What are you so afraid of?” He didn’t answer. “This is nothing, I’m simply a girl and you’re a boy that’s it. We’re not going to be doing anything. If it makes it easier you can just pretend I’m wearing clothes.” She advised. “You’re being ridiculous come out of the corner.” She crossed her arms.
“Come on man,” Jayson grabbed Jay by the arm dragging him out of the corner. “Stop being a coward.” He slapped Jay in the face. “Listen, how do you expect to get women being all shy like that? It’s no wonder you’re a virgin.” Jay blushed, really so Jay is a…interesting she had no idea. “Go on just walk up to Claire and-,” He started pushing him towards her. Jay continued to fight with him.
“No, I can’t, please have mercy.” Jay screamed. Jayson pushed him forcing his body to crash into Claire’s. This grip, her eyes beamed with rage. He dared to grab her breasts. She’s going to kill him. “Claire, it was an accident. Please don’t,” She slapped Jay leaving a huge red mark across his face.
“Get away from me,” Claire pushed Jay back.
“Oh shit,” Jay started to stumble like he had tripped on something beneath the water. “No, No,” He tried to balance himself. “Shit,” Jay screamed as his body crashed into the water. The huge splash created by his fall allowed Claire’s eyes to get a glimpse of his. Well, that explains why he wouldn’t come out of the corner earlier.Claire couldn’t believe his package was so nicely groomed especially for a werewolf. Her cheeks reddened taking notice of the size of him. She shook her head hoping to forget what she had seen.
“Gross,” Claire yelled. “You guys are the worst.” She climbed out of the water. Jay’s cheeks turned red. Jayson’s lips formed a lustful smirk. She followed Jayson’s eyes down to her. She picked a rock up off the ground and threw it at his head. “I’m out of here.” She wrapped up with a towel walking off. The moment she walked into the camp in a towel, Claire noticed Alejandro shaking his head at her. It was like he just knew what his boys had done.
Raven remained in her tent waiting for her sister’s return. Claire barged dressed in a brown tank top and blue jeans. Raven could tell by the look on her face. Bathing with the twins didn’t go over well. “I warned you,” She teased, chuckling lightly. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to your big sister.”
“I’m officially mentally scarred.” Claire put on her jacket from yesterday. “Jay and Jayson are just,” Her whole body started to jitter, it looks like she saw something she didn’t want to see. “Let’s never speak of it,” She sat down on the bed. “Thanks to what happened at the stream I did learn about something that could help us.”
“Let me guess, you learned that boys have,” Raven joked Claire glared at her. “I’m just messing with you.” She laughed. “Go on tell me what you figured out.” She placed her notebook underneath her pillow.
“It turns out that Jay has a crush on me.” Claire offered. Really, that’s great but Raven still didn’t understand what this had to do with the Lycan problem. Unless, Claire was trying to tell she was crushing on him in which case. They would make for an interesting couple. “If I’m not mistaken Jay is the tracker right?”
“I believe so,” Raven answered. “I still fail to see how any of this helps us.” Claire let out a sigh. Wait a sec Claire isn’t planning on…
“It does help us.” Claire replied. “Jay is the tracker that means he knows where to find Lord Grimm.” He’s not supposed to tell them Grimm’s location. It’s forbidden information, he’d never tell them. “If we find Lord Grimm, we can discuss the Lycan problem with him and see if he’ll help us. It’s a long shot but it’s the only thing we can do right now given our rank.”
“How are you going to get Jay to tell you where to find him?” Raven questioned. “He’s not just going to up and tell you just because he has a crush on you. Besides, his brother is always with him. He won’t let Jay do something that would get him in trouble.”
“Here’s the plan,” Claire offered. “I was thinking that you could distract Jayson. While I get Jay to tell me where to find Lord Grimm. In order for me to do that, I’m going to need you to help me,” She forced a swallow. “Be more like you and seduce him into telling me.” Raven couldn’t believe it, they really are sisters. She’s going to steal a tactic from her playbook. She’s so proud of her little sister.
“I have to say it,” Raven patted her shoulder. “I’m impressed my little sister has finally accepted the darkness within her. It took awhile but,” She wiped a fake tear from her eye. “I am so happy for you.” Claire groaned. “I’m going to look forward to this.”
“I know you are,” Claire crossed her arms. “I hope you realize that I’m jeopardizing who I am just to help you. You have blackened my heart but you will not blacken it again.” In due time sis, she’ll get a black heart just one dab at a time. “Let’s just get this over with,”
“Stand up for a sec,” Raven’s eyes trailed every inch of her sister’s body. She was positive of two things. One, getting someone like Jay to spill secret information wasn’t going to be easy. Two, her sister Claire has never been in this type of situation before. Therefore, she lacked experience when it came to dealing with the sexual creatures known as men. She needed to make up for that using appearance. In other words, Claire needed a better outfit, that brown tank top just wasn’t going to work, neither were those pants.
“I have no choice,” Raven let out a deep sigh. “You’re going to need a makeover. This way,” She guided her sister back to her tent to pick out a new outfit. “Okay let’s see, brown is so unattractive on you. What other colors do I have to choose from?” Damn her sister’s clothes were just too innocent. They weren’t dark enough. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. She continued to search through her sister’s clothes. If only they wore the same size clothing this would be-. “Here we go,” She grabbed a highlighter green tank top. This was the top she got her for her birthday last year. “Now we need some pants,” She checked her suitcase for tight jeans preferably black ones. “No black are you kidding me?”
“It’s my least favorite color,” Claire explained. Raven bit her lip. She’s just going to have to improvise. She held her hand out motioning towards her pocket knife. She knew her sister kept that knife on her always. “You’re kidding me,” She raised her brow. “Forget it you are not going to rip up my jeans.”
“I’m sorry but you have such bad taste I have no choice.” Raven argued. “Now give me the knife.” Claire shook her head at her. “Do you want to seduce Jay or not? Give me the knife before I take it from you.” Claire handed her the pocket knife. She started to cut gashes in her jeans making them look as if they were designer jeans. “There, now we just need makeup, come with me.” Raven pushed her sister back into her tent.
“Are you sure this is really necessary?” Claire questioned. Raven gathered her makeup placing it on her bed. She tossed the clothes at her sister. She groaned changing into them. Raven began to lace her sister’s eyes with mascara. She added light green eyeliner to match the top and just to add a little flavor. She laced her sister’s lips with green apple lip gloss. Raven pulled out her nail polish painting her sister’s nail black with a light green stripe.
“Now for the accessories,” Raven put a spiked choker around her neck. “Shoes,” She walked into her sister’s tent. Just like she thought, Claire kept the shoes she gave her for her birthday the year before that. “There put those on.” She took deep breaths admiring the finished product. Except there was just one thing that she needed to remove.
“I’m going to need this,” Raven grabbed the gold purity ring around her sister’s neck. This necklace Claire never took it off but it couldn’t stay on her. Not if she intended to seduce someone like Jay. Her sister began to begin the argument but Raven cut her words. “Claire listen to me,” She gazed into her sister’s eyes. “In order for this to work, you need to seem available in every way possible. Otherwise you’re just reminding Jay of what he can’t do.” She explained. “I will give it back once we get the information we need.” She held her hand out for the necklace.
“I understand,” Claire removed her necklace, placing it in her hand. “Just promise to give it back.” Raven agreed to the terms guiding her sister to the mirror in her tent. It amazed her just how well Claire pulled off dressing like her. The tank top fit her nicely, the pants perfection. Even the gothic style make up was spot on. Claire is undeniably her sister. “I just hope you know once this is over, I’m taking all of this off.”
“Really,” Raven placed her hand over her heart. “I worked so hard on it.” Her voice sounded so sad and heartbroken, an act of course. She couldn’t help but mess with her sister. Claire rolled her eyes at her.
Together, they walked out the tent to introduce her sister’s new look. The mere sight of Claire’s makeover caught the boys off guard. The Beta Alejandro spit out his soda. Jayson’s cheeks were flaring red. The target Jay was at Claire’s mercy. This plan was going to work. It just was going to require some effort on Claire’s part.
“Hey boys,” Raven approached the twins. “Check out my sister’s new look, pretty hot right?” She brought her sister forward to face the hormones. Claire flashed a shy half smile putting her hands in her pockets.
“Wow, Claire,” Jayson stumbled on his words. “You look great, I was wondering if you’d like to come to my tent later and you know hang out?” He offered. “We could make out if you want?”
“I was thinking,” Raven approached the hungry Jayson. The first thing she needed was to get him out of the picture. This was going to be a piece of cake. Jayson was already at her mercy. “We could hang out Jayson,” She flashed him a wicked smile. Her eyes reeling him in like a snake to its prey. “I’m sure a big strong man like you can think of a few things we could do together. Unless,” A frown formed on her lips, her voice began to sound like she had been wounded. What man could resist a woman in need? “You’d rather hang out with my sister. I could just walk away right now.” She started to leave being sure to shake her hips at him just a little but it was more than enough to tease him.
“Wait,” Jayson grabbed her arm. “We can hang out.” Raven smirked, too easy. He took her by her hand guiding her to his tent. Unfortunately for Jayson, she wasn’t going to be offering herself up to him. He just wasn’t her type. She could still keep Jayson distracted by making small talk. He also had a set of playing cards somewhere in this mess. That could keep him busy if she could just find them. Now all that’s left is for Claire to convince Jay to tell her where to find Lord Grimm.
“Hey there Jay,” Claire ran her finger through her hair. Jay put his hands in his pockets walking closer to her. His cheeks flushed, she could tell she had him. Trouble is, Jay is smart, there is a chance he’d see through her tactics. She had to play this out carefully.
“Hey babe,” Jay shook his head at her. “I mean Claire, sorry.” He apologized. “You look amazing but,” He turned his head trying to hide the fact he’s blushing. “You don’t need to dress up to impress me. I’m flattered that you would but, I like you no matter what you look like.” It’s true Jay does have a crush on her. Her cheeks started to redden slightly.
“That’s sweet,” Claire flashed a smile at him. “Jay, aren’t you the Tracker?” She gazed into his eyes. He forced a swallow.
“Um, yeah,” Jay answered. “I mean, I’m fast, I can smell real well and I’m a genius. Don’t you think those qualities fit a tracker?” He questioned his eyes staring at the ground. Claire walked closer to him.
“I think those qualities do fit a tracker,” Claire answered. “So,” She took a step forward. “If I were to ask for a favor would you be able to do it for me?” –Huh?!- She didn’t know what to say, his action caught her off guard. He took to one knee kneeling before her as if he were some royal prince greeting a princess. She was definitely no princess but, it was flattering to know he cared for her so deeply.
“Claire,” Jay kissed her hand. “I would do anything for you,” His navy blue eyes were shining like gemstones. “Just name it.” Claire’s heart began to race from one beat to the next. The way he was looking at her, his eyes so taken with her. It was like he had been harboring these feelings for her from the moment they met. “All I ask in return is a chance to be your boyfriend,” She covered her cheeks to hide the fact she was blushing. “Even if it’s just one date,” He took her hand placing it on his chest. “That’d be enough for me.” This wasn’t going to be easy for her. She hated to take advantage of his feelings like this but what choice did she have? Raven needed her help, she couldn’t let her down.
“I need you to tell me,” Claire gazed up at him. “Where to find Lord Grimm?” In an instant, she felt his heart crack in her hand. She could see it in his eyes, the shock, the betrayal, she had hurt him. “Look Jay,” He removed her hand from his chest. “I didn’t-,” He held his hand out, she stifled her words.
“This was all just an act wasn’t it?” Jay turned his gaze toward her. She couldn’t answer him. “You don’t care about me,” Claire tried to approach him but he stepped back. “Figures,” He put his hands in his pockets. “I fall for a girl that only wants to use me.” He paused. “I would have never expected this sort of trickery from you Claire. This is beneath you, I mean. you are the woman I hope to marry one day.” Marriage, that’s thinking way ahead. Claire would never admit it but Jay is right. This sort of thing, it’s not her, it never will be. This is her sister, not her. She just had to handle this like Claire would.
“I’m sorry,” Claire apologized. “I didn’t know that you felt that way about me.” She took his hand. “It’s not that I don’t care,” He turned to face her. “It’s that my life is so complicated right now.” She explained. “I just found out about a war, about werewolves, vampires,” She paused. “Come on,” She chuckled lightly. “I just became a werewolf.” Jay chuckled. “There’s a lot I’m still trying to figure out.” He took her arm bringing her closer to his chest. “I can’t,” She stepped out of his embrace. “I can’t focus on dating right now.” Claire removed her hand from his. “The only thing I need to focus on is helping my sister. In order to do that, I’m going to need you to help me. So please just help me, help her.”
“I will tell you but,” Jay held up one finger. “It’ll cost you.” He half smiled. “I’m going to need you to agree to go on one date with me. I am giving you information that could lead to my demise. I think that is worth a date.” Claire laughed. True he is risking his life for her. Plus, he’s got some charm.
“Okay,” Claire agreed, Jay’s lips formed a smile. She could feel the excitement just ready to burst from his chest. “I will grant you one,” She held up one finger. “One date, that’s it,” Jay’s entire face started to light up. “You better make it count. I won’t be giving you another one.” She allowed. “So where can I find Lord Grimm?”
“Lord Grimm is at Luminous Castle,” Jay answered. “It’s about twenty five feet away from here. You will need to head northeast into the forest. It shouldn’t take too long to get there.” Claire started to leave but he took her by the hand. “A word of caution first,” She turned to face him. “Sometimes Vampires do appear in that location even with it being well guarded. So I need you to promise me, that you will come back to me safely. Otherwise, I won’t be able to let you go.” Right, they weren’t allowed to leave the campsite without Lycan’s permission. Just by letting them go, Jay was putting himself at risk. “Promise me, you’ll come back.”
“I will,” Claire ran her fingers through his soft hair. “I promise and if that’s not enough to convince you of that.” She brought her lips close to his. “Perhaps this will be.” She crushed her lips against his letting him taste the green apple that laced her lips. She felt his hand take her by the waist pulling her closer to him. His tongue broke into her entrance tasting her walls. She let out a soft moan before breaking the kiss.
“You should probably go,” Jay advised, Claire touched her lips still shocked by the impact of the kiss. She broke the trance rushing toward her tent. She changed back into clothes from before and started to gather her things for the journey ahead. By the time she was ready, her sister was waiting on her.
“My hard work,” Raven placed her hand on her chest. “You murdered it,” She grabbed Claire by her shoulders, shaking her. “How could you,” She yelled. “You were stunning. The make up was perfect, the jeans perfect, everything worked.”
“Who cares,” Claire held her hand out for the purity ring. Raven let out a sigh handing it back to her. “I got the information we need.” She put the purity ring necklace back around her neck. “So are we doing this or not?”
“We’re doing this,” Raven draped her bag over her shoulder. Together, the two sisters left the campsite and made haste for Luminous castle. Raven was eager to have her problem with Lycan dealt with.