I stand up, smiling.
"Pretty name. Eleonora. Nice to meet you."
She smiles back, eyes glistening.
"Nice to meet you too, Raven. But you can call me Nora."
Nora holds out her hand which I take, cocking my head to the side.
"You see, Nor-Nor, I don't know if I should be concerned or not...considering you almost just blew that guys head off like it was nothing and now you want me to come with you out back? If you try to hurt me I won't hesitate to split your little neck in half like a pretzel stick! You sure have some strength for someone who looks nothing over 5'5."
She gives me a look from the corner of her eye.
"5'4. How tall are you?! If you're oh so much taller than me. You sure seem like it..."
I smile.
"5'10. I almost made it to 5'11."
Her eyes expand as does my grin.
"It would be so easy to overpower you, kitty. You're like a little girl."
I look around at the people in the bar, who seem to somehow not notice how Nora blasted that guy with her powers.
Strange.
She rolls her eyes.
"Whatever. Just come with me. I won't hurt you. Promise."
Nora yawns and I cross my arms.
"Bored of me already? How depressing."
"Sorry. Can I go to the bathroom real quick? I'll meet you out there."
"Sure."
My eyes track her as she disappears into the restroom, and I look at the card she left behind.
It's an ID.
Eleonora Walker.
I grin.
One of the missing.
Interesting...
I drop it back down, walking past a group of people to exit the back door.
I enter an alleyway, the smell of a dumpster hitting my nose immediately.
I turn around, seeing it against the far wall.
Gross.
I walk a little ways more into the open when I hear a voice.
"Why hello there, lovely..."
I turn around, seeing a tall guy with possibly the brightest eyes I've ever seen. He looks to be around my age.
I face him, cocking my head to the side.
"You aren't here to take me away to a different country, are you, sir? I don't do that."
His lips stretch in a grin.
"You're funny. But no, sweets. That's not the case. I was actually hoping if you'd, want to do something for me. Or should I say...with me."
My face fills with realization when I notice what he means.
"Sorry to disappoint, babes. I'm not a prostitute."
His smile only seems to grow, and he appears right in front of me.
He appeared right in front of me.
He didn't walk—no—he appeared.
Someone's not human...
He holds up five hundreds, cocking his head to the side.
"One kiss, darling?"
I smirk.
"Well, random hot guy, if you wanted to make out you could've just said so."
"Random hot guy..."
He pushes me flush against the wall and I stare into his faint grey eyes, an amused look crossing my face.
"Someone's feeling risky."
"What's your name, lovely?"
I smile at him.
"I finally found someone who doesn't recognize me. Interesting...is this a trap, grey? Are you trying to kiss me as a distraction? My name's Raven."
He smirks back.
"Wilder to you, Ray, this isn't a trap. No matter how much I want to steal you away."
"How romantic."
I say, and he then leans in, taking the side of my face in his hand.
His lips push against mine in a light kiss that soon becomes heavy with passion, and I feel his other hand trail up my thigh to my neck when I feel a pinch, knees weakening underneath me.
What in the...?
I look to the side to see a needle sticking out of it, and as I sink onto the ground in shock I realize I was right. He did trick me.
Idiot!
Fuck him and his lips...
Wilder smiles, bending down and tilting his head to look at me.
"Sorry, no hard feelings...I needed to do that."
He takes the side of my face, whispering into my ear.
"Your lips taste sweet, Ravey baby."
*******
FOUR HOURS LATER...
10:43 PM.
My eyes snap open, and I try to lift myself up when I begin choking, realizing there's restraints on my neck, wrists, and ankles.
Very nice.
Where even am I?
I make a face, looking around.
Random dark room...maybe I was kidnapped.
I begin laughing, until memories of the night before shoot into my head like a damn bullet.
Grey eyes...light brown hair...Wilder.
My expression drops when I remember him stabbing a needle into my neck.
Son of a bitch...
I yank my hand upwards, the metal cuff snapping immediately.
I do the same to my other arm and then my legs, lifting my hands to my neck and pulling that off too.
That was easier than I thought.
I sit up, anger bubbling through me like lava.
Next time I see his irritating smug face I'll rip it off and put it in a casserole.
My eyes snap to the door handle that begins to move, and Nora appears in the doorway.
I'll kill her ass too.
My eyes track her as she walks into the room, obviously surprised that I'm no longer chained down to that bed like a fucking dog.
A large grin spreads across my face.
"Eleonora, darling..."
I appear behind her, shutting the door and locking it before burning the handle off.
Now she's stuck with me...perfect.
She spins around, eyes narrowing.
"What're you doing, Raven?!"
"Killing you."
"What?!"
Nora's eyes expand in shock when I grab a fire poker from her fireplace, pointing it at her.
"Raven, put that down—"
"What's to stop me from impaling you like a shish kabob, Eleonora? I'm giving you five seconds to tell me five reasons why, sweetheart, or you're turning into one of those pigs you see over the fires. Roasting."
She seems unnerved by my words, but smiles just as brightly back at me.
"I can help you get revenge on those humans, Raven."
"That's one reason, and it's been fifteen seconds since—wait what?!"
I look at her, dumbfounded.
I lower the stick slightly, but keep my grip just as tight.
"I can help you get revenge on the people who put you in prison and ruined your life, Raven."
"What do you know about that?! About anything?!"
She raises her hands in surrender.
"Drop the fire poker and I'll tell you what I need to."
"Trust me, Elle, I can hear you from over here, with the fire poker. Start speaking."
Nora drops her hands, crossing her arms.
"I know more about you than you think, Raven. I've been watching you. Studying your moves. I know what you do and when you do it. I know who you've spoken to, who you've avoided. Who you let live, who you murdered in cold blood. 19 people. I know you weren't just an innocent 17 year old when you were convicted for killing that 16 year old. Raven, sweetie, you killed before, you killed after, but we all know here you didn't kill Arlette Collins. Slade Trinidad did. And if you'd let me explain without the fire poker ready to impale my chest,"
She smiles at me, eyes radiating a bright yellow.
"You'd be able to realize I'm the only person willing and capable of helping you."
I look at Nora, lips thinned.
"Shut up."
"What was—"
"Shut up!"
I appear in front of her, the point of the fire poker pressing against her neck.
"You may know what I do for a loving, how many people I've killed, how I got in prison, but you do not know anything about my life, Eleonora Walker. And if you don't shut your fucking trap I'm going to stab this through your neck and burn your body. Slowly."
She only smiles again.
"I knew you were crazy."
I jab the thing into her neck, blood splattering across my face and clothes when she falls onto the ground, choking on her own blood.
I hear the door rattling again, and it busts down to reveal a guy with dark eyes and charcoal colored hair who looks mortified.
"Nor?! What did you do?!"
I look down at her, the fire poker jutting out the back of her neck.
"I tried to kill her. But she's still alive. It obviously didn't work."
He seems to be scared by the lack of emotion I have, and drops down to her.
"Nor, I'm gonna help you, okay?"
A small smile marks her rose colored lips as she bleeds, and he pulls the thing out of her neck before placing his hand over it, watching as the wound immediately closes up.
Should've thought about how she's not human.
She doesn't die that easily.
Color goes back into Nora's face and I frown.
"Wish she stayed dead. I'm leaving."
"The hell you aren't."
I turn around, and a honey eyed woman seems to stare into my soul.
"I'll impale you too, strawberry."
My smile drops when I see someone come up from behind her, gritting my teeth.
"Look who it is. Son of a bitch..."
"Raven."
He grins at me.
"I enjoyed making out with you a little while back."
The woman makes a face.
"Making out...? Wilder, when have you met her...?"
"Dumbass. I was the one who brought her here with Nora. Who seems to be out of it."
His eyes drop down behind me, and I give him a bored glance.
"I wish she died. And I did not enjoy making out with you. You stabbed a needle in my neck and kidnapped me. Harassment."
"That needle was supposed to weaken you but my the looks of it it didn't work. But what she said. You aren't leaving just yet, doll."
I teleport behind Wilder, walking towards what I believe is the front door, not before he appears right in front of it.
"Come on, Raven. We haven't even done the fun stuff yet...you and I would make some lovely children, doll."
My mouth drops open slightly in shock, and I shake my head.
"They would be ugly. Because of you. Now move out of my way, Wilder."
He frowns.
"How depressing. Too bad I can't let you go. Now, Ravey, easy way, or hard way?"
I smile.
"Hard way."
"Couldn't expect anything less from you."
Wilder produces another needle from his pocket.
I look at it, then him.
"How many needles do you have just laying around? Should I be concerned?"
"Maybe."
Before I can say anything else he grabs the side of my face, yanking me closer before sticking the second needle into my flesh.
I grimace, lifting my hand up to it and pulling it out.
"I didn't think you were...gonna...stab me..."
A sharp pain goes through where the needle was injected, and I begin coughing out red and black liquid that burns my throat.
I collapse forwards onto the ground, and he only cocks his head to the side.
"That one should make her shut up for a little bit."
********
I lift my eyes open again, this time tied in a chair with all four of them sitting in front of me.
Nora looks good as new.
Disappointing.
Maybe if I stab her through the head she'll die.
My eyes move between them.
"Judging by your stupid faces and your similarities in abilities, you four must be the Hybrids."
Nora nods.
"We are. I'm Nora, as you know. The one with the strawberry blonde hair is Alex, charcoal hair is Hardin, and you know that's Wilder."
I give her a tight smile.
"You guys have very punchable faces."
Alex crosses her arms.
"I'd say the same for you but I can't lie, Asher."
I look at her, grinning.
"Are you saying I'm pretty, Alex?"
She doesn't answer, and I look back at Nora.
"What is it? What do you want from me?"
"Your cooperation, Raven. I don't want to hurt you, we don't want to hurt you, all me and the others want to do is help."
I roll my eyes.
"I don't need your help."
"Sure you don't. You want revenge. We can help you get it. Easy as that."
Hardin looks at me.
"We may seem like the evil ones, saying how many people we killed and how many lives we ruined, but we just want to get you on our team, Raven. You could help us and we could help you. As the most powerful supernaturals, shouldn't we be sticking together? Not rivals?"
I stare back at him.
"Maybe that would be the case if you four weren't exactly what I'm trying to avoid in people, and you've kidnapped me against my will. You guys are horrible."
"The FBI is worse."
My eyes snap on Alex again.
"How do you—"
"It's all over the news that you got out of prison from that FBI lady. We and others can only assume you're working with them. They're only using you for your powers, Raven. They only want them to get us and kill us. Otherwise you're complete and utter garbage. You won't be garbage with us."
I shake my head.
"I'm not working with them. And I'm not working with you. I'm only with the FBI because I don't want to rot in prison. You guys can choke on dirt."
Wilder leans forward in his seat, smiling at me.
"I'm going to let you go on two conditions, Raven."
I look at him.
"What?!"
"You don't tell anyone you were with us. And you meet me. Tonight. At the front of the City Bank. Alone."
I make a face.
"Fine. I'll be there."
"Great...also. One last thing. You cant try to hurt me anymore. Hurt them for all I care. But not me. You're going to be my special little bird."
I glare at him as he unties my restraints.
"Little bird my ass. I'm not little."
"You are to me, doll. Go on, now. Go free, little bird."
I walk backwards towards a back door, watching them all as I push it open, slipping out into the dark.
I let it slam shut, facing yet another random dark alleyway.
Where am I?!
I exit it, the busy streets coming into view.
I seem to be right smack dab in the middle of the city.
I remember getting Rose's number in the car on the way here.
And I got a burner phone.
I dial her number, lifting the phone to my ear.
It stops ringing on the second ring, and I smile.
"Rosie?"
"Raven?! Raven, where are you?!"
"I don't really know, Rose. You tell me. You can track phones right? I expect nothing less from the FBI."
"You've been gone for at least seven hours...we've been freaking out here."
"We?"
A larger smile spreads across my face.
"I feel so loved, Rosie. You must love me already. Do you happen to know where the nearest bus stop is? The sign says I'm on Vanderbilt Boulevard?"
"I'll send a patrol officer to pick you up."
"No worries, darling. I'm going to stop at someone's house, alright?"
I hear her sigh.
"I'd rather you get back here. There could still be people after you. Where did you go, by the way?! For so long?! I had my people go to the bar but you weren't there..."
"Oh don't worry, Rose. I promise. I'll be okay. I just want to visit someone. I'll be back over to you at 12 PM sharp."
"You sure?"
"Very sure. Sweet dreams, Rose."
I hang up the phone, throwing it in a garbage can a few feet away.
I hope she doesn't find me.
I then continue walking down the sidewalk, trying to remember what road her apartment was on exactly.
Must be close.
I walk further until I come across it.
Pollyhart Apartments.
She should be here.
I walk inside, and the lady at the front desk seems startled by my appearance.
It must be the blood still on my clothes.
She looks at me wide eyed.
"Hello, ma'am. How can I help you today?"
"Hello. Here to see someone that lives here. The name's Raven Asher."
"May I ask who?"
"No."
I smile, turning around and leaving.
"Wait! Miss! You can't—"
"I don't want to hurt you, sweetheart. Do me a favor and shut your cute little mouth!"
I wave as the elevator door shuts behind me, and the woman raises her phone to her ear.
"There's a woman in here named Raven Asher, she just threatened to kill me."
Maybe that was stupid.
Security's gonna try to find me now.
Doesn't hurt to have a few more people on my ass.
I go up to the ninth floor, walking out of the elevator and down the hall.
I knock on room 937, hearing footsteps coming towards the door.
It opens, and her big brown eyes meet mine again.
"R-Raven?!"
I grin.
"Hello, Casey."