Blood Runs Through the Heart Page 5

  “Raven, don’t! They are just kids.” Brandy Lee pleaded. The low hissing sound emerging from Raven alarmed her. She was afraid of what Raven might do. Such small humans could not be a threat. They just wanted to play.

  Stepping from the tent, Raven felt her foot catch the bottom where the material stuck up. Falling forward with flailing arms, she fell face forward into the dirt. Raven closed her eyes. She released the longest puff of air with her cheeks expanding to their limits. Damn it! She thought. She pushed up on both hands.

  “Are you okay?” Brandy Lee asked, joining her outside. The moon was full and glistened off the lake. She raised her face towards the round ball in the sky.

  “Fine,” Raven answered with gritted teeth. She was already up and brushing the dirt from her pants. Her hands stopped in a mid-brush when silence fell. A lift of her eyes revealed all the children standing and staring at her. They stood still. The balls had stopped bouncing. No giggling; no running; singing ceased. Over the silence, the background sound of flopping fish in the lake echoed. Raven stood up straight. Her eyes studied each face intensely. Reaching out, she pulled Brandy Lee closer to her.

  The little boy tugged at her pants leg, which caused Raven to pull back. “Hi,” He said. It was the little boy from the log. He looked up at the two women through his round glasses. He clung to the book that rested under his armpit. “My name is Theo. What’s yours?” His eyes traveled from Brandy Lee and Raven and then back. Raven noticed his head still didn’t move. Only the solid whites of his eyes shifted side to side.

  “Something wrong with your neck?” Raven blurted the question out before she could pull the words back in. The warning came with a punch in her arm, rendered by Brandy Lee of her bluntness. A roll of her eyes, and Raven closed her lips into a tight line.

  Brandy Lee lowered down to one knee, meeting Theo eye to eye. Raven cringed at the closeness but kept her eyes on the other children that had gone back to playing. She wanted to pack the tent up and get the hell out of there. Overall, the kids didn’t seem like a threat, but they were in a magical forest where nothing is what it seems. Reaching the She-Wolf Council was the priority, instead of playing with kids. With a lot of miles yet to go, Raven was ready to get started. Unfortunately, Brandy Lee was on a different agenda.

  “Hi, Theo; my name is Brandy Lee. This lady is Raven. Where’d you come from? Why are you here?”

  Theo shrugged his shoulders. “We’re the lost children of the Never-Evers.”

  “Never-Evers? I don’t understand.” Brandy Lee asked.

  Theo shrugged his little shoulder again, his eyes fixated on the ground. “I don’t know. We live here by the lake. It is our home.” He lifted his arm, pointing his stubby finger towards the dark woods that stood beyond the lake. “We don’t go there. It’s scary.”

  The sudden bump caused Raven to wobble sideways. She looked down at the bright redheaded little girl that was trying relentlessly to tip her over. Raven lifted an eyebrow at the small nuisance. The little girl stuck her tongue out, pushing again before running off. Raven took a step towards a chase but got stopped by an elbow grab. She turned to find Brandy Lee shaking her head side to side. Once again, Raven could only release a sigh of frustration.

  “That’s Red. Sorry; she can be a bully.” Theo's voice broke the eye contact between the two women. Their eyes drifted back towards him. They watched him search the surrounding by moving his entire body in a clockwise motion. The blondes over there are the Smittens. They are siblings. Those are the twins, Andy and Randy. He continued turning on his heel, introducing the other kids; so many names that would not get remembered.

  “Hi! Wanna play?” The familiar voice asked. It was the little girl that stuck her head in their tent. She wore a dirty blue dress, ragged from years worn. Her black shoes scuffed from playing and hair in disarray.

  When Theo took a step sideways, the girl stepped in front of Brandy Lee. “This is Pigpen Peggy.” He announced.

  “Ready to play?” Peggy asked. She batted her ocean blue eyes.

  “What do you want to play?” Brandy Lee asked.

  “Pin the tail on the donkey.” Peggy answered.

  “We don’t have that game, Pigpen Peggy.” Theo chimed in. The little girl pouted. Brandy Lee wondered if it was because of the name-calling.

  “She can be the donkey,” Peggy said while pointing at Raven. “We can pin sticks in her hiney.” Peggy giggled.

  “You are not sticking anything in me. Brandy Lee, let’s go. We are wasting the moonlight.” The harshness in her voice was loud and clear. She was at her limit. Raven turned on her heels, heading back to the tent to pack. She would not spend one more minute playing games. She tried to figure out what was going on in Brandy Lee’s mind. There was a mission, one that may change the world, but that seemed to be the last thing on her mind. Why she remained so engrossed over these kids was a mystery.

  Brandy Lee ignored the stomping off by Raven and lowered her body to a log. Theo sat beside her and Peggy in front of her. “How about a quick game of rock, paper, scissors?” She asked.

  “I don’t know that game,” Peggy answered as she crossed her legs and scooted closer. The excitement filled her voice.

  She took her time explaining the game to Theo and Peggy. Before long, the Smittens, the twins, an even Red were sitting in a semi-circle listening. Their little hands were mimicking the shapes. Before long, the siblings played together, and the twins were attempting the game. Theo and Red challenged each other, while Brandy Lee and Peggy played. Raven watched at a distance as she took the tent down. Silence blanketed the night, except for the chanting of four words.

  Rocks. Papers. Scissors. Shoot!

  11

  Let’s Eat

  Pulling the bandana from her back pocket, Raven wiped the sweat off the back of her neck. The night was sweltering. She tossed back a bottle of blood for nourishment. Looking over the top of the container, she observed Brandy Lee playing peek-a-boo with Pigpen Peggy. She released an inner giggle at the name. Raven’s eyes searched. It was the first time she inspected the area. The water was crystal blue with the moonlight gleaming off the still surface. Raven lifted her eyes to the woods, and a shiver rolled over her spine. Her body went around in a circular motion with her eyes piercing pass the shadows. Someone was watching them. She could feel them.

  A noise to her left caused her to jump. “Fuck! You scared me.”

  “Fuck. You scared me.” The words repeated, coming with a tilt of the head.

  “Don’t say naughty words. It’s not nice. Bad boy.” Raven sounded more like she was correcting a puppy rather than talking to a little boy.

  “You said it first. Bad girl.” His brother responded.

  “I know that.” Raven looked at the two boys. “But that doesn’t...” Raven stopped her words, shaking her head before bringing it to a hanging still. Her eyes closed, and she inhaled as deep as her lungs would allow. A discussion composed of nonsense with a child would not happen. She pulled out her ponytail and retied it. The tying of the hair wasn’t necessary, but it brought her attention somewhere else.

  “I’s Randy; this is Andy.” One twin said.

  A quick look over and Raven realized the boys were identical to the last freckle, their brown hair combed to the side. Not a hair out of place. Perfect. In their brown highwater pants and yellow suspenders, it was impossible to tell them apart. Although, Raven didn’t want to try much. With one swoop, she tossed the backpack over her shoulder. She took a step to the side only to have Andy jump in front of her. His three-foot body blocked her exit.

  “Can you teach us how to tie shoes?” Andy’s eyes fell to his feet. The black shoelace unraveled and hung on the ground.

  “What?” Raven asked.

  “Tie. Help us learn.” He wiggled his foot in the air, the string dangling.

  Raven huffed. Really? She thought. “You are serious?” In rhythm, both young boys shook their head in a yes motion. With another puff of air, Raven tossed the bag to the ground. She sat cross-legged, and in a few seconds, both boys joined her. A quick look around, and her eyes fell on Brandy Lee, who was watching. Raven received a smile of approval from the blonde hair beauty. Maybe I will earn points for this.

  “Okay, it is a few steps.” Raven started the lesson. “Crisscross pull. Loop and circle. Through the hole and loop again. Then pull.”

  Both boys listened as Raven repeated the procedure over and over. Little fingers mimicked with failed attempts followed by another. Frustration and determination blanketed their freckled faces. Their eyes squinted to tiny slits. Then it happened. With a pull, they both tied their shoes.

  “We did it! We did it!” They screamed.

  Raven couldn’t help but smile. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and Brandy Lee stood above her. Raven looked up with a cocky smile. She must have earned those brownie points because she received a soft kiss on the cheek as a reward. The lingering kiss sent a quiver to her center. She wanted so much to turn her head, take those lips onto hers and claim her, while letting their tongues swirl.

  “So, that’s okay?” Brandy Lee’s voice shattered Raven’s thoughts.

  “Is what okay?” The tone in her voice displayed aggravation. The story in her thoughts was getting exciting before being interrupted.

  “They want us to eat with them.”

  “No. What? No!” Raven shook her head rapidly from left to right. “We need to get going. We have food for you in the bag. You know I can go days without human food.” By now, Raven was standing next to Brandy Lee. “Let’s leave.”

  “Just this one last thing and I promise we will leave right after we eat.” Brandy Lee's finger made a cross over the top of her heart. “I promise.”

  Raven bit at her lower
lip. “Someone is watching us.”

  “And you are right. Look around. The dark forest surrounds us. I feel safe here. We can trust the children. They won’t hurt us. Dinner? Just dinner and we leave.” The pouty lip that Brandy Lee was giving was too much for Raven to handle. She stepped closer. The thought of nibbling that lip during passion sent an electric shock straight between her legs. She stepped closer. “What are you doing?” Brandy Lee asked.

  “I am about to kiss you.”

  “Here?” She whispered.

  “Yes, right here.” Raven slipped her hand up, Brandy Lee’s neck and under her hair. She leaned, allowing her mouth to take hers. This kiss differed from the one earlier — so much heat. Raven felt Brandy Lee give herself, causing Raven to moan. She didn’t mean to let it escape, but she never felt this feeling. There was no woman in her life that caused this uncontrollable desire. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of a dark forest, or that children surrounded them. This moment was the one that mattered.

  Giggling sounded all around. Snickering and whispering followed. A few of the children broke out in the kissing song. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

  Brandy Lee pulled away. “The kids.” She whispered in Raven’s ear.

  Raven touched their two foreheads together. With heavy breaths, she pulled away. “Dinner, and then we will leave.”

  Brandy Lee smiled. “Absolutely.”

  The forest won’t kill me. My attraction to you will do the trick.

  His belly shook before he took a step. He wobbled in his dirty apron around the long picnic table, serving up the unidentifiable soup out of a silver bowl. His stubby fingers dipped out a full serving of the brown liquid with strings of meat hanging over the side of the dipper. Raven cringed. When the little guy reached her, she held her hand out over the top of her bowl to stop the offering. Brandy Lee nudged her shoulder, and Raven removed her hand. She gazed at the chunk of meat swimming around her bowl. Her nose twitched.

  “I’m not eating that shit.” She said with a slight lean into Brandy Lee.

  “Be nice.” Brandy Lee said through gritted teeth. The Smittens siblings were sitting across from them. The four sat there with the same smile watching Raven and Brandy Lee. Brandy Lee smiled back. She admitted that they were odd. Their toe head blond hair reminded her of a horror film. The movie freaked her out so bad that she tried to convince her mother to dye her hair black. Beside her sat Theo and Red, and the twins sat beside Raven.

  “Where are you headed?” Theo asked. His question blurted out was but not directed toward either woman. He continued to slurp up the soup as he waited for an answer.

  Raven spoke first. They couldn’t afford to divulge too much information. In a few minutes, all this would be behind them. “We need to get on the other side of the woods. We’re looking for a friend that got lost. You didn’t see him, did you? Brown hair, six feet tall, muscles, and wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.” Raven spit the bogus person from her mouth like water.

  All the children shook their heads. “We didn’t see anyone. That friend - why is he here? The woods can be scary. We don’t go in them.”

  “We don’t know.” Raven said.

  Brandy Lee could hear the frustration building in Raven. She lifted her head to the moon. They had five more hours of moonlight and maybe another hour of the low sun that Raven could tolerate. Raven’s eyes pleaded to leave. The woman had had enough. It was time to say goodbye to their friends and head out.

  She started to stand, and Raven was a millisecond behind her, lifting herself from the table. The kids' faces began to pout. Two of the Smittens began to cry. One twin held onto Raven’s leg; his little arms wrapped in a vice. It was Theo that spoke.

  “We have something to give you before heading out. It may help with your journey. It has helped us from some animals in the forest. Come on; follow us.” Theo’s tiny hand slipped into Brandy Lee’s hand, and with a pull, they headed off to one side of the lake. Raven didn’t have a choice but to follow.

  They reached an area with overgrown vines and greenage that appeared to be a tunnel. The hole was dark, and visibility was low. Raven bent at the hips and looked deep into the dark space. “We’re not going in there,” She announced. With a grab of the hand, she pulled Brandy Lee in the opposite direction. Theo and Red countered with their pull.

  “It’s safe in there. It is just a place we keep things. Trust me. It will help you against any evil which you may face.” The words were so pure and innocent that Brandy Lee couldn’t help but let her hand slip from Raven. Raven grabbed it back and tightened her grip.

  “Just let me look, and we will be on our way. It may help,” Brandy Lee said.

  With a sink of the heart, Raven let go. She watched as Brandy Lee ducked low to enter the dark tunnel. Every bone in her body told her something wasn’t right. And in that instant, she received her confirmation.

  The gate slammed closed with metal hitting metal. A screeching sound of the door locked in place, echoing into the air. The gate, large and rustic, seemed untouched for years. A scream from Brandy Lee seared through Raven’s body. She stepped forward. She heard a click just as the pain knocked the wind from her. A bright light illuminated her vision. The light brightened the night like the sun, causing Raven’s legs to crumble as pain seared through her body. The sun? The glow shone so bright that she doubled on the ground in a fetal position. Her hand reached for the unseen Brandy Lee before the world went dark.

  12

  Captured

  “Raven! Raven! Open your eyes.” Her eyes moved frantically, searching the cage that held her imprisoned. Tall enough to stand upright and long enough to pace. She pulled at the rusty old bars, but it would not budge. I have fucked up now. What the hell have I gotten us into? Raven stood fifty feet from her. Her arms were bound with her body wrapped in a greenage that held her to a stake. A floodlight shined on her. Her head was drooping, and long strands of brown hair covered her face. Brandy Lee paced back and forth like a caged animal. She needed to figure out how in the hell to get out of here while controlling the inner wolf that wanted to appear.

  The round glasses appeared from the dark with a glow, followed by the bright red hair. One by one, the children arrived. They stared at them like a hunter stares at their kill. Theo shifted his eyes from one woman to the next. “Wake her!” He ordered one twin. All eyes watched as the rays from the bulb dimmed.

  Raven stirred.

  “Hey-” The brown hair freckled twin said before he poked her in the stomach.

  “Hey-” The other twin picked up a stick and stabbed her leg.

  “Stop that!” Brandy Lee screamed. “I swear…”

  “You swear what?” Red ran her finger over the bars at the other end of the cage. Brandy Lee jumped towards her, but Red was too fast and moved away. She wiggled her index finger from side to side. “Uh, uh,” Red twisted her head, following the trail of Brandy Lee’s eyes. Their eyes fixated on the dirty little girl. Peggy found it hard to hold their look. Red laughed out loud, breaking the trance between the blonde and matted-hair child. “You think she will help you. That’s the funniest thing I have heard all day. That little mouse wouldn’t help you if you were the last person on earth.” Red spun on her heel and joined Theo.

  Raven stirred again.

  “Raven, wake the hell up.” Brandy Lee hollered.

  Andy walked and stood under Raven. He bent at the waist and stared up at Raven’s face. Her hair hid her features. With the sunlight machine on low, a shadow cast on the side of her face. Andy poked at her stomach again. This time her eyes widened, her head lifted, and she snapped at Andy’s head. Her fangs missed his face by a hair’s breadth. The second snap missed by a mile as he flailed his arms and tumbled backward.

  Laughter erupted.

  Raven’s emerald eyes glowed as she scanned the area. Her strength cut in half, and mistletoe tied her to the stake. The greenage that delivered many kisses at Christmas was a vampire’s weakness. Her eyes held anger while moving her head from one child to another. A few turned away; some grinned. Some stared back with the same fed rage. It was within seconds that her thoughts went to Brandy Lee. Where was she? Lucky, with a twist of the head, their eyes met.