Honeythief
Chapter Three

"And when I'm lost, you search for me. And when I doubt, you're my belief" – Honeythief, Halou

)O(

Robin knew that what he was doing was wrong. Every last human part of him screamed protest against the strange desire he now felt for his friend. Even the vampire part of him knew it was wrong, and that new part of his soul seemed to want to indulge in everything sinful; including the soft curves of a woman. But, Raven looked so vulnerable lying there, so innocent. It was hard to ignore what she was, and the way she was. Robin felt his arousal spike sharply at the sight, and all he could think about was claiming her small, beautiful body.

The vampire in him agreed to an extent. But it was looking for a mate, someone permanent. From his new instincts, Robin was discovering that a mate was necessary for survival, as integral to his existence as drinking blood and breathing. The thought of making Raven his mate made the vampire side of him hiss with frustration and anger. But when Robin thought of Jinx (in any form, good, bad or dead, and dead was his preference) he could feel it purr in content. It was annoying, and Robin was trying very hard to ignore the new intuitions inside him. He had more important things to be concerned with than the finding of a mate. Especially if the vampire part of him chose a tart like Jinx over a woman like Raven.

He felt his fangs recede back into his gums and his hunger subside. The ache that had dominated him for the entire night seemed to dissipate, and Robin took his last deep gulp of Raven's essence. He pressed his tongue to the wound in her neck and lapped, taking in the last drops of her blood and closing the wound he created. He was done feeding, but he didn't want his lips to leave her skin. She tasted sweet. Every part of her. Robin's gaze drifted over her body again, before he groaned and stood up, backing away from the temptation.

Raven had never affected him this way in his entire life. She'd always been his best friend, someone he could turn to in a time of need, but not… this. Now, she looked like a feast set out for a hungry vampire. Her head had fallen back and rested on the top of the sofa, her skin hadn't lost color with the absence of her blood but had flushed to a rosy pink, her lips trembled slightly, and her fingers dug into the sofa cushions.

What was worse though was that Robin could smell every hormone and pheromone that ran through her body and caressed her skin. He could literally smell her emotions. Her fear, her confusion, anger, acceptance… but most of all, he could smell her arousal. He could smell the sharp, musky scent that called to him, and Robin wanted to take her, consequences be damned.

This needed to stop. Now.

"Raven." He tried to call to her, but it came out a strange, guttural noise, and the vibration sent pain reeling through his body again. He cringed and felt a frown form on his lips. What had Jinx done to him? Pushing back the pain, he called again. "Raven."

Amethyst eyes opened up, fringed by dark lashes. She lay there a moment, looking dazed. Robin felt his gut clench hotly as she looked towards him. They stared at each other for a long moment before he turned away, hoping to hide his shame from her. He knew that she couldn't have known what he had been thinking, but he still had such wicked thoughts about her. Imagining her supple body pressed against him, as he claimed her for his mate. The guilt was enough to eat him alive.

Raven blinked several times, trying to regain the memory of what just happened. She rubbed a hand over her face before pushing herself into a proper sitting position. She looked over at the clock, and Robin watched the flush leave her pale skin. Zipping up her uniform, she returned to her normal self, any evidence of their exchange leaving her body. Raven was all business and no-nonsense, and something in her severity left Robin feeling strange and bereft, as if he'd just had sex with a prostitute.

Raven stood, but her body swayed a little, drained from Robin's feasting. He felt a twinge of regret at taking as much blood as he did. After his previous snack in the shed, and now his gluttonous feast, it was a miracle she was alive, let alone awake. She forced a smile up at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Done?"

He nodded.

"Good… I'm…" She blinked and looked at him again. Her face paled considerably. "I think… I'm gong to lie down." Raven took one step and Robin watched as her knees buckled and her legs give out from under her. He jumped forward and caught her tiny frame in his arms. She blinked up at him, her eyes desperate to focus. "Oh. Well, I don't imagine this is good."

His lips turned up at the edge and he couldn't keep from smiling. Robin wanted to kiss her bad. Anything to reciprocate what she had done for him. Raven had dropped everything to track him down, to find him and make sure he was safe. She hadn't questioned him when he told her to come alone. But most importantly she hadn't feared him when he drank from her. She didn't even shy away for a moment, but had stepped up and addressed the situation head-on. His heart called to her, even if the vampire in him did not.

"Bed." He growled. Raven blinked and nodded, her eyes still unable to focus. Robin, without any conscious thought, swept her body up into his arms. There was a mild shock that went through him. He felt strong. Incredibly strong. It was as if drinking from Raven had pushed his body to the brink of perfection and there were no more limits. Maybe, there were some perks (however few) to being a vampire.

"Hey, Robin?"

He looked down at her, unable to vocally respond.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be strong enough."

Robin felt remorse wash through his body. Her not strong enough? Robin should have been smart enough to wait for the team. Robin should have been strong enough to run away from the fight while he had the chance. Robin should have been strong enough to resist the temptation of her blood. Raven wasn't to blame in any sense of the word. He walked into her room and placed her carefully on the plush bed. She smiled up at him.

"I'll try harder next time."

Robin grabbed her hand and caught her gaze. He shook his head, frowning. He'd be damned if Raven tried any harder, it would kill her.

"No? Why not?"

"Tomorrow." Pain. Robin bit his lip before he finished. "Explain."

"Oh." Raven put her head down on the pillow and pulled the covers around her. "Okay. G'night." Before Robin even had a chance to respond, Raven had fallen into well-deserved sleep. He stroked hair back from her forehead and watched her. Sorrow, pride, guilt, anger, and a whole slew of other emotions welled up into his chest at the sight. She was wonderful, but he didn't deserve a friend like Raven.

Robin wasn't even sure what he deserved at this point. He was confused and torn, distraught and afraid. Being a vampire should have made him feel like the whole world was coming down around his ears, but it didn't. In fact, Robin didn't feel all that different than his human self. He still liked videogames, had a constant desire for pizza, thought Starfire was pretty, and enjoyed martial arts. There were just new experiences added to him, like the lust for blood, the heightened senses, and the incredible strength. Other than that, Robin didn't feel all that different.

Oh, who was he trying to kid? He was a freak. A thing that was supposed to keep to the shadows of mythology books. His body was completely different, and now his vampire and human instincts were fighting over Raven and Jinx, the little chit who tried to kill him.

Robin growled to himself and stared out at the city. If the last dregs of his human body were telling him to keep Raven, and his vampire instincts were telling him to claim Jinx, Robin was confused as to what he was supposed to do. Why did the vampire in him want Jinx? Why not Raven? She was a much more suitable mate than the girl who tried to kill him. He rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was running around in circles.

He sat on the sofa for a long while, trying to remember every detail of the fight with Jinx. Everything felt hazy and unusual, as if he'd watched the entire thing like it was a bad movie. Most of it he recalled through bits and pieces, but the big stuff was all a jumbled mess of emotional snapshots. How had she managed to crush his vocal chords? How did she have the strength? But most importantly, why did she turn him? Why not some other shmuck? Why was Robin her target?

He sighed and turned on the TV, hoping the sound would help him focus. Robin sat there for a long while before discovering it didn't. The familiar noise hummed on about some new-and-improved total gym that he'd heard a million times before. Against the skyline of the city, the gray fingers of dawn began to spread out across the sky. Vaguely, he wondered if he should close the curtains and hide in shadows like he'd seen in the movies. That thought would have to wait. His head bobbed once before falling against the back of the sofa as sleep took over.

)O( )O( )O(

It was nearly two in the afternoon before Raven felt her body wake. She had spent the entire morning, and half of the afternoon, in her deepest sleep, her body regenerating as much as it could. She felt better, but her powers still wouldn't return for a few days, and she was helpless until they returned. The sun pooled across the plush comforter and Raven stretched and sat up. Her limbs felt leaded and unusual, as if they weren't her own. It really wasn't a big surprise, considering all the blood that Robin had taken from her last night.

Last night! Robin! Raven shot up from her pillow, eyes fixating on the doorway to the living room. It was already past morning, and she still wasn't sure if his body could tolerate sunlight. What if something had already happened to him? What if the sun burnt him into ashes and there was nothing left? Now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure if it was only direct sunlight, or could sunlight through windows be just as deadly? What about sunglasses? But… hadn't she seen Jinx in the sun before? Hadn't they fought in the sun before? Raven sighed and rubbed her forehead. What exactly was the protocol for vampires and sun?

She threw off the covers and rushed into the living room. Robin was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a bleary-eyed look that told Raven he had just woken up. He blinked a few times before grunting, which was his usual "good morning", vampire or not. He never was much of a morning person. Raven breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't a pile of ashes on the floor; it'd have been a mess to clean up.

She walked to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, and then sat down next to him. They stared at each other for a minute before Robin thrust his arm into a stream of sunlight, showing nothing more than his tanned, toned skin. There was no burning, blistering, and (thank goodness) no sparkling. Raven watched for a moment. "So, I take it sun doesn't bother your skin then? That makes things easier."

Robin shook his head and picked up the pad of paper and a pen. Food doesn't either. I had a bagel before you got up, and now I really want some eggs and bacon. I have no idea why.

Raven took a sip of her coffee, letting things settle in her mind. She really needed her books to compare Robin's condition to others. Was his an unusual case, or was it perfectly normal for vampires to live in the sun and eat eggs? If that was typical, then why was being a vampire so terrible? Oh, right, the whole drinking human blood thing. That would be pretty unsettling for most earth-dwellers. "Well, that's not what I expected at all."

Robin nodded. Me either.

Raven sunk into the sofa cushions and watched the muted soap opera for a few minutes. What should she do? What could they do? As far as Raven knew, this curse was irreversible, and Robin was stuck as a vampire for the rest of his life. She hadn't told him that, because she was pretty damn sure it would crush his spirit, and that was the only thing he had left to cling to.

She sighed and took another sip of her coffee. The only thing they could do now is either pray to the Goddess that there was a cure, or help him cope. Or, they could find Jinx. There was always the chance that she knew more than they did. Although, Raven was sure that Robin wouldn't like having the girl who tried to kill him over for tea and cookies. She looked at him, and tried to keep the situation light. "Well, the good news is that you're not sparkly. Which will keep the hoard of fan-girls from following us around town."

Robin made a strange wheezing sound that reminded Raven of laughter. He picked up the pen again. Men who "sparkle" aren't usually into girls, just so you know.

Raven couldn't keep the smile off her lips. He was in a better mood than she thought. It was amazing, given his current situation. "So I hear." Pause. "So, now what, Robin?"

Food. Eggs, preferably. What a man, choosing to think with his stomach before logic. Raven sighed and took another sip of coffee. The silence washed over them for another, long moment. She turned back to him, and gauged his expression. He was waiting for her to make a decision regarding their plans. Raven sighed and put her cup down on the coffee table.

"I was going to contact Cyborg and have him bring some things over for us. We need street clothes, my books, and…" She chewed on her lower lip and watched his face fall. He didn't want to see Cyborg, or anyone else for that matter, but they couldn't live like hermits in the hotel room forever. They needed supplies. "I was thinking it might be useful for Cyborg to bring over a few pints of my blood. In case we need it in an emergency."

Every team member gave a few pints of their own blood over the period of a few months. That way if major surgery ever needed to be done, they had a stash available. Raven didn't like dipping into her store of blood, but she couldn't think of anything else that would be as "emergency" as Robin turning into a vampire and feasting on her every few nights. She looked back at him. "Is that going to be alright with you? If Cyborg comes here with blood, he's going to suspect the worst."

I know he will. Robin thought for a long while before nodding in agreement with her. Yes, it's fine if he comes. I know you need your things, and I want him to tell the others that I'm all right. I just don't want him to fear me.

"You know he won't, he's your best friend." Raven frowned as Robin turned away, guilt lining his eyes. He was more upset with himself than anything else, and Raven wasn't sure how to handle him. Anger probably wouldn't help any.

I'm going to shower. Before Raven even had a chance to respond, he had retreated into his bathroom. She wanted to yell after him, but that wouldn't solve anything, it would only make him even more and she couldn't afford that right now. She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache come on.

Raven sighed and grumbled more to herself than anyone else. "Alright. Fine, I'll give him a call." She reached over and picked up the phone, dialing the tower's private number. It took a few rings before Cyborg picked up. Beast Boy wasn't allowed to touch the phone, because he couldn't carry on a normal conversation for more than ten seconds, and Starfire still thought you had to shout into the receiver in order to be heard.

Raven was greeted with a chuckle. "Ooh, fancy hotel you're staying at, Rae. Nice." The comforting sound of his voice felt like music on Raven's ears. It was nice to hear sanity sometimes, even if that sanity came from a half-robot. "You know, if you two just wanted to be alone for a while, and have a romantic getaway, all you had to do was ask. We're always happy to leave you alone." Raven's face fell. So much for the only sane person she had left to cling to. Now, she had to kill him, what a shame.

"Ha ha, very funny, Cyborg." Raven blew out a huff of aggravated air. She glared at a vase in front of her and wished she had the powers to make it explode. She needed an outlet right now, or else she was going to blow up at either one of them. Robin or Cyborg, whoever came first. "You're a real comedian. Look, we need your help."

"Ah." There was the sound of him moving somewhere, hopefully, more private. "So, you did find Robin? That's good to hear. The others aren't real happy with what you did to them last night." Raven cringed as she thought about it. "In fact, Starfire is still out searching, and Beast Boy thinks you made a very funny prank."

"That's what I was going for, hilarity in the time of darkness." Raven rolled her eyes, and took a deep breath. Stupid Beast Boy. Some day she would teach him a lesson. "You didn't tell anyone where I went, did you?"

"Nope. Not my place to tell secrets, Rae, you should know that." She could feel his honesty over the phone and Raven couldn't help but feel relieved. Robin's secret was safe for now. "How long are you going to be gone?"

Raven flushed, sensing the confused and distraught tone. He must have been fed-up with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there, and she couldn't blame him. However, if Raven was honest with herself, she wasn't sure when she'd even get to step outside of the hotel room, let alone when they'd return home. She sighed.

"Thank you, Cy, for watching out for us… I knew I could trust you." There was a short pause, and Raven decided she couldn't stall any longer. She needed her books as soon as possible, any more delaying, and there was no telling what would happen to Robin. "As for when we'll get to come home… I don't know. It looks like we might be here a while before we can sort out this… mess."

"Mess?" She could feel his incredulity over the phone. "That doesn't sound very promising. He wasn't turned into a werewolf, was he?" There was the sound of raucous laughter and Raven wished she could tell him that a werewolf wasn't that far from the truth.

"It's not very promising, but I'm going to give it my all." She sighed. "Look, I need you to bring over some things for us. I need some street clothes from Robin's closet, some from my closet, a few books, and a few pints of my blood-"

"Your blood?" His voice came out so loud, that Raven had to hold the phone away from her ear. She glared at it before glaring in the direction of Robin's room. He had a way of making her life as messy as possible, didn't he? "What in the hell happened!? Is everything okay!? Do you need medical help? Raven, answer me!"

"Er… well, define 'okay' and I'll let you know if we fit the bill."

"Raven…"

"We're fine, Cyborg…" Raven sighed. "Fine" was not a word she would have used, but it was better than having her friend yell at her for an hour straight. She could pretend to be fine for a while if it kept waters calm. "It's just an odd turn of events and I'm still not quite sure how to deal with it yet. The blood is just a precaution." Sort of.

There was a long pause and he seemed to calm down, but was still suspicious. "So, what happened? Or am I not allowed to know yet?"

"No, it's not that…" Raven chewed on her lip, thinking carefully. "It's just that it's not my place to tell you everything. I'm only here to help the victim, but if you come over, I'm sure Robin will tell you everything you want to know."

There was another pause and Cyborg let out a long, deep breath. "Alright, but it better be one hell of a story."

"It'll be novel to thrill you." Raven rolled her eyes at her own pun. Was she picking up on some of Beast Boy's bad habits? "So, we need clothes, my blood, and a few books from my library." She rattled off as many volumes as she could think of, hearing the sound of a pen moving. At least he was on-top of things. "Now, this is the only time I'll ever let you in my room, so don't think you can waltz in there whenever you want. Oh, and whatever you do, keep Beast Boy out. Lest the two of you end up parading around in my mind again."

Cyborg snorted, but there was little humor behind it. "Alright. I think I got everything, but I was wondering if you needed any of Robin's blood."

Raven chewed on her lip and thought about it. She didn't want to have to drag around several pints of blood and not use them. She highly doubted that his old blood cells were even compatible with Robin's system now. "I don't think so…"

There was a shocked silence as Cyborg thought about what she had just said. "Did he hurt you, Raven? If you need help, let me know and I'll get you out."

Raven felt a flush rise to her cheeks. Cyborg was thinking the worst, but the wrong worst. Technically Robin hadn't "hurt" anyone. He'd just been a little eager in gorging himself on her blood. "Not really, no."

There was a heavy silence before Cyborg spoke again. "That's an awkward response."

"It's an awkward situation."

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time." Cyborg growled, not satisfied with her answer, and read back the list he had written. Raven couldn't blame him, he was being left out of the loop and he hated that more than anything. Cyborg finished reading. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour, Raven… just… be safe, okay?" He took a long, deep breath. "I worry about what you have to deal with sometimes. It's not safe for you."

Raven smiled, but she couldn't feel the humor behind it. "You have no idea, Cyborg."

)O( )O( )O(

Okay, so that was wordy and a little awkward, but it's going somewhere, I promise. I hope everyone enjoyed this piece, let me know if you see any errors or if you just want to flame me, I can take it. Let me know what you think!