OMG! I'm SO SORRY GUYS! I owe you guys the biggest apology EVER for slacking off and not updating. Ugh, school ended horribly (is sure she failed half her finals), but I'm just glad it's over. I was going to take summer classes, but decided not too (would just stress me out more) so this gives me more time to write! :D But I also got accepted into three leadership positions at school so I'll be very busy sometime this summer and during the school year, but I promise to update more often and not wait months! XD
Again, I'm so sorry. Gosh, I last updated almost half a year ago, I'm so sorry guys. :(
Anyway, to make up for it, I tried to make this chapter long and fulfilling! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anybody but my own characters.
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Chapter 11- What They Don't Know
Nightwing frowned with worry as he paced back and forth. Two months…that's all he had left to convince Raven or Ryan to break off their engagement before Raven was killed by the blood pact. It wasn't much time.
"Daddy?" Nightwing turned around and smiled softly as he saw his little girl rubbing the sleep from her eyes, walking slowly towards him."How come you aren't asleep yet?"
"I was just thinking of ways to help your Auntie Raven, sweetie." Nightwing pushed back some stray hair and kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's go to bed."
"Okie dokie," Kari yawned, motioning for her father to pick her up. Nightwing did so and pondered what to do as he carried Kari back to her room.
He would have to be honest with them; that was his only choice. He couldn't force them to end their relationship.
It would be like telling the sky it couldn't be blue.
-X-x-X-
"Do you really need to go?" Ryan murmured as he looked at Raven longingly. After that night, which had been over a week ago, the two had been inseparable but…
"Your mom's insistent that I go. I'm sorry." Raven hugged Ryan tightly, wishing she could stay like that forever.
"Oh come on!" Rona muttered with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like she's leaving your for forever Ryan! All we're doing is spending a week together! Just mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."
The two looked at each, still hesitant to let go. Rona sighed, shaking her head. She then smiled wickedly, "Well I guess Raven can just stay here. We really don't need to go to the spa to make her all beautiful, and she certainly doesn't need to go pick out her wedding dress either…"
Ryan kissed Raven's forehead and pushed her towards Rona, "Make sure to pick out something beautiful and easy to take off." Ryan winked jokingly as Raven blushed.
"Ryan!" she hissed as Rona laughed, gesturing for Raven to come inside the extravagant car waiting for them. After a few more goodbyes and nags from Rona, the car drove off, Ryan watching sadly from the front of his father's mansion.
Vincent Xander sighed and rested his heavy hand on his son's shoulder, "Don't worry so much, Ryan. She'll be back before you know it. You can live seven days without her, can't you?"
It's not really missing her I worry about, Ryan thought to himself as Hannah came to mind.
-X-x-X-
Ryan sighed as he came to his condo door feeling lonely. It was going to be a long week. Sighing again, he moved to unlock his door, only to find that it was already unlocked. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he quietly pushed the door open, entering cautiously. Everything looked untouched and the same, except that his bedroom door was left ajar and he knew for sure that he had closed it.
Ryan silently approached the door and pushed it open slightly. "Finally, you're home."
Recognizing the voice and becoming enraged, Ryan pushed the door open fully and found Hannah spread out on his bed, wearing a sensual outfit that left little to the imagination. "What are you doing here Hannah?"
"Aww, is that any way to treat an old friend?" Hannah whispered trying to sound seductive but actually sounding anything but.
"Get out of my home," Ryan muttered, crossing his arms.
"You really hurt my feelings Ryan," Hannah feigned hurt, pouting. Ryan tried to ignore her, taking off his coat.
"If you're here to try and get me to leave Raven again it's useless. I won't leave her, Hannah." Ryan turned to face Hannah again, surprised that she had sunk up on him from behind. She had him against the wall as she grabbed his tie, loosening it a little bit, and unbuttoning the top buttons one by one.
"Hannah," Ryan growled warningly as he grabbed her hands, stopping her.
"You know you want me, Ryan." Hannah purred, tracing her long nail down his exposed chest. "You know you deserve better than that demon bitch."
Ryan roughly pushed Hannah so that it was her against the wall this time as he angrily looked in her eyes, "Don't you dare speak of Raven like that again, Hannah. We may have been best friends once but those days are over."
The pain of his words was evident in Hannah's eyes, and Ryan almost felt sorry for saying them. "Fine," she muttered, slowly pushing Ryan away from her as she made her way to the door. Before she left however, she turned around to look at Ryan once more, "Glad to know this is how much our friendship was worth."
She left, her words piercing Ryan like a double-edged sword.
-X-x-X-
Hannah shut Ryan's door behind her, looking towards her right as his neighbor peeked her head out of her door, staring with wide, curious eyes at Hannah. Hannah smiled at the old lady, walking gracefully to her car. Hannah knew his neighbor would spread rumors of what she had just witnessed like wildfire. That was the beginning of her plan.
As Hannah stepped into the car, she kissed Riley's cheek, murmuring, "Did you get it?" He nodded, showing the scandalous pictures that made Ryan look in all-too-compromising positions with her. "Good," Hannah cooed, rewarding Riley with a kiss.
Boy, was the paparazzi was going to have a field day.
-X-x-X-
"I'm heading out, Tray. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Lia pointedly said as she gave her cousin a warning look. All he did was roll his eyes at her in response causing her to sigh. She left shaking her head.
The crazy city life of Jump was something Lia was used to, having lived in New York since she first came to Earth. Moving through the crowd of people, Lia headed to a small club, barely noticeable, on the corner of a less crowded street. The air about the club was not at all welcoming to mortals, but for Lia it was like a beacon guiding her to shore as she was lost at sea.
The moment she entered the stifling club, the scent of hot blood hit her as a hypnotic beat boomed throughout the building. Packed in a tight room, bodies swayed synchronously as subtle flirtations were thrown back and forth. But Lia ignored the inviting dance floor, where already several immortal men were giving her looks, and headed straight towards the bar.
"A pint?" the bartender asked.
Just as Lia was about to say her preference, a man slid into the seat next to her saying with a light English accent, "Make that two."
Turning towards the newcomer, Lia noted that he was well built with fair hair and crystal blue eyes which were currently staring into her own honey-colored eyes. The man smiled charmingly, "You're Liana Genevieve Reeves sole daughter of Damonus, aren't you?"
Lia was surprised to hear her full Azarathian name, something that hadn't passed through anyone's lips since she came to Earth. "How do you know me?" Lia inquired, picking up one of the pints of steaming blood the bartender placed in front of them.
"Whisperers. They tell me that a certain relative of yours is in town," the man responded.
So…he's a Shadow Speaker then, Lia mused, impressed. You didn't find many who had the ability to speak to the Whisperers, or shadows, which lurked in every corner. It was a rare and useful talent. "So what of it?"
"The Whisperers don't particularly like the gent, love." The man chuckled, taking his own pint in hand. "They sense his evil."
Lia wasn't surprised by this, she knew her cousin was evil, but was surprised by how this man decided to confront her about it. Most of their kind preferred to stay out of each other's business, especially when it came to dangerous and powerful people like her cousin. "Who are you?"
The man smiled, winking at her, "James Bates."
"Well, happy to make your acquaintance James." Lia had a feeling this budding friendship would be very beneficial.
-X-x-X-
"Um…Rona? Are you sure this is…decent?" Raven tried to the force the blush off her face, staring down at the midnight blue dance dress that fluttered out from her hip and stopped mid-thigh. She wasn't worried about the skirt length, but more of the slit that curved slightly from the back all the way up until it almost touched her hip.
Raven had been surprised when she and Rona had arrived at a grand hotel hidden the mountains then dragged her inside and shoved a package into her hands, saying she had to wear it for their first activity together. She had not known what Rona was planning to do on their "mother-in-law & daughter-in-law quality time", but tango lessons had certainly not crossed her mind!
"Of course, dear," Rona giggled, adorning a hot red dress of similar style. "Besides, you have to learn the tango! It's tradition in the Xander family to hold the tango at weddings. It's our specialty."
Raven sighed, pulling the skirt of the dress, as she followed Rona towards a magnificent ballroom adjacent to the hotel. This dance tradition, of course, was unknown to her until now. She really needed to talk to Ryan more about his other family traditions once she returned home.
Once Rona pushed open the doors of the ballroom, a spicy, flowery scent overwhelmed Raven as passionate, seductive music played loudly. The fast-paced beats of violins and guitars blended with beautiful piano melodies and others filled her ears as the music vibrated throughout the room, filling her body with the urge to move. Even she couldn't resist a catchy beat.
"Rona! My darling!" a voice with alight Spanish accent called out. Raven turned and was surprised to find a man, his slicked back, graying dark wavy hair pulled into a tight ponytail and adorning a black turtle neck with matching black slacks, coming towards them. He grabbed Rona's hands in his own and kissed her fingers, "It's lovely to see you again."
"As you too, Mateo. My it's been ages!" Rona smiled and from the corner of her eyes motioned to Raven to come forward. "By the way, Mateo, I'd like you to meet my daughter-in-law-to-be, Raven Roth."
Turning towards Raven, Rona said, "This is an old friend of mine, Raven. He'll be teaching you how to dance."
"Right…" Raven murmured, becoming unsettled by the critical glare of Mateo. He approached Raven and walked a circle around her, scrutinizing her.
"Hmm…you have a nice figure, perfect for dancing, but obviously you have never danced before, have you?" Mateo stopped midstride and clapped his hands, a new song playing. "Alright! Shall we begin?" He held his hand out for Raven and she took it, scared for what was to come.
-X-x-X-
"To sever the ties of blood, One must die; One must live. Great power It must behold to stand on Judgment Day before Holiness. If It does not, the depths of Hell await. Death may be your Savior."
James looked back at the paper he had just finished reading then back at Lia. "Hmm, this is quite a puzzle you have here, love."
The two had long since left the club, opting for a quieter space in a mellow restaurant. Lia had just finished telling him the entire story of Raven and Tray, and the predicament they were in. She had then shown James the passage she had found, hoping he could help her figure it out. Two heads were better than one.
"So can you get anything from it?" Lia asked.
"Hm, well, I think it's a set of instructions not for just severing the blood pact, but for a sacrifice." James murmured in thought, his eyes scanning the passage again. "I mean, saying 'It' must hold great power to stand on Judgment Day…doesn't it sound like a sacrificial ritual?"
Blinking unbelievingly, for she had not thought of that, Lia said, "You're right. It does sound like that."
Continuing, James said, "And I don't believe that 'Judgment Day' is just that. I think there's more to it, like an actual specific date."
"Well…" Lia mused, thinking. "If you translate 'Judgment Day' to Azrathian…they make double words that also can be numbers…and if you then translate it back to English, you get March 13."
"That's a little under two months from now." James commented.
"And a week before Raven's wedding." Lia muttered remembering how Raven had mentioned that the wedding would be in the third week of March, the pieces of the puzzle slowly starting to come together.
"So then that's their deadline to sever their blood pact," James sighed. "In just two months their either marry each other or die."
"Or only just one of them." Lia corrected, thinking back to her cousin's plan. Lia looked back at the passage from the book. If she was able to solve this…if she was able to know what this passage meant, then maybe she'd be able to help Raven escape from the fate of having to die by her cousin's hands.
-X-x-X-
Jacob Erwin sighed as he looked through the various ideas his pathetic staff tried to pass off for worthy of his gossip magazine. Although each staff member tried hard to make each idea sound exciting and new, it was still the same as they always wrote. This celebrity was sleeping with this celebrity who was married. Or this celebrity had an illegitimate child with this celebrity, or this person who nobody even knew! It was all the same and nothing stood out to him.
How was his gossip magazine going to survive on crap like this? He needed something new! Something powerful! Something that would bring an angelic, good-standing figure to their knees. That's what he loved, reveling in the shame and embarrassment he caused for those people that everyone loved. How he loved to shatter their perfect images and taint their names. It was just riveting.
But how was he going to do that if he couldn't even get any concrete evidence or ideas?! Jacob Erwin sighed again.
"BOSS! BOSS!!! BIG NEWS!" Jacob Erwin glared at his intern, his nephew whom he had grudgingly promised his mom that he would give him a job, run into his office, shoving a manila folder into his face like it was gold.
"BOSS! Guess what's in here. Come on, guess!" his nephew squealed excitedly.
"Let's see…is it the mayor smooching his ex-wife's daughter again? Or perhaps it's the 'so called proclaimed' president's underwear? Oh! I mustn't ignore Batman's figurine collection being displayed in the city park this Saturday either!" Jacob Erwin muttered, listing off ridiculous things his nephew had brought to him before.
"Even better, boss!" his nephew smiled. "It's pictures of Ryan Xander with Hannah Wither! You know, the really rich, young businessman who is going to take over Xander Corporations one day? And Hannah Wither is the sole heir to HJK Five, the biggest and most successful agency in Jump! And—get this—Ryan Xander is supposed to be marrying Titan Raven Roth in just two months too!"
Now that was the gossip he wanted! Jacob Erwin snatched the folder from his nephew's hands and looked at the photos inside. True to his word, there were photos of Ryan Xander pushing Hannah Wither against the wall of his apartment bedroom, and the outfit Hannah Wither wore did nothing but make the photo look that more incriminating.
Snickering to himself, Jacob turned to his nephew and barked an order, "Hurry up and go tell the editors we have our front page story! Also, give these to Frankie and tell him to make these pictures pop! I want everyone to see this scandal!"
"Yes sir!" His nephew quickly left and Jacob Erwin settled back in his seat, satisfied. He could almost see the headlines on their next issue…
Jacob smirked as he thought, Wonder how his Titan fiancée will react…
-X-x-X-
Raven sighed in content as she submerged herself into the warm waters of the bath. After almost five days of tango lessons, dress fittings, picking out flowers and decorations, addressing and sending out the invitations, and just spending time together with Rona, she was getting worn out. Who knew being a bride could be so hectic? And Raven had been tiring out more easily now. She had noticed that after a couple of days she grew sleepier and half the time Rona had to drag her out of bed. She also ate a lot more now, but it probably due to her running around all the time and burning off all the calories, especially with those extra dance lessons since she had to learn the waltz and rumba as well.
Sighing, she closed her eyes, deciding to take a quick nap while she still had a break.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Raven…wake up…"
Raven groaned as she forced open her eyes, shadowing them from the bright lights that isolated her. Her surroundings around the shaft of light around her were darkness as voices drifted to her from them. "Raven, you're so beautiful."
"Rona?" Raven murmured, looking around, but she couldn't see Rona.
"Look, Raven! Aren't you beautiful?" Raven turned, a mirror emerging from the darkness to stand in front of Raven.
Raven backed away, frightened by her own reflection. Her body trembled as she covered her mouth as her stomach churned. Her reflection was her in a lovely wedding dress, but instead of white it was tinted with crimson blood that seeped into the threads of the dress and clung to Raven. Blood dripped from her dress forming a pool around her feet, threatening to eat her up.
The voices from the shadows laughed as a haunting wedding march melody was sung. A familiar chorus sung out, the voices taunting:
"She hears the sound of little feet
But first there's a bunch of corpses to eat
Guests line up to kiss the dead
The groom's men is the meal that's being fed
Up above the dirge sounds
Preacher says who can't be around
There was silence 'till the Death Angel came
And someone said, 'Here comes the bride.
Dressed in her crimson veil
Made from her own man's hide.'."
Screaming, wishing for it to stop, Raven covered her ears, hoping to block out the dreadful version of the song. She closed her eyes, wishing to see herself no more in the mirror. But blood, blood, and more blood was all she could see.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Raven gasped and shot up. She found herself back in the hotel bathroom, shivering for the hot water had become cold. How long had she been sleeping?
Shaking away the haunting memories of the nightmare she had been having, Raven got out of the bath and quickly changed. She was supposed to go with Rona to another dress fitting.
And she definitely did not want to be visualizing the bloody dress in her nightmare.
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"Raven? Are you okay, sweetie?" Rona asked, concerned at how much paler Raven was looking. They were in one of the various rooms of the hotel, once again fitting a gown on Raven. They were working with the skirt today, but the ladies were having trouble zipping up the back of the dress.
"I'm not sure, really…" Raven honestly answered, feeling as sick as she felt. Maybe she had caught a cold from staying in the bath too long.
"Rona…" one of the seamstresses murmured. "I think we got the wrong measurements for the bodice. It simply won't zip up."
"Oh dear, is there any way to stretch it?" Rona asked.
"It's delicate material. It'll rip if we stretch it. We'll just redo the measures and make it over again…Raven? Are you feeling alright?"
Raven leaned against the mirror, clutching her stomach that churned uneasily. "I don't feel so feel." Her vision blurred and she could feel the bile rising in her throat.
"Oh my god!" the seamstresses gasped in horror as Raven threw up all over the skirt they were going to work on and fainted.
"Quick, let's clean her up and put her to bed!" Rona commanded as she knelt beside Raven, worriedly looking at her condition. Oh dear…
It looked like their mother and daughter quality time would be cut short and Rona pulled out her cell phone and decided to call Ryan.
-X-x-X-
Tray looked at the earthly entertainment—a gossip magazine, he had heard humans call it—with amusement. So that woman, Hannah, was taking care of her side of the deal just fine.
The front cover displayed a picture of Ryan and Hannah looking too close to be "just friends" as numerous headlines and sub-headlines declared possible scandal after possible scandal, and each caused the writers to ask the same question: "What will Raven Roth do when she returns home to find that her fiancé was messing around with another woman?"
The thought of this outrageous lie caused Tray to laugh. His plan was already set in motion.
Once Raven returned, she would be his.
Meanwhile in Titan Tower…
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS??!!!" Nightwing screamed in anger as he waved the gossip magazine in front of the screen, "I thought you loved Raven!"
"I do love Raven!" Ryan defended himself. "Hannah took those pictures without my knowing so! I swear nothing happened, she had caught me by surprise."
"Ugh, I know…I know…" Nightwing tried to calm himself. "But what if Raven sees this? How do you think she will react?"
"Raven trusts me, she knows I would never do anything to hurt her." Ryan responded. "Besides, I can have this mess cleaned up before she even gets back. They're all lies anyway."
"Not that the people of Jump will believe you." Nightwing sighed.
"I don't care what they think. All that matters to me is that Raven believes me."
"And what if she doesn't?" There was a moment of silence. Nightwing sighed, looking at Ryan, "I know it's wrong of me to say this when I gave my blessing…but Ryan, I don't think you guys should go through with this marriage. I've been thinking about that blood pact that Raven has with Tray and—"
"We'll find some way to break it," Ryan growled. "I will not lose Raven to some pact she made over thirteen years ago!"
"This is serious, Ryan! What if Raven really died from this pact, huh? Are you really willing to sacrifice Raven's life just so you can marry her?" Nightwing narrowed his masked eyes at the screen.
Ryan could not respond. How could he? Nightwing was right. But he had waited so long to make Raven his, and he had finally succeeded! Now he just had to give up? How could he?
"Look…" Ryan started, but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "One sec."
Ryan looked at the caller ID and was surprised to see it was Rona. She never used her cell phone unless it was an emergency. "Hey, can you wait a minute Nightwing, I think this might be important." Nightwing nodded and watched as Ryan answered it.
"Hello? Rona? What's the matter?" There was a long pause for the moment and then: "WHAT???"
If only they had all known what they didn't know.
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Alright, I tried to make this chapter as long as possible without giving too much away. But I'm got really excited when writing this so hopefully I'll have the next chap up soon! We're getting to the good part of the story. :D Hehe.
Also, thanks so much to those who reviewed and read my stories while I pathetically neglected them. I finally got around to checking my email and I was so shocked to find how many people had reviewed and sent me messages to continue my stories! Thank you guys so much! I promise to work much harder on finishing my stories this summer!!
But anyway, thank you for putting up with my lack of updating and reading and reviewing!
Ciao,
Xaleria
