The Fury of the Night
Chapter 3. A Lesson in Obeyance
Raven admired the powerful motorbikes and luxuriated in the feelings of pure joy and the rush of adrenaline about to be engaged as the boys mounted and started their rides, releasing a laugh at their enthusiasm. She took the time to admire each of them, complimenting each boy on small details of design which charmed them thoroughly and earned her smiles of gratitude. What she was really doing was sharpening in on the sudden annoyance in David's mind. The young girl's visage flashed briefly in her own thoughts and Raven quickly entered David's mind and sat back to observe. Star had not done as she needed to do and she was slowly approaching the spot where they were grouped, her mind fluttering over possible excuses she could offer though she knew it was pointless to even try to lie. Annoyance had turned to anger that flared hot and red then was quickly reeled in as David held his emotions in check. Star halted with a few yards left between her and David and she stuttered out, "I couldn't; he had to leave; there wasn't ti_"
David cut her off harshly, his voice strong and clear, cutting through the air between them like the sharpest of deadly knives. "I don't want to hear it anymore, Star. You've failed. AGAIN. You are well aware of the choice that is yours to make. Either choose to live by another's death, or choose to die. I'll not waste any more time on you, either way. There is much more that I am occupied with now."
Raven caught the flow of his thoughts and a brief flash of an image came to her. She backed out of his mind, telepathically stroking the back of his head as she withdrew in a gesture of understanding and cooperation. She saw his tall frame straighten even more at the sensation and grinned. He had wicked thoughts at times, this one…and his temperament matched her own. She sensed that he had not been so in synch with another for a long, long time and was relishing the sensation, as was she. In a world where they ruled, over the mortals and immortals alike, power came at a price. And that price was peace of mind. Symmetry. Commiseration. Calm. Understanding. The things that any being of complexity such as theirs needed to have reflected back onto itself by one of like being from time to time. It was how sanity was able to prevail. When deprived of it for too long, chaos would overtake the mind and carnage would follow, with destruction of self right behind. She had witnessed it in other elders and dark beings before. And for both she and David, it had been eons since either had found another with which thought/emotion could flow easily and trustingly. Perhaps, 'tell the truth and shame the devil', she thought, neither of them had ever had it.
Raven casually came up behind David and slid her arms around his waist as his speech to Star concluded. He turned to her, pulling her into an embrace, looking down at her. His eyes had shown flat coolness when he was focused on Star, but as he looked down into Raven's red fiery pools, they changed, dancing with blue impish fire. His strong arms held her to his chest, and lowering his head, he touched his lips to her forehead slowly. That deep voice vibrated against her chest as he spoke. "My apologies for this little interruption, my beautiful Bird of Darkness. Let's continue on our tour, shall we?" And with that, he winked wickedly.
"No apologies necessary; let us please continue on." Her musical voice flowed over those satin lips while in his mind she gave him an amusingly evil chuckle. He wanted Star to fully understand her situation and to know her place. He would not bother to introduce her to Raven, as Star was something lesser, and it would be beneath Raven to even acknowledge her. However, he could not resist poking at Star's vanity. She had been so confident that he could be swayed with the offer of her body in exchange for time and had been confused and frightened when she was blatantly turned away. Now he wanted Star to see the definition of what could truly arouse his interest, spark a flame in him, trigger his desire, and realize not only how lacking she really was but how brightly Raven's etherealness shone. The splendid divinely fatal creature at his side possessed not only the beauty of an immortal; she had an electric fire within her that radiated outward and enhanced every detail of her a hundred times over and he was in appreciation of it.
Raven caught the tail of his thoughts and the direction of his mood as it radiated outward from him and smiled. David mounted his Triumph with long-practiced ease and extended a hand to help her mount, which she accepted eagerly. As he brought the engine into roaring life, the vibrations of the powerful engine made her laugh in delight. She wound her arms around his waist and as she settled into position, she turned her head and smiled at Star. The smile was not friendly. In silent warning to the subordinate half-human, Raven let both sets of fangs descend and the effect on the young girl was terrifying. She stepped quickly back and almost fell in the dirt trying to retreat from the terrifying threat. At that moment, David gunned the engine and the bike leapt out of it's spot, as if it had a hunger of it's own to be met. Dust flew and spun up into the night as the other boys pulled away fast, taking position behind David. As they roared down the edge of the boardwalk, they all let out yells of freedom, even David, laughing wildly between shouts. Raven tightened her arms around him, noticing the feel of his rock-hard abs beneath the black t-shirt he wore. As they sped down the wood stairs that would put them on the beach, he lowered one hand for a brief moment and placed it over hers, giving her a firm squeeze. She felt her thighs tighten around his in response. So much was conveyed in his simple touch: reassurance of her safety not only on the motorcycle but while in his care, enjoyment and silent thanks at her handling of Star, and simple pleasure at having her with him and his boys. Raven was so content in the moment that she tilted her head back and raised her face to the night sky, letting loose a trilling war cry that rose and mingled with the whoops and shouts of the others. Then she was taken in by the magic of the ride; the sand being spit out behind them, the yells of the humans at the firepits as the bikes raced by, the night sky with her moon on full display. She felt a small burning on her forehead, and a short low growl left her lips as she recognized what it was…the spot where David had laid his lips just a few minutes before. The spot burned with pleasant fire, and she luxuriated in it.