1. Only the Strong
"Keep your friends closer, but your enemy's closer, for real,
Seems easy, but nothing could be so hard,
Trying to guess life's dealing, what's the next card?
I'm surely folding; I don't like this hand at all."
The sound of the door closing outside was muffled through the walls of the house, but Rayesa Lavente heard it anyway. Derek Bloodstone went stiff, eyes narrowed. "They're coming," he said quietly, referring to the Night World.
"I know," Ray said in the same tone, lifting her gaze from her bedroom door to meet Derek's. "I called them here after I called you."
Derek's face paled, violet eyes widening. He took a step back, staring in shocked disbelief. "Ray—what—why?"
"I told the Night World that you killed Thorn Redfern," her shaking voice responded, and she took her own step away from him.
His eyes darkened, and he glanced away briefly. He pressed his lips together, thinking, before stating softly, "I know."
The noise of the front door below opening stirred Ray's heart to beat ever-so-quickly. "You love Asher, but I yet I still love you." As the sound of feet pounding up the stairs was heard, he pulled her into a tight embrace, closed his eyes, and kissed her.
Ray had kissed Derek with burning hot passion and Christian chastity, but never heartbreakingly. Ray tried touch his mind, to wrap it in her strong embrace, but his mind flew back, his body releasing her and backing away. He turned to the door, ready to face his fate.
The door flew open, and ten or so Night World vampires flooded into the room. Their eyes glinted, fangs shown, and their bodies rippled like a predators and they circled Derek. The one facing Derek had rusty hair, and his eyes flickered multi-colored—Ray recognized him as Shawn Redfern, a lost descendent of Hunter Redfern, older brother of Thorn Redfern. His smile soured to a scowl as he saw his old friend, and slammed a fist into Derek's nose.
Derek swore loudly, and moved to kick Shawn, but Shawn was as experienced in fighting, with his crew surrounding his victim. He was beaten to the ground in an instant.
Suddenly, arms gripped Ray's and she turned to face Shawn holding her in a deathly strong grip. She yelped in surprise and tried to pull her hand back, but he wouldn't budge.
Derek! Ray screamed through a mind link her and Derek shared.
"Stop," Shawn ordered his men, and they obeyed immediately. Derek was on the floor, cuts and bruises healing with vampire blood. He spit up blood and coughed, violet eyes looking up to take in the scene of his soulmate in his enemy's arms in a threatening position.
"Come with us, Bloodstone, you killed my brother, and I can kill your human soulmate unless you obey everything I tell you," Shawn stated in a growl.
I'm sorry, Ray sent in a whisper to Derek, eyes pleading for his forgiveness. All she met was stone-cold thoughts.
Derek took a shaky breath, bowed his head, and nodded reluctantly. "I swear," he said, mostly to the floor. "Just please, don't hurt her. She turned me in, you owe her."
"I'm letting her live, I don't owe her anything," the Redfern replied coldly.
Ray bit her lip to keep from saying anything that could cause her—or Derek—more trouble. But she sent to Derek on the mind link, Oh, God, I hadn't meant—I didn't mean— Ending up with a lack of words, she sent, I'm sorry, on a wave of apologetic aura.
As a reply, stone shields came up around her soulmates mind.
"Goodbye," Derek whispered as the vampires lifted him up.
Derek never said goodbye without meaning it—he had once explained "saying goodbye means you won't see someone for awhile, so if I use it, it's a serious matter."
A sob escaped her throat. The vampires dragged Derek to his feet and shoved him out of her door. Shawn was gone in an instant, leaving Rayesa to collapse onto the floor, crying.
She thought, I turned in my soulmate to the Night World Court—I sent him to his death.
"Keep those eyes wide open, here comes a blind side:
Maybe things happen for a reason, and wherein lies the answer,
To overcome life's unruly lessons,
I'm handed in succession; it builds my pain which make me strong."