DISCLAIMER- I only own my OC Rayvn and the plot. Everything else belongs to Patricia Briggs
Mercy knew she was hiding something, she just didn't know what it was yet. "Do you have a place to stay?" She asked, hoping she already did. There wasn't room left at her place with Samuel living there and she doubted the girl would be able to tolerate a house full of wolves.
Rayvn stared at her, wondering why she had even asked. "No, I just…" She hesitated, glancing in Stefan's direction. Stefan smiled, "I already know what you are walker. I assume that is why you tracked down Mercy?" He said, making it a question. Rayvn nodded nervously, "I just turn coyote and stay wherever I feel like." She shrugged; she had slept in worse places.
"You might want to be careful where you take your rest", Stefan felt obligated to warn, "there are some who would not hesitate to kill you if they found out what you are." Rayvn looked at him, trying to figure out if he was serious. He didn't look like he was joking. "But who would possibly want me dead? I keep well away from people's pets, I am not a threat to the fae, and the wolves won't hunt me unless I provoke them into doing so. There's nothing else out there so who would try to kill me?" She said, thoroughly puzzled.
Could the girl, Rayvn, really not know? Was she truly that naïve? Stefan thought, but then, Mercedes hadn't known either until she walked into the Seethe. "Do not be so sure that there isn't anything else to fear just because the general public hasn't been made aware of them. The Seethe would not hesitate to harm you if they thought that they could, after all the walkers once used to hunt us until they were nearly destroyed." He finally said cautiously. Rayvn stared at him; she hadn't missed how he used the word 'us'. She wondered who he was and more importantly what this Seethe was.
Mercy sighed, vampires, she thought to herself, were a pain in the ass. "Look, it's late, how about we meet up again tomorrow night?" She asked, hoping that Stefan got the message that she wanted him there as well. Right now though she really wanted to go home and get food, sleep, and a shower. Not necessarily in that order. She saw Stefan nod and took it that he'd understood and would be there. "How about a 6 o'clock tomorrow?" Stefan asked, since it was the soonest he could make it without scaring the child. Mercy knew what he was but obviously this Rayvn had no idea.
Rayvn nodded, "sure sounds easy enough. Same time same place?" She asked. Mercy, having opened her mouth to say 'sure' was cut off by Stefan. "How about meeting at my place so that we could all be comfortable instead of standing, I'm sure you have plenty of questions." Mercy didn't protest but sent him a look that said she wasn't done with him, after all, Stefan had never cut her off before. He was way to polite.
"Sure" Rayvn shrugged, not really caring where they met so long as she got her answers. Stefan grabbed a pen from the office area and smiled at the amount of paperwork Mercedes had neglected again. He came back out with his address and a number he could be reached at if she had trouble finding the placae. Rayvn took it and mumbled "thanks" before turning around and heading out to who knows where, wondering what tomorrow would bring .
When Mercy heard the car start up, wincing inwardly at the sounds it was making. She turned to face her friend, arms crossed infront of her and a confused look on her face.
Stefan grinned, "There won't be anyone there, Naome is taking everyone out for a movie and I don't have anyone living there that is bound right now that Fred is at the Seethe. So the house will be empty." He said. "Your place is too near the pack for her to be comfortable and I would feel better if she was somewhere…protected." He said, referring to the fact that any vampire would need an invitation to cross the threshold of his house.
"And she would be more comfortable in a vampire's house?" Mercy said, raising an eyebrow.
"But she doesn't know I'm a vampire." Stefan said grinning wider and showing his fangs.
"Keep that up and it won't take her long." Mercy muttered as she stepped outside. Stefan pulled her back in. "What are you do…." She stopped at the look on Stefan's face. "Stay here, and don't invite anyone in." He warned, "there is another vampire out there." As if on cue a figure stepped into the light.