Over the next few days, or nights, Raven shared with Bruce and the others the information she had been collecting since her days in Jump City. About the people who had been converted and the possible reasons. Rumors of what the Queen looked like. Data about the abilities she had… Everything she could remember and what she knew they could deduce, like locations she might be using or other mobsters she might be controlling.

It was no surprise, of course, when attacks on humans began to increase with just the passing of days. Even before Raven arrived, Tim commented at one point, it seemed like more and more bodies were turning up in broad daylight. The bodies had clear signs of having been dried to the last drop, others were tortured. So much so that many people had already come out to testify about the "strange creatures" that prowled and lurked at night. It was a lucky break that the Gothamites hadn't panicked yet.

Barbara, her arms crossed and her brows furrowed, had remarked that if they kept up this way, it wouldn't be long before the authorities declared a curfew.

Raven exhaled, resting one of her hands on the window and looking through it. She had powerful vision, but that didn't mean she could see beyond the walls that surrounded the mansion. However, she knew that it was more than likely that they were already out on the streets, patrolling and investigating.

She licked her lips and swallowed. Her senses were on edge, and she knew exactly why.

And then Damian Wayne's confident footsteps had her spinning on her heel before she did something crazy.

He frowned when she opened her bedroom door without his knocking, but all traces of confusion soon evaporated into thin air as their gazes locked.

Sure, it wasn't uncommon for the vampire to know when someone was around.

"I'm going on patrol," he informed her. His serious voice, without question or doubt.

And this time she was the one who frowned, tilting her head in confusion. His father had ordered him to keep an eye on her, and Raven doubted that would include leaving her alone in the mansion with the sweet old butler.

But Damian just turned around.

"If what you've told us is true, you won't do anything you shouldn't," he continued, not caring that she hadn't said anything yet.

The truth was that it wasn't a decision taken lightly. Damian had been watching her for the past few days as ordered, and the only odd thing about her behavior —aside from the whole thing about her being a vampire collaborating with vampire hunters— was that she hadn't made the slightest effort to seek or ingest any blood..

Raven was a quiet girl. Too calm for him not to doubt her motivations. This was a test.

Besides, he had already warned Alfred of what he planned to do.

However, he hadn't taken more than a step when she took his arm, managing to tilt him back.

"Wait."

For an undead, her hands were unbelievably warm, Damian thought as he saw her skin contrasting with his, before looking up again.

"Let me go with you."

"What?" that was definitely not something he had expected to hear. His knitted brows were a clear signal to Raven.

She licked her lips once more and wondered if what she was going to say next would have more negative effect than positive, but the truth was that she couldn't take it anymore and everything she heard, everything she felt —the little animals running, the pots being stirred by the butler, Damian's heartbeat — wouldn't let her think straight.

It was getting dangerous.

"Please," she said. "I'm thirsty—"

Damian's reaction was swift, practically ripping her arm from his grip and drawing his sword in a single movement that, though Raven was able to perceive, she made no effort to stop.

Her back hit the cold wall and soon his forearm was pinning her just below the neck.

Raven swallowed, suddenly very aware of his body almost pressed against hers, and of every slight movement that might or might not touch her at any moment.

It took all of her to hold his gaze even as he brought his sword dangerously close to her face, the glint reflecting off the blade.

"What? It's not tasty if it's not fresh?" he asked, referring to the bags of blood that had been offered to her every breakfast she had been with them, obviously not expecting an answer. "Did you think I would willingly take you with me so that you can hunt down unfortunate people?"

Raven's eyes widened, coming to herself and not letting the thirst get the better of her.

"Of course not," she replied firmly, but made no attempt to break free of his grasp. Damian's voice, as close as it was to her, was keeping her sane and alert enough. "I don't know what you did to get those bags, but I don't drink human blood."

Damian tightened his grip, incredulous of what Raven was saying even though she held his gaze without hesitation.

As far as he knew, it was true that a vampire wouldn't die from not eating blood. However, not dying didn't mean a good thing, it only meant that they could go berserk at any moment and start a rampage filled with madness. It had happened before, Damian had no doubt it would happen again.

It was in their cruel predatory nature, a diet was not enough.

But the creature in front of him didn't look away and he was forced to ask:

"What do you mean?"

His voice was suspicious. Of course a hunter wouldn't believe her right off the bat. However, as it seemed to have become customary by now, Raven was not intimidated and instead just offered the best explanation that came to her mind at the time.

"I don't need to drink human blood unless it's a matter of life and death," she said, turning her gaze to his sword and silently asking him to let her go.

Narrowing his eyes, Damian sensed no hostility from her, so he decided to relent. Slowly, he stepped back, but he didn't sheath his sword or lower his guard, and his gaze never left hers.

At least he didn't until Raven was licking her lips again, when he noticed how dry they were.

"Just let me go with you," she requested once more.

And Damian had to admit that his curiosity outweighed his misgivings as he agreed with a nod.

But…

"One misstep, and you'll be dust before dawn," he warned.

Raven knew better than to think it was an empty threat.

"It's to my understanding that you changed your plans regarding the lady, young master Damian," the butler's nonchalant words over the intercom made Damian almost wince.

His tone betrayed that he wasn't at all surprised by what he had done, more as if he had expected it from the beginning, and that was not something Damian was amused at all.

"Should I inform Master Bruce of your date night?"

"I'd appreciate your discretion for now, Pennyworth," Damian replied, looking around for Raven. It might be childish, but he wouldn't have to put up with the butler's taunts if it weren't for her.

Both had left the mansion. Although their main objective had been to patrol the areas that their father and the others had ruled out as possible hunting grounds, now they were at a dead end, basically at the back door of a bar that couldn't think of a better idea than to throw their garbage and waste in a place that was obviously not for that.

And in the middle of all those garbage bags, there was the vampire, looking for something that he couldn't understand.

"Understood, young master Damian. Come back early."

"TT."

Damian exhaled and eased off the alley wall as the communication went dead to move closer to the vamp. He saw her bent over, with something in her hands, and frowned when he realized what was happening.

"That's disgusting," Damian told her without compunction as the blood from the rat she'd caught ran through her fingers.

She swallowed her drink and for the first time in their acquaintance avoided meeting his eyes, hiding, as if embarrassed.

"Believe me, if I didn't have to, I wouldn't," she replied quietly, still with her back to him, and Damian cocked his head to the side.

Raven felt his gaze on the back of her neck and shifted uncomfortably, trying to finish off the animal as soon as possible so she could dispose of the body and wash herself.

Raven hated blood. That of humans, that of animals. To her they all tasted the same and were just as disgusting.

But she knew she couldn't live without it. She knew that this was just a pipe dream.

From a very young age she had understood that more than food, blood was like a vital drug for creatures like her. A strong sedative that prevented her senses from exploding from overstimulation. A painkiller that guaranteed her abilities without weighing her down.

The only difference was that to her peers, human blood probably tasted different. Maybe sweeter, or maybe they just killed and died searching, trying to find the sweetest blood, obsessing over different versions every day.

Rumor had it that the more special the human, the better their blood would taste.Special was somewhat subjective, though, and until now no one knew what that meant, or at least she hadn't been told.

However, for her, a single sip was enough to sustain her for more than a week. As a medicine, Raven would never want more than the bare minimum. But she doubted it was the same for the other vampires, who had already succumbed to the darkness of their thirst.

"The easiest way to live well is to drink human blood," she finished, placing the rat's body on a flattened black bag and then wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Damian watched her arrange the animal's body on top of the rest of the trash. She didn't leave it lying around or hide it among other debris, but placed it as if it were a pet that had just died, as if she felt deeply sorry for doing what she did to it, before hearing her continue.

"But once you start, there's no going back. The more you drink, the more you want. The lower class lose their sanity easily, the upper class don't mind being more vicious to get what they want."

"But it's the first time you've drunk blood since you came with us," he commented, remembering the crimson of her gaze when he bled during the battle with the vampire in the warehouse. "Probably from before."

She gulped visibly.

"It's not the only thing I can eat, but once in a while I have to quench my thirst," she explained, looking back at him. "I would never drink from humans, though."

Damien narrowed his eyes.

It was not information he was aware of. In fact, he doubted that his father or any of his siblings had ever heard of such a thing before, or that other vampires had. Common food, cooked or prepared, was not something that creatures of the night could normally eat. They couldn't process it and they couldn't live without drinking human blood because their abilities would drop drastically or they would become like rabid animals —at worst. And yet, the creature in front of him didn't look and hadn't looked bad or weaker at all.

She glowed somehow, compared to the other vampires he had come across and even among humans, Raven gave off something different. Mystical almost, though that wasn't something he was going to say out loud.

But that only made him cross his arms as he watched her, thinking. It was as if a certain piece of information was trying to get out. Trying to enlighten him, and yet it was too small and improbable to make it.

Is it even possible?

"Look," she caught his attention, then, getting up and turning to face him. Her cloak danced over her body, and it ended up covering her from her shoulders to her feet, hiding her bloodstained arms. "I know it's not common, but—"

Raven stopped abruptly. Her brows knitting together in concentration as a sound caught her attention.

"What's the matter?" Damian wanted to know as well, putting himself on guard by putting one of his hands on his sword quickly.

But even if Raven had had time to explain, she didn't. Without thinking twice or asking, she reached out to take Damian's wrist. He didn't have time to demand to know what she was doing when she, with a single impulse, rose to the roof of the building next to them.

One would think that being a high place and with the extra weight of another body, she would have to exert more force and therefore the landing would be loud or clumsy, but instead it was delicate, almost as if she had just levitated up there with Damian in tow.

And she didn't let go until they were both on the other side of the roof. He, frowning and waiting for an explanation, and she looking towards the street, searching for something. She was alert and Damian could tell clearly by the tension in her shoulders.

It was then that Damian's cell phone vibrated in one of the pockets of his utility belt.

"Damian, where... are you?" and Tim's voice was the first thing he hear. His voice was choppy, as if there was no signal.

Damian took a second to respond. Doubtful if Alfred had ratted him out. However, hearing background noise, like a battle —although he could only make out Jason cursing and firing his weapons—, he decided to ask "why?" instead of specifying his location.

"Vampires…trafficking…They fled in a white van," whatever Tim was saying, Damian could only make out half of it. He had to cover his other ear to try to hear better even though the problem wasn't on his side."From… headed… outskirts of Gotham—! You are closer…!"

The next thing Damian could hear was a thud, then silence. Either Tim had been hit or whatever he used to call him had fallen. Anyway, calling him back was not an option.

Damian looked at his cell phone. There was no time to go back to the mansion. He could call Alfred and ask him to operate the computer, but, as talented as the butler was, he wasn't sure how long that would take either.

He took a breath. He also didn't know the exact location of his brothers, so he couldn't predict which way the vampires were taking to get out of the city.

Anyway, he had to start moving. A white van was what he was looking for—

"There," but then Raven, who had been silent for a while, pointed down a street.

At that time the traffic was less than light, so it was not difficult to detect the erratic movement of a white car, as if the driver was rushing.

"Let's go."

And before he could say anything, Raven had already thrown herself off the roof, timing the exact moment the van would pass right down the street in front of them. The few people that were there at that time of night, almost dawn, screamed, and it was not for less, because the creature that had landed, this time with enough force to break the ground right in front of the car, was hidden under her hood and emitted a presence so strong that it was even felt in the air.

The van couldn't do more than turn to the side of the street, its tires rattling against the asphalt with so much friction that it seemed like smoke was coming out.

All in a matter of seconds.

Damian blinked at the display of power, almost dazed and knowing that such an ostentatious entrance was going to cost them their discretion. However, he quickly regained his composure to drop as well, firing his batclaw mid-fall to break his landing.

By this time, the vampires who had been driving the van had already left. The feeling they gave off was completely different from Raven's, but no less dangerous for that.

They were probably middle-class vampires, as even though their irises were tinged with blood red, they seemed to maintain enough sanity to follow the orders of the ones Jason and Tim were facing.

Damian drew his sword. They had to get this over with fast.

"Release the humans you have there," he commanded, not needing to point at the van.

But one of the vampires, the taller one, only looked at Raven.

"Why would you resist your nature?" he asked, as if he already knew who she was and what she was doing, even though Raven's expression said otherwise. "Joining forces with a hunter, no less."

She bared her claws, stepping forward and looking for a split second at Damian.

"Do what the hunter says."

"You are so strong," however, the vampire continued to speak. Claws also grew from his hands and his eyes shone, seeking to intimidate either of them in any way. "It's a shame you decided to be labeled a traitor—"

But Raven was faster, launching the attack without warning. Her claws were quickly intercepted by those of the other vampire, who had been silent, pushing her to the side and knocking her off balance.

"If I drink your blood, will I become as strong as you?" the second vampire asked, but didn't have time to hear any answers, for he soon found himself dodging Damian's batarangs, whose blasts gave Raven time to create distance.

"It offends me that you forget about me," Robin commented.

The vampires looked annoyed. There was no worse disgrace than losing against a human.

But they wouldn't back off. If they won that, if they killed the traitor and turned the hunter into a servant, they would be promoted. They could drink the blood of a high-class vampire. They could rise in the existing hierarchy of their species.

Raven knew that someone had promised them that. It was what they always did after all. And a vampire's ambition was not to be underestimated.

Not even hers.

So, they both attacked.

The battle did not last long. With the second vampire turned to ashes after being impaled through the chest by Robin and the most talkative vampire being held by the neck by Raven.

As she choked him enough that he couldn't move, Robin went to free the victims. With his sword he struck the lock of the van's door, and although there seemed to be no movement for a few seconds, soon the door was opened and inside were people of all ages: adults, teenagers and even children, all gagged. Some were probably relatives of others.

Raven's heart sank as she watched them leave one by one. She could hear their frightened heartbeats, just as she could feel their reduced presences as they avoided eye contact. Her fingers, almost turning white tightened around the enemy's neck. The only reason she hadn't eliminated him was because she knew that if they had come out of one of the hideouts they had tracked down, he had information on the Queen.

She looked back at him, aware of the approaching sirens.

"How can you do this?" she questioned, jerking him a bit, as if that would make him explain better.

The vampire looked into her eyes, then down at her hand. Raven gave him just enough space to speak, hearing Damian's soft footsteps walking toward them.

Of course, nothing prepared her for what she would hear next:

"The same way you killed your mother and those who came looking for you."

And Raven saw red. The frustration quickly turning into rage, rage quickly becoming uncontrollable.

If she screamed, she didn't know. If her eyes turned crimson at the vampire's blood, she didn't care either. The only thing her mind was able to register was the force with which she struck the vampire in the face, shattering —more than certain —his entire jaw and part of his skull. In fact, putting her fist through his head, causing a whole pool of dark blood to fall to the floor and stain her shoes.

All in a matter of seconds.

The people they had rescued gasped. The children between them screamed, and if it hadn't been for the warmth of Damian's hand on her shoulder, bringing her to her senses, Raven would probably have impaled his chest next.

He wasn't showing any particular expression. He wasn't frowning as usual, nor did he seem surprised or angry. He was just looking at her, waiting for something.

And her hands began to shake when she understood what had happened, just as the police arrived.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Raven dropped the vampire and took a step back, and then another.

For a split second she looked around. Some of the policemen had already drawn their weapons and were looking at her carefully and cautiously. The children and young people they had rescued had been paralyzed, their hearts beating a thousand times per second.

Suddenly, Raven felt that everyone was looking at her. Not just looking, but judging. Full of fear and hostility and suspicion.

Damian frowned. Raven's eyes showed terror at what was happening. Not only that, her breathing seemed to be fast. Like…

"Robin!" but then Damian heard the voice of one of his brothers. Both Red Hood and Red Robin had arrived on the scene on two different motorcycles, each watching in quiet amazement at the entire scene that had transpired.

Tim frowned when he saw the vampire's body on the floor.

"What the fuck?" but it was Jason who spoke first, basically dropping his motorcycle to the side like it didn't matter. "What the hell happened here?"

But there was no time for explanations when Damian noticed that Raven was no longer there. Under normal circumstances he would have thought that she had escaped, or that she had betrayed them. And although, in fact, Damian did not doubt that it was a possibility, the memory of Raven's desperate expression made him think twice.

So he just exhaled, pointing his sword disinterestedly at the vampire's body.

"He won't die with that and you know it," he said before firing his batclaw at the nearest building. His blood had not turned black, but dark, which meant that he was going to regenerate. Maybe not soon, but he would. "See you at the manor. We need to talk."

"We need to, indeed," was all he managed to hear as he rose.

Thanks to the tracker he had put on Raven's cloak earlier that night, he was easily able to locate her with Alfred's help from the cave, who guided him to one of the tallest buildings in all of Gotham City, from which almost half of the city could be seen.

Raven didn't flinch even when he appeared at her side without warning. Instead, she didn't even look up and only hugged her knees closer to her chest as the wind blew hard at their cloaks.

Neither said anything for a long time.

And then Raven took a breath.

"I didn't kill her," she said. Knowing that if she had spoken a little lower, Damian wouldn't have been able to hear her because of the wind. "But it was my fault that she died."

Raven still remembered that day like a fuzzy nightmare. Or rather, she couldn't forget it. How those vampires had broken into her house looking for her. How her mother had stepped in to help her escape…

Arella may not have been the most mentally stable person, but she loved Raven like a mother would love her children.

"I had only been out for a few minutes. I wanted to be normal for a while. I didn't know they were looking for me," Raven pursed her lips and without looking at him added: "They were the first vampires I killed."

How vaguely she remembered leaving their bodies abandoned, though. Not being able to recall what had happened clearly. That was what terrified her the most.

Damian approached her slowly, ignoring the beautiful view of the city lit up at night. He wasn't going to say yet that it was weird that she'd been followed. He didn't know how the one who called herself the queen of vampires operated, but the fact that she had sent for her, specifically her, was clearly not aligned with what they had discovered up to that moment.

Perhaps it was because the queen had thought that Raven would be easy to manipulate? Damian doubted it.

There was something she wasn't telling him or perhaps something neither of them was aware of, but strangely, he thought that that could wait.

"My mother was turned into a servant," he said then, causing her to lift her head in his direction and search his gaze. "When I was just starting to work with my father."

The story was not that long. Although his mother had been an extraordinary hunter, losing her life on a job like theirs wasn't uncommon.

However, his surprise was great when he and his father had to face her, completely converted and without any control over her actions. Neither was one to show feelings and the truth was that he doubted what his parents felt for each other, but even so the battle was more exhausting mentally than physically.

He clenched his hands into fists. They had not only defeated her, but also humiliated her. The vampire who had done that had already turned to dust years ago, but it wasn't something he could easily forgive. Not when he'd been so weak to let his father save him from his mother.

"I don't think it's something people can easily heal from."

Raven watched him for a few seconds in silence.

"Why are you telling me this?" as far as she was concerned, he might as well have already declared her another enemy of humanity.

But Damian just shrugged and looked back at the city, before turning completely away.

Why was he telling her all this?

He himself didn't know.

"We have to get back before father and the others come looking for us," he said, and when he only drew his batclaw, but didn't fire it, Raven knew he was waiting for her.

A warm, bubbling feeling in her chest made her smile slightly. That he went looking for her, that he told her about his mother, that he didn't accuse her of being a murderer despite having so much grudge against creatures like her...

Even if he suspected her...

Raven knew it was his way of saying that he understood her.

She got up then, feeling the breeze on her cheeks. If he heard her approach, he didn't show it when Raven leaned her forehead against his back.

"Thank you, Damian."

Damian didn't move, and perhaps even stopped breathing for a few seconds, being surprised by the warmth he suddenly felt as he heard her say his name, call him, for the first time. Everything stopped and it was just them for that moment, illuminated by the distant lights of the city, observed only by the almost invisible stars. They, in a still and quiet world.

But that second of surprise passed, and time and the world continued to move around them.

They had to go back, so he nodded once.

"Let's go, Raven."