Chapter Five: Constantine
Raven sat staring into the bottom of his glass, the amber liquid staring back up at him almost accusingly. He had long given up liquor for blood, but he felt such self loathing for what had taken place with Tracy Lynn he needed something with a little more kick than his usual bottle of water. Something that burned as it poured down his throat, and sat in his stomach in a bubbling mass of acid and regret.
He had behaved in a way that repulsed him. He had punished her for annoying him, and punished her for wanting something he didn't want to give. He'll never forget how pale and how lifeless she looked when he left her. With one swig he killed his drink and held up a finger to Sonja to indicate he wanted yet another.
She was concerned, given he was acting totally against type, but she obeyed. He was a paying customer after all. Besides, she got a sense that he had little patience for disobedience and didn't particularly want to test the depths of his wrath.
Especially when he looked so angry. He practically snarled at anyone who tried to cozy up to him, even beautiful women who clearly wanted to give themselves to him. He needed to feed, she could tell from the pallor of his complexion, but he seemed reluctant to do so.
She didn't know what exactly was wrong, but she knew something had to be. Very, very wrong.
His mood went from bad to worse when Constantine sauntered over to the bar where Raven sat. Sonja watched from the sidelines as the younger vampire smiled at his master. "What a night," he commented as he signaled for his own drink. "How did things work out with your victim?"
It was a term that hit Raven below the belt. He had made such a point to only take from those willing to give, he never looked at his donors as his "victims" - even though he was stealing their life from them in small doses.
"Not well," Raven muttered as he gulped his second drink, then ordered another. His angry gaze leveled on Constantine. "How about you? Abigail, was it?"
Constantine chuckled. He knew for a fact Raven knew damn well what her name had been. "She's a tigress," he baited. "I can't wait to have her again."
"Bullshit. You didn't have her. Her neck was clean when she left here."
Constantine's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Her neck was clean. The rest of her wasn't."
Raven felt bile rise in his throat. Sonja poured her usual amount of bourbon into his glass, and he indicated rather impatiently that she fill it double. She complied, and he downed his drink in a swallow. "A groupie?" he finally managed to ask.
Constantine contemplated his answer for a moment. For maximum effect he should probably be somewhat honest -- if only to feed Raven's lust. Making Raven burn for what he couldn't have seemed proper punishment considering he had condemned him to a life of damnation and yet allowed his beloved Nina to perish while he slept.
"No," he finally said. "She's a journalist who wants to learn about vampirism from the inside." He gave Raven an evil grin. "I'm more than happy to oblige."
Raven glared at him. "Don't turn her."
"Why? Why would I deny her immortality?"
Raven didn't answer, but Constantine read him like a book. He chuckled. "I had no idea you were so hot for virgins, Raven. Or is it you want to turn her yourself?"
Raven grabbed Constantine by the shirt, which surprised the nearby Sonja. "Never," he hissed. "I too deeply regret the first time I made that mistake."
Constantine's smile faded. "As do I," he said in a low voice as he pushed Raven's hand away.
They sat silently as they drank. Raven's mood went more downhill as he realized Constantine had started to seduce Sonja.
His eyes inhaled her petite frame; from her bobbed black hair to her tiny waist. She had an exotic look, with amber eyes that shown like topaz, and a sleek, almost carved face. Her small breasts lifted up her tiny shirt to expose the smooth tone of her stomach, which was adorned with a belly button ring, as well as an ornate tribal tattoo that sprawled across her tail bone.
Raven watched as the younger vampire seared his way into her thoughts with a purposeful gaze, and then witnessed her body physically respond to his mental manipulation. Her nipples hardened underneath her thin t shirt, and goose flesh spread across her skin as a blush rose up her neck.
When she turned to face him, she gasped. Raven watched her fend off an orgasm.
"What are you doing?" he demanded under his breath.