The White Raven

Mistake

Barely anyone is up yet, which is good because I still haven't quite managed to pull myself together. We reach Alwood's door and I place my hand on it, it should open beneath my touch, open to all Wiccan's, but as soon as I touch the wood it burns my hand. I pull it away, pain radiating up my arm, clenching my teeth. I hear Jessie hiss in my head and I can't help but grin.

Eric looks at me worried. "Raven... Did he bite you?"

"No." Both Jessie and I speak in unison, "it's his blood." I look down at my hand and see a pentagram burnt into my skin. I try and make a fist but as the skin moves I flinch. "Can you..." I indicate to the door and he knocks once.

A few seconds pass and then the door swings open. I pull shoulders back, and then I'm back in my protective shell, no more fractures visible. The perfect soldier. We walk through and the door closes behind us. Once again Alwood sits behind her desk, her head down filling out papers.

"What do you want Eric? I'm busy." Her voice is annoyed.

I clear my throat and her head snaps up; as soon as she sees me she realizes something is wrong.

"What did you do?" She stands up and I catch her hand flick under her desk, a flash of silver as she takes a knife just in case.

I swallow, looking down. My hair falls over my shoulder separating me from the two of them. I breathe deeply unsure how to start.

"What did you do, Raven?" Her voice is sharper now.

"I...I made a mistake. When you called the meeting, I was training and I saw a vampire outside the walls."

I can feel her eyes burning into me.

"Against your orders I went outside, I thought I could just get rid of it quickly." I stop, closing my eyes as the memories come back. "It was Jessie. He caught me off guard; he fed me his blood. I...I tried to fight him but... he was strong, stronger than any vampire I've fought before. He compelled me to promise to come to him when he called me, and he said... He said that I would be his queen." I finish and stay still breathing hard as I try to forget the memories.

I told her everything; everything except that he bit me. It was unlike the other bite; whereas that one had been all pain this one had been all pleasure, and I had a feeling it worked the other way to. Something about it just seemed too intimate to share.

I can practically feel her anger and I slowly raise my head and meet Alwood's stare. Eric is standing a few paces behind me. Alwood presses down on a button on her desk and then moves around the table.

"Ok. We can deal with this." I can tell she's trying so hard not to lose it. "Until we know that his blood is out of your system and we've gotten rid of him, I'm sorry Raven but I have to detain you. We can't risk this situation getting any worse, nor can we risk you falling into enemy hands."

At that same moment the door opens and two slayers come in all dressed in black.

"They're going to take down to the interrogation room, they'll take you the back way and no one needs to know besides us, I'll tell everyone that you're on a mission and you won't be kept in chains or anything like that but you won't be able to leave."

I bow my head knowing that I can't argue or I'll just make it worse.

"Once this is all blown over, we're going to have a chat about your loyalties."

"Of course, head mistress." I feel a hand grab each of my arms and I let them.

They guide me through Alwood's office to the back wall, Eric following behind me, before Alwood calls him back. The wall dissolves away and a stairwell leads down and we start to walk down.

*

I'm leaning against the wall my eyes closed. The interrogation room is big and open, walls of white plaster with several layers of steel hidden on the other side, a table and two chairs in the middle as well as a one-way window. I'm alone and I don't know what makes me start to talk but I do.

Why me? I ask him.

I hear him laugh, you really don't know?

I roll my eyes; can you never actually answer a question?

All in good time ask the right ones and I might just spill.

I grind my teeth, and then something pops up again.

Why didn't your bite hurt me?

Silence. It grows longer and I shift so I'm curled up on my side and put my head in my hands.

Why did it feel so intimate? I'm so confused; I don't know what to think. What did you do to me? My voice holds no conviction, it's a mere question no force behind, to tired and depressed to try.

I didn't do anything. If you felt pleasure it means... I can hear him hesitating whether to tell me the truth or not.

I wait but he doesn't continue, I groan in frustration and then curl further in on myself trying to protect against the cold as it seeps into my skin.

This is going to be agony, my thoughts and his.