Chapter 16 pt. 1

“Hello there gentlemen. How can we help you?” Leo began as the crowd moved around us like a rock dropped into a stream.

“Raven will come with us. Alizya has commanded it,” one of the muscular pillars spoke as if he were under someone’s control and the words falling from his mouth were not his own.

“You don’t have that jurisdiction. What has she done?” Leo questioned.

“Raven will come with us,” he produced again.

I could feel the pink cell phone vibrating in my pocket. I wasn’t going to pull it out but it felt like the timing of the call had been done on purpose. Were they calling to warn me or to tell me to go with these robotic men?

“She’s not going with you,” Leo growled, holding me behind him protectively. “You can’t command a vampire.”

“Raven will come with us.”

“Leo, who are they?” I asked quietly, surveying the people around us and readying for a fight. The phone paused its vibration for a moment only to resume the next.

“They’re being controlled by witches. See the bracelets?” Leo returned in a hiss.

My eyes scanned down the chiseled arm of one of the men. Sure enough, at his wrist was a metal cuff with black markings carved into it. This woman, Alizya, was going to great lengths to find me. Should I just go with them? What would I tell Leo?

“Why does she want me?” I shouted, stepping out from behind Leo.

“Raven will come with us.”

“They can’t give you answers. Just let me handle this,” Leo tried.

I ignored him. “What if I don’t go with you?”

The man on the left raised a gun with a straight arm, pointing it at Leo’s head. The crowd around us scurried in every direction, running away from the man with the gun and leaving the space awkwardly empty, Leo and me at the center.

“Come with us and no one gets hurt.”

“This is like a bad movie,” I hissed in frustration.

“I told you to let me handle this,” Leo growled at me.

“Look, there’s no reason for you to be mad at me. Just give me the phone and I’ll go with them. Worst case scenario you have to come rescue me,” I instructed quickly, having already decided to go with the pair.

“You have one minute to comply,” the muscles spoke.

“Cool your jets!” I returned over my shoulder to them.

“Raven, the witches will kill you,” Leo tried as I took the phone out of the box and shoved the box back into his hands.

“If I don’t contact you by day break, you can come get me. You don’t know that they’ll kill me and I don’t either. It’s a big enough scene here without bloodshed.”

“I had better hear from you,” he grumbled before kissing me hard on the mouth.

“I’ll be fine but you had better tell Kris before he explodes from me not being at his training.” I gave Leo a small smile meant as reassurance before tucking the new phone in my pocket opposite the vibrating one and moving toward the man with the gun. As soon as I was close the gun was put away and they tried to grab my arms. I batted them away until one of them finally grabbed me around the waist and hefted me over his shoulder.

“Raven!” Leo called but he was already gone from my line of sight as I fought against the man holding me. I felt a tightness in my chest for a moment and the light around us suddenly changed, prompting me to get mean.

“I came with you willingly,” I grunted as I shoved my foot into the gut of the man holding me, wiggling and clawing my way around to get my arm across his throat. He grabbed my leg with his free arm and tried to pull me off but I wouldn’t let go of his throat until his partner yanked me free. He held me for a moment, as if gauging what I would do, then as soon as I reached for him, I was flung unceremoniously onto the concrete floor and away from the two men. The market had a dirt floor, so I was definitely not in the market anymore and the only explanation that I could come up with was magic.