Page 103 of The Last Raven
‘You haven’t?’
‘Uh, no.’ I fall silent, wondering if I’ve given away too much. Our hands swing between us as we wander along the edge of the waves, the sky getting lighter.
‘Shall we get a coffee soon,’ he says, ‘once the café opens?’
‘That sounds nice.’
‘But first, will you tell me something?’
I glance at him. His profile is silhouetted dark against the sea, like the back of a coin. ‘Okay?’
He pauses. ‘Who are you really?’
‘What?’ I frown, then laugh, though I’ve gone cold inside. ‘I told you, my name’s Emily.’
‘What’s your last name?’
I stop walking. So does he, letting go of my hand. I swallow. ‘Uh, it’s Reynolds. Emily Reynolds.’ I give him the last name Kyle once gave me, as I can’t think of anything else.
His brow creases. ‘So why,Emily Reynolds, can I smell violets all around you?’
The way he says my name, I know he knows I’m lying. What I don’t know is how. He holds my gaze a moment longer, then rolls his eyes, sighing. He holds out his arm, the inside of his wrist turned upwards, his fist clenched. ‘Smell me.’
‘What? No!’ I make a face. But he keeps holding out his arm and, as I take a breath, I catch it. Violets. I bend closer to his outstretched wrist. His skin is pale, smooth, the muscles strongly defined. I sniff.
‘Is it… anti-feed?’ I know it isn’t. He shakes his head, taking his arm back.
‘No. It’s me. My bloodline. Like yours. You know humans can’t usually smell it, don’t you?’
I stare at him. I hadn’t known that.
‘So tell me again, Emily. Who are you?’
‘Who areyou?’ I whisper.
‘You first,’ he says, starting to smile. The sun is red gold on the horizon, the cool morning breeze blowing softly from the ocean. I shake my head.
‘I can’t,’ I whisper. The amusement leaves his face.
‘Okay.’ He leans forward. His voice becomes lower, quieter. ‘I’ll go first. But you have to promise not to tell.’
‘I promise.’
‘I’m Mistral.’ His voice is pitched so low I have to strain to hear him. My eyes widen. ‘No one knows,’ he goes on. ‘I’m just Michael, here. Another orphan among so many.’
I stare at him, open-mouthed. ‘B-but, I don’t understand?—’
‘No one does. It’s not a known thing, is it? That vamps can have human children. I haven’t even met one like me. My father tried to turn me, several times, after my mother died—’ his eyes flicker with remembered pain ‘—but it didn’t work. So he threw me out. And I came here.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ I say. It’s all I can manage, my mind reeling. I remember his father, burning in a metal chair. And my mother, sitting on my bed.I did hear there might be one other, she said. And here he is. Tears fill my eyes at the thought of her, of my old life.
‘Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.’ He touches my hand. ‘It’s ancient history, no need to worry. So—’ he shrugs ‘—hit me with it. Your secret can’t be as big as mine. Trust me.’
I take in a breath, blowing it out, then another. He starts to look worried. But my secret is so much bigger than he knows. Can I trust him? My trust is a fragile thing, still, Kyle’s betrayal like a mark on my soul.
Then I realise. It doesn’t matter. This isn’t about Michael. It’s about me, and who I really am. The world is turning to gold, the sky a blue-streaked bowl. Waves murmur, the breeze ruffling our hair. Everything feels as though it’s waiting, the world poised between night and day. When I decide it feels like release, as though I’m unfurling. The words come out in a rush of breath.
‘I am Raven.’
