Page 19 of Wounded Soul
“So you also know that we can only tweak things on there, not make major changes unless we have the support of the other covens.”
“Yes. But I believe it’s worth reviewing. And if we think changes need to be made, then we can propose these to the other covens.”
As much as Jesse hated to admit, he kind of agreed with Peter, in so much as it wouldn’t hurt to review the concessions they’d made. A lot changed in fifteen years; maybe things could be done better now. He glanced down at the tagging bracelet. Maybe they wouldn’t have to wear those anymore.
“Very well.” Raph squared his shoulders. “I propose a coven-wide vote. All those in favour of a formal review of our agreement with the VLCD, raise your hand.”
Hands went up around the room, Jesse’s and Lys’s included.
“A review meeting it is then.” Raph looked a little surprised that Jesse had raised his hand, and guilt crept in. Jesse wanted to explain, wanted to tell him that it didn’t mean he was siding with Peter. He shot Lys a glance, noting the way she snatched her hand down and rested it on her thigh, seeming as guilty as Jesse felt. “Let’s get the VLCD visit out of the way, and assuming that goes well, I’ll schedule a meeting to go over our current agreement with them.”
His announcement was met with nods.
“I know it’s over two weeks away, but please make sure all your rooms are in order, in case they do random spot checks. I’d like to think that no one in this room is stupid enough to drink from a human, especially with the trackers tying them to any potential crime scenes, but also check there’s nothing that could be misconstrued or taken out of context. I want this visit to go as smoothly as possible.” Raph looked around the room, as though hammering the point home. “If no one has any questions or matters they want to discuss...?” Silence met his question. “Right, I guess that’s it until the next meeting. If you need me for anything else in the meantime, don’t hesitate to come find me.”
As everyone got up to leave, Raph caught Jesse’s eye. “A word please, Jesse?”
Fuck.
Lys gripped his hand, and Raph raised an eyebrow. “You might as well come too, Lys.”
They followed him into a small room off the back of the living area that served as his office and waited for him to close the door. The room was heavily soundproofed, safe.
“Look,” Jesse started. “It’s not that I’m siding with Peter, but—”
“That’s not why I called you in here.”
“Oh.” Jesse shared a look with Lys, and she shrugged a shoulder. Yeah, Jesse had no idea either.
“But since you brought it up, we might as well address it. I’m not annoyed that you and Lys voted for the review.”
Jesse frowned. “You looked surprised though.”
“Because I didn’t think you’d ever agree with anything Peter had to say.”
“Ordinarily, no. But I thought it was a good idea. Despite where it came from.”
I just hope Peter doesn’t read anything more into it.
“It is. Regardless of his behaviour last night and his views on the agreement in general, he was right. Things change, and what we agreed upon fifteen years ago might not be in our best interests now.” He gestured at the desk behind him. “I’m going to go through everything, see if I can spot anything obvious. I think I need to be as prepared as possible going into that meeting.”
Lys stiffened next to Jesse. “D’you think there’s more than hot air behind all Peter’s complaints?” She glanced at Jesse. “I know we take the piss out of him because he’s never fucking happy, but there’s nothing to worry about, right?”
Lys didn’t do well with change. After their last coven leader left to move up north, Lys had taken a few years to get used to Raph.
“Hmm.” Raph leant against the desk, hands clasped in front of him. “While I don’t think Peter would go so far as to try and take the coven from me, he makes no secret of the fact he misses our old way of life. And I suspect he’s not on his own. We fed off humans for hundreds of years without ever seeking to change. It’s going to take time to get used to doing it this way.” He let his fangs drop down, tongue snaking over them. “They miss the hunt,” he whispered, cracking his neck from side to side and breathing in deep. “Miss chasing down that delicious scent as it clings to the air.” His voice was hypnotic, weaving around them, and Jesse swallowed, the phantom taste of blood on his tongue. “They miss that final moment when they capture their prey and get to drink from a warm, living body.”
Fuck, when he put it like that, so did Jesse.
He felt his own fangs slide out in response, body yearning to go outside and see what scents were out there. Then Raph clapped his hands, and Jesse startled, his mind clearing like a fog had been lifted. “What the fuck was that?”
Raph crossed his arms, regarding both Jesse and Lys. “Vampires can be suggestive, persuasive. Some more so than others. As coven leader, I might have an added edge, but I don’t know to what extent Peter can do that. He’d have to be subtle, but imagine him having a word here, a word there, just enough to get them thinking. How long before the demand for our old way of life doesn’t start and end with Peter?”
Jesse wouldn’t lie to himself; everything Raph had just outlined, he missed. They were made to hunt, to feed, but after, when the bloodlust faded and all that remained was an empty shell of a once-vibrant human being... it left him wracked with guilt and remorse and he didn’t missthatfeeling at all. There were only so many criminals out on the streets at night, and even then, not many had committed acts sufficiently vile enough to warrant death.
And sometimes you got it wrong.
The faces of people he’d killed haunted his dreams some nights, mixed in with those from his human life.
