Page 64 of Claim the Dragon
“She won’t leave without the dagger or without her,” Enes said and suddenly all eyes were on Ravyn.
“Why does she need her so badly?”Shola asked.
But Ravyn raised a hand before anyone else could speak.“Hi, um, ‘her’ is Ravyn and I’m right here.So, before we get into any more detail about who wants me and for what, can someone just tell me who ‘she’ is?”
The next few seconds were filled with everyone in the room staring at her like she’d just spoken in a foreign language.
“She is Temptra the Dhampir,” Bleu replied and in that second Ravyn realized she’d seen him before that night at the Office.
“And what’s a Dhampir?”This time Ravyn looked at Steele because if he was a dragon, surely he could explain what she was betting was another preternatural creature.
But it was Bleu who continued with the explanation while Steele kept his gaze on her.
“Vampires found in the eastern Cape region of Africa were once known as Impundulu.They were usually men controlled by a witch who made sure they were properly fed to keep them from turning on her.”
“Are you serious?”Ravyn asked, looking from Bleu to Steele and then back to Bleu again.During the exchange she noticed that Theo was looking directly at Steele.
Bleu didn’t answer her questions, he just kept talking.
“Throughout history there were rare stories of Impundulu mating with their witch, creating a mixed breed species called the Dhampir.”
Ravyn was about to ask another question when Enes spoke.
“Temptra can’t use the dagger.Only you can.Ravyn.”Enes said her name so pointedly Ravyn couldn’t help but stare at her.
“How did she know only Ravyn could use it?”Steele finally spoke.
“Because I told her,” Enes said.“I knew because I found her name and picture along with other papers in Warrick’s vault.Her mother was a descendant of some old crazy woman rumored to be a witch in the Congo or some other place over there in Africa.Anyway, she has the blood of something called a Chosen.I guess Warrick had been in contact with Temptra when he tried his ‘raise the dead’ coup and failed dismally.Thanks to you.”
The last was said with a nod to Shola and Ravyn found herself trying to keep up.She didn’t know the names of all the players that had been mentioned so far, but she could just about piece together the gist of the situation.
Two people wanted to raise the dead—Warrick and Temptra.Shola, at one time was the thorn in their side and now, it was Ravyn’s turn at bat.What was a little harder to wrap her mind around—perhaps because she knew basically nothing about her mother who’d died giving birth to her—was that she was something called a Chosen.
“Why is a bunch of dead, again, vampires so damn important to you people?”Reese asked Enes.
Ravyn hadn’t realized he’d stopped tapping that pen on the table, but now he sat forward staring at Enes, who only shrugged.
“I don’t really know.I managed the club for Warrick and served as the point person between him and, ah, his business associates in the city.I didn’t really get into all this ancient stuff.But Temptra mentioned a guy.I can’t remember what she called him, but he’s the important one.He’s the one she needs to raise, but her spells won’t work alone, she needs the dagger.”
“It’s a knife!”Ravyn yelled.“We’re talking about a dirty old knife that’s probably meant to kill more than it’s meant to bring someone or somethingback to life.”
For some reason her heart had begun to thump faster.The more Enes spoke, the harder it pounded, and her fingers were tingling.She kept her hands in her lap, beneath the table, but the feeling was intensifying.
“It was made to raise the dead,” Steele said quietly.“Egyptians strongly believed in life after death.That’s why they mummified everything from their people to their pets, but the pharaohs wanted more power, they wanted to control the timing of life after death.The dagger was created for that purpose, but only certain ones could use it in that way.That’s what the pawn shop dealer and the antiques dealer meant by it being cursed.Because whoever wasn’t meant to use it to bring back the dead, would die by the next full moon, instead, for having what didn’t belong to them.Daron Robles is dead.And you’re not.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t realize you were the one,” he said and when their gazes locked and held she could feel that there was so much more he wanted to say.“I was, ah, thrown off a little earlier tonight when you walked into Robles’s house.Because your mind was wiped clean the night before.You shouldn’t have remembered that house, the dagger, my eyes.None of it,” he said.“It should’ve all been gone.I kept trying to figure out why that wasn’t the case, but now it all makes sense.If you’re the descendant of an ancient witch, perhaps you used your magick to circumvent the mind cleaning.”
Whoa!Wait a minute, this was all going just a little too fast.She was just Ravyn Walsh, the girl that was never supposed to amount to anything.These people, this man, none of them had any right telling her she was something else.
“Wow.”It was the only thing she could say amidst the jumble of things clamoring around in her head and the swirl of emotions invading her chest, and it seemed woefully inadequate.
“We need to stop her and get the boy back,” Theo said sternly.“Bleu has a location but it’s best to move when she doesn’t expect it and when she’s at her weakest.”
“In the morning?”Aiken asked.
“No,” Theo replied.“Just before dawn.She’ll be tired and it’ll still be dark enough to hold our cover.”
