Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Raven's Pov

The moment I stepped into the Den, I knew I had made a mistake. The place was shrouded in darkness, like a void swallowing everything whole. A thick, sickening stench of blood invaded my nostrils, making my stomach churn. My instincts screamed at me to turn around and leave, but something inside me pushed forward.

The wailing, the sobbing I had heard moments ago had stopped. Now, there was nothing but silence. A dreadful, suffocating silence that made my skin prickle. My throat tightened and my fingers curled into fists as I forced my feet to keep moving.

Then I saw them.

Four women lay sprawled across the marble floor, their bodies were lifeless, their necks slit open like cattle in a slaughterhouse. Their blood soaked the ground, pooling around them like a horrific piece of art and my entire body went numb as my mind was unable to process the nightmare before me.

One of the women twitched and her lips moved as if she wanted to speak. I saw her fingers tremble, as she lifted it up just enough to signal one thing to me—run!

A choked gasp escaped my lips and before I could stop myself, I screamed.

The sound shattered the silence, echoing against the glass walls of the Den. My breath hitched as I stumbled backward and my shaking hands gripped the edges of my skirt. This isn’t real. This can’t be real right ?

It was fucking real.

Something loomed behind me with a cold and suffocating presence. Before I could react and run, I slammed into a solid figure and my back collided with something cold and unmoving. A scent of smoke, blood, and something dark intoxicating filled my senses. My body was too tense and my instincts were screaming at me to not turn around.

But I did and that was the second mistake I made that night.

My gaze lifted to meet four sets of blood-red eyes, glowing in the dim light like burning embers. They weren’t human. They were beautiful in the most terrifying way possible with sharp cheekbones, perfect lips, a skin so pale it looked like it had never seen sunlight. They were dressed in dark, elegant shirts and the fabric hugged their powerful forms like second skin.

The one standing directly in front of me tilted his head, his red gaze burning into mine with an expression I couldn’t decipher. Curiosity? Amusement? Hunger?

I didn’t wait to find out.

Survival instincts kicked in, and I ran.

I barely registered the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears as I bolted. My feet carried me toward the nearest exit, a tall window at the far end of the Den. Without thinking, I lunged.

The glass shattered as I crashed through it, a sharp sting slashed across my arm from the impact but I didn't want to tell it, I hit the ground hard, rolling onto the cold pavement and Ignored the pain, I scrambled to my feet and sprinted toward the school gates where my car was waiting.

“Drive,” I choked out as I threw myself inside.

The driver turned, startled. “Miss Raven, what—?”

“I said drive!” I shrieked, my voice raw with panic. “Now please.”

He didn’t ask any more questions as the tires screeched against the pavement while we sped off, leaving the school and the four monsters inside that cursed Den behind.

I stormed into the mansion, ignoring my mother and Devereux as they called after me. My hands were still shaking as I ran to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. God! My breathing was ragged, my chest kept rising and falling rapidly as I tried to process what I had just seen.

They killed them.

They killed those women.

Who were they? Because they were NOT human. I buried my face in my hands, squeezing my eyes shut, but the images wouldn’t leave my mind. The blood, The red eyes and the way they looked at me like I was their next meal.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, my body trembled and my heart refused to calm down but suddenly, I heard a voice.

A Soft, mocking voice that echoed in my room.

“So, you’re the new bratty stepsister.”

My eyes flew open. I whipped around so fast my head spun. Four figures stood in the middle of my room, their presence was overwhelming and suffocating. They were here, they were in my room!

The second one clicked his tongue. “She’s tiny,” he mused, his red eyes glinting with amusement. “But brave. Brave enough to step into our Den.”

The third one let out a low chuckle, his gaze sliding lazily down my body. “I wonder how delicious her blood would taste.”

The fourth one stepped forward with his smirk dripping with malice. “You have no idea the hell you just walked into, little girl.”

My mouth went dry as my pulse pounded against my skin. This wasn’t happening to me, who the fuck are these men?

I grabbed the nearest thing I could find—a metal pole from the nightstand, and pointed it at them. “S-Stay back!” I stammered.

Deed rich Laughter erupted from their throat. It was so Dark and Cold.

They weren’t scared nor were they remotely concerned. They just looked at me like I was a joke.

“You’re in our house,” one of them said, his voice laced with amusement. “In our mother’s room. And you entered our fucking Den at school. Who the fuck do you think you are Minx?”

Another took a step closer, his gaze locked on my throat. “You’re trembling, Raven.”

I swallowed hard and cursed,Of course, I was trembling. I backed away but the second I did, one of them moved. So fast, Too fast like a blur.

A hand fisted my hair, yanking me back against a hard chest. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as my fingers clawed at his hold.

“Let go of me!” I shouted.

The third one hummed as his fingers trailed down the hem of my school skirt. “She needs to be taught a lesson.”

I froze.

A rough grip flipped me around, forcing me to face them. My breath hitched when I saw the sharp fangs glinting in the dim light.

Vampires.