The Reaver Chronicles: Raziel (Book 1)

Chapter 2

Jae was probably one of the only Humans I had met while dating Eric, that I actually liked. She was of Japanese origin, with long black hair and deep brown eyes. She was shorter than me standing about 5 foot 4 inches and she had pouty lips that always seemed to help her get her way anytime she protruded them the tiniest bit. I inhaled her scent of lavender and cherry blossom as she wrapped her arms around me.

Somehow, her being here and hugging me made me cry even harder. Though, that didn’t help the burning panic from creeping into my veins. I had to lie, and I had to lie fast. “I got into a fight with Eric, he wanted to have s*x and… and I… I wasn’t ready yet.” I stammered, hoping my lie was believable. At least my tears were real.

“Ugh! Goddamn Eric! He’s such a douche!” She cried. I knew there was no escaping now. Jae would never let me leave this party no matter how much I begged. “I’m sorry he did that to you, he’s such an asshole. He always has been.” She growled. I pulled away, wiping the remaining tears from my pink cheeks.

“I don’t know where he went, he left and slammed the door.” I mumbled softly. “f**k him! You need a shot! Let’s go downstairs and find the Crown.” She said. I nodded, knowing that I was trapped, at least for the next little while. My plan was to drink a little more myself, and in turn, get Jae so drunk that she wouldn’t notice me slipping away from the party. It was the perfect plan.

“Just keep your s**t together, Rayne.” Wynter said, trying to comfort me. I nodded to my Wolf and followed Jae back downstairs and into the kitchen. My silver combat boots slapped against the sticky tile as we made our way to the island where all the alcohol sat. The stench of stale beer that had been sitting spilled on the counter before us infiltrated my nostrils.

I held back a gag, beer was never really my go to. I have drank it before, but if I could choose, I’m choosing something else. I ignored the mess because if I start to clean this then I’m going to clean the whole house. It might get my mind off of my Demon, and Eric…

I was snapped from my thoughts when Jae held out a shot glass full of dark amber liquid. It was only seconds before a hint of cinnamon wafted through the air. This was Fireball. Jae clinked her glass to mine and with a twinkle in her brown eyes she tipped her head back and took the shot. I followed suit and had barely set my glass down before she was pouring another. Good, she needed to get absolutely smashed so I could escape this hell I found myself caught in.

We both tipped back another and then she began to make us both a mixed drink. I didn’t care what was in it, so long as it was strong. “Put a double shot in there.” I said with a half smile. “That’s more like it!” She cackled, cracking a perfectly straight toothed smile as she poured far more than 2 shots into each glass.

Jae was always down to party. I had found this out upon our first meetup a few months ago. She was doing a handstand while shotgunning a beer from a beer bong, and still, to this day, it has me wondering just how she was able to succeed in doing that. I knew talking her into a few drinks heavy handed like this would be an easy feat. I just had to hold my composure until then.

She handed me the glass and clinked hers to mine again before we both took a drink. Well, hers was a drink, mine was more like a sip, though it didn’t matter. She would be smashed far before I even felt the alcohol. A flash of blonde hair to my left as we walked through the crowd, caused pain to ricochet through my chest.

Memories of what had just happened charged their way back into my frontal lobe and I took another sip of my drink to try and calm myself down. Fresh air, that’s what I needed. The second we stepped outside, I took a deep breath of the crisp air. I allowed the burn to engulf me as it infiltrated my lungs.

My hearing regulated due to the lack of loud music out here and I felt some of my stress begin to dissipate. I knew it wouldn’t actually go away, but it was nice not to feel suffocated for a brief moment. “Hmm, and what exactly are you doing here?” A snooty voice from behind me screeched. I didn’t even have to turn around to know this was going to be Sarah. Jae rolled her eyes at me before we both turned around to face her. I had to stifle a laugh because the floral printed dress she was wearing was absolutely atrocious.

It had large flowers spanning across the entire thing. It was white and gaudy with some frilly s**t on the shoulders. Her dyed, partially black, partially gray hair, was done up in a fancy updo with some pieces falling out on the sides. Her makeup at least matched her hair, but not even the large hot pink heels she was wearing matched that atrocity she called a dress. A large green stone sat right in the hollow of her neck and it looked even worse with her bright green bracelet. I crunched my nose up when the scent of blueberries and something musky forced its way in.

“Sarah, what kind of stupid ass question is that?” I replied, folding my arms. She knew full well who I was dating and why I was here. She hummed as if my answer was subpar. I didn’t care what she thought. “So where is he then?” She questioned. I began to panic internally. “Lie, Rayne! Make something up!” Wynter hissed. I was the worst liar in the world, and I knew this.

“It’s none of your f*****g business, Sarah. Go the f**k away.” Jae said, just before I opened my mouth to speak. I sighed internally, relieved that I didn’t have to say anything. Sarah’s snark fell from her face and was replaced by anger. I snickered out loud, unable to control it this time. “He’s cheating on you, you know… He was with me last night.” Sarah said, and then turned her back to walk away. I tried to ignore the way my heart sank straight into the pit of my stomach as I stepped forward and grabbed Sarah by the hair. I yanked her back towards me causing her to stumble and fall.

“What the f**k did you say?” I growled, putting the heel of my boot on her hand that was splayed out on the ground before us. “I… I…” She stammered, unsure of what to say. I handed my drink to Jae and leaned down so we were face to face. “I never want to hear his name come out of your slutty f*****g mouth, ever a-f*****g-gain. Do you understand me?” I growled.

She looked up at me with pure, unbridled hatred in her eyes. I ignored the energy shift in the area as the poison emanating from her glare surrounded me. I thought she was going to cower down and agree with me, which would have been the smart move. But instead, she raked her sharp nails across the side of my face. I heard gasps as blood trickled down my cheek. I was f*****g pissed now. I looked up at Jae who had a look of horror on her face, and then I rolled my head back, cracking my neck on one side, before looking back down at Sarah.

"Wrong move, bitch." I snapped, before I slammed my fist right into her nose. I felt it crack under my knuckles. She screamed and attempted to scratch at me, but I dodged out of her grasp. She was already basically underneath me, but I pushed forward, slamming my hand around her throat.

Her head made a sickening crack as it hit the tile beneath us. She was only Human, and I want to say I was trying to go easy on her, but I was seeing more red than anything.

"You're f*****g insane!" Sarah cried, digging her nails into my forearm. I didn't even feel the flesh break open, nor did I feel the blood running down my arm through all the adrenaline. "You need to leave, right f*****g now!" I growled, trying to save her more than anything. "Ok, ok... God, f*****g psycho." Sarah muttered as I got off the top of her. I shook my head, and turned towards Jae when the wind was completely knocked out of me. Surprised, I attempted to roll as I fell to the ground. It worked, but I didn’t have time to get back up to my feet before Sarah took her place on top of me and attempted to dagger my eyes out.

Her nails were her only form of defense against me, and I think she realized it when I reached up and grabbed her wrists, stopping her mid swipe. A much larger crowd had gathered around us at this point, and even though the music was still blaring inside, I could hear everyone chanting. "Fight, fight, fight." Being a Wolf, this was a completely unfair fight, but no one here knew I was Supernatural, and I planned to keep it that way.

I yanked Sarah's wrists and used my knees to push her off the top of me. She went tumbling over my head and into the crowd that surrounded us. I was on my feet, and within seconds my fist clashed with the side of Sarah's face. She screamed and fell backwards, but the boys in the crowd didn't let her fall again. They pushed her back towards me. I knew she couldn't throw a punch, not with those nails, so I had little to worry about.

She circled me for a moment, and I allowed her to do it, anticipating her next move. She ran towards me but I stopped her with a hand straight to her throat. I lifted her and threw her to the ground at my feet. The crowd gasped and then started cheering as I put my boot down on her heavily heaving chest.

"You'd do best to stay the f**k down." I growled. I wasn't holding back any of my strength at this point. Sarah had blood coming out of her nose and the corner of her mouth, but she refused to back down. She grabbed my calf and yanked me, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the ground. "Kick her f*****g ass!" Wynter cried.

I regained my composure, diving into the back of Sarah's knees as she attempted to get up and away from me. She was too slow as I latched onto her legs and she fell to the ground. I crawled up on top of her and laid 3 good slams to her face. Blood was flying everywhere but I only had 1 goal in mind, and that was stopping her from running her big f*****g mouth. "Rayne, stop!" Jae cried, pulling me off of Sarah. I was so lost in the commotion I barely realized where I was. The red began to filter out of my vision as I got to my feet and looked at my friend. She was daring to put her hands on me, but I understood why.

I shook my head and looked back at Sarah. Her friends were helping her up and she was bleeding pretty badly. I used my hand to wipe my brow and attempted to steady my erratic breathing. "You're f*****g crazy!" Sarah sneered as she walked past me holding some tissues her friend had given her up to her nose to stop the bleeding. She bumped my shoulder as she passed but I only got 1 step in her direction before I felt a large hand on my bicep.

I turned and glared at the man who had the audacity to touch me. It was Brett, he was the Quarterback of the football team. Brett's imposing figure loomed before me, his piercing hazel eyes seeming to see right through me.

The quarterback's rugged charm was undeniable, from the chiseled lines of his athletic build to the unruly mess of dark hair that framed his strong features. The overwhelming scent of Axe body spray clung to him like a cloud, an unmistakable signature that seemed to announce his presence. As he stood there, clad in his worn quarterback jersey, I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the sheer force of his personality.

He held my glare for a moment before I ripped my arm from his grip. He nodded to me to follow him. I looked back at Jae and sighed. "It's ok, I'll be right here!" She hollered as Brett began to walk off towards the stairs. I mumbled to myself and followed him.

He was probably going to chew my head off for fighting in his house… that was fair. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off by this time and the pain of what happened earlier with Eric began to creep back in. I did my best to ignore it. I had other issues to deal with now. Brett headed upstairs and to the bathroom before ushering me inside. He closed the door and clicked the lock shut, drowning out some of the noise from downstairs.

He then reached towards me and I stopped him, instinctively, latching onto his wrist before he could get close enough to touch my face.