“The raven?” Nicole frowned. “As in, the crow and the raven story you were talking about?”
“You must be newly turned.” Aylin bumped against the plywood table top, nearly knocking over the shot glasses of pregnancy concoction. “Dammit,” she breathed. “And yes, most clans identify with either the raven or the crow. It’s all total bullshit.” She cast a covert glance at the door. “Not that I’d say that too loudly.”
“What’s the difference?”
“You know the basic story, right? Two chiefs fought, and then a raven and a crow fought over their dying bodies, and their blood mingled, creating the first vampires?” When Nicole nodded, Aylin continued. “Supposedly, the crow betrayed the raven, and when they battled over the chiefs, the raven had to fight dirty. So those who identify with the raven make survival and war against crows a priority over all else. To fight hard, you must live hard. They view followers of the crow to be inferior and soft.” She straightened all the shot glasses into neat rows on the tray. “Some clans have stricter interpretations of the legend than others. ShadowSpawn is what I like to call ravengelical.”
Nicole laughed, although truly, it was no laughing matter. With the apparent exception of Aylin, ShadowSpawn vamps were exactly the kind of vampires that humans were afraid of and that gave the others a bad name.
“I’m guessing that’s another thing you don’t say too loudly?”
“Hell, no. As a rule, I try to avoid the whipping post.”
A knot formed in the pit of Nicole’s belly. “Is thewhipping post where Riker was . . .” She couldn’t say it.
Didn’t need to. Aylin knew, and she nodded.
“He was very brave,” Aylin said. “No matter whatthey did to him, he didn’t scream.”
Bastards. Desperate to change the subject, shepushed the tray of shot glasses toward Aylin. “Are yougoing to be taking one?”
“Even if I was allowed to breed,” Aylin said, “I wouldn’t. No child should grow up in this “You aren’t allowed to?”
“You aren’t allowed to?”
“I’m defective. I was born second, and I have this.”
She tapped her right leg. “Only the strongest females and males are allowed to breed.”
Born second? What kind of stupidity was that? Nicole would love to introduce a stake to ShadowSpawn’s
leader’s heart. “Can you leave the clan? Go somewhere else?”
“I tried once.” She shuddered as she picked up the tray, making the glasses rattle and clink. “I’m stuck here until my sister is mated. Then I’ll be sent to NightShade’s clan leader.”
“To be his mate?”
“One of many.” Aylin’s disgusted tone told Nicole what the other female thought of the situation.
And Nicole had thought it was bad that her des— tiny had been planned out. “I’m guessing it’s not by choice?”
“Choice isn’t something a leader’s offspring gets a lot of.”
Nicole understood that more than she wanted to. “What about Rasha? Is she supposed to mate with someone?”
“Since she’s considered to be a valuable prize, my father is being very selective about who he wants her to mate with.”
Rasha was a prize? Nicole felt sorry for whatever poor jackass was going to have to put up with her for the rest of his life.
Aylin inched a little closer. “So . . . what’s your special ability?”
Strange, Nicole had been so busy since a vampire that she hadn’t noticed. “I haven’t mine yet. What about you?”
Footsteps sounded outside the room, soft Nicole wouldn’t have heard when she was human.
Aylin’s voice dropped conspiratorially low.
“I don’t have one, either,” she whispered. “Not really.”
Not really? Nicole didn’t have time to ask because the rickety wooden door creaked open, the leader of the group of males Nicole and Riker hadrun into in the forest stalked into the room. With theexception of the fur mantle around his shoulders, hedidn’t look any different from when she’d seen himbefore. His clothes were still bloodstained, and looked like he could use a shower.
“You’re out of time,” Fane said. “Feeding needs start.” His gaze raked her, and she had to struggle notto gag. No way was she drinking from him.
Her fangs tingled at the thought, because they didn’t care where the blood came from. Even shadowy corner of her brain was telling her that was food and a male was a male. Fortunately, thoughts overrode the others. But how long would last? As moon fever kicked in, she could be driven take whatever was available.