Selene's pov
"In essence," Raven continued, ignoring the effects of her words on me, "you have to tread lightly. You have to navigate this vulnerability."
I intensely disliked the way she made assumptions about me. First, it was she hinting at a connection with Lucian that I certainly did not feel, and now she was saying I was vulnerable. Was it all because of some silly bond that was superficial?
"I am not vulnerable!" For some reason, my voice chose this very moment to break, and the words came out weaker than I intended. Damn nature.
She gave me a pointed look as she arose and reached for my hand. Her fingers wrapped around my own, warm against its coldness. I should have pulled away, but I didn't. Perhaps she was the one who nursed me back to consciousness—if she wanted to harm me, she would have done so when I was blacked out. No, I definitely trusted her a bit more than all the other people I had met in this place.
"You don't even realize it, do you?" Raven murmured, her thumb brushing against the inner side of my wrist. "There's so much power within you, untapped potential waiting to be unleashed, but without control..."
She let go of me suddenly and moved quickly to the door. She shut her eyes, brushing her hands against the surface. "This could have been dangerous for you and every member in this house."
I would never understand how she managed to say troubling words in such a calm tone and still leave me agitated.
I crossed my arms. "Lucian had it coming. Why would he lock me up in the first place? I didn't ask for any of this."
"No, you didn't, but here you are now, and if you're going to survive Lucian's world, you need to learn restraint, control."
I gripped the blanket that was draped over my legs. "I don't need to be here. I was doing just fine on my own."
"Were you?" Raven studied me. "You're strong, Celine, but strength without control is a liability." She paused for a moment as I thought over her words.
Was I really strong enough to be of harm to myself and others? My mind went back to years ago in my coven, and in a flash, I saw the fear in their eyes like they were just before me. Of course, who was I kidding?
"Tell me where you learned the magic you did yesterday," she said suddenly, breaking through my thoughts.
I hesitated. I did not need to tell her anything—in fact, I would be able to compel her to leave now if I wanted to, but I was tired of staying silent. It was eating me up inside, all the secrets I had to keep, and besides, it would do no real harm to tell her, would it? If it happened that she spread whatever I tell her to Lucian, I would simply compel her to forget.
Against the warning bells ringing in my head, I opened my mouth to speak. "I learned from the members of my coven before they lost their trust in me. Before they exiled me."
The words left a bitter taste in my mouth, and immediately I wished I hadn't said them.
Raven nodded slowly. "I see. Why were you exiled?"
"They were afraid of me and my strength. They said I acted unnaturally. I wasn't the regular vampire, and as a nightshaper, there are things expected of me that I simply did not possess. I was too different—they had no idea what I would become and didn't want an anomaly in their lineage, so I was sent away."
She nodded, her expression turning sympathetic. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You see, fear comes from ignorance. They saw your powers and didn't know how to control them, so they took the next easy option—sending you out. But here," she gestured around, "you have the chance to grow this potential, recognize the full extent of your powers, and become the person they feared you would be."
My brows furrowed. Was this supposed to be motivational talk? It sounded more like a 'rule over the world' pep talk. "And what makes you think I would want that?" I demanded.
She chuckled softly. "Because you know that deep down, you were created to be much more than you are right now. You were not meant to be suppressed, and definitely not to be referred to as just 'the exile.'"
Her words sank heavy in the air, and my chest tightened. She was right—how many times had I wished that I was not just an exile, and yet forced to live the way I did just to survive?
The door opened and I jumped, but it was just the maid servant coming in once again with a tray of food in hand.
I saw the fear in her eyes as she looked around the room, and even felt it intensify when she saw Raven. Her knuckles tightened around the tray as she moved forward.
"Set it down," Raven said softly, gesturing to the bedside table.
She scurried to do her bidding, her movements hurried but careful.
I shut my eyes, fighting the urge to attack her. Vampires did most certainly not feed on werewolves, but the fear this one radiated was appealing to my predatorial instinct.
When I opened them, she was glancing at me with a glimmer of concern in her eyes. What was wrong with her?
"You are excused," Raven said sharply, and the maid turned to her.
"Yes, ma'am," she dipped her head in a small voice and basically fled the room.
Raven sighed with a shake of her head. "You will find that not everyone in this house is as composed as I am."
My eyes narrowed, but I said nothing. She placed her hand on the doorknob and looked over her shoulder at me. "Rest while you can. You will definitely need your strength."
I nodded and she exited the room also. Her presence lingered in the room long after she had gone, and I found myself trying to figure out what bothered me so.
My eyes widened at the realization that she did not come in with the werewolf scent. In fact, she looked nothing like them. If she wasn't a werewolf, then what was she?