Chapter 6

As usual Ice answered the door before he could even knock. He stepped into Ice’s home, feeling like an intruder even though he’d been called for. He said the first thing that came to mind.

“I hate this.”

Ice nodded slowly, turning away from him.

“Then tell me what else to do Charlie…I open to suggestions.” Ice said. He followed Ice to the bed, following his gaze to Raven. He didn’t need to see it, he could feel it. Raven was ripping herself apart inside because of the hunger. He sensed it. It was killing her. The momentary reprieve they’d had from it was pure deceit. The drive to save her children had pressed down the endless thirst, but it had come back with a vengeance. She had the control, the strength of being a Third Blood hybrid, but it couldn’t stave off the starving force that overcame all reason. Nothing in Charlie’s experiences could match it, not even his time buried in a box to push his brother to submit. He’d been torn with an endless thirst, but nothing compared to what Raven felt, even after a recent feeding. They could let her loose on the city, let her kill every mortal within their sanctum, but still it wouldn’t be enough.

He and Ice had been enough. Once.

Which is exactly what Ice proposed. Until they could figure something else out they would give her what she needed, joined in their need to protect her, to keep her alive. He wondered briefly if he could have done what Ice was doing, if he would have had the strength. The haunting answer didn’t please him, but he had to face it now. Ice loved Raven more then he ever could have.

Raven moaned and turned, clawing her hands and reaching for her face. Ice leaned over and grabbed her bloody hands.

“I don’t understand.” Charlie whispered, her anguish tearing at him. Ice looked up at him, his face strained as he struggled against her.

“Have you ever seen a starving rat?” He asked. Charlie nodded. “It will start eating itself if not given sustenance. The hunger is doing the same to Raven. If it’s not appeased it turns on her. Right now the thirst for fear rides over her, feeds from her.”

“It’s only been days since she had control.” Charlie thought back, remembering Raven at the funeral. Maybe he was fooling himself.

“It will kill her in days…maybe hours if something is not done.” Ice said with certainty. Charlie nodded. There was no more time for talk.

“Tell me what to do.”

“Do you need a play by play?” Ice demanded irritably. Charlie closed his eyes and shook his head. He unzipped his jacket, throwing it onto Ice’s dresser, then pulled off his shirt. He approached the bed. Ice grabbed his arm.

“Wait.” He said. He pulled off his own shirt and went around the bed. “Try not to let her latch on to you alone…she could kill you.”

Charlie hesitated, not liking the sound of what Ice said. He took a deep, steadying breath. He wouldn’t lie. He would take the chance for her. He watched Ice climb onto the bed behind Raven and moved forward at his nod, bending over her.

“Raven.”

I opened my eyes, looking up, blinking, confused. Charlie was leaning over me. I felt Ice behind me, stroking my back. My hands felt sickeningly sticky. I held them up before me, then closed my eyes. I felt Charlie take my hand in his, felt his tongue sliding up my fingers, felt him sucking at them, one at a time. Ice’s hands glided up my back, under my shirt. He braced me up and pulled it up over my head.

“Ice.” I whispered. I felt Charlie’s breath against the wet skin of my hands.

“Relax Raven…it’s gonna be okay.” He told me. I bowed back as Ice bit into the skin between my shoulder and my neck. My hands ran up Charlie chest as he breath into my mouth, trailing his tongue along my lips. “You need this. We aren’t going to force you…but you need to admit how much you need this.”

Charlie kissed me and I almost pulled away. This door was closed god damn it! We had closed it! We were friends. I didn’t want more from him. His tongue in my mouth, his hands spreading around my waist and I could taste the lie. I wanted more from him now, in this moment. The hunger didn’t care if it destroyed us all. I belonged to Ice and Charlie and they belonged to me.