“I meant to tell you about that. The cops followed me into a Ravager bar, working forMisterChen.”
“A Ravager bar?” Sean narrowed glowing yellow eyes at her, his emotion still running high. “What the fuck did you stumble into when we split up?”
Chapter Five
Vicki didn’t plan to go into detail. She did her best to skirt around the fact that four Voiders had expressed interest in her. “So I blasted them before I left,” she ended.
“That’s why your energy seems different.” He groaned. “We’re screwed.”
“What? Why? What about my energy?”
“Vicki, tell me all of it. Leave nothing out. It’s important.”
She swallowed around a dry throat, knowing this wouldn’t be good. “After I lost the Salinas, I hid out, like I told you. Except I must have been sitting at these guys’ table because they came up to me.”
“What guys?”
“Four huge Ravagers.”
“Four? Great, a pack. Damn it.”
“I know what a pack is, genius.” She scowled. “A family unit consisting of a lead female and her packmates. Except these guys were all alone.”
“They don’t always have a female in their family groupings. I’ve even seen a few packs with non-Ravager females, but it’s rare.” He paused, his eyes intent on her. “If no one made a stink in that bar, the pack you met must have been Savage. What happened next?”
“They brought me a beer.” She stalled, not wanting to discuss sex with her cousin. She stood and paced.
“Vicki, just tell me.” He sighed, sounding resigned. “If it makes you feel any better, my run-in with Kate and Diana nearly did me in. Diana’s been trying to mark me for some time, and I got sloppy. Trust me, two female Ravagers are enough to putmedown. I can only imagine four males all over you.” He grimaced. “Let me rephrase that.”
“Yeah, well…” She couldn’t help blushing.
“Shit. Did they bite you?”
“No. But one of them talked about marking me, and I think Eric meant to do so before I zapped them.”
“This story is getting worse by the second.”
“Why? Because they wanted to mark me? That’s like taking a girlfriend, right? It’s not marriage or anything.”
“It’s almost worse. Marking is what they do to someone they want to own. No, it’s not a slavery kind of thing. It’s hard to explain. Look, once they mark you, you might as well say goodbye to any hopes of a Norm boyfriend. The sex is addictive, so I’ve heard. It’s bad enough without the marking,” he muttered to himself. “I can’t believe you knocked four of them back then ran.”
“What? I should have stayed and waited for them to finish what they started?”
“Hell no. But Ravagers love the chase and they prize strength. The fact they wanted to mark you at all is telling. They must have taken a real liking to you. Probably sensed you’re a Conduit. From what I can gather, they really like our type, and there aren’t that many of us to begin with. Our energy burns brighter than most.” Sean paused in thought and his eyes glowed. “Did they fuck you?”
“Geez, that’s kind of personal, isn’t it?”
“You said they didn’t bite you, but sex can be a powerful craving with them.”
“For me or for them?”
“For both.”
“Well, I… Well.” She cleared her throat and glanced away, feeling stupid. Vicki wasn’t a prude, but she didn’t talk about sex with herfamily. “I had a good time, but I don’t know that they did.”
Sean wiped a hand over his face. “How did you get home?”
“I ran for about a mile then hopped on the bus.”
