Exaltation (Insight #11)(55)

“Mudding.”

“Are you asking me out?” he asked, as seriousness found him once again.

“I’m being easy again, aren’t I?”

“Nothing about you is easy,” he said quietly. Meaning every damn word.

“Raven?” Soren shouted across the ring.

“Coming,” she yelled back. “Either way, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

Raven started to skate past him but he carefully grasped her arm. He leaned in so his lips were against her ear and he whispered, “I didn’t mean to let that much energy go. For it to scare you. You make me forget who I am. I meant it…I’m sorry.”

Raven breathed out. “That we have in common, Rydell,” she said, as squeezed his hand and skated away as fast as she could.





Chapter Sixteen

Rydell watched Raven gather her things, as she and Soren whispered back and forth then left.

Soren was confusing Rydell, too. He was a guardian. From all accounts from Rydell’s people he was the fiercest, the one that stood before them all each time they fought. Looking at him across the rink he just seemed like a laid back kid.

Soren was letting Rydell get close to Raven, which made zero sense. He should have sensed how dangerous he is. All Rydell could assume was that Raven had the final say. If she wanted someone near, the others couldn’t stop her.

Rydell revved his motor up. Dagen approached then slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door. He leaned against it with a furious expression aimed at Rydell.

“Did you get your boy fixed up?” Rydell asked, as he put the car in gear. Dagen had been playing nursemaid to Kade, wrapping a cloth around his hand which apparently had been hurt.

“Pretty bad burn,” Dagen said.

“You’re supposed to be helping him not letting him touch hot motors while they’re running.”

“Agreed,” Dagen said, as he cleared his throat. “Then again, when you’re looking at a motor and all the lights in the parking lot go out and a wave of energy knocks you forward, accidents do tend to happen.”

Rydell leaned back as he slammed a stoic expression firmly in place. He knew it had happened. A jolt of vim between him and Raven was powerful, pulled all the energy in the air to one place then pushed it away like a wave. What was twisted to him was the kiss was more innocent than their first, and had a bigger impact…she was coming into power. This was getting real, fast.

“For a second I thought this was all over. That you went in there and took care of business.”

“I told you I was going to try to figure it out.”

“Right. And you also told me you were going to be careful,” Dagen argued in the most respectable tone he could manage.

Rydell angled a glare at him. “I needed to figure out if she was playing me.”

“Her? Playing you?” he quipped. “King, we’re the ones acting like we’re in high school for Creator sake. I mean it was fun for a hot second but I’m over it.”

“Have you found Benjamin yet?”

“I was going to do that right after I was finished with my homework, boss man.”

Once again Rydell tossed a lethal glare his way.

Dagen raised his hand to tell him he was joking. “We’re looking for him.”

“Find him. He disobeyed me and he came to close to her again. Something is off about that.”

“Which I’m going to strangle him for,” Dagen seethed. “It would be our luck as soon as we get you side by side with Raven he shows up and the party is over. But then again, you had already managed to get really close with Raven. So I don’t imagine he could have ruined much.”

“I want to speak to him,” Rydell said, in a tone that clearly stated not many words would be used.

“Speak or rip apart?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“I want to know if he forced himself on Raven. Exactly how he tried to take out her soul.”

“Looking for tips?”

Rydell jerked the car to the side of the road and grabbed Dagen by the shirt. Then manifested them both deep in the woods which were lining the highway and slammed him into a tree.

“Destroy the soul. Those were my orders. I didn’t say for him to put his hands where they did not belong. I did not say for him to force himself on her. I did not say for him to put a fear streak on her.”

“You want to back the f*ck down,” Dagen said to him, as he looked at Rydell’s fists, which were clenching his shirt.

Rydell pulled away and turned with a curse.

“Listen,” Dagen said, “I wasn’t there when it happened. All I know was he was really hurt when it was over. I think he’s already paid whatever price for his actions.”

Rydell turned to face him. “You think there’s a punishment that is justifiable for what his obvious intent was?”

Defensive bewilderment filled Dagen’s stare. “What did that girl tell you? What’s she doing to you, King? You’re the one who gave the order.”

“I gave an order to stop her from killing us!”

“And he almost died trying to do that! What’s her story? I’m with you, King. There are lines you do not cross. I f*cking get it. I just want to make sure she’s not turning you against your own people. Especially considering you just threw me against a tree because of some mood swing.”