Exaltation (25 page)

She had just shed her skates and pulled on short boots when she felt an arm slowly go around her waist. Her body tensed as she felt the person lean into her ear.

“That was beautiful.”

Rydell.

Raven sighed and leaned back into him as she fought an odd sense of guilt that broke from her heart.

“I’m sorry,” he said, which caused Raven to lean her head back to look up at him.

“For?”

“I stood you up.”

A look of shame engulfed Raven’s expression. “I kinda stood you up, too. School is no fun without you.”

Even though he was smiling Raven saw anger flash in his eyes. It wasn’t aimed at her, but his glance ignited a thousand questions she didn’t know how to ask.

“I’ve been given permission to make it up to you,” he said with a nod to the concession stand. Both River and Ash were slotted to work there tonight. “They said I could take you home.”

Raven furrowed her brow at River and mouthed ‘home.’ She nodded and pointed to her wrist. Her warning that Raven had to be on time. Parental figures were way too uptight to stretch that boundary.

“We better get out of here, before your fans figure out you’re cheating on your dance partner,” Rydell teased as he grabbed Raven’s bag.

When they stepped outside and he led her to his car, Raven had flashbacks of the last boy who’d given her a ride home, Benjamin.

She managed to tell herself to chill as Rydell opened the door for her and they drove away.

All the while she kept trying to figure out how to bring up what she saw Dagen do. She was pretty damn sure Dagen was a witch, that Rydell was too. They had that same vibe her dad did.

“So those family issues got out of control enough that you had to skip yesterday?” Raven finally asked.

“You could say that,” he said with a slight smile.

He kept himself leaned against the door. His arm perched on the window ledge, his long fingertips were scarcely skirting across his lower lip. As if he were in deep thought, or at the very least forcing distance he didn’t want to keep.
Sexy as hell.

Raven couldn’t see it, but she could swear the air in the cab of the car was crackling, an electric hum of vim…of power.

She slid her eyes closed and slowly breathed out, doing her best to ease her nerves. Rydell was a wicked mystery to her. The fact he knew about the side of her life Raven never spoke of, was just now learning…the notion that her oddities would not be so odd around him was refreshing. But, knowing he was a distraction, a focus she could keep, that would steal her from dark thoughts and questions lurking in her mind…with the dead, was delivering.

“Still bad at home?”

“It’s not good, but…,” His luminescent gaze glided over her, “rays of light are coming into my life.”

Raven blushed.

Right when she decided to relax at his side, he turned off onto a back road, and her anxiety amplified once more.

“Where are we going?”

“Kade’s place is back here.”
Good. More people.
Raven thought. She shook off the uneasy feelings, telling herself River of all people had told her she was cool with her leaving with him. River was the
queen
of prickles.

When they got to Kade’s property there was not a light on or a car in sight. Rydell stopped the car, got out, and came to let Raven out.

“Do you have any clothes in that bag you brought?”

“Why would I need clothes?” Raven asked warily.

“Just trying to figure out how dirty you want to get, what I need to block,” he said with a sinful smile.

“I thought I made it clear that I came across as the
wrong
kind of girl to you.” Raven was trying to lighten the mood with a joke but even she could hear her nervous tone.

Not a word.

Instead, Rydell took her hand and walked her into the darkness. He pulled her under the low-lying moss on the trees, only letting go of her hand to reach for a tarp that was there. When he pulled it off Raven saw the baddest four-wheeler that she had ever laid eyes on.

“You asked me out to go mudding, right?” he said as a smile, she had never seen him give her emerged. It was boyish, fun loving, and easygoing. Raven’s kind of smile.

“In a car. Where the car would get dirty—not me.”

“If you don’t want to get dirty I’ll keep the mud off,” he promised as if that was no big feat.

He straddled the beast and powered it on. Then looked over his shoulder at her and nodded for her to climb aboard.

Now who could resist that devilish grin…I’m
so
screwed.

Raven dropped all her uptight thoughts and climbed on behind him. She didn’t think about her legs and arms cradling his body until she felt him sigh. Raven blushed and held him tighter.
Feeling’s mutual…make me forget, Rydell.

They were off then, flying through the night. It wasn’t hard to find the mud. The monster downpour the day before had created plenty. Puddle after puddle not one splash made it on Raven. It was a wild rush. One that brought back the bliss bubble Raven adored.

Nearly an hour later, after completing perfect figure eights in an open field he stopped the four-wheeler, turned it off, and glanced back.

“You hear that?” he asked softly. It was the harmony of night, creatures singing their song living in their bliss. The night was so dark yet the moon seemed to be shining on them as if it were a spotlight.

She wanted to talk to him face to face but knew better than to walk in the tall grass at night, so at the risk of looking like someone she wasn’t she slid around him leaving him in the cradle of her legs. He tensed at first then shyly smiled.

“There are a lot of unspoken words between you and me,” Raven said as she looked into his eyes. She could swear the moonbeams were waving across them.

He kept his hands on the handlebars as he leaned a little closer. “What I like about us is that there’s more emotion than words.”

“That a fact,” Raven said as she bit her lip trying to halt a smile. His eyes moved to her lips before returning to her stare.

“How well do you know Dagen?” she asked.

He glanced to her lips once more, the prize he didn’t deserve but wanted so desperately. “I don’t think anyone knows me better,” Rydell said honestly.

Raven waited for him to say or lead into something like ‘oh yeah and he has a wicked speed to him, because though my Dads a dick our coven kicks ass and all,’ but he just held her stare.

“When you were gone yesterday…something bad happened…and he helped keep me safe.”

“He told me,” he said as his hands moved to her waist, a reflex he didn’t entirely regret. The silk barrier was still in place, like some kind of   supernatural sign that clearly stated ‘claimed’ or ‘keep out.’ Unfortunately, the barrier only made him crave to feel her touch more so. This girl was every temptation he didn’t need but wanted right then.

“Did he tell you how?”

One nod.

“You’re going to make me pull this out of you aren’t you?”

He let out a slow breath. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
I don’t want to kill you anymore, but I think you’re going to have to kill me…until you do…keep bringing the good out in me, will you?

“Try.”

His eyes moved to her lips once more before he spoke. “We know how to use energy, vim, to defend ourselves, to move ourselves.”

“Who taught you that?”

“Who taught you?” he asked quietly.

“Family trait.”

“Same.”

Yep, he’s a witch,
Raven thought to herself.

“He knew Benjamin.” Raven reached for the blonde streak to point out who Benjamin was to her.

Anger was in his eyes once more.

“We both do,” he said as his jaw clenched.

“Should I be afraid of you?” Raven whispered.

His gaze danced across her face. “Not anymore.”

Raven swallowed nervously. “What changed?”

He hesitated, clearly searching for words. “You kissed me.”

Raven had to stifle a laugh. “Flattery will get you nowhere. I know I’m bad at it.”

He furrowed his brow as if she had spoken a different language. “Who told you that lie?”

“You’re answering me with questions again.”

Seriousness overcame him. “People like us, who come from strong families, sometimes we lash out, we think the other side is bad, that they’re not real, but sometimes we figure that they are very real and that we don’t have to be enemies.”

“I’m no one’s enemy.”

“I know,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “And I’m not going to let anyone near you that would think otherwise.”

“Are you fighting with your dad because of me?” Raven asked timidly. She assumed that his coven and hers must be enemies. That whatever this was between them was forbidden. For it sure as hell felt that way to her right then.

She wanted to be right there, and help him through the pain in his eyes, but at the same time she felt guilty for doing so. Felt like she should be doing anything but living out her life as if she had felt nothing the day before in the Veil.

“Not all of it is because of you. I’m not even sure he knows about you.”

“I don’t want you to have trouble at home because of us.”

“There’s an us?” he said with a shy smile.

Raven felt the emotion of shame do its best to halt her, but right then and there, she felt safe, surrounded by Rydell. She felt like the carefree girl she was just weeks ago.

“I was the first one to kiss you. I was the one who asked you out last night. I’m not about to be the one that asks you to be my boyfriend.”

His hands clasped her waist and pulled her forward so she was sitting on his lap. “I don’t want to be your boyfriend.”

Rydell let a playful grin emerge. He’d decided after talking to Jamison that he was right. Raven was meant for someone that could give her more than he could. He’d known that before, but before that boy was another enemy.

It was different now. Now that Rydell was here, he was going to protect her. Rydell was going to take care of her. And when that ass, that shared her soul, finally did emerge Rydell was going to give him a piece of his mind. He had no right to leave Raven to face all this alone. It didn’t matter that she was as young as she was. She had been in danger and he should’ve sensed it. Lore said he should have, and he clearly ignored the call. If anyone else beyond Rydell had come this close to Raven she would be long gone.

Rydell’s mercy was keeping her alive.

“I want permission to smell your hair whenever I feel like it.”

A beaming smile filled Raven’s face as she moved her head side to side. “Who are you?”

No answer.

He held her gaze, as she stared back, she took in a deep breath. “I think we need each other right now.” She took a lock of her hair and moved it across his lips.

With utter ease he leaned toward her, kissing her as slowly and innocently as he had the other night, broaching against each side of her lips. Just before he really kissed her he whispered, “Sure?”

Raven reached back and pulled his arms around her. “Just don’t let me go.”

The last thing she wanted to do was go soaring across this field and land in a pile of mud.

His arms tightened around her as their lips connected.

Sin. He was sin.

Raven’s head began to spin. A numb sensation overtook her. Their first kiss was raw, the second was near innocent, this one was still guarded but sensual.

The push and pull sensation amplified. Which only made her hold onto him all the tighter. To breathe in his kiss. Knowing it could fade at any moment made her hungry for it.

Trusting she was not going to fly from his arms, his grip loosened, as his hand moved across her back a warm ease surfaced on her skin, almost as if it were calling his touch back to where it once was.

Raven held her breath as his hand slid down her sides, skirting past her chest. Before she knew it she was leaning back on the handlebars and he was leaning into her.

He broke their kiss as slowly as possible. Holding her gaze the tips of his fingertips traced the delicate features on her beautiful, young visage before gliding down her neck, across her chest.

She arched her back into his touch. “You feel that?” She breathed. It was like he was there, but not, their vim was gliding together, but never merging…indescribable.

“I do,” he rasped, as he leaned forward and tenderly claimed her lips once more. Her eyes slammed shut in ecstasy as his lips eased down her neck. When his hand reached back and slowly began easing up her leg, it drove her insane with desire. She couldn’t understand the barrier of vim, and wanted past it—desperately.

She leaned forward, taking control of the situation. She cradled his face in her hands as she deepened her kiss and pressed her body against his. A few seconds later she felt his hands reach for her cheeks, caressing her hair out of her face just before he broke away and leaned his forehead to hers, letting out a deep breath.