by K. G. Reuss
“Let them talk.” His eyes swept over my face. Butterflies roared to life in my belly at his words.
“OK, but don’t get mad when they’re saying you’ve been making out with me back here. I know how you guys don’t see anyone outside your group.”
“I’d never be mad over that.”
I swallowed down the butterflies, my face heating at his words.
“What did you need to talk to me about?” I managed to say as I composed myself. I was not a fan girl. I wouldn’t act like it, even if all I wanted to do was press my mouth to his. The idea was a crazy one, one I pushed out of my mind quickly.
“This,” he murmured, pulling a black envelope from within the confines of his cloak. My stomach rolled when I realized what it was.
“No,” I whimpered, locking eyes with him and taking a step back. “Raiden, please. No. Don’t make me.”
I was near hysteria when he reached out and gave my hand a squeeze, so much of his warmth flowing through me that it stopped the tears from leaking out of my eyes.
“It’s not what you think. Allow me to explain.”
I nodded mutely, afraid of the words he was about to say.
“You made a prediction that day at the fountain. The prediction was that there was a haunt I needed your help with.”
“OK,” I answered wearily.
“You said one of my crew would die.”
“What do I have to do with that? I mean, I certainly don’t want anyone to die—”
“You also said if I brought you along, I’d have to make a sacrifice. I’m prepared to make that sacrifice, even if it turns out to be my own life. I’d rather it be me than my crew.”
“Y-you want me to go so you can die?” I stared at him in disbelief.
“I don’t know if I’ll die. All I know is that there’ll be a sacrifice. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s not. As long as it’s not one of my own, the rest doesn’t matter. The rest I can fix.”
“What if it’s m-me?” My voice shook. A pained look crossed his face.
“I mean no offense, Miss Torres, but if you die, you can come back.”
“So I’m disposable. My death doesn’t matter because I can’t stay dead. Nice. Real nice,” I snapped at him.
“It’s not like that—”
“Sure as hell sounds like it is.” I moved to push past him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.
“Everly, please,” he whispered, tugging me close. “Remember at the pinning ceremony when you said I needed you? You knew then that this would happen. You were right. I do need you. Please help me with this.”
My mind shot back to Marek’s words. He’d come find me. He was Raiden. I had to seek out Marek at the house in the woods. I swallowed down my fear at the realness of the situation. This might be my chance for answers. But I could die getting them.
“Will Shadow be there?” I murmured, stepping closer to him. “If I go, will Shadow be there to save me if something bad happens?”
“I’ll be there, Everly.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. His fingers shook as they touched my skin. “I’ll protect you. I swear I will. I’d never let anything happen to you. Please. Help me.”
His words shook me to my core. I wouldn’t need Shadow if I had Raiden. The way he was looking at me made me believe that. Shadow was gone. Not coming back. I knew that.
I glanced down to see he was holding the black envelope up for me.
“I’ll do it on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You swear to me that you’ll never bring me into Conexus. I never want to be a member of your group. Swear it to me. Blood oath it.”
“Vampires and dark creatures blood oath,” he growled. I shook at how angry he seemed to have gotten. “I do not bite and drain the essence from someone to make a promise to them.”
“Then swear it however you would swear it.”
A look I couldn’t place swept over his face before he leaned in and whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending a flurry of goosebumps across my skin. His hand landed on my hip as he tugged me close.
“My word is how I swear it, but my oath to keep you safe breaks my oath to keep you out of Conexus.”
“Why do you care so much about my safety?” I asked hoarsely.
“Because, Miss Torres, the end of your world would be the end of mine.”
He didn’t elaborate. He simply handed me the envelope and took a step back.
“We leave Friday. I’ll need an answer from you by the end of training tonight. I’m not above seeking out an Order proclamation on this. I only wanted to ask you first.”
And with those final words, he turned on his heel, leaving me to stand there holding my honorary bid into Conexus and my heart hammering in my chest.
Forty-One
Everly
“Are you OK?” Harper asked as I slumped down at our usual table in the commons.
“No,” I mumbled, resting my cheek against my hand.
“What did Raiden want?” Abby glanced at Harper, worry painting her features.
I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell them. They were probably going to find out anyway.
“He wants to make me an honorary member of Conexus.”
Abby’s eyes widened while Harper let out a gasp.
“Do you get a choice?” Harper demanded. “Tell me that jerk gave you a choice?”
“He did,” I answered carefully. “But it’s not much of one. He needs me to go on one of their hunts or one of the members will die.” I explained the prediction I’d made to them in a low voice.
“That’s not your problem, Ever,” Harper huffed, leaning forward. “Don’t let him and his rank make it your problem. It’s dangerous. Tell him to find someone else.”
“If I don’t do it, he could die,” I whispered, a wave of heartache washing over me. The idea of Raiden being gone made my stomach churn.
“He knows the risks of his job,” Abby declared. “I’m with Harper on this one. I’d tell him no.”
“Honestly, I don’t think I get to say no. He gave me the choice, but it’s more of a ‘you choose to go, or I’ll get the Order involved and force you to go’ sort of thing.”
“That rat,” Harper growled.
I was sure she was about to launch into a full-blown angry tirade on Raiden’s idea of choices, when a giggle interrupted us. We all looked up to see Tara, the girl from orientation who’d hit on Raiden, staring down at us, her friend Mena, a caster, in tow.
“Hey, Ever.” She giggled again.
“Hey,” I answered cautiously. I didn’t make it a habit to associate with a lot of people at Dementon, so her talking to me was unheard of.
“We were wondering.” She gestured between her and Mena. “If you and Eric Craft broke up.”
“What?” I frowned up at her.
“Well, rumor has it, General Hawthorne caught you two together in Eric’s room. That’s why Eric was removed as your trainer.”
How the hell did they even know that?
“Get lost,” Abby snapped at the girls. Their giggles ended and sneers replaced their teasing looks.
“No. We want to know why she’s so special. Even the general wants her,” Tara shot back.
“Speaking of, we saw you behind the bushes with him today,” Mena added with a smirk on her lips. “At least one of the rumors must be true. You’re playing both the guys, or Raiden caught you with Eric. Which is it?”
“None of them,” Nev’s voice called out. He sat in the seat beside me and draped his arm over my shoulder. I stared at him in confusion.
What the hell was happening?
“She trains with the general. She was too good for Craft, so she got an upgrade. That’s all.”
Both the girls wrinkled their noses in distaste at the boring explanation. I knew that wasn’t going to be the last of it. Hell, Nev’s arm around my shoulder would probably be fuel for the next fire.
“Whatever.” Tara rolled her
eyes. “Freak.”
I made to get up, but Nev put pressure on my shoulders to keep me seated. That didn’t stop me from glaring at them as they turned on their heels and walked away from us, casting dirty looks over their shoulders.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded, pushing Nev away from me.
“Me saving your ass. You’re welcome.” He gave me a wide grin.
“I don’t need you to save me,” I shot back. “And I definitely don’t need more rumors going around about me.”
“What other rumors are going to go around?”
“Me. And you—”
“Nice. Hadn’t considered that. I’m not mad about it though.”
“Nev, seriously. I’m just trying to be as normal as possible here. I want to fly beneath the radar.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
I pushed his arm off me and let out an exhausted sigh. “Why are you really here?”
Harper and Abby were both staring at us, small smiles on their faces. I was glad they were enjoying the show.
“I came to collect.”
“Collect what?” I demanded.
“Our date. You owe me one. I want it.”
“Not happening.” I rose to my feet and started to walk away, Nev following.
“Everly, I spoke to Claudia.”
I halted in my tracks and turned to him. “What?”
“Hang out with me tonight. We can talk. I’ll even be on my best behavior. Stake my heart.”
I glanced across the courtyard and saw Eric and Raiden watching us. I swallowed down my frustrations at them not telling me anything and making me go on the damn Conexus expedition.
“Fine. Meet me in my dorm. Wait until after curfew.”
He raised a brow at me, a smirk on his lips. “It’s hot when you break the rules.”
“It’ll be hotter when I break your ribs if you’re lying to me about this. I swear I’ll tear your arm off and beat you with the bloody stump if you’re screwing with me, Nev.”
“You sure know how to turn a vampire on.” He waggled his brows at me.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” His face grew solemn. “I’ll see you tonight.”
My breath heaved out of me as Raiden tossed me to the ground for what felt like hundredth time that night.
“Get up,” he commanded, moving away. I let out a groan and shot him the finger, trying to huff in the air he’d pushed from my lungs with his ferocious kick. He seemed to be in an exceptionally bad mood, which didn’t mean good things for me since he was showing no mercy as he continued to pummel me throughout training.
He grabbed me by the hand and tugged me to my feet, his eyes searing into me.
“Why are you being so mean?”
“In less than two days, you’ll be in one of the worst situations of your life. You’re nowhere near ready for it.”
“It was your idea!” I shouted at him. A muscle popped in his jaw, and he shook his head.
“It was clearly a bad idea.” He turned to walk away, but I reached out and grabbed his arm. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared back at me. I wasn’t about to let him go. I knew something was bothering him. Our relationship was growing. Sue me. I cared.
“What’s wrong?” I clutched his arm.
The hard lines on his face softened for a moment as he gazed back at me. He shook his head as if clearing it, the frown settling back on his face.
“General, come on. Something is bothering you. You don’t usually outright tell me I suck.”
“And I still haven’t,” his voice was gruff.
“So you think I’m good?” I hoped to put him in a better mood. Training was horrid when he was in one of his bad moods. Today was no exception.
He sighed and looked away from me. I let his arm drop.
“Whatever—”
“I think you’re good.” He turned back to me, his face serious. “I think you could be amazing. I want to push you. But at the same time, I want to take all of this away, so you never have to feel fear again. So you never have to fight.” His hands were on my face, cradling it. My heart hammered a beat in my chest that I was becoming familiar with in his presence. “I’d die to protect you.”
“I don’t want anyone to die for me,” I whispered, gazing back at him. “It should be me dying for them.”
He thumbed my bottom lip, his eyes dark and hooded. His warm breath tickled my face.
What was happening between us?
I’d barely thought of Shadow since Raiden the past few days, the memory of him fading away. That had to mean something.
“What’s happening to me?” he murmured, more to himself than to me, his eyes searching mine.
“To us,” I corrected, my voice hoarse and wavery.
“To us,” he agreed.
I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he rested his forehead against mine and let out a soft sigh. A nagging familiarity scratched in my mind. Not wanting to ruin whatever moment we were having, I rested my hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat through his black tank top.
“I worry for you, Miss Torres.”
“I worry too. But at the end of the day, I can’t die.”
“Just the same…”
We were silent. The only sound was our breathing, as we stood with each other on the mat.
“Raiden?”
“Yeah?”
“You weren’t serious about sacrificing yourself, were you?” It was a worry that kept repeating in my mind. The thought of Raiden not being around was hard to stomach. He may be a royal pain in my backside, but I’d taken to enjoying him, even when he pissed me off.
“My crew, you, matter to me. If sacrificing myself for any of you would bring you your next breath, I’d do it without hesitation.” He lifted his head up and stared down at me, a muscle thrumming in his jaw.
“Why do I matter?” His eyes darkened, so I rushed on. “I mean, you seemed like you really hated me in the beginning—”
“You, my dear Everly, are truly impossible to hate. Even when I try.”
I laughed. “Why did you try?”
“Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away once I was close to you.”
My heart jumped at his words.
“Raiden—”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger to my lips. “Let’s work on some casting.”
And just like that, he was back to all business. He walked away, looking at me from over his shoulder.
“I think you work best with flame.” He stopped at his place on the mat and leveled his gaze on me.
“Why do you say that?” I frowned.
“The candle. And your fiery personality.”
I raised my eyebrows at him.
“It’s the truth,” he teased with a chuckle.
“Well, if certain generals didn’t like to push my buttons, I’d be able to keep my personality in check.”
“Noted.” His eyes twinkled at me, causing me to grin.
He flicked his hand, and a flame erupted from it, completely covering his skin up to his elbow. I let out a gasp as the flame danced against his flesh. If it hurt, he didn’t seem to mind.
“How are you doing that?”
“Magic.” He winked. “You try.”
“How? I don’t even know where to begin. How do you do it?”
His eyes locked on mine. “I want it. I think of something that ignites a passion within me, then I focus on it.”
“Makes sense. That’s how I got the candles to light in the workshop.”
“Really?” He seemed impressed. “What was your desire?”
“Tell me yours first,” I volleyed back, mesmerized by the dancing flames which had moved to his shoulder.
He let out a soft chuckle. “You.”
“Me?” I squeaked out, my mouth going dry.
“I desire your—” His eyes trailed lazily over me, making me blush. “—success. I want it more than anything. I want you to harness your gifts and be ha
ppy. I want you to be able to visit your family like other students get to. I want your safety. All of that depends on your success.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure why I hoped for another answer. “Well, best get to it—”
“You have to tell me what you desired at the workshop.”
“It’s not important.”
“You’re sidestepping the answer. It must be important.”
“It’s really not.”
“Everly.” The way he growled my name sent a thrill of excitement through me.
“You. I-I desired you to… um… go away.”
He let out a boisterous laugh, his whole body shaking. It took him a few moments to calm down. When he did, his eyes twinkled. He took a step closer to me. And another. And another until he was once again right in front of me. The heat from the flame warmed me. The shadows it cast on his face made my insides turn to a writhing mass of nerves and tingles.
“And now? Do you still want me to go away?”
“No,” I answered hoarsely. “I like it when you’re near. I feel safe. Frustrated, but safe.”
A tiny smile turned his lips up.
“You’ll always be safe with me, Everly. That I can promise you.”
“I believe that.”
“Good. Now, let’s play with some fire, shall we?”
Forty-Two
Raiden
“You’re in a good mood,” Jared commented as I whistled in the kitchen after training with Ever ended. I pressed the bread down onto my turkey sandwich and smiled at him.
“Yeah, what the hell is the matter with you?” Damien’s eyes narrowed at me.
“Why does something have to be wrong with me?”
“You’re in a good mood,” Jared pointed out. “That never happens.”
“Gen is always in a good mood,” Sloane called out, coming into the room and taking the sandwich from my hand, sinking her teeth into it with a teasing smirk on her lips. I grinned back at her.
“Sloane knows me.” I reached out and snatched my sandwich away from her, causing her to giggle. “I’m always in a good mood.”
“You’re always tolerable. There’s a difference,” Damien pointed out. He reached out and tweaked Sloane’s nose. Her finger shot out and jabbed him in the ribs, causing him to wince.