Elemental Power
Page 26
Ridley lowered her hands and looked around. “Yeah. Maybe a little further back from everyone else. I want you to myself for just a bit longer.” She pointed and added, “That tree over there?”
They walked toward it, Archer’s arm sliding away from her back and moving down to take her hand. “Any headaches yet?” he asked.
She smiled. “No. Well, a little bit of discomfort here and there, but nothing major. With all the flying we did to get here, I should have passed out from the pain by now. But I mostly did it the way Grandpa told me to. Letting go properly and kind of being everywhere in the wind instead of directing it myself.”
They sat on the ground, Archer with his back against the tree, and Ridley between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned back against his chest. The sun had set completely now, and stars blazed overhead, brighter than Ridley had seen them in years. In the trees around them, the chirp and buzz of insects filled the air. As the beat of the drum reverberated through her body, she rested her head back into the gap between Archer’s neck and shoulder. “This moment is perfect. I kind of wish I could stay in it forever.”
He kissed the top of her head, then asked, “Does this perfect moment include me?”
“Oh, crap, sorry. What I meant to say was that everything else except the handsome idiot I’m currently snuggling against is perfect.” She tilted her head back to look up at him. “Of course it includes you.”
He laughed, a low sound that vibrated through her back and into her chest. “You don’t even know my whole sordid history yet.”
She shook her head as she tilted it forward again. “I think the net tabloids and social feeds told me more than enough. Besides, as you keep pointing out—and as you’ve repeatedly proven—you’re not the same person. Your sordid history is exactly that—a history. It isn’t who you are now.”
He tightened his arms around her. “It isn’t,” he said, his voice quiet beside her ear. “I promise it isn’t.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while until Nathan walked over and joined them. Archer loosened his grip on Ridley, and she sat forward a little. “What do you think?” Nathan asked as he took a seat on the ground beside them. “Could you call this place home?”
Ridley shrugged and said, “I guess it’s got a few things going for it.”
“Just a few?”
She laughed. “It’s amazing. I still can’t believe everyone uses magic whenever they want. I’m still telling myself I don’t have to look over my shoulder and hide it.”
“Yeah.” Nathan looked around. “I take it for granted, but every time someone new joins us, I see all of this—and the way we live—through fresh eyes.”
“It’s the way we were always meant to live,” Archer said quietly.
Nathan nodded. After a moment of quiet, he looked at Ridley and asked, “How would you feel if it was like this everywhere? In all cities in the world. Elemental and non-elemental living side by side, everyone using magic.”
Ridley felt her brow pulling down. “Well, that would be great if it wasn’t illegal and impossible.”
“What if it’s not impossible?”
Ridley’s heart pattered a little faster. This had to be a joke, and yet Nathan seemed entirely serious. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean we have a plan, Ridley. A plan to bring down the walls, bring down the shields, break up the Shadow Society.” Firelight sparkled in his eyes as his smile stretched wider. “We’re going to return magic to society.”
End of Book 2
Look out for the third book in the Ridley Kayne Chronicles, coming in early 2019!
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Acknowledgments
Thank you …
To God for helping me find the calm headspace required to complete this book amid the chaos of finishing building a house!
To Kimberly Belden and other early readers for your story feedback and editing notes.
To Jess Will for proofreading, and my advance review readers for letting me know about the typos you spotted.
To every book reviewer, book lover, bookstagrammer and more who helped spread the word about the Ridley Kayne Chronicles.
To Kyle for supporting every new literary adventure I find myself on.
And to you for continuing Ridley’s journey!
About the Author
Rachel Morgan spent a good deal of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making, crafting endless stories of make-believe and occasionally writing some of them down. After completing a degree in genetics and discovering she still wasn’t grown-up enough for a ‘real’ job, she decided to return to those story worlds still spinning around her imagination. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults and those young at heart.
Rachel lives in Cape Town with her husband and three miniature dachshunds. She is the author of the bestselling Creepy Hollow series, and also writes sweet contemporary romance under the name Rochelle Morgan.
Find more info on Rachel’s website
www.rachel-morgan.com
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