Michael leaned in as if he couldn’t help himself, and closed his eyes. Raine was stunned when his lips hovered near hers for a moment, and she waited with anticipation. She’d never kissed anyone before.
The sound of a slamming door broke the spell and Michael instantly dropped under the water. He pushed off the wall in a streamline and surfaced with the freestyle stroke to continue his warm up.
Raine blinked her eyes rapidly to clear her thoughts. The water felt cool against her hot skin and she could feel the flush in her cheeks as she watched Michael swim for a few moments.
Ms. Sweltzer bellowed out lane assignments and warm-up drills in her shrill voice as the other students made their way onto the bulkhead. Raine knew the drills by heart so she didn’t wait for Coach to finish. Instead, she dipped under the water, planted her feet on the wall, and pushed off into her own streamline to start her own warm-up drills.
Thoughts of the day filtered through her head as she concentrated on the black line at the bottom of the pool. Her mind filled with Kaden and that’s as far as she got.
Raine pictured his eyes and declared green, gold, and black her new favorite colors. His ebony hair with the slight curl looked amazingly soft, and Raine had itched to know what it would feel like under her fingers as she lay on top of him that morning.
Raine reached the wall, gulped in air, performed a perfect flip turn, surfaced, and continued back the way she came.
With thoughts of Kaden present in her mind, she felt a stab of guilt for thinking of him when she had a date with Ryker that night, a date she was fast regretting. Not to mention the flirting from the boys and her near-kiss from Michael.
Raine was only vaguely aware of her surroundings as she swam. Surfacing from her last flip turn, she heard the class screaming wildly. She paused to find the cause when she realized that somehow her warm-up turned into a mini-race.
With a tinge of excitement, Raine resumed her swim, pushing hard as she moved through the water. The water floated over her body with each stroke, the energy of the water surrounding her. Now aware of her surroundings, she realized she could actually feel Michael in the water next to her. Not in the way that a swimmer knows someone is in the pool, but in a hyper-awareness kind of way. She knew where he was because she could sense the change in the water around her. Raine felt Michael struggling to keep up next to her as his lungs worked hard to push him faster.
A wave of competitive spirit had overtaken the entire class with the possibility that a faceless girl who’d suddenly become the center of attention for everyone in one day might beat one of the top swimmers. With each stroke, she heard Michael’s heart beating faster with anticipation and exertion. The rhythmic thumping echoed through the water like tiny sonar waves telling her exactly where Michael was and how hard he pushed himself.
Excitement surged at this realization.
One thought passed through her head: swim hard.
As soon as the thought entered her head, she felt a jolt from the water as energy surged into her limbs and pulled her forward. Raine stretched her arm forward to touch the wall when she caught a glimpse of a tall dark figure directly in front of her lane.
Kaden.
Suddenly it felt as if there was an anchor attached to her body, stopping it from working. Her head spun wildly. She slipped under the water and everything faded to black.
CHAPTER 10
KADEN
Kaden felt hopelessness wash over him moments before Raine disappeared under the water.
When he left the shop after Camille’s visit, he drove to the school with the intention of watching Raine from afar. But as the last bell rang through the school, he couldn’t deny the pull he felt, and he found himself walking through the school to the edge of the pool.
He watched as Raine swam with ease as a subtle blue glow from her goggles lit the water around her. No one seemed to notice the glow, and no one noticed Raine was sinking to the bottom of the pool, either.
Kaden wasted no time as he jumped feet first into the lane next to Raine and pushed his body under the water to grab her by the arm.
When he surfaced, stunned faces turned to terror-stricken gasps as they rest of the occupants finally registered what was happening.
Kaden pulled her to the side of the pool and waited for someone to help hoist her out.
Two male students, dripping wet, pulled Raine from the water and laid her on the hard concrete. Kaden pulled himself out of the water and pushed the students back so he could check her breathing. He turned her head to release any water in her throat and positioned himself above her to perform rescue breathing. When his lips met hers, a bolt of lightning seemed to pass between them and within seconds, before the first breath was even administered, Raine sputtered water from her throat and took a huge gulp of air.
Kaden sat back on his heels and watched as Raine slowly came out of unconsciousness and opened her eyes. He resisted the urge to touch his lips, unable to deny the tingle he felt. The deep blue, almost glowing eyes bore right into him, and he felt more than relief loosen the tight muscle of his heart.
“We’ve got to get her out of here. It’s not safe,” Camille whispered from behind him.
Raine tried to sit up but he pressed his hands against her shoulders and forced her to lay still.
“Hang on there, Turbo. You need to go slow.”
Raine lifted one arm to her face and clamped down on her forehead as hard as she could, her knuckles turning white.
“I have a wicked headache,” Raine said with a scratchy voice. “Where am I?”
“You’re at school. Can you sit up now?”
“Leave her alone, you overgrown turd. You’ve done enough for one day, don’t you think?” Camille whispered loud enough for only the two of them to hear, but there was no mistaking the venom in her words. Camille pushed Kaden’s arm away and reached down to wrap her own arms securely around Raine.
“You okay? You really scared us.” Camille’s question was masked by the piercing commands Ms. Sweltzer screamed as she ran from her spot on the bulkhead.
“Run for the principal and call nine-one-one,” Ms. Sweltzer said to the stunned swimmers as she passed. Kneeling beside Raine, she started her inquiry as one of the boys, arrived with the principal, Mr. Dumar.
“What happened here?” Mr. Dumar demanded.
“She’s okay. Just a dizzy spell of some sort, but she’ll be fine now,” Kaden, still hunched at the side of the pool, quickly assured the stunned spectators.
Raine pushed herself up to a sitting position with help.
“I’m fine,” Raine assured everyone. “I wasn’t feeling well earlier and I probably shouldn’t have pushed myself.”
“Has someone called an ambulance yet?” Mr. Dumar questioned. He turned to the student he’d entered with, but he shook his head.
“I saw Kaden jump in after her and I ran for you. I didn’t call,” the student explained.
“No need, really.” Raine tried to stand but Kaden put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders while he hooked the other beneath her legs.
“Camille, will you get her stuff from the locker room and meet me at my car?” Kaden pointedly asked. Camille’s face turned red and her lips thinned, but she nodded her head and released her hold on Raine.
Kaden braced himself and lifted Raine into his arms as he stood.
“I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” Kaden spoke to the teacher and principal.
“I need to call her parents,” Mr. Dumar said as he followed closely behind Kaden. “You can’t take her, young man.”
“Mr. Dumar, it’s okay.” Raine laid her head on Kaden’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Kaden didn’t stop when the principal placed a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and kept walking.
“Well then. Make sure you take her straight home,” Mr. Dumar said in what sounded like a weak attempt to assert his authority before he turned back to the coach and asked for det
ails.
Kaden ignored everyone as he made his way through the emergency door that led directly to the parking lot.
“I’ve never had to rescue a swimmer before,” he heard Ms. Sweltzer explain. “He jumped in before I could even get close to the pool and—” The remainder of her explanation cut off when the door shut.
“What are you doing here?” Raine asked once the door shut and they were alone. Kaden walked with her in his arms across the parking lot. When he didn’t answer, she lifted her head to look at him.
“We need to talk,” he answered. Raine cocked an eyebrow before she squinted in pain and laid her head back on his shoulder.
Kaden’s black Dodge Charger flickered and beeped moments before he opened the door, stooped to place her inside, and then grabbed a blanket from the backseat to throw over her shivering body.
“You’re in shock. You need to heat up.” Kaden tucked the blanket around her and gently shut the door. He stepped to the other side of the car and jumped in to start the engine. He cranked the heat and directed the heaters to blast on Raine’s shaking body before he saw Camille and rolled down the window.
Camille tossed Raine’s jacket and bag in the backseat as she glared at him. Raine cuddled further in the blanket, clenching her chattering teeth tightly together.
“You need a seatbelt.” Completely ignoring Camille who still hung in the window, Kaden reached over and pulled the seatbelt securely across Raine’s body.
“Uh, tha—” Raine croaked and coughed. Kaden pulled a bottle of water from the backseat, unscrewed the cap, and placed it to Raine’s lips.
“Drink.”
Kaden watched as Raine slowly sipped from the water and then coughed again. He glanced at Camille and noticed her shaking hands. “Not here, Camille,” Kaden said as he put the water in the cup holder, placed the car in gear, and slowly eased forward. Camille dropped her hands and muttered a trail of words in perfect Galician as Kaden drove away.
“Are you okay?” he asked once they hit the main road. Raine nodded and winced again. Her skin was flushed and Kaden could tell she was heated to the core, but she couldn’t stop shivering. With a groan, Raine closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, Kaden pulled into Camille’s driveway and put his car in park. Questions filtered through his head and his emotions started to war with each other again. He knew he should text his employer, but something held him back. It was the same something that compelled him to create a powerful bracelet earlier.
He needed answers to his questions and to figure out why he felt the desire to protect Raine so fiercely. What was different about her? In his heart, he feared he already knew the answer. However, his stubborn head wanted confirmation.
Raine was fast asleep in the front seat of his car and guilt ate at him as he watched her shiver through the heavy blanket cocooned around her. He’d done that to her. With a heavy sigh, he opened his door and walked with purpose to the passenger side. When he opened the door, her eyes popped open and he saw her deep blue eyes pin him with suspicion before she closed them again as he gently lifted her from the car. A slow burn started in his arms where they touched, skin on skin. Heat made its way the length of his body and settled in his chest.
Raine tucked her head under his chin and pulled her arms close to her body, tucking her hands close to her face. The blanket hung to the side and she made no move to hold it close around her. With each step, her body relaxed and her shivering stopped.
Eryk opened the door as Kaden approached and directed him to the basement without a word. He placed her on Camille’s bed and instantly felt the heat dissipate into the air at the loss of her against his chest. He tucked the blanket around her before her shivering resumed and he turned and left.
He returned with a towel and comb in hand. Raine watched him as he sat next to her on the bed to towel dry and comb her wet hair. She said nothing as she fought heavy eyelids, nearly drifting off to sleep as Kaden gently tugged on her hair. A few times she shut her eyes, but then snapped them open like a strong willed child fighting bedtime. Finally she closed her eyes and settled deeper into the blanket, and Kaden realized she was finally resting. He left her to sleep in Camille’s bed and headed up the stairs.
“What did Camille mean when she said there was more I didn’t know?” Kaden asked Eryk who stood at the top of the stair waiting for him. “I need to know everything, and I need to know now.”
Eryk nodded.
CHAPTER 11
RAINE
Raine woke with a start. The last thing she fully remembered was swimming at school and seeing Kaden before she passed out. The rest was a blur.
Pulling her fingers through her hair, she realized she was still in her suit. Her hair fanned out over the pillow, still damp. The smell of chlorine permeated the room.
Feeling a tad dizzy, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and took in her surroundings. Yellows and purples covered the walls. It was warm, inviting, and peaceful. There were stars and moons painted along the top of each wall where the paint faded into a deep bluish purple before it met the ceiling. Small statues of fairies and angels sat along the elaborate dresser in the corner of the room next to the only closet in sight. Green plants graced the walls on corner shelves barely large enough to house them. The room was simple and familiar. Raine brushed her hand over the matching comforter, knowing she was in Camille’s house.
On shaky legs, Raine stood and went to rummage through the open closet for some clothes to put over her swimsuit. Camille and Raine were about the same size so it was easy to find a comfortable pair of sweats. She found a pair of tennis shoes and slipped them on her feet. Raine opened the bedroom door and headed for the kitchen area on the top level of Camille’s old split-level house.
As she made her way up the first flight of stairs, Raine heard male voices in low whispers coming from the kitchen. She recognized Kaden’s right away, but not the deeper baritone voice.
Bits of her memory came back to her as visions of Kaden carrying her to his car and then eventually inside the house filtered through her head. She remembered looking into his deep green eyes and finding confusion and tenderness, but she also recalled the burn on her skin when they touched. His skin felt great against her shivering body as she snuggled into him.
Raine took a deep breath and made a move to walk up the stairs when the conversation stopped her in her tracks.
“Raine is your charge, Kaden. From the time she was born, she has been your charge. At the age of three you were chosen. I know you believe that.”
“She can’t be. My mother always said my charge was dead, Eryk.”
Raine flinched when Kaden said, “She died years ago, and I was released of my guardianship when that happened. I’m a mercenary now and I may not be proud of it anymore, but I am what I am. Something you would do well to remember. I’m not sure I can change now.”
“I promised your father I would look after you, and so far, I haven’t done my duty to him. It shames me to say that, but I plan to correct my folly,” the voice Raine now associated with someone named Eryk said. “He was my best friend, something you would do well to remember. I will no longer stand aside while you hunt and destroy innocent Elementals because of a hatred born from your mother.” The sound of a chair scraping on the floor made Raine jump.
“Ha. Innocent. You call massive tornados that kill hundreds innocent? What about that major earthquake down south? How many innocent Elementals did it take to stir up that mess?”
Elementals? Like from school?
The knob rattled as the door slowly opened. Raine ran back down the stairs and hid around the corner as Camille came through the front door and paused at the split entry stairs. Raine peeked around the corner as Camille looked toward her room in the basement and let out a big sigh. She tried to slam the door shut behind her, but it bounced off the doorjamb and cracked open a notch. She took the stairs two at a time to the kitchen on the top level, making no effor
t to return to close it.
Raine slowed her breathing and crept from her hiding spot, gingerly walking up the stairs. She wanted to hear more of the conversation unseen.
“I do not pretend that all Elementals are good. Elzar is responsible for those disturbances. He alone is building the army of Elementals needed to wreak havoc on this earth. But she’s different, Kaden. She is your charge, completely unspoiled by the world. She was kept safe from her powers for years. She doesn’t even know who she is. But she is too powerful, Kaden, and she must be trained. She is the one we have been waiting for and deep down, you know it.” The emphasis Eryk put at the end of his statement made Raine’s heart flutter, and she couldn’t decide if it was nerves or something else altogether.
“Eryk is right, Kaden. I’ve watched over her for her entire life. I’ve seen how powerful she is. Today, for instance. Look at how much attention she gained simply from losing her bracelet,” Camille said from somewhere out of sight. “People were drawn to her. The men were drawn to her.” Raine chanced a look around the corner and saw Kaden sitting at the table with a full glass of water held loosely in his hand. The look on his face was fierce and Raine shivered. She felt the hate roll off Kaden from where she stood, and the last week clicked into place. He thought she was some sort of magical being out to destroy the world. He wooed her the first day of school and spent the rest of it hating her, because he couldn’t stand the sight of her and her supposed “powers”.
Eryk towered over him as he stood in the doorway. She shook her head and started to form a plan of escape.
“They killed my father, Eryk.”
“No, your father risked his life trying to save her mother and someone betrayed him.” Camille made the statement as she stepped into view. “He went to the hospital the night she was born to keep her hidden and safe. Something went wrong. Paige and Simon died trying to save that little girl down there. Does that mean nothing to you?”
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