“No!” The angry word bounced around the room as a glass smashed against the far wall before silence resonated through the house.
Raine shook with fear at the animosity she felt from that one word. Quietly, she stepped toward the gaping door. She felt an uncontrollable need to escape the crazy house. All the talk of Elementals and the death of her mother confused her more than she cared to admit. Then, to find that Camille and Eryk seemed to know a lot about her life, about her mother. Panic welled up inside her.
Raine reached for the door to sneak out. The hinge squeaked as she pushed it wider. The sound seemed to break the silence of the house. Three pairs of eyes turned at the same time and focused on Raine’s stunned face.
Camille gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Kaden jumped from the chair with a curse on his lips as his chair tipped backward, catching his legs in the movement. Kaden fell against Eryk and they both crashed to the ground with a loud thump, effectively blocking the kitchen entryway.
Raine bolted out the door and ran for home. She ignored the pleas and commotion from inside the house as she concentrated on her feet hitting the pavement in time with her beating heart.
Raine felt a prickling on the back of her neck as she ran through the dark, empty streets. Night fell while she lay unconscious in Camille’s bed, and she wondered for the first time just how long she’d slept. She let her feet go on autopilot so her mind could wander. A blanket of clouds covered the stars and moon, effectively cutting out any light that might guide her home. Thoughts swirled in her mind about her strange week, her friendship with Camille, and her instant attraction to Kaden. She felt like a fool for more reasons than one and wished the blackness of the night would swallow her up.
As she rounded the corner, her house came into view. A tingle of panic formed in her chest when she saw a strange white truck parked in front of her house. On her front porch sat a familiar chocolate lab that she remembered all too well from her morning run. The lights in her house blazed from almost every room that she could see, and the curtains remained open to prying eyes.
However, the porch lights were off and a fresh wave of terror washed over her. She slowed to a stop to listen to the sounds of the night, positive Kaden must be near if his dog was sitting at her house. She heard nothing above her own staggered breathing, and relaxed a fraction when she remembered Kaden had a car, a black car, not a truck, and it was nowhere in sight.
Raine slowly walked forward, keeping to the shadows for reasons she didn’t understand. Tech sauntered down the porch steps, almost knocking her over when he leaned into her.
Raine steadied herself and plunged her hands into Tech’s hair. Releasing him, she continued forward, looking through the large windows. She froze. Her dad was sitting in his recliner with his elbows propped on his knees as if he was watching something intense, but he was facing away from her and their TV. A tall blonde form appeared at the window and pulled the drapes closed, but not before Raine saw the ‘Happy Birthday’ sign hung just above the door to their kitchen. Guilt shot through her like a bullet. She planned to meet Ryker for a date tonight and her dad was probably worried sick that she hadn’t come home from school yet.
Raine took the porch steps two at a time, but as she reached for the handle the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Tech followed her on the porch and placed himself between her and the door. He leaned against her and pushed her back with his muscular frame. Raine almost fell with the force.
“Tech?” Raine whispered. She bent down on the dark porch and gave him a pat on the head.
A face appeared in a crack in the curtains, and Raine started when she realized she’d never seen him before. With his dark beard, scruffy in appearance, he looked deadly. The man’s gaze swept over the front porch, but the darkness of the skies combined with the dark sweats she’d borrowed from Camille kept her hidden in the shadows.
Something in the back of her mind told her to get off the porch. She jumped the small wood railing once the curtains closed again. Raine crouched in the grass next to the house as the front door swung open, hard. Tech sat on the porch, tail still and ears against his head, as a low menacing rumble erupted from his throat.
“It’s nothing but a stupid dog.” Raine heard the screen door open and lifted her head a small amount. She saw the barrel of a gun protrude from inside the house and point at Tech. Her breath hitched in her throat.
“Leave it be. A gunshot will draw the cops,” a familiar voice said from inside, but she couldn’t place the owner.
Tech sat growling on the porch as the screen closed and the door clicked shut.
Raine let out the breath she was holding as her heart slammed against her ribs. Tech jumped off the porch and ran around the back of her house. Raine followed to the back of the house and found her car parked in the driveway. Camille must have dropped her car off after school before she went back to her house. Slipping past her car, she made her way to the back porch so she could peek through the window at the occupants of her house.
She could see her father’s face clearly now and tears stung her eyes at the sight. She covered her mouth to keep from crying out. The fingers on one hand appeared mangled, bent at awkward angles and rendered useless. One eye was almost swollen shut and his nose looked broken. The front of his shirt was covered in blood and his one good eye was downcast.
Another person she hadn’t noticed earlier sat quietly in a chair not far from Stephen, but his face was hidden from view by the kitchen wall. Raine guessed it was Ryker and knew she was right when she took a step to the side, knocking over the watering can by the back door. Both heads shot in her direction. The pleading in her father’s eyes made Raine hesitate half a second before she bolted from the back door just as he lunged at the scruffy man she’d seen on the front porch. She stopped on the other side of her car and crouched down seconds before she heard a scream from inside.
The back door swung open. Light flooded the entire driveway and detached garage area. The garden lit up like noonday and Raine crouched further into the shadows behind her car. Her eyes burned and she blinked back the tears that formed when she heard her father from inside telling her to run.
Two shots rang out. Raine gasped when she heard something hit the floor inside. She chanced a peek through her car windows. The back door closed as the stranger walked back inside.
“Get her now.” Raine heard the bellowed command from inside and her feet went on autopilot. She ran through the backyard and up the side of the hill that butted her house. Tech let out a monstrous bark as two more shots rang out through the darkened sky, this time aimed at her. Fear gripped her as she ran. The hillside was dark—the floodlights from her backyard couldn’t penetrate that deep into the night—and Raine ran as hard as she could up the rocky terrain. Rain poured from the skies and she felt a surge of energy with each drop that splashed against her skin.
Tech ran silently in front of her as if he was leading her up the hill to a certain spot. Raine followed.
The shrubs and trees thickened the further up she ran, and eventually Raine found herself surrounded by thick, green foliage that hid her from view. She found a large rock and dropped into the increasingly wet grass. She slumped against the rock and closed her eyes, dropping her head back, listening to the sounds around her, letting the rain splash on her face. She could hear a couple of people stumble up the hill, muttering obscenities each time they fell. Finally, with a loud curse that rang through the night, the two men retreated to her house.
With a sinking feeling, Raine realized the two shots she heard were most likely for Ryker and her father. Tears dripped from her eyes as she connected the dots. They were probably both dead.
Why? What are they after?
The wetness on her cheeks mixed with the falling rain ran uninhibited down her face. She felt Tech nudge her side, but she didn’t have the strength to move as her emotions swallowed her whole.
Raine sat in stunned silence for several minutes before she
decided she needed to find her way down the hillside. She moved to stand when headlights pierced through the dark and she startled back against the rock.
Quietly she tried to coax Tech closer to where she hid to keep anyone from suspecting she was there, but he turned and ran further up the hill, disappearing in the blackness. A feeling of abandonment rocked her to the core and her body began to shake.
A wave of nausea filled her. She covered her stomach and dry heaved. Thoughts raced through her head and she knew she needed to escape before someone found her. She had to find a way down the hill.
With a deep breath and renewed strength, she peeked around the side of the rock just as a woman exited the car in her drive. Raine watched as the woman made her way to the front of the house. She was tall, with short hair, but from the distance Raine couldn’t make out any features.
When she heard the front door slam shut, she wiped her face, steeled her nerves, and prepared to sprint up the hill. She had to leave now.
Raine sucked in a deep breath and turned to run when she found herself pinned face first against the wet ground with a hand firmly pressed against her lips, stifling the cry from her lungs.
“Shhhh. . . .” came the whisper in her ear, and a chill broke out over her wet skin. “I’m going to let go of your mouth now if you promise not to scream.”
Unable to nod, the hand covering her mouth slowly moved before she was suddenly on her back staring up at a familiar pair of green eyes. The shock of seeing Kaden, mixed with a sense of relief that he was there, washed across her face and she instinctively opened her mouth to say something. He shushed her with a finger to her lips and then slowly got off her. She sat up and he motioned her to follow him up the hill.
She paused for one moment as she weighed her options to follow the crazy, Elemental believing man who wanted her dead up the hill, or face the gun-toting strangers, who also wanted her dead. Crazy won and she followed Kaden up the hill until they reached the top and zigzagged their way down the opposite side where his black Charger waited for them.
Tech sat at the car door and wagged his tail at the sight of Kaden. Raine had the distinct impression that Tech never abandoned her, that he went to get Kaden to find her. She shook the thought from her head and continued down the hill.
Kaden opened the car door and motioned for her to get inside. She hesitated until she saw the beams of light penetrating the dark of the hill they just descended. She scrambled inside and clicked the door shut.
Kaden climbed in the car and waited for the beams of light to disappear before he started the car and pulled away.
“He came to get you, didn’t he?” Raine asked after a few minutes of silence. She clasped her shaking hands in her lap and turned to look at Tech. He lay sprawled, upside down, in the backseat. “How did he know?”
Kaden reached across the seat and grabbed her hands. She never realized how cold and shaky she'd become until his warmth enveloped her, steading her. Raine almost sighed with relief, but she held it in.
“He feels attached to you,” Kaden said, which only led to more questions in her mind, but she just nodded and turned to look out the window.
“I’m sorry,” Kaden said after a few moments of silence. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You weren’t meant to hear any of that, back at Camille’s house.” Raine snorted and grumbled under her breath as she stared out the window. “I know you don’t trust me, but I promise where we’re going there will be answers for both of us. And despite what you heard . . .” Kaden paused. When he didn’t finish, she looked his way. His eyes pinned her to her seat, but there was something soft in his gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Raine didn’t know what to think about the turn her world had taken. Her father and Ryker were certainly dead, she was stuck in a car with a snoring dog, a cute guy who made her blood stir that she didn’t know if she could trust, and a group of men out to kill her, leaving her no choice but to trust the one person she wasn’t sure about.
“I hope not,” Raine said before she let numbness drift through her mind. Tears fell silently down her cheeks and eventually her eyes closed, vaguely aware of Kaden’s thumb rubbing circles across the top of her hand.
CHAPTER 12
KADEN
After two and half hours of driving, Kaden pulled into a long dirt drive and followed it through the trees, past the grassy meadow to an old two-story house. The house was set away from the road, making it unseen by passersby.
The house was old, built many years ago by Kaden’s grandparents. It was his favorite place to be. He bought it two years ago when his mother put it up for sale. She never suspected he was the buyer. He planned it that way—or she never would have let him buy it. He yearned to have the house. Memories of his grandparents remained the only good experiences to come out of his childhood.
Kaden sat silently for a moment, admiring the house. The recent coat of paint brought new life to the old place without taking away from the beauty he remembered. Inside was completely different, updated with modern appliances and amenities, but the outside he tried to leave as original as possible.
It was almost midnight, the moon obscured by cloud cover from the recent storm. The only light came from the head beams of Kaden’s car.
With a sigh, he cut the engine and reached over, giving Raine a gentle shake. It took a few moments, but she finally woke and looked at him with swollen, sleepy eyes.
“Where are we?” Raine’s sleepy voice broke through the quiet of the car. She cleared her throat, took the water bottle from the cup holder and took a long swallow to wet her dry throat. She’d slept the entire way to Newport. Kaden held her hand for most of the drive, even though she never knew. He tried to let go once, but she became agitated and wouldn’t calm until he touched her again. As long as he held her hand, she snored softly and rested peacefully.
“This is my home.” Kaden opened the door and the light inside the car illuminated the blackness. Tech jumped from the backseat and ran through the grassy meadow, disappearing into the thick tress that surrounded his house.
Raine exited the car, stretching as she shut the door. She let out a loud yawn and Kaden used the noise to find his way around the car. His hands were full of bags, but he managed to take her by the hand as he led her through the darkness.
“I bet the stars are amazing here,” Raine whispered as they made their way up the porch.
“They’re amazing at night when the cloud cover is gone. There isn’t any light pollution to drown out the brilliance of the sky. Watch your step on the last one. The wood warped and I haven’t fixed it yet,” Kaden said as he maneuvered the final step and stopped just before the door, dropping the bags at his feet. Opening the screen door, he pulled a key from his pocket, fumbling it around until he finally pushed it into the lock and turned.
The door swung wide with a gentle creak as he flipped the light switch to illuminate the house. Light spilled onto his wraparound porch as he held the door for Raine to enter.
Kaden grabbed the bags as Tech ran past him and straight to Raine.
“Tech.” Raine turned and dropped to her knees. “You scared me, boy.” She scratched his ears, laughing when his tongue fell out the side of his mouth. She sobered when Tech flopped down and rolled over to expose his belly for her to rub.
“You came for me.” Raine’s voice was wistful and quiet, but Kaden heard the words. A lone tear leaked from her eye.
Kaden gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, which seemed to bring Raine out of her reverie. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and stood.
“I’ll let you have the back bedroom. Just a warning: the bathroom is what my realtor called a dual-entry bathroom, which means there’s an entry that opens to the hallway and my room. Be sure to close both doors when you’re in there.” Kaden flipped on lights as he walked down the hall and disappeared into the room Raine would sleep in. He dropped her backpack on the bed before he turned to find he was alone.
Raine
was still in the living room, looking around the small area with wonder. He guessed she was surprised by how modern the inside was. It was homey and comfortable and Kaden loved it.
“This isn’t what I expected from the outside, although it was pretty dark I couldn’t see it very well.”
“I just had the inside updated from when my grandparents lived here. Not bad for a bachelor pad,” he said as he stepped into the living room next to Raine.
On the far wall of the living area was a big screen television surrounded by bookcases full of DVD’s. The most posh looking leather sofas were arranged across a large carpet that protected the hardwood from the weight of the furniture. Deep, rich colors coated three of the main walls, accented with a few well-hung pictures throughout the room. Off to the right was a gourmet kitchen fit for a chef. The décor was a bit lighter in the kitchen, but the colors blended perfectly with the living area, as there wasn’t a wall to separate the two rooms. The hardwood flooring extended down the hallway that led to three rooms at the back of the house, and a set of stairs that led to the second floor which opened to a loft area just above the kitchen. A few pictures hung scattered along the hallway, placed in a perfect “disarray” pattern . . . or so his decorator told him.
Raine sighed and Kaden smiled. She turned to look at him with awe as she said, “Where are your parents?”
“I live alone.”
“You live here? How does an eighteen-year-old senior in high school afford a place like this on his own?”
“I’m not a student.”
“What do you mean? You go to Seaside High,” Raine said. “Don’t you?”
Kaden watched Raine’s expressive face as she seemed to be playing the situation out in her mind. Then her steely blue eyes widened.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty-two.”
Raine blinked and her body started to shake.
“I heard what Camille said. You think I’m one of those Elementals we’ve been studying in school. You . . . came . . . for me?”
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