Raikidan pulled me off of my perch and held me close. “Don’t listen to him. He’s lucky his friends were there to keep him safe. He wouldn’t have made it out of the house alive.”
“I don’t remember telling you what kind of place Midnight is,” I mumbled.
A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “You didn’t. Rylan did. You are to never step foot in that foul place.”
Raikidan didn’t act like the men I met. He didn’t treat me like a toy or a game. I sighed. Raikidan also wasn’t human. He didn’t have the same thoughts as humans. He was different. It’s not fair, really…
Raikidan’s grip tightened as if he interpreted my sigh as if the soldier’s words still bothered me. But it was okay. I felt safe.
No. I pulled away from him. That wasn’t right to feel. I wasn’t supposed to feel safe with him. Safe meant attachment, and that led to problems in the end. Raikidan looked nu-human now, but he wasn’t human. Nothing good could come from becoming attached to him. This small attachment needed to be stomped out, and it started with stopping him from helping me any further with my issues.
“Do you want revenge on him?” Raikidan asked.
I tilted my head. “What?”
“Do you want to get him back for what he said to you?”
“Well sure, but how are we going to do that?”
“Use his mind against him.”
I gulped. That idea made me uncomfortable. “I don’t know…”
“We don’t have to. It was just an idea.”
“And it was a good idea, don’t mistake that. I’m just not sure… Oh what the hell, why not?”
Raikidan looked at me in bewilderment from my sudden decision swing. I could do this. It didn’t mean anything. It was acting, and Raikidan wasn’t human. It was because he wasn’t human that he wouldn’t take anything the wrong way and make it awkward, or any more awkward since this would be awkward to start with.
Grabbing hold of Raikidan’s hand, I walked backward and held tentative eye contact as I made my way down the stairs. A smile twitched on and off my face until it finally stayed, and then a giggle faded in and out next. Raikidan continued to keep intense eye contact with me while a smirk remained planted on his face. My heart pounded a little harder in response.
I reached for the doorknob, but missed as I wasn’t looking for it directly. I made several more attempts but it wasn’t until I bumped into the door that I finally found it. I was forced to open the door quickly, as Raikidan didn’t feel inclined to stop advancing. The moment the door opened, another giggle escaped my lips, catching the attention of everyone in the living room, but I ignored them. I made it look like Raikidan was the only thing I was thinking about as I led him to my room.
I had forgotten about the soldier inspecting my room, so when Raikidan grabbed him and threw him out once we had entered, it took me by surprise. What surprised me more was the fact that he had managed to do it without losing eye contact with me.
“Dude, what the hell—” The last part of the soldier’s protest was cut off when Raikidan slammed the door shut.
Raikidan stared me down, and a lump formed in my throat. The look was so intense, but he didn’t move. I knew he wasn’t going to do anything unless I did. Swallowing the lump away, I forced myself to go through with this.
Raikidan grunted when I forced him against the door, and his inhaling breath came deep as I covered his mouth with my hand and destroyed what personal space boundaries I had left. Raikidan’s hand flew up and supported my back, helping with the difficult height difference.
A feminine voice cleared her throat behind me, and I immediately pushed myself away from Raikidan and spun around. In the door frame of my closet stood a voluptuous young woman with red hair in military attire. Stupid. I should have remembered that she would have been in here. It was protocol that no man inspected a woman’s room alone. The citizens felt that if the inspections were to be mandatory, then rules needed to be put in place to protect their privacy. Men not searching women’s rooms, and vice versa, was one of those rules, though they could supervise from afar.
A devilish grin was plastered on her face and she kept her voice low. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’m actually quite interested in which of the boys you’re trying to get back at, so I can go along with it.”
Raikidan moved away from the door. “The one with spiked up, poorly dyed blue hair.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Tarlen. That would figure.” She cracked her knuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”
She crossed the room, and we moved aside so she could leave but also so we wouldn’t be seen. Raikidan, to add to the situation, slammed the door shut behind her.
“I don’t know what you boys did to get that woman’s boyfriend all heated up, but you’re all a bunch of idiots.”
“B–boyfriend?” It was Tarlen who spoke. “You’re joking right?”
“His clothes are all put away neatly in that nice closet of hers. But with the way he was all over her in there, I highly doubt he’s her brother.”
“Shit!”
“Man, you are so lucky he didn’t try to kill you,” a soldier teased. “And it looked like he wanted to at first.”
“Wait, I think I missed something while I was dealing with my daughter,” Ryoko piped up. “You did something to piss Ray off in regards to Eira and lived? You’re a lucky man. Hot, good in the sheets, fiercely loyal, and protective to a T… she’s a lucky lady. Wish I could get a man like that.”
Ryoko, you would take advantage of this situation.
Raikidan decided to add to the dramatic atmosphere. He grabbed me and pushed me against the wall, boxing me in with his arms. I froze up as he leaned closer, but I worked out the ability to breathe finally when I realized he was only… smelling me? He inhaled deeply by my neck. I hope I don’t smell too bad.
“What did you do to get him all riled up anyway?” the female soldier asked. It sounded like someone was whispering in her ear, and Raikidan and I had to stop ourselves from laughing when we heard her slap someone. “You’re such a pig!”
“Man, what is up with you women and slapping?” Tarlen demanded.
The woman slapped him again and then stormed out of the house. I had to throw my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing and giving us away. Raikidan nudged me to get my attention and when I looked at him, he jerked his head in the direction of the bed. Grinning slyly, I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from the door. I threw him onto the bed, face down, and made an attempt to keep him pinned down that way. Raikidan grunted with effort as he tried to roll me off but I was going to be stubborn.
Raikidan continued to struggle, but I had the better position, making it possible to keep him pinned. He didn’t utter a word, only grunts and sighs as he struggled, so I knew he didn’t hate this, and I was glad. It was making me feel better for some reason, and I wanted to feel better.
It didn’t take long for someone to knock on the door. I shoved Raikidan’s head into the bed out of surprise, and then blinked when Ryoko walked in.
She laughed. “Blaze, you owe me some money.”
“No way!” he protested.
“Yeah, Laz is only beating him up,” she told him.
“Fuck me!”
I chuckled. “Were we really that convincing?”
Ryoko shook her head. “The guys thought so but we women weren’t convinced at all. Fooled those soldiers though. Especially that Tarlen guy.”
I chuckled and then gasped as Raikidan suddenly threw me off. I rolled off the bed and landed head down on the floor with part of my body still sticking up in the air.
Ryoko gasped and Raikidan swore. “Eira, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to throw you like that. Are you all right?”
I blinked a few times to wait for th
e shock to wear off, and then I laughed raucously. Raikidan had thought I still had a firm grip on him, even though Ryoko was distracting me, so he used too much strength to push me off.
My laugh became contagious, because soon Ryoko was laughing, and then Raikidan was, too. Raikidan crawled over to the edge of the bed and reached down to pick me up. I offered my hands and he took them, pulling me up with one big heave. I moved so fast I almost worried the motion would make me sick.
I stared into his eyes when he and I came nose to nose. His hand let go of mine and rested on my lower back to support me.
“I’ll leave you two alone now,” Ryoko said slyly before closing the door behind her.
I barely heard her as Raikidan’s gaze stayed locked with mine. Time slipped away as I gazed into those sapphire pools. I needed to look away but I couldn’t, so instead I rested my forehead on his and closed my eyes. A smile crept onto my face as I did.
“You’re welcome, Eira,” Raikidan murmured.
I almost chuckled. I didn’t have to say my thanks for him to know. “That was a lot of fun, surprisingly.”
“Surprisingly,” he agreed. I yawned and he chuckled. “Looks like the little butterfly is tried.”
I pulled away from him. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.” I yawned again and Raikidan chuckled again. He lay on the bed and tugged my shirt a few times to encourage me to lie down as well. Finally giving in with a sigh, I laid back and relaxed. I yawned again and Raikidan attempted to cover my eyes with his hand.
I pushed his hand away. “Raikidan, stop. I’m not tired.”
“We have to work tonight. You should take a nap.”
“We always have to work in some way.”
“You know I mean the club. Besides, you need the energy. Everyone can benefit from a nap. Even dragons nap. We sleep a lot, actually.”
“You don’t nap,” I objected.
“You’re not around me all the time to see if I do.”
“I don’t want to mess up my sleep pattern.”
“I seriously doubt you won’t be tired after working.”
“Do I have to go? I hate working there.”
“It’s better than taking up that Tarlen guy’s offer.”
I sighed. “I guess so.”
Raikidan covered my eyes with his hands again. “Sleep. I’ll wake you when you need to get ready.”
I lifted his hand slightly so I could look at him.”If I’m not already awake by then.”
Raikidan covered my eyes completely again. “Sleep.”
I sighed, smiled a little, and then relaxed. He was right. Sleep would do me some good, so I’d listen—this time.
Chapter 21
Raikidan and I made our way up from the basement. He still insisted on learning how to control fire, and yet wasn’t making any progress. I was patient with him, but I wasn’t sure how long I could keep this up. Eventually, I was going to find myself trying to convince him to stop. By now, if he was destined to be a fire elementalist, he would have at least been able to control something, even if just a little. Raikidan opened the door for me, and I looked at him funny before heading into the living room.
Ryoko poked her head out of her room when she heard us come up. “Laz, have you seen my good walking boots?”
My brow rose in question. “Walking boots?”
“Yeah, my boots that don’t have the steel toes,” she explained. “They’re more comfortable to wear on long walks.”
“Why not just wear sneakers?”
“Because they don’t look as cool?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I didn’t even know you had a separate pair, but I’ll go check the music room to see if they found a new home in there.”
Ryoko murmured her thanks and went back to looking in her room. As I headed down the hall, I wondered how many boots in comparison to shoes she had. But that thought switched over to Rylan as I neared the music room. No one saw him anymore. He kept to himself in his self-loathing depression, to the point where Seda had to assure me he was eating when no one was around to see him leave his room.
I stopped dead in the doorway of the music room when I opened the door and stared in shock. Broken instruments—shredded papers—It’s like a tornado ripped through here. Slowly, I made my way over to my guitar and picked it up. Something jagged and large had punctured the body, rendering it unusable. Carrying it with me, I walked over to my piano to find it in no better condition. The seat was smashed, piano keys were scattered about. One of the legs of the piano was broken, and the body punctured all over. The holes looked like the ones on my guitar.
Presumably, no one had been in this room recently, except Rylan. We figured if he had this room to himself, he might start feeling better sooner. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with this room anymore.
Two people talking out in the hall pulled my attention away. Curious, I wandered out of the room, making sure to close the door so no one else could see the mess, and ventured down the hall. I stopped when the voices became clear.
“Why don’t you ask your new boyfriend?” Rylan spat.
“What?” Ryoko sounded really hurt. “What is your problem lately, Rylan? All I asked was if you wanted to go out on a wa—”
“Save it.” A door slammed and Ryoko gasped. I went to move to see if she was okay, but Raid walked past me, as if he hadn’t seen me at all, so I stayed where I was to see how things played out.
“Hey you rea—you okay, Ryoko?” At least he sounded concerned about her well-being.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Give me a second to find Laz, and we can go on our walk.”
“All right, I’ll wait for you outside.”
I backed up a little ways so we wouldn’t run into each other too soon. I didn’t need her to know I had been eavesdropping.
“There you are, Laz.”
I smiled in greeting. “Hey, Ryo. I wasn’t able to find your boots, sorry.”
“Nah, it’s cool. That’s why I’m looking for you. I found them. One was under my bed, and the other one somehow made its way into my dresser.”
I laughed. How she managed to place things in such ridiculous locations was beyond me.
“Well, Raid and I are going out on a walk. I’ll catch you later.”
I watched her walk away. She was acting as if nothing had happened between her and Rylan. My fists clenched. I needed to talk to him. He had no right to act that way.
Taking a deep breath, I stalked down the hall, determined to get to the bottom of Rylan’s attitude. I veered around the corner and was surprise to see him out of his room. He was looking down the hall, as if he was been watching someone. Someone like Ryoko.
Rylan had a nasty scowl on his face, and it didn’t go away when he looked at me. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk,” I said.
Rylan snorted and headed down the hall. “I’m out of here.”
I followed him. “Rylan, don’t you walk away from me.”
Rylan spun on his heels and towered over me. “What the hell do you want? Want me to apologize for being angry she’s with someone else? Do you want me to go find her, and tell her I was wrong to be upset with her?”
“No. I want you to stop being an asshole. You have no right to be angry with her for wanting to be happy.”
“I could have made her happy!”
“You were sitting on your ass doing nothing,” I spat. “Ryoko has the lowest self-esteem I have ever seen in a person. She isn’t oblivious to the way men treat her, and she goes out of her way to avoid them. Except you. You have always treated her like a person, and she held onto that and fostered feelings that were not once reciprocated.
But because she didn’t trust anyone else, she waited and waited and continued to wait longer than any other sane person would have! But you sat on your ass acting like the pansy you are, and she finally had enough of it and chose to focus her energy on someone who showed genuine interest in her. Stop blaming her for your mistake. Stop blaming her for looking to someone else for something you weren’t ever going to have the balls to give her!”
Rylan turned away. “I’m not going to stand here and be lectured by the one person who encouraged her to make this choice when she knew how I felt.”
“I told her to be happy. Rylan, don’t you walk away from me.” I reached out and grabbed his arm.
Rylan spun around to face me, but that wasn’t all he did. His hand continued to swing, and the back of it collided with my face. Shva’sika gasped, as she rounded the corner just as this happened. If his goal had been to get me to let go, then it worked.
I held the side of my face in utter shock. I couldn’t believe he did that to me.
“L–Laz, I’m sorry,” Rylan tried to apologize. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
The voice in my head snarled. “Make him pay for his insolence!”
My shock formed into anger, and my fist collided with his face in retaliation. Rylan stumbled back and I stormed past him.
“Rylan, I don’t know what your problem is, or what the two of you were arguing about, but I know she did not deserve that!” Shva’sika shouted.
Raikidan tried to make sure I was all right as I passed through the living room, but I pushed him aside and headed for my room. I wanted to be alone now.
I slammed the door behind me and slid to the floor. That slap hurt in more ways than one. I sat alone for a several minutes, unaware of anything that was going on around me, so I was taken by surprise when Raikidan rested a hand on my shoulder. In my distracted state, I hadn’t heard him come through the window.
“Eira, are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I muttered. “I just want to be alone.”
Raikidan grabbed me by the arms and hauled me into his lap. “No you don’t.”
Secrets Page 26
