Page 41 of Raze
Rather than disturb her rest, I force myself out of the bed. There’s no rest for the wicked, after all.
I dress quickly and silently, each motion deliberate and measured so as not to alert Raegan or anyone else that I’m up and about. I pinch the paper in my pocket and pull it out to look at it again. It’s four words, nameless, but I knew exactly who it came from the moment the paper crane drifted in on the breeze.
The fact that he used the crane to send his message is a sick reminder of all the things he knows about me. It was a taunt, and seeing it still makes my blood boil.
I won’t let him ruin the meaning behind the crane for me and Raegan. I lift the paper in front of me and then snap my thumb down on the lighter from the same pocket. A tiny flame bursts to life, tasting the air in flickering movements before I bring it to the crane. The fire licks the paper, blackening it as it eats away.
My eyes stay trained on the fire, and I take a deep breath of the burning smell that tempts my inner demons for more. It’s too small, though, for me to fully enjoy it. I drop what’s left of the paper to the floor, then crush it and the mini flames beneath my boot.
The window in my room slides open easily. I sit on the sill, one foot up in preparation to leave, when I hear movement at my door.
A single knock hits the door before I open it. I doubt anything short of screaming would wake Reagan right now, but I’ll still doanything to make sure nothing bothers her.
Aiden’s standing there, dressed down in sweatpants and a shirt with his feet bare like he’d either been about to go to sleep, or he’d woken up from it. His eyes glance over my shoulder at the bed and Raegan. I don’t try to hide her, nor do I gloat, as Kellan likely would have.
I do lock the knob from the inside and then close the door behind me, stepping into the hall so that whatever conversation Aiden’s hoping to have doesn’t intrude on her sleep. Locking it won’t stop him from trying to storm in and wake her up as he had in his room a week ago, but it’ll slow him down to either reconsider or alert Raegan before he comes in.
He hears the click of the lock, and his forehead creases further with whatever thoughts are plaguing his head tonight. I tuck my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie, and I lean back against the door, settling in for whatever he has to say so we can be done with it.
Silence stretches between us.
I’m curious about what he plans to say. Is he going to comment on the fact that she’s in my room? Or tell me he thought she’d escaped him, which he now knows isn’t the case. I smirk the longer he seems at a loss for what to say.
“She’s still keeping things from us.”
I cock my head to the side as I study him. His jaw is pronounced from the tension there, and his face is drawn with anger. His hands are fisted at his sides. I can hear his breathing accelerate, telling me that his heart is likely racing as well. For all appearances, he’s tryingto pretend he’s in complete control. But it’s clear to me that seeing her in my room has upset him.
I know he’s referring to her supposed birth certificate he found. He told me not long ago, thinking it would win me back to his side, but that in itself is the problem for him.
I’ve never been on any side buthersto begin with.
He doesn’t get it yet. There is no us without her.
The birth certificate is just another puzzle piece that I’m going to figure out. And when I get them all, I’m going to put them together until I know exactly what Raegan needs, so I can give it to her.
“Are you keeping things fromus?” I ask in an almost bored tone. I know that there’s more going on between Aiden and Raegan than either of them is letting on. Something happened on the island with them that will explain why there’s still so much tension between them.
“What would I be keeping from you?”
I shrug. “I won’t push. Just remember that the next time you accuse her of holding back.”
When he frowns, I lean forward and lower my voice to a threatening level. “If you want trust, then trust that my loyalty has and always will be with her. And there are no lengths I wouldn’t go for her. Even against you.”
Her enemies are my enemies. And so long as he draws the line in the sand separating himself from Raegan, he’ll know exactly which side I’m on.
I walk away from his stunned face and take the exit door at the end of the hallway.
It’s time to hunt the hunter.
The elevator pings and jerks to a halt on the Guild floor. My boot pushes off where I’d been leaning as the doors open into the massive great hall. I pass by the long tables and members without a word to anyone and no one greets me after being gone for the last two weeks.
I’m not here to make friends and everyone knows it.
I do, however, cycle through the various conversations happening in the room until I hear something of interest.
“—and she hasn’t returned your calls? That’s the fourth person this month! What job did she go on?”
“It was helping someone move or something like that.”
