Page 16 of Ridge

Kael nodded. “I’m fine. They didn’t touch me.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re okay. We should probably head back to Poppy’s house. You can get some tea or something. It’ll help you feel better.”

Kael’s gaze flickered down Ridge’s body. His cheeks turned bright red, and he quickly looked up, but overshot and was now staring at the sky, clearly making a conscious effort not to look down.

Ridge barely thought about his nudity. He was used to being naked around people. He shifted a lot for work, just as he’d shifted a lot during training. It was nothing for him, but Kael wasn’t a shifter.

“Sorry,” Kael muttered. “I didn’t mean to look.”

“I don’t care if you look, Kael.”

“You should. People shouldn’t stare at you while you’re naked.”

“It’s not the first time it’s happened, and it won’t be the last. I don’t care.”

Kael’s gaze flickered down again. “Must be nice to feel like that. I would feel incredibly awkward if anyone was to see me naked.”

“Even me?” The words were out of Ridge’s mouth before he could think better of them. He swallowed, wondering what Kael would make of it. Would he run like the three demons? Would he finally give Ridge a chance to explain?

Kael turned in the direction in which the demons had fled. There was no sign of them. They wouldn’t be coming back, which meant they wouldn’t be providing a distraction. At least Kael was safe.

“I should go and get my clothes,” Ridge said, even as he was wary of leaving Kael alone. He was sure his mate was safe enough, though. Besides, he wouldn’t be going far. He would be back quickly, and when he was, they could continue having the most awkward conversation in the world.

But a soft touch on his arm made him pause. He turned, blinking at Kael, wondering what was going on. He was pretty sure it was the first time Kael had touched him. His cat was happily prancing in the back of his mind, but Ridge was more cautious. He had no clue what it meant, and he wanted to know before he allowed himself to be happy.

Maybe Kael just wanted to thank him. Maybe he wanted to talk about what had just happened.

Maybe he wanted to tell Ridge to fuck off and that he could have defended himself.

Everything was possible, and Ridge had no idea where the conversation would go.

* * * *

KAEL WAS OVERWHELMED. He’d spent two hours talking to enthusiastic demons and answering their questions. He’d explored a new town and had felt accepted by the people who lived there. Then he’d been confronted by three demons who considered him a traitor and hadn’t hesitated to tell him so.

And now, this.

He’d known the cat was Ridge the moment it appeared. He wasn’t sure what kind of feline Ridge was, but he looked a bit like a lynx. He wasn’t a lynx, though. His fur was reddish and sleeker, as if made for warm places rather than the cold. His ears were adorable, though—too big for his head and tipped with long black tufts. Kael had wanted to reach over and stroke Ridge’s head, but he’d known better. Ridge had been intimidating the demons who’d confronted Kael. It wouldn’t do any good to startle him or distract him. Thankfully, the demons had been smart enough to know that sticking around would be a bad idea. They’d left, and now Kael was alone with Ridge.

A very naked Ridge. It made sense since he’d shifted, but Kael couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Ridge was so comfortable standing there completely exposed. It wasn’t only that Kael was there, but also that anyone walking past could see him. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be anyone in this tiny corner of town, but Kael was sure that wouldn’t last long. In places this small, news spread quickly. Someone would talk, and people would be curious and come to see.

And they’d see Ridge naked.

He didn’t like that thought. He needed to let Ridge go and get back to his clothes, but for some reason, his brain had decided they needed to talk first.

“What is it?” Ridge asked gently. It was as if he was afraid that Kael would break. Kael wasn’t sure he wouldn’t. He felt fragile, a bit shaken by the fact that these demons truly thought he was betraying their whole species by leaving Starhaven.

They didn’t know him. They didn’t know his life, what he’d gone through, and why he’d left Starhaven. They didn’t have a say in the decisions he made, and he shouldn’t care about their opinion. He didn’t know them. They didn’t matter. The people who mattered were glad he’d left Starhaven, and so was he, even though sometimes, he felt like he didn’t quite belong in the human world. He wouldn’t change what he’d done for anything in the world, and he wasn’t thinking about moving back to Starhaven or to any other demon town. He was here because he missed being surrounded by demons, but that didn’t mean he belonged here, either.

“Why did you do it?” he asked.

Ridge shook his head and fully turned toward Kael. “They didn’t hurt you, did they? Because if they did, I’m going to hunt them down.”

“They didn’t. They didn’t touch me. I don’t think they wanted to hurt me...just to scare me and make me feel like what I’m doing is wrong.”

“Is that what you think you’re doing?” Ridge was still examining Kael, maybe looking for wounds. Apparently, Kael swearing that he was okay wasn’t enough, and Kael understood that.

Or maybe he did understand it. He’d been hiding from this since he and Ridge had met, but he wasn’t sure he could continue doing so. He wanted answers. He wanted to know what was happening between them, why Ridge had intervened. If it was because it was his job or if there was more to it. Suddenly, the thought of being here alone, even with Ridge next to him, was too much.