Rubbing his arm, I grin. “Hey, it’s okay to freak now. Better here than out there, right?” Tilting my head to the side, I grab his hand and pull him down the hall. “Come on. We’re going to get all the nerves out today, so in the morning we can take care of business.”
I drag him out the back door toward the dorms. At this time of day, it’s doubtful Haya will be in the room, so we shouldn’t get interrupted. Other students dart past us at top speed. Yasmin waves from across one of the fields as she coasts into the rec center.
Rafe and I float through the door to my dorm room, and I tug him onto the couch. Throwing a fluffy blanket at him, I will my boots away so I’m left with comfy socked feet, and lean against the opposite side. “Okay Warren, spill. I know it sucks but it’s better to get it out. Emotionally vomit all over me and let the healing begin.”
Huffing a half laugh, Rafe tugs the collar of his t-shirt away from his throat like it’s choking him. He keeps his gaze on the ground as he says, “My sister Paige was kidnapped.”
His words sock me right in the solar plexus. “No…”
Rafe nods, picking at a piece of fuzz on the blanket. “A pack of wolf shifters took us both and told me they’d kill her if I didn’t help them take Cade Blakemore.” He threads his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t want to help them but I couldn’t let them hurt Paige.”
“Of course not. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if someone threatened my little brother…” Something tingles in my memory. As tears sting my eyes, I try to grab at it, but it slips away.
“So I pretended to lose my powers and went to the school. Over the next few weeks I got to know Cade and…” His nostrils flare.
“You couldn’t do it?”
Shutting his eyes, he shakes his head. “We were down in the basement at Blakemore looking for what we thought was a weapon of some kind when we came across this magic.” Rafe drags his lower lip between his teeth. “I thought it was the wolf shifters coming for Cade, or someone working with them, and I wanted to stop them. I was going to lead them away and then...I don’t really know what happened. There were all these voices, these weird, blue lights. Then this insanely strong magic hit me, tearing me apart.”
He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I squeeze his hand, then reach up to trace the red lines around his eyes with a thumb. “Is that how you got these?”
Rafe nods. “We found out later that the magic belonged to a supe who gave up her power — and the power of others — a long, long time ago. Cade went down there and claimed it eventually, but it could have killed her too. When I came to as a ghost, I tried to leave to find Paige, but Cade was the priority so I couldn’t leave Blakemore.”
I chew my lip and attempt to shove down the unreasonable jealousy stirring in my chest. Obviously, Cade would take priority if he’d put her in danger. This rationality doesn’t help as much as I’d like it to, though. Especially not after the look I’d seen on Rafe’s face when we both saw that news report about her wedding in the common room.
It hits me then, hard.
He loved her.
I wrap my arms around my waist and force my attention away from this stupid jealousy. This is life and death, so much more important than any piddling teen drama. I refuse to let whatever I’m feeling screw up Rafe’s opportunity to find eternal rest.
Rafe runs a hand over his face. “Once Kaz showed up, I thought that force, whatever it is, would guide me to Paige, but it didn’t. Even the enforcers can’t find her.”
That explains the guilt and pain radiating off him. What kind of horrible decision to be faced with? Protect a sibling or kidnap a fellow supe? I clench my teeth. Anger lights up in my insides. If I ever find these wolves, they’ll wish they’d never touched Rafe and his sister.
“But they’re right,” Rafe says. “I need to start in Blacksburg, where she was taken in the first place. See if I can trace her from there. You don’t-” he swallows, “you don’t have to help me. I know what I did was awful.”
I lace my fingers through his. “Don’t be stupid.”
He looks up at me, brows lifted.
“Of course I’m going to help you, because I expect you to help me with mine...once I figure it out.” I grin and Rafe laughs. “Now let’s go find that sister of yours, huh?”
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, we meet Kaz at the front of the school. We haven’t seen him since the blow up with Landon this weekend. I’m still not positive we can trust him, but I know we need his help. Even though Rafe and I have made a lot of progress, we haven’t even attempted ghost travel yet. Kaz is our only means of transportation.
As Rafe and I stroll toward him, I offer my best smile. “Ready to get this show on the road, or...in the sky?”
Kaz grins. “That’s not exactly accurate, but I’ll take it.” He rubs his chin with a forefinger and thumb, his brow wrinkling. “But, before we do, about what Landon said in the rec center. He’s right, I used to be an Xer, but I swear I’m not anymore, and I will do everything in my power to protect you from them. If you’re not comfortable with having me as your Ghost Guide, I’ll understand.”
Rafe and I exchange a glance. Either we’ve done a horrible job hiding our own concern, or Kaz just knew he needed to
