“Surprise…” Rayne whispered in my ear.
I exhaled appreciatively. “How… how did you do this?”
The entire room flickered amid a sea of white candles. An elegant tablecloth covered the table, set with beautiful dinnerware, crystal goblets, and a large bouquet of flowers.
Rayne smiled. “I had a little help. My sister owed me a favor.”
“Wow, Violette did all this? I should go thank her.” I started to turn, but Rayne grabbed my hand.
“You can thank her later. Right now, you’re all mine.”
I looked at him sheepishly. Here he had arranged for this wonderful candlelight dinner, and I wanted to run off to talk to my roommate. I reached my arms up around his neck. “Can I at least thank you?” I said coyly.
His luminous green eyes gazed back at me. “I was hoping you would say that.”
We leaned into each other, like a gravitational force that couldn’t be denied. He brushed his lips against mine, softly at first, and then he pulled me into him deeper.
I took a quiet breath, my mouth still lingering close to his face. It took a moment for my head to come back into focus, but when it did my mind went back to Rayne’s sister.
“Wait,” I said, totally breaking out of the moment. “So, Violette is in the back room right now just sitting around waiting for us to finish?”
Rayne looked amused. “No, she’s not waiting. She said she made plans to meet up with a friend. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“But I heard that loud noise from the bedroom. Wasn’t that her?”
“Actually,” Rayne said, “I’m pretty sure that was the sound of her escaping out the window.”
“The window?”
Rayne didn’t seem fazed in the least. “I think she just didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
I shook my head. “But, we live on the top floor.”
“You must not know my sister very well,” Rayne said with a laugh. “She lives for that kind of thing.”
“What kind of thing? Breaking her neck instead of using the front door?”
Rayne grinned and kissed me on the cheek. “Why are you so adorable? You do remember that we’re on Ambrosia, right? If she broke her neck, it would just start healing twenty seconds later. I mean, it would definitely hurt, but she would live.”
“Oh, right. I guess I still forget sometimes.” I folded my arms. “I still think it makes more sense to go out the front door.”
“That’s just Violette,” Rayne replied. “She’s been climbing buildings and jumping out of windows since she was five. Basically, she’ll do just about anything to prove that she was born to be a spy.”
I laughed. “She does have a lot of posters of Scouts hanging on her walls, including one of Ash I might add.” I suddenly pictured Ash’s face and a chill crawled up my neck. “It freaks me out every time I go in there,” I added. “It makes me feel like he’s still spying on me.”
Rayne looked at me carefully. “He’s not. I promise. I truly believe Ash is sorry for what he did.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how you do it. When I think of him, all I see is the hurt he caused.”
“I know,” Rayne said. “You don’t have any good memories of him like I do. Actually, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want you to forgive him anyway. I can see that he still wants to be punished.”
My jaw clenched a little. “What he did was wrong, Rayne. Don’t you think he deserves to pay the consequences? Even if he is sorry.”
Rayne lifted his hand in submission. “Believe me, I wasn’t trying to excuse what he did. You know better than anyone how angry I was with him. But he is still under lock and key at the Court, so it’s not like he isn’t paying the price for his choices.”
“Right,” I muttered. “That must be really tough for him to live out his days in a velvet-lined suite at the poshest building in the city.” I could feel the muscles in my neck getting tighter.
Rayne reached for my hand sympathetically. “Hey… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Tonight was supposed to be… nice… and relaxing.”
I looked again at the elegant table setting and warm candles all around us.
Rayne lifted one eyebrow. “If it makes you feel any better, the last time I went to see Ash he seemed pretty miserable.” Rayne was trying to lighten the mood.
I chuckled. “I guess that does make me feel a little better.”
Rayne pulled me toward him. “Good,” he said. “I don’t like it when you’re unhappy.” He leaned in for a kiss. “And Violette did make this delicious meal for us… we wouldn’t want it to go to waste, right?”
“Are you kidding?” I said. “I’m starving. And from what I hear, Violette is a really good cook.”
Rayne laughed. “Well, my mom pretty much had to force her to do it, but the girl does have some skills.”
He moved behind one of the chairs at the table and pulled it out for me. When I sat down and scooted the seat forward I said, “So, what’s the special occasion, anyway?”
Rayne chuckled as he circled the table. “What, a guy can’t make his woman a candlelight dinner just for the fun of it?”
I laughed. “Of course you can. Believe me, there’s no complaint here.”
I watched as he stepped into the small kitchen a few feet away and returned with a platter of food.
“You had me worried though,” I added. “For a minute I thought I forgot something important, like our anniversary or something. I’ve just… had so much on my mind lately.”
Rayne placed the dish on the table and settled in his chair. His gaze was soft. “I know,” he said. “You’ve been working so hard. I guess that’s why I wanted to do something nice for you tonight.”
I leaned over what looked like herbed pork chops on a bed of roasted vegetables and rice. “It smells amazing,” I said. “This was so sweet of you.”
I reached across the table for his hand. “Thank you. Really, it’s just what I needed.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s good to hear.” His words lingered as he looked at me thoughtfully. A tingling sensation moved up my arm. I could feel the warmth and energy from Rayne’s essence streaming out from his fingertips into my hand.
For the briefest moment, my mind was free.
We dished up our plates and started to eat.
“Was everything okay at your session today?” Rayne asked. “You came back pretty late.”
And just like that, the stress returned.
My throat clenched. I stared at my food. “I… uh…”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t want to tell him. I let a man die. I let a man die!
Rayne knew something was wrong. We were so close at the table I could literally feel his pulse getting harder. “What happened?” he demanded. “What did they do?”
I hated when he got upset. I hated it.
My voice grew quiet. “It wasn’t them. I… I had another nightmare, about Voss.”
I couldn’t tell him about the man. I just couldn’t.
“You mean, last night?” Rayne asked, confused.
“No, at the testing center. You know… afterward. When I passed out.”
His brow pinched. “Has this happened before? During the day like that?”
“No,” I mumbled. “That was the first time.”
Rayne burst to his feet, causing me to flinch. “I think it’s time I have a talk with Orion,” he said. “They’re pushing you too hard.”
I wanted to take it back. Even telling him about the dream was too much. I didn’t like when Rayne got upset. I didn’t like when he worried.
“It’s okay,” I urged. “I’m fine. I can handle it.”
“No, Sadie, it’s not okay. They’ve been experimenting on you nonstop for over a month now, pushing you harder and harder. It’s not right. I’m going over there first thing in the morning.”
I stood from the table. “No, you can’t…”
Rayne shook his head. “I have to. I can’t just sit by and let them walk all over you. They’re running you ragged.”
I looked at him with imploring eyes. “Please… listen… I know it’s been ingrained in your brain for the last ten years that you need to step in and protect me every chance you get. And I love you for it. But… I want to be there, Rayne. Don’t you understand? I want to learn how to use my abilities. Yes, some days are crazy and hard, but I have to do this. You know I have to do this.”
Rayne paused and took a deep breath. “I know… but, that doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself in the process.”
He walked around the table and took my hand, forcing himself to be calm. “What if you just took a break, you know? Just a few days off.”
I stared back at his anxious green eyes. I just wanted him to stop worrying.
“Please just think about it,” he went on. “You could get a little rest, regain your focus, and be back to work in no time—even stronger than before.”
I had to admit, the idea of getting some rest didn’t sound so bad. I finally nodded. “Maybe you have a point. I wouldn’t mind a break.”
Rayne opened his mouth, eager to reply, but I cut him off.
“On one condition,” I said. I stepped closer and looked him sternly in the eye. “I will be the one to talk to Orion.”