Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,8
a tow,” Maddox says.
“We’d appreciate the help,” Raven adds, giving me a quick smile.
West groans. “Let’s leave this piece of shit of a car, and—”
“And what?” Maddox snarls. I see a vein pop out on his forehead. I think his green eyes are looking distinctly lighter. They might even be glowing if we were in the dark. He takes a deep breath. “We need wheels, West. Raven is right…hitching won’t work. Not for us.”
“Maybe if we split up,” West tries again.
“No one in their right mind would pick one of us up,” Maddox says.
It’s true. All except for Raven. I’m sure she could get a ride in a hot minute. Only, I bristle at the types of assholes who might give her one.
The rest of them? Forget it. They’re big, mean-looking bastards. Maddox has a couple of tattoos. There’s a big one on his right arm. It’s just an outline at this stage. West has a couple too. Barrett has one peeking out on the neckline of his shirt. No way they’re catching a ride. We are all judged daily by the way we look. It’s a simple fact. “Let’s find out what’s going on with your car. I was just headed out to grab something to eat. You guys are welcome to join me…on me, of course.” I hold up my hands. “We’ll know more in a couple of hours.”
“Do we look like a charity case to you?” West asks, glowering at me. What the hell is this guy’s problem?
The first word on the tip of my tongue is ‘yes’, but I hold back. I can see that they are a proud group. I like Maddox and Raven. I think Zale and Barrett are probably okay, too. I don’t want to offend anyone just because West is being a dick, so I bite my tongue. It takes everything in me to hold back a choice response.
4
Raven
I want to crawl into a hole in the ground. I feel my cheeks burn. I want to punch West in the mouth to shut him up. He can be an obnoxious jerk, but this is too much, even for him.
I watch anger flash in Stephan’s eyes. I see his jaw tic, and his hands clench into fists for a second before he relaxes. Make that, forces himself to relax. I respect his control. His patience. It takes more to back off from this kind of situation than it does to retaliate. From the looks of Stephan, I’m pretty sure he can take care of himself, so he’s not backing down because he can’t hold his own against West. It’s because he’s more mature than my ex.
“The answer to your question,” I say, looking pointedly at West, “would be yes, we are most definitely a charity case.”
“That’s bullshit!” West grinds out.
“Everyone needs help at some point in their lives,” Stephan says. “Two years ago, I was on my brother’s sofa mooching off of him. Struggling to figure out—”
“Boo-fucking-hoo!” West says. “We don’t want to hear your sob stories. Call up Rage and—”
“No,” both Stephan and I say in unison; our eyes lock for a moment before I look over at West. “That was a bad idea yesterday, and it’s still a bad idea today.”
“I can take him,” West says. “I want my money.”
I see Stephan look at the ground. He has a smile on his face, which he quickly schools. He gives a shake of his head.
“What’s that, Stephan? That is your name, right?” West spits out. “You have something to say…?” I think he’s about to call Stephan an asshole but holds back at the very last second. Thank god!
“Trust me, you don’t want to go up against Rage when he’s using his powers,” Stephan says. “You got in a couple of cheap shots yesterday, but I assure you, you’d lose in a hot minute. You may not even survive it.”
I see West’s hackles go up. He’s always had a short fuse, but lately, ever since…what happened…and then the last couple of months, it’s gotten worse. So much worse! “Let’s stop this conversation right here,” I say. “There isn’t going to be any fight…not today, and not ever. I’m getting sick of repeating myself.”
“Since when are you the group leader, Raven?” West asks, his eyes narrowing. “Just because you’re a year older than the rest of us. It might have worked when we were kids, but not anymore. You’re always out to prove something.”