The Lost Daughter (Denali #2)

Chapter 11

My breath is heavy and wispy in the cold. I steady myself on the ground until I can properly get air into my lungs. Because…what the h*ll was that? The Captain was never Mr. Warm and Fuzzy, but he didn’t go around knocking out just anyone. And where was he taking her?

I stand up sharply and sprint in their direction. But, I stayed crouched behind the bush, for too long and now I have no idea where they are. The night is brisk and dark and lonely.

I should go back to the party. But I can’t. What would I do, roam around catatonically while everyone asked me what’s wrong?

So, out of options, I find myself shuffling along to my dorm room. The door creaks as I open it. I lay on my bed, staring at my dimly lit plastic stars, for a long time. Why would the Captain do that? Was he protecting her somehow? Maybe he was saving her from herself?

Or maybe I’m scraping and scrounging for the most beneficial answer because a huge part of me can’t bear to think that the Captain would hurt someone. Well, someone outside of the KBK, of course. If he could hurt LV, what’s stopping him from hurting anyone? What’s stopping him from hurting me? If I can’t trust him, who can I trust?

The knocks at my door cause me to spurt up. How long has it been? Thirty minutes? An hour?

I straighten my dress, which got a bit out of sorts as I lay in bed, and open the door.

Ray breaths heavily as he rushes inside. “Denali, you’re okay.”

“Yeah, of course I—“

He pulls me to him and his mouth can’t find mine fast enough. He cups the back of my neck with both his hands as our lips connect over and over again. We’re all hot breaths and warm tongues. God, I’ve missed him. I kiss his neck and smell his woodsy smell as I slip my hands under his suit jacket and run my hands along his muscles. Why did I ever stop kissing Ray?

Wait. I pull back. His head follows mine, his eyes deep, his mouth open, wanting more. I take a full step back. “I thought you couldn’t do this anymore, I thought—“

“I was wrong.” He takes a step to close the distance.

“And you’ve come to this conclusion because…” I take three steps back and put my hand on my hip.

He sighs. “When I couldn’t find you at the ball, after….” He shakes his head and rubs his face. “The Captain’s right. It would be best if I didn’t care about you, not like that. But I can’t just switch it off. And not being with you is distracting me a h*ll of a lot more than being with you would.”

I cross my arms. “You jerked me around, you know that.”

He nods. “I’m sorry. I was huge a**. I promise to wear a shirt saying that for the next six months if you’ll just forgive me.”

“Only if the shirt’s neon green and the back has lyrics to a special song I’d write for you about you being an a**. And you’d have to sing the song to anyone who asks.”

“Of course, that’s exactly how I envisioned it as well.” He grins. I laugh as he touches my cheek. His thumb glides down my jaw before lifting my chin up. “I’m going to stop being an a** right now, because I need you to know something. I love you, Denali.”

Warmth cascades down my spine. His lips brush mine, but I’m smiling too much to kiss back.  I hold onto his shoulders as we smile against each other.  

“I don’t want to be away from you again.” He strokes my hair. Our hearts beat against each other and I remember how good he smells, and how much I like burying my nose into his chest. “I’ll tell the Captain. I’ll make him understand.”

The Captain! I pull back and my hands move as quickly as I talk. “Ray, the Captain, he knocked out LV. She said she didn’t want to kill people and he knocked her out and carried her off. He just--”

“Shhh.” He puts two fingers on my mouth and holds me close.

Why is he trying to quiet me? I remove his hand. “This isn’t a ‘shhh’ moment, it’s a holy-sh*t-Denali-what-are-you-talking-about, moment.”

He smiles. It’s not a smiling moment either. I push him away and cross my arms. He wipes that stupid smile from his face and sighs. “I’m sure the Captain had a good reason to do whatever he did. But I’ll talk to him, okay?”

“We need to make sure LV is safe. Now.”

He rolls his lips together and sighs in frustration. “Okay, I will.” He walks back to the door.

 “Wait, I’ll come with you.” I grab my coat and wrestle my arms through the holes.

“No. LV hides from, well, everyone but me sometimes. Let me go find her alone.”

“I could still help.” I say as he walks back to me. He runs his rough hands down my neck and over my shoulders, until every part of me tingles and the coat drops to the floor. He kisses me again, this time soft, and slow. My skin burns.

“Trust me,” he whispers.

And I do.