Read Online Call of the Raven by Shawn Reilly - Free Book Online Page B

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and forth. “You believe fowlers took Ari to get back at Asher?”
    “What I’m saying is the fowlers might have
somehow caused Ari’s wreck. Come on, I’ll tell you the rest later.
Right now we’re gonna freeze if we don’t get inside. And in that I
mean me.”
    Nixon started back up the embankment with
Kennedy following behind him. When she began to slide back down, he
stopped and extended a hand that she clasped firmly in her own.
Suddenly a very impulsive idea flashed in his head.
    Pulling her up too fast and too forceful gave
her little chance to compose herself. As her body smashed into his,
her mouth opened in a startled intake of breath, which Nixon took
advantage of and kissed her hard on the lips. The warmth of her
sent a shiver through his frozen body. He felt her stiffen
unresponsively, and the longer he delayed in releasing her, the
angrier she grew. Squaring her hands on his chest she pushed free
of him.
    “You taste like alcohol.” Instinctively, she
lifted a hand, preparing to strike but Nixon had no intentions of
getting hit again this night—not in his dreams or in real life.
Roughly he grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her backward.
Slipping, Kennedy fell on her bottom near the side of the road and
instantly her eyes flashed to him. Mixed within her shock, he saw
that he had hurt her both physically and emotionally. Guilt,
suddenly wiped away anything smart he had planned to say.
    “I’m sorry Kennedy.” He walked toward her.
“You know I didn’t mean that. It’s just something inbred in me. I
can’t help it. You shouldn’t have tried to hit me.”
    “You shouldn’t have kissed me.”
    “I’m sorry.” Nixon smiled. She swung her head
in response so he smiled all the wider. “Okay, I’m not but I swear
I won’t do something like that again. I took advantage of the
situation, and well… it was wrong.”
    “Nixon,” she breathed, “you’re still
smiling.”
    “Can’t help it, just be thankful you got an
apology from me, most girls don’t.”
    “I’m not sure what bothers me most about that
statement.” She narrowed her eyes. “The fact that girls feel you
should apologize after kissing them or the fact you’re so obviously
a man whore.”
    He slapped a hand over his chest, feigning
hurt. “Kennedy, don’t say such things.” Slowly he moved to stand
over her, this time doing his best not to smile, but it was there
all the same tugging at the corner of his lips. “Am I
forgiven?”
    Even though she was frowning, she nodded.
“Just don’t try something like that again. Ouch,” she groaned.
“What is this?” She pulled something out from under her bottom and
held it up for him to see. Nixon moved closer. He had no clue what
it was but it looked like some sort of shield or badge. “The pin
stuck me in my right cheek,” she complained.
    “Let’s have a look,” he said. Kennedy’s eyes,
innocent and round flashed upwards to his. “I meant the badge,” he
laughed. She relaxed and even spared him a sheepish grin of
embarrassment. He ran his thumb over the cold metal. Not only did
the emblem in the center seem familiar, it sent his senses into
alert status.
    Changing his eyes to that of a hawk, Nixon
used his bird instincts to search the woods around them.
    “Nixon, what is it?” Instead of using her own
skills to conduct a much better search of the area, Kennedy watched
him. He could make out the skeletal branches of trees and brush,
but nothing that wasn’t supposed to be in the woods in the middle
of a snowstorm. Still…even in the quiet of winter he could feel it,
the watching, stalking and waiting eyes of his father.
    “Nothing,” he said and slipped the badge into
the pocket of his jeans. “Let’s go. Asher will want to know what we
found.”
    “You don’t think we should try and track Ari
ourselves?”
    Once again, Nixon extended his hand but this
time Kennedy grunted and slapped it away. He figured he deserved it
but the fact his fingers