from deer hunting. Nikki remembered him from last year. Joey-something. As she tried to recall his last name, he reached under his jacket to the small of his back.
Nikki knew that posture. Her heart dropped. “No!” she screamed, flying to the front of the room as Dr. Richmond’s face turned to horror and he stepped between the two boys. Joey shoved the portly teacher and Dr. Richmond tumbled backward, teetering beside the second boy.
The rest was a flash. First, the glint of steel passing camouflage clothing, a scream from somewhere, blade jutting forth, then Raven. He blocked her vision, moving in long, deft swift motions more graceful than any dancer she’d ever seen.
Nikki tried to close the distance to the knife-wielding Joey, but couldn’t reach him in time to stop the blade’s trajectory. That’s when everything slowed. Almost to a halt.
Chapter
7
R aven shoved Joey down so hard his head cracked against the desk. He then turned and grabbed the blade in midair, and with his free hand snagged a falling Dr. Richmond. He leveled Richmond on his feet, let him go, and reached for the other fighter, who’d bolted for the door.
In six years of karate, numerous fighting tournaments, and watching martial arts documentaries with her father, Nikki’d never seen anyone move so quickly. It wasn’t humanly possible to do what Raven had just done. Just like it wasn’t
humanly
possible for Mace to appear on the back of a moving sport bike.
The entire time Raven repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at her — as if specifically making sure she was safe — and that both thrilled and terrified her.
Fear crept along her spine and settled in her neck, tightening the muscles and causing them to throb. Her fingers trembled. She raised them to eye level. When she mustered the nerve to look, she found what she’d feared: tiny sparks of electricity shotfrom one finger to the next. She clamped her hands into fists and prayed she wasn’t losing her mind.
“So,” Principal Schmidt said, directing her attention to Raven. She was using her perch on the corner of her desk to its full advantage. “You were right there but didn’t see exactly what happened?”
Nikki’s eyes narrowed. She liked Principal Schmidt … usually. But the administrator had raked the boy over as soon as he entered the office. She supposed she could see why the principal had made such a quick judgment call about Raven. He definitely looked dangerous in his dark T-shirt, faded jeans that hung low on his narrow hips, and black boots only someone like him could carry off. But no matter his look, he’d quite possibly saved someone’s life, maybe even that of Nikki’s favorite teacher. She risked a peek at Dr. Richmond, who still looked as pale as the wall behind him.
She had to admit Raven carried himself with a little too much confidence, held his mouth in a slightly too crooked way, and stared you down in a bit too intimating a fashion. Even now, he was slumped in the chair as if the whole incident and follow-up were boring him to tears.
Schmidt’s high-heeled foot tapped in frustration against her mahogany desk. Nikki understood authority and its importance in life, and tried her best to make up for Raven’s deficiency. Right now, his only chance was if Dr. Richmond came to Raven’s defense and let Schmidt know he was innocent. Nikki planned to stay out of it.
But as she watched the principal do her best to break him down, Nikki found it impossible to keep her mouth shut.“Raven wasn’t involved, if that’s where you’re headed. He was at the back of the room talking to me and Krissy. You can ask her if you like.” Her tone matched her attitude, both drifting toward the defensive.
“I’ll do that.” Principal Schmidt’s attention stayed on Nikki for a long time.
Nikki drew a deep breath and tried to explain again. But from the corner of her vision, she felt Raven’s eyes on her, and a sense of appreciation — miniscule as
Nikki knew that posture. Her heart dropped. “No!” she screamed, flying to the front of the room as Dr. Richmond’s face turned to horror and he stepped between the two boys. Joey shoved the portly teacher and Dr. Richmond tumbled backward, teetering beside the second boy.
The rest was a flash. First, the glint of steel passing camouflage clothing, a scream from somewhere, blade jutting forth, then Raven. He blocked her vision, moving in long, deft swift motions more graceful than any dancer she’d ever seen.
Nikki tried to close the distance to the knife-wielding Joey, but couldn’t reach him in time to stop the blade’s trajectory. That’s when everything slowed. Almost to a halt.
Chapter
7
R aven shoved Joey down so hard his head cracked against the desk. He then turned and grabbed the blade in midair, and with his free hand snagged a falling Dr. Richmond. He leveled Richmond on his feet, let him go, and reached for the other fighter, who’d bolted for the door.
In six years of karate, numerous fighting tournaments, and watching martial arts documentaries with her father, Nikki’d never seen anyone move so quickly. It wasn’t humanly possible to do what Raven had just done. Just like it wasn’t
humanly
possible for Mace to appear on the back of a moving sport bike.
The entire time Raven repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at her — as if specifically making sure she was safe — and that both thrilled and terrified her.
Fear crept along her spine and settled in her neck, tightening the muscles and causing them to throb. Her fingers trembled. She raised them to eye level. When she mustered the nerve to look, she found what she’d feared: tiny sparks of electricity shotfrom one finger to the next. She clamped her hands into fists and prayed she wasn’t losing her mind.
“So,” Principal Schmidt said, directing her attention to Raven. She was using her perch on the corner of her desk to its full advantage. “You were right there but didn’t see exactly what happened?”
Nikki’s eyes narrowed. She liked Principal Schmidt … usually. But the administrator had raked the boy over as soon as he entered the office. She supposed she could see why the principal had made such a quick judgment call about Raven. He definitely looked dangerous in his dark T-shirt, faded jeans that hung low on his narrow hips, and black boots only someone like him could carry off. But no matter his look, he’d quite possibly saved someone’s life, maybe even that of Nikki’s favorite teacher. She risked a peek at Dr. Richmond, who still looked as pale as the wall behind him.
She had to admit Raven carried himself with a little too much confidence, held his mouth in a slightly too crooked way, and stared you down in a bit too intimating a fashion. Even now, he was slumped in the chair as if the whole incident and follow-up were boring him to tears.
Schmidt’s high-heeled foot tapped in frustration against her mahogany desk. Nikki understood authority and its importance in life, and tried her best to make up for Raven’s deficiency. Right now, his only chance was if Dr. Richmond came to Raven’s defense and let Schmidt know he was innocent. Nikki planned to stay out of it.
But as she watched the principal do her best to break him down, Nikki found it impossible to keep her mouth shut.“Raven wasn’t involved, if that’s where you’re headed. He was at the back of the room talking to me and Krissy. You can ask her if you like.” Her tone matched her attitude, both drifting toward the defensive.
“I’ll do that.” Principal Schmidt’s attention stayed on Nikki for a long time.
Nikki drew a deep breath and tried to explain again. But from the corner of her vision, she felt Raven’s eyes on her, and a sense of appreciation — miniscule as
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