Ruthless Angel (Gods of Ravencrest University #5)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CLOVER

“I don’t see why I have to stay with Raina. I want to come when you get Blaze back.” Crossing my arms over my chest beneath my breasts, I glared across the small kitchen table at Daire.

“Stop making me repeat myself unless you want me to throw you over my lap and spank your ass. It’s too dangerous for you to be there. Live with it.” Daire quirked a brow at me while stuffing a chicken nugget in his mouth. He didn’t bother to hide it when he blatantly ogled my cleavage.

We’d been going around in circles on this topic for an hour already. Daire and Cash wanted to go check the addresses they’d been given by the Sinners. The Gods had agreed to back them up. Despite my begging, they refused to bring me along.

They wanted me to stay with Raina at her house where we’d both be safe. While I understood their concerns, they were treating me like a fragile doll. I’d killed a man last night. I could handle this.

Besides, I wanted to be there for Blaze. The last few days without him had been hard. Getting the box containing his finger proved that he’d been through hell. Worse than I even imagined. I didn’t want to be put on the sidelines.

“You struggled with what happened last night,” Cash said gently. “We don’t want you to have too much thrown at you too soon. Sit tight with Raina. We’ll be back before you know it.”

I frowned, picking at the salad before me. Stabbing a crouton with my fork, I popped it in my mouth.

Cash had a point. I’d zoned out pretty bad after shooting Dan last night. The shock had hit me hard. It had been too much to process. I kept telling myself that I was a murderer. That I should be locked away for what I’d done.

Another voice inside me argued that Dan deserved worse than what he got. He was a predator who harmed those with no way to fight back. I’d made sure he would never hurt anyone ever again.

Cash had helped bring me back to myself. Although it hadn’t been the version of myself that I’d known all these years. Something angry and demanding had exploded out of me. I’d shoved Cash down and ridden his cock like it was my lifeline to reality. In so many ways, it had been.

He’d helped to ground me. To keep my guilty thoughts from running away with me.

“Fine. Whatever.” My appetite was non-existent. I dropped my fork back into the salad bowl, giving up on my attempt to eat.

Maybe some time with Raina would be good for me. She’d been through this kind of thing before. A pep talk from my best friend might help clear my head.

I sat there watching the guys eat, wondering how they were able to stuff their faces at a time like this. Tonight was do or die. If they didn’t find Blaze, the countdown clock to his death would soon run out.

Daire pointed at my salad bowl. “Eat. We can’t have you wasting away on us.”

“I’m not hungry.” I sipped from my mug of herbal tea instead. The guys didn’t have things like that in the house. I’d added it to the most recent grocery pick up.

“Eat anyway. You need to keep up your strength if you’re going to keep taking all this cock.” The wicked wink Daire shot me shouldn’t have been so hot. He was such a dipshit sometimes, but I guess he was my dipshit.

“Oh, wow, and here I thought you may actually care about my health.” Picking up my fork, I made a halfhearted attempt at eating a few bites.

Daire snickered, chugging back some coffee. “Of course I care about your health. I need you to stay healthy so I’m not fucking a corpse.”

“Jesus, dude, that’s vile. Shut the hell up.” Cash held his fork like a knife, swiping at Daire in a stabbing motion.

Daire evaded the first stab. On Cash’s second attempt, he caught Cash’s wrist, twisting until he dropped the fork. I shook my head in wonder. Of all the guys for me to end up with, it had to be these degenerates.

I was in a real mood tonight. Nervous about Blaze. Irate from lack of sleep. Tortured by the recent memory of killing Dan.

Propping my chin in my hand, I eyed Daire with a tight frown. “You probably would too, wouldn’t you? Fuck my corpse.”

He sat back in his chair, taking another drink of coffee. Eyeing me over the rim of his mug, he grinned. “You think I’m that messed up, Angel?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted. Again I gave up on my salad. Nope. Not happening.

Green eyes gleaming with mischief, Daire shrugged. “Maybe I am. I guess you’ll never know for sure. None of us are squeaky clean. Not even your precious Blaze. One time he let this chick peg him on video in exchange for a threesome with her and her friend. Oh wait, no, that was Cash.”

“Cut it out, Daire. We’re all tense today. No need to make things worse.” As Cash rose from the table with his empty plate in hand, he smacked Daire upside the head on his way by. “And she didn’t peg me. It was a butt plug.”

Daire took a swing at him and missed. His energy felt darker today than usual. Like he was gearing up for something terrible to happen.

I tried and failed to suppress my giggle. My energy was off today too. “Wow, Cash, I’d never have guessed you were the butt plug type.”

He stuck his plate in the dishwasher, flashing me a toothy grin. “I learned that day that I’m not. I prefer to pitch rather than catch, although I’m willing to try almost anything once.”

Affecting a saucy expression, I said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

No doubt these guys were far more daring than I’d ever been. Still, it was nice to lighten the mood for a few minutes.

Once we’d cleaned up our dinner mess, we left to go to the Gods’ house. That’s when the mood grew heavy again.

“We have a few places to check out.” Daire glanced over at me as he drove. “I suspect they’re keeping him in the closed down restaurant. There’s no way of knowing how long we’ll be. Stay with Raina. Don’t get into trouble.”

“Trouble?” I hit him with an offended glare. “That’s not really my style. You guys are far more likely to get into trouble than we are.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t trust you with Raina. She’s definitely the type to get into trouble.”

“Don’t even talk about Raina,” I admonished. “Every time you say her name, I think about what you did to her. It makes me sick.”

I fully expected Daire to come back at me with something snarky and filled with attitude. To my surprise, he remained quiet for a minute before saying, “I wish that never happened. I hate that you’ll hold it against me forever.”

There was nothing for me to say to that. He wasn’t wrong. Raina claimed to be over it. She’d moved on and put it out of her mind, refusing to give Daire any power over her. I wished I could forget about it too.

“I don’t think this is the right time to dwell on that.” Cash spoke up from the back seat, trying to smooth things over. “Let’s focus on what needs to happen tonight. Clover will stay safe and we’ll bring Blaze back.”

When we arrived at Raina’s house, there was some discussion about who would go where. Havoc and Raina had arranged for some of her dad’s mob guys to accompany them. That made me feel a little better about watching them walk out the door. However, I couldn’t shake the worry that plagued me.

I’d lost one of my Angels already. I didn’t want to lose anyone else.

“Be careful out there.” Raina kissed all three of her Gods as they prepared to head out. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

They all took their moment with her, making me insanely jealous of the deep connection they’d formed. I didn’t know what I’d been missing with Zane. Not until everything went to shit.

Cash pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, smoothing my hair back. “We’ll bring him home, Sunshine. I promise.”

As they left the house, Daire barely acknowledged me. Maybe it was easier for him that way. He paused at the front door. Turning back, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me with a possessiveness that screamed ownership. It left me quaking in his grasp.

“Be a good girl,” he murmured against my lips. “We’ll see you soon.”

The door closed behind them. Raina and I were alone in the suddenly silent house.

She turned to me with an incredulous expression. “Goddamn, girl. Daire is head over heels for you. I didn’t think he had the ability to love.”

I gaped at her. “What? Love? No, Daire doesn’t love me. I don’t think he loves anyone. Maybe Blaze and Cash, but even that’s a stretch.”

“Are you joking or just blind?” Raina asked, leading me into the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she pulled out a chilled bottle of vodka. “I saw the way he kissed you. That was an ownership kiss, Clover. He wants you to be his.”

She poured vodka and Sprite into two glasses, handing one to me. I accepted it gratefully. I needed this right now.

“Yeah, that was kind of the deal. They get to keep me.” I’d told her about the twisted deal the Angels had struck with me.

Raina sipped from her drink and laughed. “Wow, you’re really oblivious, huh? That man has no intention of letting you go. He’s falling for you.”

“You’re crazy. He’s not the type. Besides, he told me about an old girlfriend that cheated on him. He seems pretty averse to getting that involved again. I think she scarred him.” My first sip of the drink Raina had made was like a slap in the face. So strong. Good though. I took another sip, hoping to wash away the nerves that gripped me.

“Maybe.” Raina considered my claim with a head tilt as she appraised me. “It may have started off as a sex thing but it’s changed. He feels something for you.”

In an effort to change the subject, I said, “We need a way to pass the time. The waiting is going to kill me.”

“There’s a party tonight at the Saints’ house. It’s not all that far from here. Want to check it out?” Raina pulled out her phone, ready to order us an Uber.

“Do you think we should?” The thought of leaving made me uneasy. “Maybe we should stay put. What if they come back sooner than we expect? I don’t want to set them off when they’re already so tightly wound.”

Raina stared at me in horror. “Do you hear yourself? They don’t own you, Clover. I mean, maybe they do in the bedroom, but that’s where it ends. We can do whatever the hell we want. When they push, you push back even harder. Got it?”

Gnawing my lip piercing, I considered. She was right about that. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. Sitting here waiting for an update would drive me nuts. Might as well try to pass the time and take my mind off things.

“Okay, let’s go party. I don’t want to drink too much though.”

“No problem. You don’t have to. I’ll drink enough for the both of us.” Raina tapped around on her phone, ordering us a ride.

Twenty minutes later we stood in the Saints’ backyard with Lyra and Briar. The two of them looked like polar opposites. Lyra was preppy and trendy in butt hugging blue jeans and an off the shoulder white top while Briar was gothed out in a witchy black dress, knee high boots, and several leather and spiked accessories. Once Raina and I joined them, the variation continued. Raina in her rocker chick attire and me in my rainbow colors. We looked like a fun group.

“Oh good, you two came,” Lyra greeted us. “I was hoping you would. Jet won’t be too thrilled though.”

She nodded to where her stepbrother stood several feet away. He was engaged in conversation with his two best friends. They immediately took notice of us.

Raina fired a daring glare in their direction. “Jet can eat a fat bag of dicks. You’re not his possession, Lyra. Tell him to take a flying leap.”

“I have,” Lyra muttered, sipping from a hard lemonade. “It doesn’t work. If anything, it only encourages him.”

Jet was rumored to be a cult leader. The stories surrounding him and his friends were crazy. I doubted most of them were true. Although the rumors about the Gods and the Angels had proven to be true. A group called the Demons couldn’t be up to any good.

“My offer still stands,” Raina said, exchanging a scowl with Jet. “Say the word and he’ll go missing. You’ll never see him again.”

Lyra rolled her eyes, laughing off Raina’s remark. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Settle down mob queen. Let’s have a good time.”

Nervous about missing anything, I pulled my phone from my fuzzy purse, checking for any updates. Nothing.

The girls made small talk while I tried to smile and nod along. I couldn’t help that my mind was elsewhere. It bugged me that Raina wasn’t more concerned. Her guys had put themselves in a potentially dangerous position too. Although that wasn’t new for them.

“Oh my, who is that?” Briar subtly pointed to the guy who’d just stepped out of the house.

Dark hair, a scar through one eyebrow, and loads of tattoos. Trick was one of the Saints.

“He’s a Saint,” I explained. “Everyone calls him Trick. This is his house. You don’t know him?”

Briar was relatively new to Ravencrest. Considering the huge student body, it made sense that she hadn’t come across him yet.

“Can’t say I do. He’s kind of cute.” Briar’s gaze followed Trick as he mingled with Jet’s group.

“He’s kind of an asshole,” Raina said, low so nobody but us heard. “The Saints consider themselves some kind of secret society. They get dirt on people and use it against them. Trust me. He’s not a good guy.”

Briar sighed, her shoulders deflating. “Of course not. Are any of them though?”

“There’s got to be. I can’t accept that this is the best we have to choose from.” Crinkling her nose, Lyra made a face of disgust.

Right on cue, Jet turned around and slid her a devious smile. She huffed and turned her back to him. That didn’t stop him from ambling over and shoving in between us, sliding an arm around her shoulders.

“Hello, ladies,” he greeted us with a head nod. To Lyra he said, “Hey there, Corn Flake. Careful with those drinks. Wouldn’t want me to have to put your drunk ass to bed again, would you?”

Lyra’s cheeks reddened. “Definitely won’t be a problem. I’m crashing at Briar’s tonight.”

“I see.” Jet looked Briar up and down, his brow furrowing. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then. You can’t escape me for long. I’ll always find you.”

Poor Lyra stiffened, standing there awkwardly as Jet put her on the spot. Raina wasn’t having it.

“Yeah, we get it. You’re a creep. Now why don’t you fuck off and leave us alone, kay?” Raina went so far as to step forward and give Jet a shove.

He mockingly raised both hands, feigning a look of terror. “I wouldn’t want the local mob brat to have me wacked. I guess I better go.” Before he turned away he flipped Raina the middle finger.

Because she was a chaotic maniac sometimes, she whipped her drink at his retreating form. “Dammit. Now I need to get another drink. I’ll be back.”

“That girl is crazy.” Lyra watched over her shoulder in case Jet came back.

Briar stared after Raina in wonder. “I want to be her when I grow up. She’s a badass. I love it.”

She sure was. I often envied Raina’s ability to say and do whatever she wanted. She was fearless.

When it became clear that Jet wasn’t coming back any time soon, Lyra relaxed and the chatter among us resumed. We talked about an upcoming concert, a huge artist that would wrap up the summer before we all went back to class.

As much as I wanted to excitedly plan for it with my friends, I kept checking my phone. My scattered thoughts wouldn’t allow me to forget about what Daire and Cash were doing.

“Daire Keller? Hell no, I would never touch that guy again. He’s a total freak.” A female voice from behind me drew my attention at the sound of Daire’s name.

Tuning out Briar and Lyra, I focused on the conversation going on in the next group. A second girl spoke, saying, “You hooked up with him? When was that?”

“At a party last year,” the first girl replied. “He pulled my hair really hard and tried to choke me. He got off on it. He’s seriously messed up in the head. That guy should be locked up.”

It shouldn’t have bothered me. I didn’t want to care. Listening to this chick talk shit about Daire made my face flush with anger. Okay, so she wasn’t entirely wrong about Daire. He wasn’t the sanest guy I knew. However, he wasn’t a freak that should be locked up either. Right now he was out there risking his own ass to save a friend.

“He tried to choke you?” The second girl sounded aghast. “That’s assault. Did you report him? I can’t believe anyone would enjoy that. You’d have to be sick in the head to let a man do that to you.”

The anger roiling around inside me bubbled up, bursting free. Maybe it was the pressure I was currently under. Maybe I just didn’t like hearing some bitch talk about Daire that way.

I whirled around with a fist already raised. One thing I was not was a fighter. That didn’t stop me from lunging at the girl who’d called Daire a freak. I threw my drink in her face. When she gasped in surprise, I punched her.

Pain shot through my hand. Holy crap, that hurt more than I’d anticipated. Thankfully, it hurt the girl more.

She fell backwards with a yelp, dropping her drink. Her friend knelt beside her, glaring up at me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted. “Why did you do that?”

Raina was suddenly there, stepping up beside me. “Did I really just see you throw a punch? What’s going on?”

“That was for Daire,” I said, my voice shaking. “Fuck you for talking about him like that.”

Both girls gaped at me as if I’d lost my mind. I had.

The blonde one that I’d hit held her bleeding nose. “Oh my god, you’re as crazy as he is. You fucking bitch.”

Raina held me back when I tried to go for her again. “Hold up, Clover. This isn’t you. Let’s grab Lyra and Briar and go grab some food somewhere. You need to calm down.” To the bleeding blonde she said, “Watch your mouth when you talk to my friend. I’ll be happy to finish what she started with your face.”

I let Raina pull me away. She surprised me by laughing.

With a shake of her head, Raina said, “I guess Daire isn’t the only one who’s head over heels.”