The Raven Game by Jessica Sorensen

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Raven

The town is on lockdown.

The town is on lockdown?

Because there was an outbreak.

Yeah, this town is really starting to get creepy. Like super, creepy freaky.

When I got the alert message about an hour ago, I thought it was a joke. But then Jax, Zay, and Hunter informed me it wasn’t, that this happens a lot in this town. That, more than likely, the outbreak is because a bad batch of drugs got made and dealt, and the people who took them are … Well, that part was never made clear to me, but my mind is conjuring up all sorts of images from zombie-like creatures roaming around to people wearing hazmat suits, patrolling the streets.

Of course, none of that is happening right now, which leaves me trying to figure out what’s going on since hardly anything was made clear to me, other than we need to go to the guys’ house while the lockdown is going on.

I wonder if that includes my uncle, since he’s the sheriff. Probably not. But my aunt and cousin, Dixie May, probably will be on lockdown, which means that I’ll end up talking to one of them when I call the house to let someone know where I am.

So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to that call.

After what happened this morning with the guys picking me up at the house and Dixie May thinking they were there for her, I have a feeling a ton of drama is waiting for me when I make the call, which is why I’m procrastinating doing it.

It might not even matter. It’s not like anyone cares about me, so …

I think I’ll wait a little bit longer.

That’s what I tell myself during the drive to the guys’ house.

The three of them are strangely quiet, engulfed in texting on their phones, except for Jax, who’s driving. Although, he does occasionally glance down at his own phone. I question if they’re texting each other about me. It’s quite possible. If I had to guess, it’s probably about Hunter and me kissing and breaking a rule. At the time, it seemed like a fun idea, but now that the cocaine is wearing out of my system, I’m regretting my decision.

Well, sort of.

All right, if I’m being honest, I liked the kiss. But maybe it’s because it was kind of my first kiss, unless you count the one with my creepy therapist.

What I don’t understand, though, is why the Raven Three—Four—whatever they are—didn’t kick me out of the group when Zay and Jax caught Hunter and me making out on the sofa at the diner. They were so adamant about those rules when they declared them to me, and I broke one within an hour of being in their group. And yet, nothing really happened. Well, to me. Jax and Zay took Hunter into a room to talk with him, but then the alert went off, and now here we are, pulling into the driveway that leads to their house.

The last time I was here, I was unconscious when we arrived. And when I left, it was dark, so I didn’t get to take in the entire house. It’s white with black shutters, two stories high, and columns line the front porch. The garage is beyond massive, and the land around it stretches farther than I can see.

“Told you it was better in the daytime,” Zay says, drawing my attention to him.

He’s sitting in the passenger seat, his dark eyes on me, and he’s pulled the hoodie of his jacket up so his short, brown hair is covered. I’ve noticed that he does that frequently. I’m not sure why. Or why I’m noticing anything about him at all.

I shrug. “It’s okay.”

Hunter chuckles from beside me in the back seat, his eyes glinting with amusement as his gaze shifts from his phone to me. “It’s okay, she says.” He smiles at me, brushing a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes. “Like you’re not impressed.”

I make a big show of rolling my eyes then sigh. “Whatever. You know your house is badass. I don’t know why you need me to say it.”

“Because I want to impress you. Obviously.” He winks at me then brushes his fingers along my cheekbone.

My eyelashes flutter, and for some reason, I think of that kiss we shared. It felt so good, but was it just because of the drugs in my system?

“Hunter,” Jax says as he drives through the gated entryway and up the driveway.

Hunter rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath. Then he grows quiet, which seems kind of weird for him. But it’s not like I know them, so maybe it’s not.

My thoughts drift to the message I received from an unknown sender about how I shouldn’t trust the Raven Three. It also said welcome home and something about playing a game. A song was attached to it, too, and while it played, I got images of me hurting someone. Of course, then the message and song got erased from my phone and not by me, so who knows what any of it meant?

I also have to consider the idea that maybe I imagined it. After all, I am crazy.

Murderer.

Freak

Loser.

Insane.

Monster.

As I sigh to myself, trying to figure out how to get some answers, one of the garage doors open and all my thoughts go peace out.

I peer around at the garage filled with several cars, ranging from classics to the SUV they drove yesterday when they took me up to the bridge. “Who the heck owns all these cars?”

“They belong to us.” Hunter leans over. “Better be careful, little raven. Impressed is showing all over that pretty face of yours.”

I shake my head. “My face isn’t pretty, dude.”

He quirks a brow at me. “Do we really need to go over this again?”

Le sigh. I’m unsure why he’s persistent about making sure I know I’m gorgeous or whatever. And I thought he wasn’t supposed to be saying stuff like that.

I glance at Jax, expecting him to chew Hunter out for the pretty remark, but he either didn’t notice or is tired of giving Hunter lectures.

“How do you guys even own all these cars?” I ask as Jax parks between a 60s-something baby blue Camaro and a cherry red Challenger. “And why?”

“We have this many because we like cars.” Jax shuts off the engine. “And we own all of them because we can.” He slips the keys out of the ignition, pushes the door open, and climbs out.

Well, that’s that then, I guess.

“He’s in a mood,” Hunter remarks as he unfastens his seatbelt. “Then again, he’s always in a mood.”

“He’s not in a mood.” Zay pockets his phone and lowers the hood of his hoodie. Then he throws an indecipherable look at Hunter. “And even if he is, it’s your fault.”

“Is it?” Hunter mumbles as Zay shoves the door open and hops out.

He leaves the door open and meets Jax at the front of the car. Then the two of them head toward a door that I’m assuming leads inside the house. Zay walks in first, and Jax starts to follow then pauses in the doorway, turns around, and fixes his eyes on the car, signaling for us to come inside.

“Guess that means we better get inside,” Hunter tells me, though he doesn’t budge, rubbing his lips together.

“Are you in trouble?” I ask.

“Sort of.”

I quirk a brow at him. “Because you kissed me?”

A trace of an amused smile plays at his lips. “I kissed you? I’m pretty sure we kissed each other.”

He’s completely and totally right, but I’m not about to admit that. For some reason, it always feels like I’m playing a game with him, and admitting things like this means I lose.

“Nah, you kissed me, dude,” I lie, waiting for him to get out of the car.

Still, he doesn’t. Instead, he casts a glance at where Jax and Zay have walked into the house. Then, chewing on his bottom lip, he looks back at me with an impish glint in his eyes. “We should do it again.”

My brows rise. “Kiss?”

He nods, wetting his lips as he scoots toward me. “Yeah … I mean, the kiss was nice, right?”

It was, but I don’t really have anything to compare it to, so I shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve never kissed anyone before, so I’ve got nothing to compare it to.”

“True,” he agrees, flicking another glance at the door, I think to make sure neither of the guys are watching us. Then he fixes his attention on me again. “Which is why I think we should do it again. It’ll be much better the second time around.”

I dither over what he’s saying, not arguing right away, which surprises me. I’m not sure what the fuck is going on in my head, why I’m even considering this. Or maybe I do and just don’t want to admit it to myself.

Because I’m craving the connection I felt when we kissed.

And it’s not like the kiss has to mean anything. People kiss each other all the time just for fun.

I nibble on my bottom lip. “Won’t that be breaking the rules?”

“Not if we don’t get caught,” he reminds me with a challenge in his eyes. “Come on, little raven. Where’s that daredevil side that jumped off the bridge?”

Well, I didn’t really jump because I’m some sort of badass daredevil. I jumped because I didn’t really care what happened to me. But I keep that to myself.

“She’s here. She’s just kind of confused.”

“Over what?” he wonders aloud.

“Why you want to kiss me so badly,” I say. When his lips part, I add, “And please don’t say because I have a pretty face or a nice ass. Tell me the truth, please.”

He grows silent then, the humor evaporating from his eyes. Then he turns away from me. I think he’s going to leave, but he just glances at the door to the house again. Then he closes the door to the car and rotates in the seat toward me.

“Can I be real with you right now?” he asks.

I almost want to say no because he looks way too intense and it’s making me nervous, but I find myself nodding. “Yeah.”

“I …” He stops himself for a moment then blows out a breath. “I fucking liked kissing you. Like a lot. And honestly, I don’t even know why. Well, I guess I kind of do … You tasted so damn good. I just …” He shrugs, smiling, but it looks a bit forced. “I want to fucking kiss you.”

My heart rate has quickened a bit as weird emotions stir inside me, making my stomach spin.

He liked the way I tasted? This gorgeous guy with the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen wants to kiss me, taste me?

“What about the rules?” I manage to get out in an even tone.

He rakes his fingers through his blond hair, glancing at the door again before focusing on me. “For now, it’s better if we keep us kissing a secret. That is, if you’re down for it? But if you don’t want to, I completely understand.”

Am I down for it? Kissing him again? And keeping it a secret?

A hint of suspicion rises inside of me as I think of the text from the unknown sender again. Part of me screams to say no, that I don’t trust him, while the other part begs for the connection I felt when we kissed.

I hate that I’m so weak, so lonely that I crave being touched so much.

It doesn’t have to mean anything, Raven. You can kiss him and enjoy it without it having to mean anything more.

“Okay,” I say.

“Yeah?” He seems a little surprised.

I nod then shrug. “If you want to kiss me, you can.”

See? No big deal, right?

With his tongue, he traces his lips then scoots closer until our knees touch. When his hand meets my cheek, the contact makes blood rush through my body. My heart pulsates, and my chest tightens as he inches his lips toward mine, closer … closer … closer … and then they touch. And my heart pounds inside my chest like a goddamn lunatic.

Holy hell, kissing is awesome.

I wonder if all kisses are like this.

No, I know they’re not. Because I’ve been kind of kissed once before and it was the complete opposite of this kiss.

Stop thinking about that, Raven, and just enjoy this for a moment.

“God, you taste so damn good,” Hunter whispers, moving his lips against mine. Then he starts to lean back, and I try not to get too disappointed at how short the kiss lasted. But then he tangles his fingers in my hair as he seals his lips to mine again. I gasp in surprise, and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside my mouth.

Holy delicious hell …

Without being so high, I can feel more of this kiss than the last one, feel the tingles dancing across my skin, the way my stomach spins as he lightly tugs on the roots of my hair, the way he tastes, like he just ate a mint. He smells wonderful, too, like cologne and maple syrup.

As he deepens the kiss, our tongues tangling, the sensations start to blur. But not in a bad way. No, they intensify as my pulse pounds and my skin warms. And when he bites down on my lip, I damn near lose my mind. A moan fumbles from my lips as I reach out to grab something and end up clutching his sides.

He tenses, his body stiffening, and I think about the scars on his body, wondering if maybe he doesn’t want me touching him right there. Then a shaky breath slips from his lips, and he starts kissing me slowly. So, so slowly, to the point where I feel every swipe of his tongue against mine, every soft tug of my hair, the heat of his body, the throbbing of my heart. Then, much to my dismay, he’s pulling back.

When I open my eyes, I find that his are still closed.

“I need to slow down,” he murmurs, but I’m not sure if he’s speaking to himself or me. Then he opens his eyes and gives me a meaningful look. “I … I think I’m in deep shit.”

Okay, that so wasn’t what I thought he was going to say.

“Because you broke the rules?” I ask but don’t wait for him to answer. “Because, if so, no one has to know. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to say anything, since I’ll get punished, too. So, unless you’re planning on gossiping about it, we’re good.”

The corners of his lips twitch. “I’m not going to gossip about it. But that’s not why I’m in deep shit.”

“Oh?” My brows furrow. “Then why are you?”

“Because …” He untangles his fingers from my hair and skims the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “I just am.”

“You’re being vague.”

“I know. But trust me; right now, it’s probably a good thing.”

“I’m not sure I agree with you on that.”

“Sorry,” he says, making no effort to explain.

He sketches the pad of his thumb along my lip some more before lowering his hand and reaching for the door handle. “Come on, beautiful raven; let’s go inside before we get busted.” With that, he opens the door and climbs out, leaving me to wonder what the hell he meant; why he thinks he’s screwed. And also leaving me feeling a bit wounded, as if his kiss pushed some sort of emotional button inside me.

So much for the kiss not meaning anything.

But I do what I do best and shove those feelings down.

Bury them along with the rest of the crap I refuse to feel.