Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Twenty-three - How and Why

No amount of time would ever help me get over my embarrassment.

He was proud.

The thought had my cheeks heating up.

Ranger stood, an elbow propped up on the mantle of the fireplace and one ankle crossed before the other. He looked completely at ease, though there was a wicked glint in his eye that had me fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat. His eyes hadn't left me for a moment, and while he showed no obvious signs of being effected by the kiss, I had little doubt that he was just as effected by it.

Only he seemed to express it by burning into me with a gaze that had my stomach knotting up with warmth.

Beside me, Ethan sat none the wiser with one arm tossed over the back of the couch. His other hand was currently occupied with some of the leftover bacon, which he assured me was cooked to perfection.

"Artie." Ethan nodded to the man in question, who now sat in the armchair Ranger normally occupied. Martin's father, whom Von introduced to me as Artie, had offered me the barest of smiles when we had returned to the house. And I had the sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what had happened just beyond the barrier of sight. Thankfully if he did, he seemed completely indifferent to it.

"You came through a storm, correct?" He clarified, and I nodded without thought.

"From what I know, yes." I confirmed, my fingers began to fiddle with the vine bracelet around my wrist, carefully ensuring the knot was tight as always. I'd been terrified of it falling off, and the weight of the jar in my coat pocket was a consistent reminder to check the tie.

"We've been trying to figure out how she got here, but we're drawing up blanks." Ethan let out a small sigh, seeming somewhat frustrated as he admitted the fact. I could imagine it was a slight blow to his ego to have to admit he couldn't solve something, being the brain that he was.

"Its why I called. We need to figure out how she got here." Ranger spoke up, his eyes leaving me for a brief moment. And in that moment a small rush of air filled my lungs. I hadn't noticed how little I breathed when his gaze was on me.

"And that might be the problem." Artie folded his fingers together over his lap. "While it is important to figure out how she is here, we also must ask other questions."

I blinked owlishly at his words, glancing from Ranger to Artie, and then to Martin who still seemed reluctant to meet my gaze. In fact, the moment I'd stepped back into the house with Ranger he had seemed to refuse my existence all together. As though there was a switch that had been flipped. It gave me a tiny case of mental whiplash, but I pushed it to the back of my mind to deal with later.

"Like?" Ethan prodded, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Why did she appear then? When you were both at that specific place at that specific time. Why would she appear at that moment rather than five minutes before, or an hour. Days. You can't possibly believe it would be a simple coincidence." Artie continued, waving his hand toward me in a way I might have found insulting if I wasn't already thinking over his words with a mild sense of fear.

Because, I was reading that part in the book - right? I found myself doubting it suddenly. Another part of me was on the verge of blurting out the fact, but I had a strong feeling that fell along the lines of something Martin wouldn't want me to tell them.

"Well, did seem from the start someone was after her." Ethan glanced toward me, eyebrows furrowed in poorly hidden concern.

A tiny part of me was frustrated with the fact that they were speaking of me as though I wasn't sitting feet away from them, but another part of me couldn't bring myself to care over something so meaningless.