Dream Dark (Caster Chronicles 2.5)
“Hello? He’s talking about Traveling.” Ridley’s voice sounded far away.
“Precisely. You can dematerialize now,” Macon explained. “It can come in quite handy at times.”
Link was skeptical. “Yeah. That sounds sorta advanced, Mr. Ravenwood. Maybe we should save that one for later.”
They were still talking when Ridley slipped out the door. Neither of them noticed. And this time, they weren’t even talking about pie.
CHAPTER 4
Mortal Wounds
Link climbed the stairs that led from the Tunnels to Ravenwood Manor.
Where the hell did Rid go?
One second she was smacking her gum by the fireplace, and the next she was gone.
He reached up and pushed on the trapdoor that conveniently opened into Ridley’s room. The fuzzy pink carpet was heavy, but Link popped the door open with one hand. The second he cracked the door, the Tunnel flooded with bright light.
Link covered his eyes with his free hand. “Jeez, whatcha doin’ in there, Rid?”
“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” A door slammed, and the light dimmed suddenly, as if she had flipped a switch. “You just about gave me a heart attack.”
Link was only halfway out of the Tunnel when he saw Ridley sitting on the floor, her back against the closet door. She looked about as innocent as a cat with a mouthful of feathers, but when he looked around the room, there was nothing going on.
Still. This was Rid, so he took another look.
Nothing.
“Why’d you take off?” Link pulled himself out of the Tunnel, letting the trapdoor slam shut behind him. He sat down in front of her.
“Do you really think I want to sit around and listen to you and my uncle talk about all your stupid magical powers?” She kicked off her shoes and began rubbing her pink and purple toes.
Link was confused. Then again, Ridley was about as confusing as a girl could get. “You’re the one who said you wanted to come with me.”
She flipped her hair, an old Siren habit she would probably never be able to break. There was something sad about it, like watching her unwrap those lollipops. “I’m a Mortal now, Shrinky Dink. You don’t need me.”
She got up, and he knew she was planning a quick getaway. Link grabbed her arm before she had the chance to run. “I’ll always need you, Rid.”
Ridley bit her bottom lip. “For how long?”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Link honestly had no idea. Girls were like aliens, and as far as he was concerned, Ridley was their queen. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“This. Us.” She gestured at the empty space between them. “It’s not going to work. We both know it, so let’s just quit while we’re ahead.”
Link felt the panic rise in his chest. She was going to bolt, the way she always did whenever he thought they were finally starting to get close. “What do you mean, Rid? You’re my girl.”
Ridley shook her head. “Don’t you get it? That’s the problem. I’m a girl—an average, worthless Mortal girl. I’m not a Supernatural anymore. I’m a super-nothing. And you’re a hard-core, walk in the daylight Incubus.”
> “Quarter Incubus.”
“Well, I’m a hundred percent Mortal. So we have nothing in common.”
Link grabbed her shoulders. She winced, and he tried to loosen his grip before he accidentally snapped a few bones. “We never had anythin’ in common, and it never mattered before. You were a Siren and I was a regular guy. You were Third Degree Burns hot, and I was Thirty Degrees Below cool.”
“I hate to break it to you, but you were never that cool.” Ridley smiled at him.
“So how is it any different now?” Link clung to her smile. That lip-glossed, pouty diva smile meant about as much to him as anything these days.