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she had relented. She continued to work with Kas and tried to douse any sparks that began to ignite when she was around him, but it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. She had no control over how she felt, and it scared her to the bone.
    Kas never indicated that he felt the same, and she never, not once, acted on her feelings. Raina had several reasons keeping her from showing how she felt, but the most pressing at the time was her not wanting to hurt Chris. She decided to focus all of her attention in trying to develop feelings for Chris, but she was as much of a prisoner to her feelings of disinterest towards romance with Chris as she was to her body’s reactions when she saw or even thought of Kas.
    Three nights ago, Raina had started to talk with Chris again, to tell him that it just wasn’t going to happen with them. She had tried to explain, telling him she was truly sorry, but he had become so angry and had grabbed her arm, interrupting her. His grasp was tight, bruising, as he had yelled at her, accusing her of sleeping with Kas. When he called her a slut, her own anger rioted, and she jerked her arm away from him. The tender speech she had heartbreakingly prepared to give Chris was replaced by her seething words, telling him it was over and demanding him to leave. The sting of his slap had caused her ears to ring.
    Raina will never forget the look in his eyes, the rage that burned in them. Chris’ heated look was so similar but yet so different than the cold, menacing glare of her father. She didn’t think, just reacted, when she pushed him hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards. It caught them both off guard, which gave her time to grab the phone and dial 911. She could see the struggle going on inside of Chris. The rage was still there, that she was sure of, she could feel it radiating off of him, but common sense won, and he had left. As soon as he was out the door, she locked it and sat on her bed, holding the phone with trembling hands as the dispatcher told her to wait on the line until the police arrived.
    Raina pushes the memories aside and sits up straight as she juts her jaw out in defiance. In the early quietness of the hospital room, she makes a vow to herself that she will not let her guard down again, the only witnesses to her pledge are the slow beep of the machines and Kas’ groan as he stirs, as if in protest to the promise she had just made herself.
    Kas stretches and lets out a long yawn as he opens his eyes to see the most beautiful jade eyes staring back at him. “Good morning, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” he asks, his voice thick and deep from his half awakened state.
    The blush that seems to take over every time he speaks to her brightens Raina’s cheeks, “I’m fine.”
    “There you go with that word again,” Kas softly admonishes.
    Raina wishes that she had a shower, or at least a comb, and she definitely wants to get her hands on that toothbrush the nurse had brought her last night. She cringes at what she must look like right now and self-consciously runs a hand over her hair, trying to tame it as much as possible. She is extremely thankful that she gets to leave the hospital today, but nervousness hits her square in the gut as she recalls the battle she lost about staying with Kas for a while. Bristling, she realizes that she is able to be on her own now, especially now that Chris is in jail and will not be granted bail, it would be hard, but she could do it if the doctor hadn’t refused to let her leave without knowing she would be under someone’s care. Kas had demanded that position, and then he and Chase had tagged team her straight into a corner, leaving her no other option. In the end, she had relented, simply too exhausted to argue anymore.
    An hour later, Raina silently, but resentfully, allows the nurse to help her in the wheelchair and wheel her to the hospital exit, feeling humiliated and defeated by the attention. She desperately needs to stand on