The Blood Rite

Chapter Thirty Five

Ruby walked back to her room in a daze. She was so lost in the memory of his kiss that she had forgotten that Halle would be waiting in her room. So she had no poker face on when she entered. Halle froze at the sight of her.

"Ruby? What happened?"

Her cheeks warmed. She shook her head, "Nothing, Halle, I'm fine."

Halle stood and crossed the room to her, "Don't lie to me." Her blue eyes fell to Ruby's swollen mouth and then widened. "Ruby! Did you kiss Orpheus?"

"Of course not."

"Ruby."

"He kissed me, okay?"

Somehow, Halle's eyes got even wider. She was quiet for a moment before asking, "What was it like?"

Ruby shook her head, "I don't know how to describe it. It was different."

"Different as in good or bad?"

"Good. I think."

Her brows furrowed, "You think?"

"I don't know, Halle," she said, huffing out a laugh, "it caught me really off guard." She hadn't expected him to kiss her, especially in that moment.

The girl tilted her head, eyeing Ruby, "I never would have thought you liked him."

"Why?"

"Because," she shrugged, "he's honestly terrifying."

Ruby laughed, "He is, isn't he?"

"But he isn't like that with you?"

"No," Ruby assured her. He scared her, but only because of how powerful he was. The kiss had been intense but he hadn't done anything to make her truly fear him. A part of her wanted to kiss him again. She shook the thought away, "You have to promise me that you won't say anything."

Halle nodded, "Of course. I promise."

"Good." She sighed, "Let's get started then."

The rest of the night, as they practice expanding their powers, Ruby was distracted. Her mind was in turmoil, at war with itself and peppering her with questions she had no answers to. What did the kiss mean for them? Did he actually like her? What made him want to kiss her? She gritted her teeth and pushed herself with her power harder than she's ever done as if it would easy her thoughts. By the time the clock struck two, she was thankfully too exhausted to think of anything and collasped into a dreamless sleep.