Page 8 of Ridge

Kael squinted as he stared at Ridge suspiciously. It was clear he didn’t know whether or not to trust him. Ridge didn’t tell him that he should trust him because they were mates. Instead, he kept the same smile plastered on his face and waited for an answer.

Kael dropped his bag from his shoulder and huffed. “Fine. If you really want to, you can help me.”

Ridge was quick to pick up the bag. “I do want to,” he said with what he hoped was a winning smile. He didn’t want the trip to continue the way it had started. Why were they already sniping at each other? Why did Kael look like he wanted to run?

Luckily, he didn’t. Instead, he climbed into the passenger seat of the car and waited for Ridge to put his bag in the trunk. The bag was heavy, although nothing Kael couldn’t have managed himself, just as he’d said. That wasn’t the point, though. The point was that Ridge wanted to do things for his mate, and his cat agreed.

Ridge made quick work of it, then climbed into the driver’s seat and turned to smile at Kael, who was very obviously avoiding looking at him.

“Ready to go?” Ridge asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kael muttered.

Ridge knew he’d inherited a challenge there, and he was curious, but he didn’t dare ask. He knew how careful he should be when it came to Kael.

Kael hadn’t had a life that Ridge would call normal, although then, neither had Ridge. Kael had been incredibly isolated, yet at the same time, he’d been surrounded by demons. That was all he knew, though. He had no idea how to deal with humans, and since he hadn’t asked Ridge, he couldn’t be sure they were mates. He was probably telling himself that he was wrong, which made sense. Demons, like humans, didn’t have mates, so he’d probably never thought about having one.

But he did have one. He and Ridge were going to spend a lot of time in the car over the next few days, which would hopefully help them finally communicate. Ridge was ready to give Kael all the time and space he needed, but he was starting to feel the need to tell Kael about their bond more strongly than he had before. It wasn’t like he was running out of time, but it sure felt like it when Kael wouldn’t even look at him.

Ridge sighed. This was going to be a long day.

* * * *

KAEL HAD NO IDEA WHAT to say or even what to do. The only thing he could do was sit there, staring out the window, wondering what came next.

He half expected Ridge to get straight to the point. Hell, he’d expected Ridge to do that ever since they’d both arrived in town from Starhaven. Maybe he’d been wrong, though. Maybe there was nothing between them, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about Ridge. Maybe he’d been imagining the pull and hoping for a bond that wasn’t there.

Except that he didn’t know if he was hoping for one. What was he supposed to do with a mate? He’d never thought about having one because he was a demon and hadn’t been allowed to leave Starhaven until recently.

Well, he hadn’t been allowed to leave Starhaven at all. He’d left, though, and now that he had, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with his life.

That included a potential mate.

Did Kael have one? He supposed there was always a possibility that he did. There was even a possibility that his mate was Ridge. So why hadn’t Ridge talked to him, if that was the case?

Well, that was easy to answer. Kael had been avoiding him, which wasn’t easy since their friends were together. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d told Nymon he couldn’t come to dinner because he’d known that Ridge would be there. Nymon had never called him out on it, even though he had to know. He’d been giving Kael space, and Kael was grateful for that, but now he didn’t have space anymore.

Gregory had made sure of that.

So here Kael was, locked in a car with who could possibly be his mate, and he didn’t know how to ask. What if he asked and Ridge started laughing because they weren’t? What if Kael made a fool of himself?

And what if Ridge confirmed Kael’s suspicions? If he said that yes, he was his mate, and it was about time they talked about it?

He wouldn’t be wrong. It was about time they talked about it. Kael just wasn’t sure what they were supposed to say.

Ridge had probably imagined this moment for years. He was a shifter, after all. Kael, on the other hand, had never thought he would have a mate, just as he’d never thought he would leave Starhaven. He’d always known that if he found someone, it would be a demon. He would stay in Starhaven, they would move in together, and maybe spend the rest of their lives together.

That plan had gone right out the window.

He glanced at Ridge, whose focus was on the road, which was a good thing. They didn’t need a crash, especially in the situation they were in.

Kael needed to be brave. Otherwise, this entire mission was going to be incredibly awkward, and that wasn’t something either of them would want to deal with. He certainly didn’t.

He cleared his throat. “How long is the drive?” he asked. It was a safe question, and a question or two wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“A few hours. You can nap if you want.”

He was giving Kael an easy way out. Kael was tempted to take it. Maybe Ridge didn’t want to talk. Maybe he would rather they sat in silence, watching the road. Maybe he needed to focus completely on driving.