Shielded: A Valkyrie Saga Book 1

Beach Party - Chapter 23

Jesus, she was beautiful. 

Ray was slowly swaying to the acoustic music and the fire light flickered on her golden skin. I would do almost anything to have her to be the one rubbing up against me while we danced on the beach. But that would never be in the cards for me, and it wasn't fair to Annabel to be looking at another woman while my hands rested on her hips. I just couldn't stop thinking about how none of this had gone like I had predicted. Ray wasn't like any other female Valkyrie I had ever seen before. She didn't seem to be particularly motivated to leave the life that she had carved out for herself to embrace all of the power and wealth that was her birthright. Instead she was perfectly happy with a red solo cup filled with cheap beer and poorly played music on the beach.

When Jonas Pope, Kaiden's right hand guy, started dancing with Ray and her face lit up with a welcoming smile, a spike of jealousy drove itself through my heart. This could be good, I reminded myself. If they couldn't link Ray's birth to a particular royal line then she might be able to choose who she aligned herself with. If she picked the Collins' Royal Line then at least she would still be in the area. We would be able to remain a part of her life. So Ray starting something with Jonas or Kaiden was a good thing. 

I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

--Max

After school we had all gone our separate ways until it was full dark. I had ridden the bus with Jack back to the trailer park and we spent the afternoon with Amy. After dinner I went to the truck stop to take a shower and changed into light carpi pants and a sea foam green cotton long sleeve shirt. I switched my boots out for sandals and ran a brush through my hair in an effort to look a little nice for tonight. 

Jack and I had walked down to the Walmart parking lot that was several blocks from the beach that we had told the guys we would meet them. I figured they were going to drive their fancy cars, and didn't want them to park them in the neighborhood we were going. They would be stripped and up on blocks before the engines fully cooled.

The guys along with Maddison, Annabel, Jennifer, and Isabell had arrived before us. They had formed a loose circle and were quietly talking when we walked up. I was surprised but not disappointed to see that Jonas had somehow become a part of the group that was coming with us tonight. When I asked, he said that he had also been ditched by the rest of their group so he had decided to hang out at the Oakland Clan house after school.

Jack and I led the way and when we arrived at the rundown house with beach access that most definitely had squatters inside, we talked to Big Jim who was stationed at the door. I handed over twenty dollars and explained that even though they were dressed in designer clothes, that the guys were with us. Big Jim gave the group the side eye and hesitated to step aside to let them in. However, when I told him that he could charge them double he decided that he would give them a chance.

This house had basically been stripped down to its studs during an attempted renovation, but when the investors ran out of money they ended up abandoning the property. It was now a meeting place for the street kids and the homeless could crash here if they wanted a solid roof over their head for the night. Big Jim and Calypso bunked here full time and kept out the really bad element and lost cause drug users. The cover charge on bonfire nights went towards getting the kegs and firewood. It was a good system that worked for us.

Jack led our group through the house and out the back door to the private beach. We had to walk down a steep incline to reach the sand, but the fire was so big that it provided plenty of light for us to see by. I took a moment to close my eyes and breath in the cool air that was blowing off the ocean before grabbing a red solo and filling it from the keg. I took a sip and walked down closer to the water. I loved being on the beach. The sheer size of the ocean made me feel small in comparison. It helped me put things into perspective.