Hawaii is a wonderful string of islands that has always been viewed as a perfect vacation spot. Except, what happens when the islands' beauty and source of wealth are exploited by criminals? Criminals capable of stealing your free will and getting a...
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Arden wasn't sure how she should feel about her friends' performance. She thought that each of them were doing really well and had considered jumping in at plenty of moments, but they...they just seemed so natural. The thought of jumping in and making it awkward with a bad line made her so uneasy that she just couldn't do it.
So, she watched and enjoyed the show from the crowd with all of the other tourists. When Kiara's big moment came and she talked about love and protection, it was obvious that she'd learned that from her brothers. Ryan used to say the same things and it was just as powerful, or at least close to it.
Hearing it made her smile to herself until she noticed Kyle staring up from the floor at something far away. She followed his gaze and searched the people watching for only a second before her eyes caught sight of her man. Ryan's dark yellow jacket was impossible to miss in a crowd. She tried waving at him, knowing that his eyes were sharp enough to notice her from any distance. But he didn't wave back. He just stared at her new friends and ignored her.
Realization settled in uncomfortably when it became clear that Ryan wasn't looking at his sister or best friend. Kyle stayed put on the floor meeting his gaze for a disturbingly long time. "Ryan!" she shouted suddenly in his direction. She did it without thinking, but finally his head snapped over to her.
She smiled brightly and after a moment, she saw him smile back. He pointed up to signal that they should come upstairs.
As the crowd dissipated, her friends rejoined her and she could see the small beads of sweat rolling down their faces. Kyle in particular looked drained, which was fair considering how much he moved around. He was actually amazingly talented. The way he moved was almost hypnotic and she could see how other women would find him charming. "That was great, all of you, really. Let's go upstairs and catch up with Ryan."
Arden didn't fail to notice Kyle tensing slightly when she said her boyfriend's name. An unspeakable fear began forming in her mind as they climbed the escalator. She hadn't noticed it right away, or maybe she had and that's why she dismissed him, but Kyle had a lot of feminine traits. The way he swayed his hips slightly when he walked and the way he spoke. It occurred to her then that he may not have been the lady killer that she thought. But no, even if he swung in the other directions, there was no way his charm would work on a man like Ryan Krag.
She giggled at the idea. Rye would probably beat him up if Kyle ever tried something too friendly. Her boyfriend was like an iron wall that nothing could even scratch.
Those thoughts made her feel warmer as he came up into view a few feet ahead of her. Ryan stood tall in a yellow jacket and black jeans with his brothers on either side. She noticed that his little brother had a guitar in his hand, but that didn't matter. She needed reassurance and so she skipped quickly over to him and literally jumped into his embrace.
"I missed you so much!" she smiled as she kissed him in front of everyone.
His eyes widened in a bit of surprise, but he returned a gentle smile back at her. That gentle smile was all that Arden ever needed to feel at ease, to know that she had won against anyone else that might compete for her valiant warrior. "It hasn't been that long, has it?" he asked, gently setting her back down.
"Maybe not, but every second without you feels like forever."
From outside of her line of sight, the rest of the group groaned in unison. She didn't mind, since it was natural for them to feel jealous.
Kiara stepped in beside her and threw the biggest smile up to her older brothers. "Did you see me? I mean us. Did you see us acting? I turned into a princess and saved the day. I totally kicked Kyle's butt," she giggled.
Carman swept around and got down on one knee with his head bowed. Kiara happily took the chance to climb onto her brother's back as he said, "Of course we saw. To think I've been allowing a princess to walk places on her own all this time. Never again."
Everything was perfect. Ryan's family was perfect. Whenever they were in one place, their interactions were so smooth and natural. Each one of them was probably insanely powerful and strong on their own, but together they were just a family. A family that Arden considered herself as the newest member of. One day soon, Ryan would propose and it would be official. She could see it so clearly that it must be a vision of the future. So why...did it make her feel pressured when Kyle opened his mouth and asked, "What did you think about me?"
