Dylan sat upright on the first horse, and leaned over to speak to Aspen. “Hey there, did we miss anything?”
She held her breath. He looked so good on horseback. Dark wool trousers, a white shirt, and a black leather vest fit his body snugly, and his leather bracelet looked so cool on his tanned arm. His dream catcher charm glinted from around his neck.
“Hey,” she said softly.
The second horse nudged against his and a strikingly beautiful girl peered down at her. Aspen gasped. This was the pretty redhead from her birthday party. The one who’d wrapped herself around Dylan.
The girl’s hair tumbled past her waist in the brightest flame-red waves. It was thick and luxurious, and nestled on the saddle like spun silk. Her small athletic body was wrapped in tight emerald-green cotton, and a white sheepskin coat hugged her shoulders. Knee-high white leather boots covered her calves. She hugged the horse as though molded to it, and glared at Aspen through clover-green eyes.
“Is this the Halfling?” she asked haughtily.
Dylan straightened up and spoke to her. “Ruby, this is my friend Aspen. Aspen, this is Ruby from the Fire clan, and this is her brother,”—he swiveled around and pointed to the third rider behind him—“Ray.”
Ray was the complete opposite of his sister. He smiled broadly at Aspen and slid from his horse in a fluid move. While he held the reins in one hand, he clasped Aspen’s hand with the other. His grip was warm and comfortable, but not half as thrilling as Dylan’s.
“Well, hello there, darlin’,” he said with a broad smile.
Ruby’s brother was about five foot nine inches tall and extremely handsome, with dark auburn hair that curled slightly over the collar of his black shirt. When he focused his emerald-green eyes on her that practically twinkled with delight, she had the feeling that they would become good friends.
“Welcome to Lanta, little lady. It’s real nice to meet ya.”
She smiled shyly. Movement behind him caused her to step back warily. A crowd of boys walked into the clearing, and Ginny and Sandy shouted greetings to them. Ray held her hand in his and tugged her almost protectively toward him.
Ray bent toward her. “It’s okay, little darlin’. They’re with us,” he whispered reassuringly into her ear.
Dylan slid off his horse and wrapped the reins around a nearby branch. He walked over to Aspen and took her other hand. With a small tug, he drew her away from Ray and slipped his arm over her shoulder. Warmth spread from the area where Dylan’s skin touched hers, and she closed her eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling. Ray stepped back and his mouth tightened, the atmosphere suddenly very tense.
Ginny jumped to her feet and began to speak. “Aspen, let me introduce you to this motley gang. There are way too many of them and they’re not important enough, so I’m going to be quick.” She grinned and the group of teenage boys laughed and whooped around her.
“This is Caden, Troy, Ryder, Ethan, Ashley, and Cole.” Each boy bobbed his head in greeting as Ginny pointed them out. Two of the boys had shoulder-length blond hair and turquoise eyes; the rest had auburn hair and green eyes.
“Caden and Troy are from the Water clan, and the rest are from the Fire clan,” Sandy said from behind them.
Caden moved forward and lifted his fingers to his forehead in a mocking salute. His gaze roamed from her head to her toes and he smiled widely, flashing deep dimples. He really looked good with his thick blond hair and pale blue T-shirt.
The rest of the boys were dressed in T-shirts and jeans, and Aspen could feel their speculative stares.
“Don’t mind their rudeness. Honestly, haven’t you ever seen a Dream Walker from the Power clan before, boys?” Ginny scolded.
“She’s only half a Dream Walker. Maybe that’s their fascination.” Ruby slipped delicately from her horse with eyes glittering at Caden. She stalked around Aspen in a circle. “We don’t get many Halflings around these parts.”
Aspen clenched her hands and the fine hairs on her arms rose. Was this girl trying to insult her? She felt Dylan’s grip tighten on her shoulder and she glared at Ruby openly. The Fire Walker tossed her tresses over her shoulder and turned away from her as though she were nothing.
Sandy stepped forward. “I’ll have you know that Aspen’s father was Roman Walker. She’s a princess in our clan, and her powers are greater than the best Walker around.”
Ruby ignored her and leaped upon her horse. With a flick of the reins, she urged the horse forward. Her hair tumbled in waves of red behind her back as the animal cantered away.
“Did she just try and insult me?” Aspen asked Sandy.
Sandy frowned. “Ignore her. Ruby doesn’t like competition.”
The group of boys chuckled nervously amongst themselves and walked in the direction that Ruby had taken.
Ray’s green eyes trained on her. “Don’t mind my sister. She doesn’t know you yet.”