Chapter 18 #2
He also needed to understand that under no circumstances could he pursue the mating bond with Rynn, nor should he ever tell her about it.
If they wanted to continue being fuck buddies, fine, but mating was off the table.
Rynn would never be a true member of the Alpha pack, and a mating bond would irreparably divide Ryker’s loyalties.
More than they already were.
I’d also need to talk to Ryker about my intentions with Rynn, because while the bet might be off, I still had every intention of getting her into my bed and seeing what sounds I could get her to make while she came all over my tongue.
“We need to get our hands on more shadow-marked weapons,” one of the Fervis traders complained, breaking through my lust-addled thoughts. “They sell quickly enough that we can charge more for the next batch.”
My ears perked up, even as my body stayed in its slumped position. They shouldn’t have been selling any shadow-marked weapons. The Moroi hadn’t figured out how to recreate them, so we had a finite amount.
I was deeply curious to know where these assholes had gotten some to sell.
“I’ll talk to Kelsyn when we get back,” one of the women said. “But he said we were lucky to get the last batch.”
“Bullshit,” the other man scoffed. “He just needs to put some pressure on that Moroi piece of shit to earn his keep.”
“Not our place to question it,” the woman replied smoothly while giving him a warning look. “Don’t fuck up the good thing we have going.”
The man grumbled more but dropped it.
I made a mental note to ask Kieran about any missing shadow-marked weapons.
No doubt he’d give me an extremely snarky response, given my recent interaction with Draven.
He was also probably still bitter about me stealing his vest, but he didn’t look good in dark purple, so I was doing him a favor anyway.
Another hour passed while I nursed quite possibly the worst ale in all the realms, but no other interesting conversations came up. I left the glass a third full and headed towards the exit. It was time to see what the lovebirds were up to.
“Where have you been?” Rynn snapped when I stepped into our shared room ten minutes later. She stood in front of the still-open window with her arms crossed, her expression tense. Meanwhile, Ryker’s expression was closed off where he leaned against the wall a few feet away from her.
Both of them still had wet hair.
Gods, had they always been this obvious? How had I not noticed all these months?
“Got bored waiting for you two and spotted a gorgeous blonde at the bar. We had quite the evening.” I shrugged off my cloak and hung it on a hook next to the door before glancing at Ryker. “You found something to eat?”
I could practically feel the hole Rynn was burning in the side of my head, but I kept my gaze on Ryker.
“Yeah,” he said after a beat, not looking at Rynn. “We’re both good.”
“Well, I’m starving. Would you mind grabbing me some stew?” I gave him a chagrined smile. “Alton’s working tonight and he’ll talk my ear off if I go down there.”
Ryker hesitated for a breath before nodding, then left without a word or glance at Rynn. There’d been a good crowd around the bar when I’d walked out, all of them trying to order food before the stew ran out. I was confident I had at least eight minutes before he returned.
I waited until I heard him hit the stairs, and then I was across the room with a dagger at Rynn’s throat.
“We’re going to have a quick chat, beautiful,” I purred.
She went completely still, and I saw the uncertainty and apprehension in her expression. It was what I’d been going for. To throw her off enough that lying would be more difficult. Normally, I enjoyed this sort of thing, but part of me was pissed off at Rynn for having this reaction.
“You’ve had Ryker’s teeth at your throat, and you weren’t the least bit frightened,” I said coldly. “And yet I see fear in your eyes now.”
Her throat bobbed, and a bead of blood formed where the blade pressed against her skin.
“Ryker would never hurt me,” she said quietly but firmly.
I arched a brow and briefly glanced at her neck where he’d bitten her.
A few white marks still remained from Ryker’s teeth.
They would eventually fade completely, but Velesian healing was always slower with bite marks from mates or potential mates on that area of the body.
Either Rynn didn’t know that or this was the first time Ryker had bitten her in that particular spot.
Pink stained her cheeks. “He wouldn’t hurt me in a way I didn’t enjoy,” she amended.
Unlike Rynn, I was extremely good at hiding my emotions, which was why she didn’t see an ounce of the lust that punched me in the chest at those words.
“Our budding friendship seems to already be on shaky ground.” I made a noise of disapproval. “First, you lie to me so you can sneak off to visit the Moroi, and now, I learn that you believe me capable of hurting you.” A smile curved across my mouth. “In a way you won’t like.”
Despite her fear, defiance flashed in her eyes. “We were never friends. You were playing me.”
“Was I?” I tilted my head.
“Yes,” she spat. “To get me to trust you or fuck you. Probably both. There is no world we can dream of where you and I are friends.”
Okay, her throwing a version of my words back in my face stung a bit.
I had been playing with her, showing her a carefully curated version of myself to get past her prickly defenses, but that night .
. . that foolish, wishful dream where we were actually a pack, maybe more .
. . that had been real for me, and I knew it had been real for her too, because if it hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been so pissed off at me right now.
“Besides,” Rynn continued, “a friend wouldn’t have stayed in that stable and watched.”
I chuckled. “That all depends on the friend, Princess.”
She turned a lovely shade of red. “You going to hold the dagger on me all night?”
“Did you tell Ryker that I know? That I was there as he pounded into you but all your attention was locked on me and my co—”
“I wasn’t thinking about you at all!” She leaned forward, forcing me to ease up on the dagger a little so I didn’t cut her throat too deeply.
“Sure you weren’t.” I smirked. “Seems you’re both a voyeur and an exhibitionist, or were you thinking about what it would be like if I joined you two?”
Her eyes widened, and I knew I’d guessed right. I’d definitely be dreaming about that later, but Ryker would be back any minute, so I needed to move this along.
“Answer the question.” I watched a drop of blood drip down her pretty pale neck. “Did you tell Ryker?”
“No,” she said flatly.
“And I take it you don’t want him to know?”
“No,” she repeated. “Ryker and I . . .” For the first time since I’d pressed the dagger against her throat, Rynn looked away. “It’s a mistake. One I need to stop making.”
“And how many times have you made it?”
Her gaze snapped back to me. “Fuck off.”
“Many times then.” I chuckled. “If you want me to keep this secret, you’ll have to give me something in return.”
“You expect me to believe you’re not going to tell him right away?” she scoffed. “I know where I stand with you assholes. There’s no way you’re keeping this from him.”
I shrugged, careful of where the dagger was still lightly pressed against her neck. “It’s true I’m loyal to Ryker before you, but he’s been lying to me for months, so I could be persuaded not to tell him for a while as punishment.”
“Why are you even offering this?”
“Because, my sweet Rynn, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads.” Slowly, I pulled my dagger from her throat but didn’t step back.
Rynn made no move to swipe at the blood still dripping down her neck.
“You’re hiding something from us. Originally, we assumed you were still loyal to your family, but given recent events, I have my doubts.
I would like to know more about your history with Fervis, Alexis in particular, since that was never mentioned before. ”
Rynn stared at me for a long moment. “You think I’m working with Fervis?” She let out a humorless laugh. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty because that’s the most foolish, asinine thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
“Glad to know you find me pretty.” I flashed my teeth at her. “But if you want me to keep my mouth shut around Ryker, you’ll tell me everything about your connection to Fervis.”
“What about Cade and Warrick?” she asked.
“What about them?”
She let out a frustrated breath. “Will you tell them about me and Ryker?”
“Cade, yes. Warrick . . . eventually,” I answered truthfully.
Cade would allow me to handle this to a degree, but Warrick .
. . he would take this news very badly. He already hated Rynn and was very protective of Ryker, more so than Cade and I.
It would be difficult to keep him from separating Rynn’s head from her body and throwing them both in an unmarked grave.
Rynn glanced at the door. “Assuming I accept your offer, there isn’t enough time for me to tell you everything before Ryker gets back.”
“I’ll take your word for now that you’ll tell me.
” I slid my dagger back into the holster on my thigh and leaned over to grab a cloth from the washbasin.
The movement had my chest brushing against Rynn’s, and I bit back a grin at the sharp inhale she made.
“But at the next opportunity, you will tell me everything I want to know.”
“About my history with Fervis,” Rynn clarified.
“For now.” I used the cloth to clean the blood off Rynn’s neck and then tossed it out the window. I touched her neck, drawing a shiver out of her. “All healed.” My thumb brushed her pulse, and Rynn’s breathing quickened. “Still scared of me, Princess?”
Before she could answer, faint footsteps sounded from outside the room. She squeezed passed me, putting distance between us just as Ryker opened the door and stepped inside, holding a steaming bowl.
“Ah, thank you.” I took it from him and gestured to the bed. “Feel free to settle in. We’ll be getting cozy tonight.”
I took a big bite of the stew, enjoying the horrified expression on Rynn’s face.