15. Ryder
15
Ryder
I walked deeper inside the cave in complete darkness, allowing my memory to guide me. The air grew thicker, the scent muskier as I ran my fingers along its walls. When the condensation dampened my fingertips, I knew when to take a right. A few more left turns, and I would have complete privacy. I had once read bats navigated through the dark by echolocation, so I hummed a little tune and plucked my guitar, testing to hear how far the sound went. Though others had deemed that kind of literature useless, I preferred to weave the knowledge into my own. Sure, I could use my wind, the power of Nai , but it was the challenge I sought most. I was close enough to a hot spring to dull any sound, the stone walls so thick, my voice was now a prisoner in its confinements. As my eyes adjusted, I took notice of the few glowworms emitting a dim light above, faint but enough to see where the trickle of water was coming from. I watched it drip into a large puddle on the other side.
I stood in place for a moment longer before waving my hand to summon someone who made my damn skin crawl.
The magic slowly churned, its cerulean glow beaming across my face.
“So, what’s the news?” A deep, throaty rasp rumbled beneath a mouth full of meat. Fang sounded like I was interrupting something because it ended with a grunt.
“The ambush went as planned, and we are now on Journey’s Cliff,” I said.
“A small sacrifice for the greater good, rest those poor souls.” No remorse in his words. There was a long pause.
The way he slopped over his mug of wine made me want to puke. When a woman’s soft moan invaded the meeting, a shiver went down my back. I saw a hand move up his chest and link around his neck. Gross.
“And the girl?”
“She’s coming around.”
“How long until you’re in Donia?”
Trying to hide my disgust, I tilted my head from side to side and shrugged. “Less than a week.”
The asshole finally turned his head my way, and those beady little eyes bored into mine.
“Good. I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”
Before he could say another word, I willed the connection to sever, wishing it was the chords to his neck. Within a few breaths, his silhouette wavered into thin air.
“Ryder?” Vessa called, sending another chill down my back, but it swept through my veins like lava.
I played a few downward strokes, plucking each one as if I were tuning the guitar until I gently strummed up.
She walked through the passage faster than I’d expected, and I could see why when she found me standing in the middle of this cavern. The luminance of her ears, freckles, and hands radiated a glow. Not as bright as beneath the moon, but enough for her to quickly stride through. I inhaled a deep breath. That had been too fucking close.
“What are you doing way back here?” Her brow slightly arched.
“Well, ain’t it obvious?” I slyly grinned, emphasizing the next chord.
She laughed, but something caught my eye as it danced across her face. I looked up to find the glowworms casting a brighter light. She tilted her head back, gasping in sheer wonder.
“What are those?” She went into the center of the cavern and covered her mouth with her hands.
They were…gathering on the ceiling right above her head.
“Those are glowworms. Oddly, I think they’re attracted to you,” I observed.
She held her arms out, as if the light itself would wrap around her. She smiled as it danced along her skin like shimmering stars and her body was enveloped in it. Something in her must have seized because her breathing hitched.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s…beautiful,” she said.
“It truly is.” I stood basking in her aura.
She caught my gaze. “Come on. You owe me a story.”
“You won the race. You get to decide whose story will be told. It doesn’t have to be mine if that’s not what you’re after,” I said. We sat in another part of the cave, in a cavern that gave us enough privacy from End’s Wrath. This was the perfect space to see how far I could unravel her.
“A choice?” I saw her chin lift in excitement. It seemed like letting her choose was a good start.
“I heard what Raven said, how your name was carved.” She observed me through a hooded look of curiosity. “Tell me what he meant.”
I scratched the back of my neck. Raven’s knowledge was considerably accurate. I suddenly felt like a mouse in a snake’s den, and the snake was staring right at me.
“You go straight for the punch, don’t you?” An uncomfortable and unexpected laugh escaped me. But I’d give her what she wanted. If telling her my story would pull her under my arm, it was a small sacrifice I could make.
I removed my hat to ease the tension off my ears and set it on a boulder nearby. With one motion, I reached behind me, tugged my cotton shirt off, and tossed it somewhere. Her body went rigid, and those violet eyes widened as they roamed shamelessly down every divot of my abs. I combed through my locks and tilted my chin up, pretending to fix my hair so she could steal a few more glances.
With my legs crossed, I leaned back and lifted my arm to expose the jagged, raised letter on the side of my ribs. Again, Vessa’s eyes widened, but this time, with shock. She said nothing as she took up the space beside me, much closer than I had expected.
Her fingers were cool to the touch, soft and feather-light as they followed the half-circle of the “R” down to its straight ridge, trailing further. She realized where her fingers were wandering, tensed, and withdrew them. The motion tugged a smile from me. Suddenly, I didn’t mind sharing a piece of my past with her. Whatever lies I’d been about to say evaded me in the confinement of this space. Any words spoken would remain here. She was deathly silent, waiting for me to speak.
“I knew nothing of my father other than that he was a Wind Fae, and my mother was human. She loved me, but being in the company of bad men was her vice, and I often paid the price for that. She had a lover once, one she was keen on. She kept him around for some unknown reason, but he despised me, knowing I was half fae. I bore the brunt of all their fights. He was a jealous asshole who wanted me out of the picture. One day, things got bad…” I paused, taking a deep breath. “She ended it with him, and he lost his fucking mind. He grabbed a knife and held me down. To this day, I remember the blood-curdling scream my mother expelled as she watched him carve the first letter of his name onto my side. He said he wanted her to remember that I was the reason they weren’t together.”
Then I tucked my hair behind my ears, exposing another harsh truth about how evil humans could be. Vessa gasped as she took in the sight of the scars marring the tops of my ears. Her hand reached out, the pad of her fingers touching the now hardened and calloused tips.
“He removed the part that identifies you as fae.” Her voice shook in anger and sadness at how anyone could be so cruel to a child. My body hummed in response as she touched them again. “Does that hurt?” she questioned after a grunt rumbled in my chest.
“They’re…a little sensitive.” My voice was low and husky. The fire crackled and popped as flames flickered and danced in the irises of her eyes. Something bloomed inside my rotten, filthy heart the longer we shared the same air, the same breath. “But with the right person, I feel more.” She didn’t withdraw at my words; she hung on every one. “So much more, Vessa.”
Her name was dark honey on my lips, a venom I wanted to taste. Her hands tucked the hair behind my ears as she examined them, tilting her head from side to side. I watched the rise and fall of her chest as she explored the jagged flesh, the thrumming pulse in the crook of her neck. Her heart pounded just as hard as mine. A few moments passed before I spoke again, savoring how it felt to have her hands roam.
“My mother’s lover went for her, and in her last breath, she screamed for me to take our horse and ride her until I couldn’t run from darkness no more, and then I would find that light. ‘Ride her,’ she said.”
In this moment, we both slipped into the dark, and Vessa lifted her scarred arm and brushed her palm against my face. I closed my eyes as her thumb trailed across my cheek. I’d expected her to see me for the monster I had become, but her eyes softened, an unspoken understanding as she studied me.
“‘ Ride her ,’” she repeated a few times. The more she said it, the more the meaning behind these two words sunk in. And with it, my desire for her.
“ Ryder .” Her whisper was an unveiling to my soul, as dark and tarnished as it was, and even then, it wasn’t enough. Hunger burned in her eyes; she wanted more. I succumbed beneath her touch. It should have been me doing all the unraveling. We were gravitating closer, a breath away from a kiss until something caught her eye over my shoulder and she frowned.
Fuck. I knew exactly who it was.
As I turned around, I saw Raven bite into some cooked meat with an obviously irritated glare.
“Sorry to interrupt whatever the fuck this is, but dinner is ready,” he said.
Vessa sighed, glancing down at me, the moment definitely gone as she stormed past Raven, shoving him in the process.