Chapter 80
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Ellery
The next morning, I woke and reached for Ryker, but my hand fell upon a cool space. Unable to stop it, a bolt of panic shot through me as I sat upright in bed.
My heart slammed against my ribs as my gaze flew around my bedroom, which was both familiar and unfamiliar all at once. The plants that once entwined around the wood beams above and turned this room into my private forest were gone.
Whoever had taken over the manor after I fled, and I suspected it was Gaius, had removed them. I didn’t see any sign of them during our search of the property yesterday, but the burn pit out back contained remnants of the things that once belonged to my family.
Any sign of me in this small, private space I’d once cherished and made my own had been removed. My clothes, accessories, weapons, trinkets, and cherished possessions were gone, as well as all my parents’ things. The once cozy, welcoming space of my room had been stripped bare and left cold.
Our family portrait, which had hung downstairs, no longer existed. When I uncovered a section of its frame in the burn pile, I felt as if they’d burned away a part of me too.
I’d hated sitting for that portrait and grumbled about it the whole time. After my father’s death, it came to mean so much to me. I regretted not taking it with me when I fled the manor, but I didn’t have a choice.
I wasn’t sure whether Gaius actually stayed here after I left or had some of his lackeys take care of the horses and monitor the property.
If he had stayed here, then he’d most likely taken over my parents’ room.
It was also empty of anything once belonging to them, but tangled blankets still lay on top on the bed, while they’d stripped all of mine.
That had made it easier to sleep in here, even knowing there was a good chance he’d gone through all my belongings before destroying them. I shuddered at the possibility and hugged myself; once things in Tempest were more settled, we’d find somewhere to live.
Maybe we’d stay here or move to his mother’s property. Perhaps we’d build a place of our own, but we could sort that out later.
For now, we’d stay here, but I wasn’t sure I could turn this place back into a home. I also couldn’t imagine anyone else living here.
I searched the room for some sign of Ryker, but the bathroom door was open, and he didn’t stand within. Then, the scent of cooking bacon wafted to me. My stomach rumbled, and my mouth watered in response to the delicious aroma.
Throwing back the covers that I’d found tucked into the hall closet, I climbed out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. After searching the grounds and manor last night and taking care of the remaining animals, we’d both been so exhausted that we’d fallen into bed without eating.
I regretted that decision as I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and used the toilet.
At least the exhaustion had kept my nightmares at bay, or maybe it was being nestled securely in Ryker’s arms again.
Either way, I only had one dream about Gaius rising from the dead and coming back to drag Ryker into a burning pit.
I’d woken, shaken and struggling to breathe.
When Ryker stirred and pulled me close, I settled into his arms. I’d expected to be up for the rest of the night, but with the reassuring beat of his heart against my ear, I’d fallen back asleep and, judging by the position of the sun, slept far later than normal for me.
I didn’t bother putting on my clothes from yesterday before leaving the room. I descended the stairs to the main entry, wearing only the shirt Ryker had given me last night.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I glanced into the dining room. The area above the fireplace remained bare of the portrait; I’d known it would, but disappointment still tugged at me as I turned away from the room.
The delicious scent of breakfast lured me toward the kitchen, where I discovered Ryker scraping eggs onto two plates. His back was to me when I entered, but when he turned around, he froze.
A lazy smile curved the corner of his mouth. Despite my lingering sadness over the state of my old home, my heart warmed at the relaxed air surrounding him.
I hadn’t seen him look this at ease in months… no, not months, ever. There were times when he’d relax with me, but tension had always thrummed through him; I didn’t sense that now.
Before his father captured him, I’d felt his rising anger and worried about him, but my concern faded as he set the plates on the table. Yes, things would still be difficult, and we had a lot to organize, rebuild, and do, but we’d get through it all together.
“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,” he said.
I beamed back at him. “I couldn’t resist that smell.”
As if to confirm this, my stomach rumbled, and Ryker’s grin widened. “Come and eat then; we can’t have you starving.”
When I walked toward the table, I didn’t miss it when his gaze ran down my chest to my bare legs. He looked hastily away, but not before I saw the lust blooming in his eyes.
Between his capture, his injuries and healing, and our fatigue after everything, we’d barely had any time alone. Now, we were here, in a place that had stopped feeling like home, but we were safe, and no one hunted us anymore.
It felt like years had passed since I felt as safe as I did now.
Ryker pulled one of the chairs at the table out for me, but when I stopped beside it, I rested my hand on his cheek. His scruffy beard tickled my palm as I rose onto my toes and kissed him.
I’d only meant it to be a quick exchange of love, but a rush of warmth and desire speared through me the second our lips touched. Even my belly forgot about its emptiness as his lips burned into mine.
Little crackles of electricity danced across my flesh, warmed my soul, and ignited a fire that heated me from the inside out. Ryker’s arm locked around my waist as he hauled me against his chest.