36. Raea #3
I turn to face him. He opens a door off our bed chamber and then disappears for a moment, returning with empty arms. He keeps the door propped open. When his eyes meet mine, tears burn in my throat.
I look down, my chest tight as I take in the sight of my ice-blue gown. The delicate stars are now coated with Malayan and Auralan sand, and the hem is heavy with the mud of a beach that feels a lifetime away. It is a ruined mess of a life I left behind—a dress for a ceremony that never happened.
How symbolic.
I hold both his hands in mine and, for the first time, allow myself to open my senses fully.
I allow our Bond to flow unrestricted, wrapping around his mind and heart.
I step closer, burying my face in his chest and inhaling the scent of home—sandalwood, sea, citrus, and Ryker.
His palms grip my hips as he pulls our bodies flush.
Heartbeats pass where neither of us moves, but a need lashes out, reminding me I haven’t so much as touched him in days.
“Can we do all three?” I ask, my voice muffled by his lapel.
He steps back with a heated gaze, already removing his coat as he steps into the bathing chamber. “It’s full. And warm,” he says, his voice dropping an octave as he looks back at me.
The chamber is a sanctuary of shadow and flickering light.
A sunken circular tub of polished stone sits at the center, the warm water reflecting hundreds of candles tucked into every available alcove and stone ledge.
It smells of rosemary and lavender, and something old.
I watch, my eyes never straying, as he undresses.
“Come here, love,” he says.
My steps are shaky, but when I reach him, my palms slide up his bare chest.
“I wanted to see your wedding gown,” he murmurs against my skin as the straps of my dress fall.
His breath hitches as the ruined silk pools at my feet, leaving nothing between us but heat.
“But gods…all I’ve wanted since we hit the beach was to strip the world away from you and remind you that you’re mine. ”
My cheeks heat as he tilts my chin up. Standing flush, I only come to his pecs—I’m not complaining, the view is amazing—but when I look into his eyes, something in my chest tightens. Everything feels too big. Too uncertain.
“Today has been a long day,” he says, softer now. “Let’s bathe and eat, then we can talk before bed. I’ll need to check in with Clara and Trysten.”
I nod, because I should want that too. Because we should check in. We should think about everything waiting for us.
But I don’t move.
I can’t.
The Bond between us pulls tight, something restless and unsteady curls beneath my skin. I need him.
His gaze shifts, darkening as if he feels it too. “Raea…”
My fingers curl into him. “Don’t,” I whisper. I don’t even know what I’m asking—but he does.
A door separates us from the rest of the world. From Clara. From everything.
It doesn’t feel like enough, and yet, I need him. With my life turned upside down, Ryker is my rock, the one anchoring me so I don’t get lost in the storm.
Ryker’s trousers join my dress on the floor. His hands are already on me, grounding, steadying, like he knows I’m barely holding it together. A dark sound leaves him as he lifts me into his arms, and I wrap myself around him without hesitation, needing the contact, the closeness—needing him.
He carries me into the water, and I tighten my hold as we sink onto the stone bench, the warmth surrounding us.
I press my face into his neck, breathing him in, and something inside me settles. His hands move over me, familiar, anchoring, until the world quiets to this—to us. When our foreheads press together, his breath uneven, I realize I’m not shaking anymore.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.
And I believe him.
For long minutes, neither of us moves. We breathe together, holding each other in this strange new world. We’re impossibly far from home. Far from everything we’ve ever known, and yet the constant is each other.
When we curl up later, my head on his chest, I can’t help but let my mind drift. Back to that beach. Back to my…my…sister. I know my parents didn’t have another baby, so how is this possible?
Ryker presses a kiss to my forehead before spinning me around, pulling my back flush with his chest. “Talk, love. Where’s your head?”
I don’t reply right away. I’m scared that if I do, the horror and truth of everything will come spilling out. Instead of needing an answer right away, he kneads the muscles in my shoulders.
“Were we wrong to leave?” I choke out. “We left everything and everyone. And what if—” I bite my lip, holding back a sob. “What if we never see them again?” My throat burns as I stifle my tears.
Ryker presses his lips to my temple as his hands move up and down my arms. “We will go home, Raea. I’ll make sure of it.”
I shake my head. “What if they die and—”
“Hey. No spiraling. The best way we can help them now is to train our magic and learn how to actually fight whatever the shadow forces are, okay? It’s what Astor and Calia said we needed to do. We’re here. We made it.”
I nod.
“For now, we eat, we regroup, we sleep, and tomorrow, we begin.”