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Of all the people I thought I might see here, he wasn’t one of them. Didn’t he live in a little cabin way south of here?
At least, I’m pretty sure it’s south of here. I can’t be sure, considering I never made it to the castle alone. I’d been headed the way he told me when I passed out, so I don’t know for sure if I was taken north.
“This is the opposite of the direction I pointed you. Do you live in this village?” he demands before shaking his head and continuing without giving me a chance to answer.
“It doesn’t matter, we need to go. Get back on the horse, Rena.”
The use of my nickname makes my stomach turn. It’s stupid, considering it’s the only name I ever gave him, but apparently, I can’t help myself around a good-looking man. I’m just goo.
Once again, he doesn’t give me a chance to say or do anything before he picks me up and sets me back on the horse.
He’s dressed in the same black clothes and cloak he wore the night I met him in the forest a month or so ago. His bright purple eyes dart around, looking from the village to the forest as if worried someone might be after us, but he’s no less breathtaking now than he was that night.
Another scream fills the air, pulling me from my appreciation of his appearance and reminding me why I’m here in the first place.
“They need help!” I say, rushing to dismount the horse again, only for Ryker to stop me.
“You can’t help them, Rena,” he says before leaping onto the horse behind me. He’s pressed up against my back, effectively caging me in while also making me very aware of just how close he is.
I’d gotten a glimpse of his naked back the first night I spent with him, but this is different. His legs rest against mine, his chest pressed against my back and against my ass…
I shift in the saddle at the thought as one of his arms bands around my waist while he yanks on the reins with his other, and I swear I hear him let out a growl as he urges the horse into the dark forest.
The second we break through the trees, the darkness is once again thick enough that I can’t understand how we didn’t run right into a tree.
“Hey, stop! We can’t just leave them to die!” I demand, attempting to pry his arm from around me. I’ll jump if I have to, but I will help them. I can’t just leave people to die to those monsters; I won’t.
“No, you stop. Keep it up, and we’ll run into a tree.”
He tries and fails to threaten me. Instead of sitting still the way I’m sure he intended me to, I double down on my effort.
“By the gods, if you don’t stop…”
“You’ll what?” I challenge, “Kidnap me and take me off into the dark forest? Oh, wait, you’re already doing that!”
“Ugh!” he groans, pulling the reins hard and forcing my poor horse to stop faster than I’m sure he was comfortable with.
“The monsters will leave, eventually. The damage is already done, and most of the people took shelter in the woods. But no matter what you think you can do, you can't stop them. You’ll end up just like them.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know what I’m capable of. But even if I can’t help, I have to try. Those people don’t deserve that!”
“And you do?”
“What? No, but—”
“But nothing. If you go back there, you will end up just like them, and I won’t let that happen," he snaps with so much emotion it shocks me silent for a moment. "So sit still before we crash, and let me get you out of here.”
We ride silently for a moment while I fume before I can't keep quiet anymore. “What were you doing there?” I ask the question that has been nagging at me despite my annoyance with him.
“I was passing through.” He doesn’t give me more of an explanation, and I don’t push, no matter how much I might want to.
“Why were you there? You never answered me when I asked earlier, do you live in that village now?”
I turn to glare at him over my shoulder. I don't understand why he thinks I should answer when he just dodged my question.
“I need to know if you have somewhere to go or if we’re just going to be riding around until sunrise and waiting them out.” He explains, and I roll my eyes, turning back to face forward again.
“No, I don’t live there, but when the alarms went off, the others ran to help, and I was… trying to find them.”
