“You could be risking everything. You’re always sayingI’mtoo impulsive and reckless, butyou’rebeing that way now.”
A vein throbbed to life in his temple. “We won’t do anything reckless. Wewillhave a solid plan before attempting to free them.”
I resisted stomping my foot like a child over his inability to see reason.
“Thousands upon thousands are already suffering,” Luna remarked.
My gaze shot to her as my irritation mounted. “Stay out of this. You don’t know what’s happening.”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed on me. Before she could say anything, Ryker growled at her, “Don’t.”
She took a small step back from the fury he emanated as she stared at us. “How the fuck did the two ofyouhappen?”
Ryker and I both glared at her until she clamped her mouth shut. Ianto stepped closer to the siblings as he spoke. “It’s best for you both to stay out of this.”
As if afraid he might break them, they edged a little away from Ianto. At this point, Luna had more to fear from me than him as she was dancing all over my last nerve. I didn’t recall her being such a bitch.
Things have changed a lot… for all of us. And things were really bad for her at the earl’s.
The reminder of this caused some of my annoyance with her to fade. I didn’t know what she’d endured at home, but I knew it was far from good if she was willing to die to break free of him.
Most of the man’s servants had tried to destroy him. That wouldn’t have happened if they were happy.
I didn’t know her well when we were younger, but she was far from the girl I once kind of knew, and I sympathized with her. However, if she didn’t stay out of this, I was going to shoot a lightning bolt up her ass, and consequences be damned.
When it was clear the siblings wouldn’t speak again, I shifted my attention back to Ryker. “It’s not worth the risk, especially when we’re working to help so many other doomed souls.”
“It is to me.”
“Ryker—”
“This isn’t up for debate, Ellery. We’ll figure out a way to free them, and itwillhappen.”
My teeth scraped together as I stepped so close our chests brushed each other. “If the roles were reversed, and it wasmewho had suggested doing this, you’d refuse it.”
“And you’d do it anyway.”
“No, I wouldn’t do this.”
“You offered up your hand in place of Mouse’s.”
“I had a whole lot less to lose then and not as many amsirah counting on me. It was justmewhen I did that; now, it’s all of Tempest. What happened today wasatrocious,and Ineverwant to see anyone endure that again, but I know they will.
“It breaks my heart, but we’re trying to dogoodin this realm. If that falls apart because we tried to rescue these amsirah and failed, then what we saw today will happen again and again over the coming years. Now that the aristocrats and king have done this once, they’ll keep doing it.”
“What happened today?” Callan asked.
Ryker and I didn’t acknowledge him.
“This isn’t up for debate, Ellery,” he said.
“Damn it, Ryker!” I exploded. “You’re letting your past rule you.”
“Then so be it.”
Feeling as if he’d punched me in the stomach, my breath rushed out as a hopeless feeling swamped me. I knew he was stubborn, we both were, but I hadn’t expectedthislevel of unreasonableness from him. What he’d witnessed today had unleashed his past and destroyed his common sense.
“If you do this, you’re not keeping me shut out of it.” This was the last chance I had of making him change his mind. If I refused to sit this out, he might change his mind. “I’ll be there too.”
