He folded his arms over his chest as he stared down at me with his face a mask of stone.
“I’ll be there foreverysecond of it,” I continued. “You can fight me on it, but that’s not up for debate either.”
When I hurled his words back at him, black started filling his eyes, and a lightning bolt flashed through them. Ianto, Callan, Luna, and Tucker all stepped away, but this sign of his unraveling didn’t deter me.
Instead of moving away like the others, I resisted the urge to step closer as, from deep within me, my ability rose toward his. It swirled through me as it sought to break free and join with his power like it had before.
My skin tingled with the impulse tofinallyset it completely free and reveal that two of us existed, but I dug my fingers into my palm to repress it. Tucker knew I was a lightning bearer, but outside of him and Ryker, no one else did… anymore.
My mother kept my secret until the day she died. The reminder of her loss was a sharp tug to my heart, but I couldn’t let my grief deter me from this.
Sorrow had no place here. Unfortunately, it had no place in my life at all right now as I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and mourn for all I’d lost.
My mother would never see me marry or meet her grandchildren. All the memories we would have made together had been eradicated by a spear, but she was gone, and I had to keep Ryker alive.
CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
Ellery
“I’m goingwith you if you decide to do this,” I told him.
“I don’t have to tell you when we go,” he replied.
Shock replaced my distress, but rage swiftly buried it. “No more secrets. We promised each other that; if you break your vow, we’re done.”
The others all moved further away when more lightning danced through Ryker’s eyes and crackled across his fingertips. I swayed closer before stopping myself.
I was irate with him, and he was pissed at me, but there was no denying the temptation he represented; I felt it in every fiber of my being. He’d become an intricate part of me, and I craved more of him.
“Why don’t we all sleep on this and discuss it tomorrow after we’ve all calmed down a little,” Ianto suggested.
Ryker and I shot him angry glances. Reason had no place here.
“Or not.” Ianto held up his hands as he edged further away. “I only made a perfectly sane suggestion that was met withunwarranted hostility, but please, carry on with bashing your heads against the wall. You’re both so thick headed it probably doesn’t hurt.”
The giant smiled at us while we glowered at him for a few more seconds before turning our anger back on each other.
“Am I the only one who thinks they were easier to deal with when they were pretending to hate each other?” Ianto muttered.
We shifted our scowls back to the giant… and Tucker when he chuckled. Tucker held his hands up and shrugged in a “what can you do” kind of gesture. Callan and Luna watched with fascination, but they both moved closer to the forest.
When Ryker and I looked at each other again, some of my wrath faded. We’d come to an impasse, and neither of us was willing to budge on this, but I didn’t want to fight with him. We’d spent far too much of our time together at each other’s throats.
We needed a break and some sleep. As much as I wished we could resolve this issue, we could discuss it tomorrow. Maybe some sleep would help him see reason.
“He’s right,” I said. “It’s been a long,awfulday. We can fight about this tomorrow.”
Ryker hesitated before responding. “Fine.” The lightning faded from his eyes, but they remained black. “I wouldn’t mind some dinner too.”
Despite everything that had happened, when he clasped my elbow, a small thrill ran through me. His power was suppressed, but my skin crackled with electricity as he moved closer.
Tall and powerful, Ryker towered over me, but I didn’t feel dwarfed by him. Instead, he somehow made me feel taller and more powerful as I rested my hand against the solid wall of his stomach and leaned against his side.
We didn’t speak as we walked back toward the encampment. The others followed us until we emerged into the clearing Tucker and his followers had created.
Many of the amsirah had retreated to their homes while we were away. A few lingered around the fire as they finished their meals, drank their ale made from ingredients gathered in the forest, and swapped stories.
“I should go home,” I said. “We have a lot of work to do tomorrow at the manor, and I’m sure Ruby has left me something to eat. I shouldn’t let it go to waste.”
