I almost called for Ryker before recalling the other amsirah in the garden.Is he even here?
I didn’t see him in the ballroom when I left, but he could have been there amidst the crowd. I might have beat him out here and would have to wait for him to arrive.
Biting my lip, I glanced back at the pathway and the dim light beyond. How long would I have to wait for him to arrive?
When I shifted my attention forward again, I made it a couple more feet before something moved in the shadows ahead. I took a startled step back but stopped when Ryker spoke.
“It’s just me.”
When he moved closer, the silver of his eyes and the strong contours of his features became clearer. He had to bend to avoid the thorns, but he still prowled forward in a way that reminded me of a predator stalking its prey.
I had no doubt I was the prey.
My pulse thundered in my ears; I didn’t know if it was from excitement or apprehension. When I woke alone yesterday morning, and my heart broke once more, I’d vowed not to let this man close again, but though my brain screamed words of caution at me, I couldn’t stop the intense physical reaction my body and heart had to him.
No matter what passed between us, I would always love him. He would always be the one I craved, even if I couldn’t have him.
While distrust had become interwoven into the fabric of our relationship, it wasn’t always like that, and I missed him. I ached for the past, but I could never have it back.
I’d broken us, and we could never be the way we once were. I was beginning to realize a part of him would always distrust and hate me.
I shouldn’t have come here. This wouldn’t end well, but maybe it would finallyend.
When Ryker stopped before me, I could almost hear him recalling everything I’d done wrong. But his words proved me wrong.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as disbelief filled me. “You are?”
“Yes.”
When he held his hand out to me, I couldn’t resist sliding my hand into his. His roughened, calloused palms rubbed against mine as he squeezed. Immortals healed fast, but he trained for countless hours with weapons, and his calluses never faded.
I easily recalled what they felt like rubbing against my skin, caressing me, and evoking sensations I hadn’t known possible until him.Keep it together, Ellery. Don’t let lust cloud your judgment; you’ll only end up hurt again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ellery
The reminderof the anguish that stabbed me when I discovered him gone helped to ground me again. I didn’t pull my hand away, but my head was much clearer when he led me deeper into the darkness.
When Ryker stopped, I nearly walked into his back before catching myself. Ahead, something rustled and then clicked. A second later, hinges creaked, and light shone through the edges of a doorway no taller than five feet tall.
Ryker released my hand and stepped to the side. He kept his eyes on the pathway behind me as he ushered me forward.
I ducked to enter the doorway and rose on the other side. Bent over, Ryker barely cleared the frame when he followed me through. The door hinges creaked again, and the lock clicked as he closed it.
I discovered myself in a small area, enclosed by twelve-foot-tall hedges and a single bench in the center. The bench sat beside a small pool of water that reflected the beams of the three visible moons.
No torches lit this remote spot, but the moons, in their various stages of fullness, cast a silvery glow over the hidden alcove and danced across the snow spiraling around us. It was beautiful, peaceful, andours.
“How did you know this existed?” I whispered.
I repressed a shudder when Ryker stepped closer. His heat warmed my skin as his enticing scent filled the air.
“This isn’t my first party here. I’ve spent a lot of time wandering these gardens and trying to find somewhere to hide.”
“And how many other women have you brought here?”
