We wove around trees and leapt over fallen trunks. Mile by mile, we ran. Several times, I managed to close the distance—or he let me—and by the time we made it to the cavern entrance, blood stained Ryker’s coat in several places.
He hadn’t bitten me again.
I shifted and was met by warm, humid air as I stalked farther into the secret cavern, crafted by, I assumed, the Fae a long time ago.
Fae lanterns emitting a warm golden glow lined the walls of the cavern. The source of the warmth were the crystal-clear pools of water starting with a large one in the back that fed into a smaller one, then another one, and another. Each pool had a slightly different temperature than the one before it.
Some Fae had put a lot of thought into this, and even though this cavern had brought me nothing but trouble, I still appreciated the beauty of it.
Standing close to the largest of the pools, where a pile of blankets covered the floor, was Ryker. Fresh from his own shift. Completely naked and furious. Just like me.
Pissed off and naked. I could practically hear Samara’s teasing in my mind. Wonder what’s going to happen?
They already fought, imaginary Cali chimed in. Only thing left to do is fuck.
Even in my head, my best friends were annoying.
“Say whatever you want to say, Ryker,” I said coolly, keeping my gaze fixed above his chin.
As a Velesian, nudity was perfectly natural to me. It was hard to be prudish about it when you were surrounded by people who regularly stripped before shifting into fur or feathers. We stashed clothes at safe houses all over our realm, but sometimes nothing was nearby and you just had to be sans clothing for a bit. After twenty-six years, I was used to it.
Except when it came to Ryker. I was very much aware of him being naked. The other Alphas never shifted around me, so I didn’t know if I’d have the same reaction to them, and I hoped to never find out, because lust mixed with rage led to Rynn making bad decisions.
“You ran,” he rasped. The light from the lanterns caught his eyes at just the right angle to reflect back. The wolf was always present in Ryker, human skin or not. “You ran away. From me.”
“And that wasn’t enough of a hint for you?” I threw my hands up and moved over to the cavern wall, leaning against it. “Space. I wanted some fucking space after finding out you and the others believe I’m a spy.”
He frowned at me. “I don’t believe that.”
“Funny.” I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t recall hearing you speak up in my defense when Gavril called me that. In fact, I’m pretty sure not one of you said a word in denial.”
“Rynn—”
“No.” I slashed my hand through the air. “It’s fine. I get it.”
“You don?—”
“I do,” I assured him.
“Will you let me explain?” he growled and took a step forward.
“It doesn’t matter.” I crossed my arms. “I already told you last time that what happened between us was a mistake.”
“The last time being this morning? And also how many times have you made this mistake now? A dozen? Two dozen?” Ryker cocked his head, sending silver hair spilling over his shoulder. “One might think you enjoy making it.”
He took another step, and the temptation to let my gaze drop intensified. Through sheer willpower, I kept my eyes on his. “Congratulations, Ryker. You have a nice dick and traveling to the closest outpost is inconvenient. Otherwise, I’d be visiting the hot lycan with pretty green eyes—and his very nice dick—a lot more often. You’re just more available,” I sneered.
In a flash, he was in front of me. I tried to slip out from between him and the cave wall, but he planted an arm on either side of me. I knew from experience that I’d have to fight him to get free.
I also knew from experience exactly what that would lead to.
“What. Lycan.” It was a demand, not a question.
Shit. Once again, I had failed to think before speaking. There was, in fact, a very handsome lycan with green eyes at the nearby outpost, but I knew fuck all about his cock because he knew what pack I belonged to. Everyone did, which meant they were polite and very respectful to my face. I’d tried to flirt with the handsome boy once, and he’d panicked so hard, he’d tried to run out of the tavern but had apparently forgotten how doors worked because he’d slammed into it and frantically tried to find the handle to get himself out.
It was hilarious and frustrating at the same time.
But if Ryker figured out who I was talking about, there was no way the green-eyed lycan would be able to run fast enough. I didn’t need his death on my conscience.
