“The first time I had met her, she told me I had a strong soul. At the time, it was exactly what I needed to hear.”
“She always knew just what to say. If it weren’t for her, I might not have made it through my first year at the Sector.”
“You trained at the Sector?” I sit up, suddenly having questions. “I assumed you had only trained in the kingdom.”
“No, I trained at the Sector just like everyone else. Of course, I was only thirteen at the time.”
“Actually thirteen?”
Ryder leans back and snickers. “Yes, actually thirteen. It’s not until fifteen that my aging slowed, remember?”
“Oh, right,” I say, recalling our conversation when I thought I had given him the truth serum.
“Everyone had it out for me my first year. I was the prince and younger than everyone. The Training Sector was the only place they knew they would be able to challenge me. For a long time, Agatha was the only person in my corner. She made sure I kept my head up and didn’t give anyone the satisfaction of breaking me.”
I can’t stop the smile from forming, hearing him talk about her.
“Wait.” I stop him, doing the math. “How is it she was alive back then? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Oh, Agatha had royal blood. Not like mine or my father’s but very distant royal blood. I guess in a way we were family.”
“I had no idea,” I say quietly to myself. “You said everyone had it out for you your first year, what happened after that?”
“By my second year, I started coming into my own. I had a growth spurt, not only physically, but magically. It didn’t take long for the others to realize and once they did, no one dared to challenge me again.”
“Yeah, I had that same effect my second year too,” I joke, lying back down on the ground.
“Oh, yeah. I heard stories of the great Reign Calloway. No one would dare go against her.”
The two of us laugh and it’s weird how natural it feels. Just months ago, I thought this man was a threat to my life, and now we’re sitting across from one another like we’re two old friends.
All of a sudden, he stands up and looks towards the beach.
“What? Did you hear something?” I whisper.
“They’re at the caves.” He grabs his cloak and puts it back on. “Wait here.”
Time passes by too slowly as I wait for him to return. I’m not sure how long it’s been when I decide I’ve waited long enough. As I step back outside, the wind instantly chills my bones. I squint, looking toward the entrance of the caves, but it’s too dark and they’re still too far away for me to see anything.
“I told you to wait.” I whirl around to find Ryder towering over me. Whatever friendly energy was shared between us before is long gone. “This isn’t going to work if you don’t follow orders.”
“I’m not one of your soldiers!” I bite back. “This isn’t going to work if you don’t start treating me as an equal.”
“You’re not my equal.”
My hand is already halfway to his face before I have a chance to register what I’m doing. He catches my wrist, stopping my hand just inches from his cheek. The expression he wears should terrify me, but I’m too enraged to care.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warns.
I rip my hand from his grip.
“When people leave me, they don’t come back.” Ryder’s demeanor slightly softens at my confession. I hate being vulnerable with him, but I need him to understand. “I just need you to tell me what you’re doing. You can’t just leave me in the dark, wondering if you’re ever coming back.”
“Are you always this stubborn?” he finally asks after a moment of silence.
I shrug. “Guess you better get used to it.”
“I guess so.”
