Page 97 of Facade

We sat on a moss-covered stone bench beside a small pond off the rocky path. We were close enough that the chilled air didn’t slice through the heat radiating off of him.

He smiled. “No… she suggested we let you come to your memories on your own. I’m the one who didn’t want to bombard you.”

The pond was void of sound. No frogs croaking or crickets chirping. Even the water seemed eerily still. Odd, to say the least.

“How did we know each other?”

“I was there the first day you came into the castle. The day you met Aiden.”

My shock wasn’t easy to hide as my jaw fell open.

He nodded, taking a deep breath. “I was one of the guards, there in the throne room. After your betrothal was announced, some were assigned to bring you and your mother to live at the castle—for protection, they said. By orders of Queen Ava. I didn’t actually meet you until later.” He exhaled slowly. “You were… unhappy.”

“Why? What happened to me?” My stomach clenched as I eagerly waited for his answer.

“I’m not sure that’s something I should comment on. That’s a little more complicated, and I mostly have second-hand information. Aniah is the one who saw things firsthand. The change in you. She tried to get to know you, but Aiden…. He didn’t want anyone near you. Until she convinced him that you needed to learn the ways of court life. Only then did he finally agree.”

My hands clenched in my lap.

“She grew closer to you and learned you’d wanted to be a warrior. That you didn’t want the marriage, but were trapped in it. Traded like fucking livestock,” he growled, then took another calming breath before continuing. “She came to me, asking me to train you, in secret. Anything to give you a spark of life back.” He shifted, fists clenching and unclenching in his lap. “I told her no—at first. I’d been angry at the time. In pain.” A dark look passed over him.

“What happened?”

“My mother had died the year before.” His voice roughened. “I hadn’t taken it well. It sent me down a darkened path.”

“Ryker, I’m sorry.” I placed my hand on his shoulder, careful of his injury.

“I was stuck there as much as you were, for different reasons. But when Aniah kept insisting, I reluctantly agreed to meet with you. We had to meet in daylight while the court slept. I tried to walk away several times. But Malachai held me there.”

My eyes widened. “Malachai? As in the broody asshole with Aiden?”

He nodded. “Malachai worked with me. We were close. He and Aniah were even closer.”

I raised a brow. “You mean…”

“Yes.” A sad smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Aniah felt that we might benefit each other.” His gaze drifted to the water. “So we waited, then—there you were. Pale, underweight, and loaded down in feminine garb. Useless for a fight or training. But when you looked at me, I could see the fierceness in you that they’d tried to bury. Even back then. You—”

His focus snapped toward the woods beyond. I followed his line of sight, but saw nothing. I shut my eyes, honing in on the sounds—there, south of the cabin. Paws padded across dead leaves. Every sense switched on high alert, sending my nerves haywire.

Ryker stood, removing his boots and shirt, tossing them to the ground as he shifted. But as he did, my gaze caught on the band tattooed around his bicep—it was just like mine.

“Stay here,” he commanded, his voice deep and gritty, then he pushed off the ground.

“Ryker!”

He didn’t hear me.

I waited all of one minute before I tore after him.

Trees and bushes were nothing more than a nuisance as I darted between them. My skin burned from the exertion. Adrenaline pulsed through me, pushing my limbs faster. A spark ignited as something inside me seemed to awaken from a deep sleep.

A crash far off to the right had me turning without hesitation. My eyesight became sharper; everything brightened.

I broke through to a clearing and came to a dead stop.

Moonlight bathed the open ground. For once, I welcomed the light, holding my arms out to either side, basking in it. The result was almost euphoric, making me forget who I’d been following. I needed to be here. My head fell back, savoring the moment, before a sharp pain sliced through my body. My teeth snapped together, a grunt of pain escaping.

“Evanee!” Ryker’s voice was far away, but my hearing was keener.