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My cheek is pressed to Ryker’s sweaty chest. I’ve got one arm thrown over his waist, my fingers absently playing with his side.
He’s rumbling in pride, the vibration tickling my skin. I smile because hell if he doesn’t deserve to be proud.
We finally made it to the bed that’s been designated as mine. It’s still the one in the smaller room, mainly because I don’t feel comfortable mating in Elizabeth’s bed. It’s a twin, so we had to be a little flexible during that last round, but that’s okay. It gives me an excuse to lay directly on top of him like his blanket while we recover.
His claws thread through my hair. It’s a tangled mess. He snags a few knots from root to ends, murmuring a soft apology every time he does.
I squeeze his side. No apologies necessary, babe.
The moon is still controlling us. Beneath me, Ryker’s cock is twitching, already semi-hard. No doubt he’ll flip me to my back and hook my ankles over his shoulders again when the need gets too strong, but he’s still in control.
I take advantage of that to ask him something that’s been bothering me.
Propping myself up on my elbow, I lay my hand over his heart, running my fingers over the marks circling his nipple. “Hey. Question. Didn’t Jace tell you I agreed to twenty-five days?”
That duffel is an overnight bag. It’s bulging, but it’s nothing like the suitcase I packed when I planned on being here a few days. Luckily, the pack commissary provided me with a couple of extra changes of clothes when I ran out so I wasn’t forced to re-wear my used clothes without washing them first. I’m sure they could do the same for Ryker… if it wasn’t for the ways he kept mentioning how he plans on us leaving as soon as we can.
Somehow, I don’t think his plan includes finishing out the last of the twenty-five days—and I’m right.
With a barely muffled snort, he says, “You agreed. I sure as fuck didn’t.”
“But, Ryker—”
“No buts, sweetheart. What, did you think I only came here to check up on you, then I was leaving? I’m an Alpha. Leader of a pack. I get forty-eight hours on an invite, then it’s considered a challenge. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow, and you’re coming with me.”
His jaw is set, his eyes an even darker shade of gold.
He expects me to argue. And, okay, that’s definitely something I would normally do.
Normally.
Right now, I’ll take any excuse to get the hell out of here. But I can’t leave alone, and I make sure he knows that.
He knows about Trish being locked in a cage, thanks to Jace. I hurriedly explain that she’s not the only one we have to break free. Duke’s locked up, too, and so is—
“Oh, Luna,” I blurt out suddenly, slapping him in the rock-hard abs. “Aleks is here, too.”
How could I forget about him? It’s been days since I’ve seen him, and though I’ve been obsessing over what’s happening to him, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk to try to see him again. Eventually, Walker’s gonna resort to using him against me, but he hasn’t yet and I’d like to leave it that way as long as possible.
Ryker brushes my messy hair out of my face. “I know. Even if Walker didn’t rub it in, a vamp’s scent tends to linger.” He’s not wrong. I’m used to it, but to a wolf, vamps have a very unusual cold, dead scent. “My wolf picked it up on the edge of the territory where I entered this morning. He did exactly as I asked. Maybe he’s not as big an asshole as I thought he was.”
Coming from Ryker, that’s high praise indeed for Aleks.
“Look at you.” I nudge him in the rib before dropping my palm to curve over his side again. “You made a friend.”
Ryker purses his lips. “Maybe an ally,” he admits after a moment.
Hey. I’ll take it.
Beneath my hand, he suddenly stiffens. And my mind might be in the gutter—it usually is when a naked Ryker is involved—but I don’t mean his cock.
I immediately rise to my elbow again. “What? What’s wrong?”
His hands go to my waist. He lifts me up as he raises his upper body, scooting back so that he’s leaning up against the headboard. Once he’s sitting, he maneuvers me so that I’m tucked in his lap.
Only then does he ask, “Is Filan the only bloodsucker in Walker’s territory?”
Weird question considering how on-guard he’s suddenly acting, but I answer him. “As far as I know. Why?”
