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Chapter 13
Addie
Iwoke up...in a bed?
My stupid, incoherent mind immediately thought that I had dreamt the last few months. The whole Ragers attacking thing and the hot boys taking care of me. I honestly couldn’t tell you which one sounded more illogical.
But...
But I knew, even as my mind slowly started to piece the last few days together, that it was only wishful thinking to believe that the horrors we had faced - the horrors the world had faced - were only nightmares. No, this was very much real.
I heard the sounds of shuffling beside me.
“Where are we?” I mumbled sleepily, turning towards where Ronan was getting comfy in a chair. His dark hair was longer than I remembered, the green strands cascading almost to his eyes. He brushed them away, as if he knew where my mind had gone, before placing his chin in his hand.
“We stopped for the night,” he said back. He sounded tired. Not physically tired, but emotionally. I couldn’t see his expression that well in the waning moonlight, but I imagined it to be drawn.
“Where is everyone?” The small room, which on closer inspection appeared to be in a hotel, was devoid of any bodies beside mine and Ronan’s.
“Sarge told them that they had to have a meeting in the other room,” Ronan explained.
“And you got stuck on babysitting duty?” I asked softly. For the first time since we had begun the conversation, a smile tentatively touched Ronan’s lips.
“It’s such a chore, but someone had to do it.” Rolling my eyes, I tossed a pillow into his face.
“So what’s wrong?” I asked suddenly. He blinked at me, surprised by my line of questioning.
“Huh?”
“You look like someone killed your puppy. Tell me what’s wrong.” Though it may have sounded like a demand, I hoped that Ronan knew he had a choice whether or not he wanted to share with me. He could always tell me to fuck off, and I wouldn’t think anything less of the green-haired leprechaun. I wasn’t trying to be noisy; he was my friend, and I wanted to know everything about him. The good, the bad, his fears, and his goals. I didn’t like seeing such a despondent expression on his face. I told myself that I would remedy that the first chance I got.
Sighing heavily, Ronan rubbed his hands against his thighs. My eyes were instinctively drawn to the movement. He was wearing a pair of sleep shorts and no shirt; the moonlight accentuated every tattoo across his broad chest.
How had I not noticed that before?
The poor boy really should put a shirt on if I was going to concentrate.
Another smile graced Ronan’s features, clueing me in that I had spoken aloud.
“You always know how to make me smile, Princess,” Ronan said softly. His hands played with the edge of his sleep shorts, and I almost thought he wasn’t going to respond. “But it’s Ryder,” he admitted at last.
“Ryder?”
“I’m worried about him. He hasn’t been the same since the attack on the highway. I don’t know exactly what went down, what happened to him, but he’s become more subdued than before.”
I nodded slowly, thinking about Ryder’s strange behavior. He hadn’t made one inappropriate joke since we had begun this journey. His smile? Non-existent.
“I noticed that as well,” I admitted. “I could try talking to him.”
“No!” Ronan snapped before I could even finish my thought. I winced at his abrupt refusal. He must’ve seen the hurt on my face, for he hurried to elaborate. “I don’t think you should be around him when he’s like this. I’m his brother. It’s my job to figure out what’s wrong and fix it.”
“That sounds like a lot of responsibility,” I pointed out. Ronan and Ryder were only a few months apart in age. According to the latter, they had the same father but different mothers. They hadn’t known the other existed until they were about thirteen. I didn’t know the full story, but I knew enough to gather that they both did not receive the childhood they deserved. Ronan, for some undefinable reason, had appointed himself the caretaker to Ryder. Something had happened in their pasts, something tragic enough to create such an innate need for Ronan to protect his younger brother. I had never asked.
They would offer the information when they were ready.
“He’s my brother,” Ronan said, as if the answer was obvious.
I surveyed him, really looked at him, before coming to a conclusion.
