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“Like no other treasure before her.”
I must have blushed scarlet at this. I even dipped my head down to try and hide my reaction, which he, of course, didn’t miss.
“I am Vander, by the way, I would shake your hand, but boss man here might rip it off and my sewing is shit… also, I have no inclination to look like Frankenstein any time soon,” Vander replied, making me cough a laugh before informing him for no good reason,
“Frankenstein wasn’t the monster, he was the mad scientist.”
“Huh, I guess you’re right,” he replied, making Ryker smirk down at me in amusement, no doubt aimed at my randomness. Then he walked us over to a line of four, super sleek black SUV’s that looked brand new, straight off the forecourt. Three of which were already full of men in dark combat style gear, and the empty one in the middle had the doors open and ready for us.
This was when Ryker finally put me on my feet, but even after doing so, he still didn’t step away or let go of me. It was as if he feared that if he did, I would run away or someone would try and steal me away from him again. And well, I would have called him paranoid before the bathroom incident.
Which also told me that even after I had taken away the confusion and the uncertainty about staying with Ryker, I knew now that I had no choice. If I wanted to stay alive, which I very much did, I knew that I had a better chance at doing so with Ryker than on my own.
Because the hard fact was that I was no longer just dealing with gangsters or whichever bad men I had thought they were. No, I was dealing with something not of this world.
Now if that be of the Supernatural variety or creatures from another planet, I was still yet to find out. Although with the way he had laughed at the Alien question, I was starting to lean more toward things that go bump in the night.
Perhaps he was a Vampire? Or a shifter? There were plenty of TV programs about those to tell me the basics. But then I had seen him walking around in the daylight and I was pretty sure that was a big no, no, because he didn’t exactly look like Mr. Crispy in the natural light of day.
“Still wondering if I am an Alien, Miss Parker?” Ryker mused after hooking a finger under my chin and raising my head up to find his eyes glistening with mirth.
“Why? You gonna take me to a place that’s out of this world?” I asked before I could stop myself, and our surprise mirrored each other’s. Because whereas I covered my lips with my mouth, he slowly grinned down at me in a solely predatory way.
Then he leaned down and told me in a whispered vow…
“It’s a fucking promise.”
9
THE WORLD
Ihad to admit that the more time I spent with Ryker, the harder it was getting to think of him as anything other than a man I was seriously falling for. My mind would wander back to what I had seen of him in the bathroom but then one glance at him sitting next to me in the back of the car, and any fear I should have felt, simply disappeared. Especially with my hand held firmly in his.
It was like being locked in some kind of dark fairytale but instead of being rescued by a dashing white knight, I had, in fact, been saved by the sexy villain. One that wouldn’t let me go, and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure at this point I would have wanted him to.
I then had to question whether I was in my right mind or not because I knew I should have feared him. However, the truth was that I didn’t. But then, how could I fear someone who treated me with such care, such love and affection. He handled me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. And admittedly, that feeling was addictive.
But then my experience with men had been limited at best. I had always found it hard to trust anyone other than Arthur. He was the only true father figure I had ever known, because I had seen the other side of what bad men could do. I had grown up witnessing the hurt, both physical and mental. I had seen the control men could wield with the hand of fear and it sickened me.
Which was why I had always guarded my heart. Because that was the key to keeping myself safe. The key to not gifting anyone with that kind of power to hold over me. But then I had to question, where was that fear now? Because I had no guarantee that Ryker wouldn’t just suck me in and hold me prisoner in another way. And once there, I knew he had the power to destroy me, just like my mom. I shivered at the haunting memory. One I had tried so hard to bury that day.
“Turn up the heating, Van, my little bird is cold.” The sound of Ryker’s voice was strength enough to shake me from the memory and free me from the clutches of the past.
“I’m okay,” I said in what sounded like a weak voice, even to my own ears. However, he just gave me a pointed look and told me,
“I will be the judge of that.” Then he raised my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand, this time making me shiver for a whole different reason. He was so domineering but, strangely, I didn’t find it off-putting where I thought I would. Perhaps it was because it was only ever done with my best interests at heart. I could most definitely say that it turned me on, and that part was the most surprising of all.
Of course, the moment the private jet came into view I knew that the surprises would just keep on coming. Which prompted me to say,
“I probably should have mentioned this before, but I don’t have a passport.” At this he scoffed a laugh and told me,
“And thank the Gods for it, or I would have had a much bigger job on my hands if chasing you from country to country.”
I gave him a wry look in return, making him laugh again.
“There is no need to worry, Little Dove, you won’t need one.”
He said no more about this as we pulled up alongside the plane. Both Vander and Faron were in the two front seats, with the big blonde heart-throb driving. They had barely spoken during the journey, making me wonder if this was at Ryker’s request. But then again, I had been quiet and, clearly, was given this silent time to try and make sense of the next crazy turn my life had been forced to take. Something that Ryker had seemingly wanted to give me because he must have known I had a lot on my mind.
