Nothing separates me from the look Ryder’s giving me.
Wide blue eyes appraise everything about me, his lips part just slightly. A warm and awe-filled look is all he has for me right now.
It scares the hell out of me. Right down in the center of my heart, nothing but fear is there.
A fear that I’ll never live up to what he thinks I am.
I don’t wait for him to get up before I reach for his shirt and begin to tug it over my head. He teeters from my movements before sliding off, leaning back against the mattress as he continues to stare a fucking hole through my head.
His white shirt falls down my stomach. It stops mid-thigh, swallowing me up with the delicious scent of his body. I feel naked without the heavy wings on my back and as I stand, my bare feet shift nervously beneath me.
Finally, I do the one thing I can think of to end this terrible day.
Reaching high, I turn the knob on the small hanging lantern above our heads. The warm hue of light disappears in an instant. The metal floor is cold beneath my feet. I climb back into the bed. Beneath the thin blanket I settle in and I hear him begin to crawl under as well, accepting my weird behavior without comment.
Moments pass in the darkness. The shadows are heavy, dense and impenetrable without a hint of light shining into the steely room. It presses in on me with all the thoughts running through my mind. It’s a jumble of fear and anxiety.
I wish Darrio and Dax were here with us. I wish we hadn’t left them in the mortal realm. I wish I was stronger for them. I wish I was stronger for the countless people who are depending on me to do all the things I haven’t got a clue how to do.
“After you heal my wing tomorrow, will you help me with my magic too?”
I can’t see him. Not at all. But I feel him. I feel his weight heavy against my side, dipping into the mattress and tilting me closer to him.
“Of course,” he whispers. Seconds pass before he speaks again. “Did you tell Mesa I was your brother to avoid … an attraction between us?” His hand skims across the back of mine, lightly touching my knuckles. He’s not really holding it at all, just teasing my skin, his long fingers tracing mine.
“I—I want a friend, Ryder. So badly. I need a friend.”
Gods, why am I saying all this?
A deep sigh shakes through me.
“I need someone to help me. I need someone I can count on. I have no fucking idea what I’m doing anymore.”
How the hell did I get here?
A Hopeless fae. An angel. An Eminence. A savior.
That’s not me.
I have no idea how to be those things.
Then his fingers are pushing against mine, threading through mine and gripping my hand. The mattress dips a little more and he pulls me against his chest, his palm still holding mine as he folds our hands over my stomach. My body’s curved perfectly against his, his warm skin against mine. I sink into his warmth, the fluttering in my stomach relaxing into comfort.
“You’ll never have to worry about that. I’ll always be your friend, Kara.” His lips skim my shoulder, near the collar of his shirt. My neck arches against his mouth in an unfriendly way. Or maybe it is.
I’ve never had a real friend in my life really.
Until now.
Chapter Four
When Turtles Fly
Since the moment I fell into this world, there’s been nothing but pain. Today is no different.
“Try again,” Ryder encourages, his fingers dragging across his five o’clock shadow. The all-too-bright morning sunlight has my tired eyes closing once more. Mesa leans against the outside bars of the iron gate, her dark eyes taking in my every move.
The one good thing is how beautiful this world is. In the mortal realm, smoke billowed so heavily in the air, it was nearly impossible to see the sky. Here, it’s clean and clear and stretches on for miles in the brightest of blue and white colors.
