“It doesn’t say it will be fixed.” Ciara tilts her head like she does when she’s thinking.
Ryker stands in front of me, his eyes relaying an apology. He moves so slowly, pulling me from my chair and blocking the others from view. I don’t have time to respond, but the second his palm is on my waist, I collapse into his chest. It’s completely illogical, but it’s exactly what I need.
His hand strokes up and down my spine with understanding as my mind swirls, drowning out the discussion happening behind him. It’s not hard to guess this is affecting him too. I inhale a lungful of sandalwood and citrus notes with a hint of fresh ocean air, and my whole mind goes silent. As if the scent alone somehow grounds me.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers into my hair.
I don’t reply, but I don’t move either. I just hold onto his shirt that’s fisted in my hands and continue breathing until the prophecyand all that it entails falls away. I don’t have to worry about this. Not right now. First things first.
“Schedule our trip to the Isles,” I say to Ryker before pulling out of his arms. "We’re going to call our guards. In the meantime, Aolyn, try to figure out what your father is planning, or who that woman is. Can you go home without telling them?”
She nods.
“We all need to stay vigilant. Trysten, plan the attack with Kamden. I will feel Ryker’s presence if it’s him,” I look up at Ryker, “And in the meantime, we all pretend. Tate, Kellan, I could use another set of eyes on the books that are in the common language. Ciara, any chance you can search The Link for anything strange going on in Ateria?”
She nods, gleaming. With something for all of us to do, everyone files out of the room, heading off for lunch.
“Raea,” Ryker says.
I wait until we are alone and then walk back over to him. I sit on the console beside him, my gaze tracking the movement of my swinging feet. Why does this all feel so heavy?
“I’m sorry about all of this,” he sighs. He’s looking at the console, not me.
“Together.” If I’ve learned anything, it’s that fate has brought us together for a reason, and I don’t plan on testing it now. The prophecy doesn’t need to tell me what I already know, what I feel. Ryker will be with me every step of the way, and I won’t even have to ask.
I can’t not touch him. I slide my hand across his back and shift over so that I can rest my face on his shoulder. He sighs and turns to come and stand in front of me so that we’re facing each other. His hand slowly slides behind my neck, bringing me closer to his lips as he leans over me, our foreheads pressed together.
“Are you okay? I need to know you’re okay,” he whispers. His voice sounds so desperate, like it pains him to think I might not be.
“I will be." It’s the best I can give him right now.
I close that final gap and melt into him, letting our lips brush once,then twice. His grip behind my neck tightens as his mouth slants over mine, his other hand tilting my chin up to deepen the angle.
Our mouths meet again and again, heat and raw need filling every nerve ending, building to a crescendo. My lips part, and instantly, his tongue brushes mine. Claiming my mouth, his kiss promises me he is falling just as hard.
Sgya’s power radiates through us, a seamless conduit flowing between our merged forms. A flood of feelings crashes through my senses: longing, hope, desire, desperation. The same as mine, yet distinctly his.
Unlike the other night, his emotions, now a shimmering blue in my mind, are sharply defined. He wants me to love him. Tugging him closer, his palms catch on the console as our lower halves meet. He groans, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me tighter as if it still isn’t enough. It never is.
Still holding me, he shifts, settling into a chair, pulling me onto his lap, my knees bracketing him. He holds me as if I might float away. My hands slide up his chest, tangling behind his neck, thumbs cupping his jaw.More. The word consumes me, echoing from both of us, crowding my mind. He groans when I lift, readjusting, seeking to deepen the impossible closeness. Our bodies are as flush as they can be, yet it isn’t enough.
Strong arms squeeze me tighter in response, his hands splayed wide. The neckline of my dress dips barely an inch, but his mouth moves to my chest, and almost all thoughts fade except one.
“Wait,” I gasp.
Ryker pulls away quickly, holding me still pinned to his chest.
“Yes,” I breathe, my stomach fluttering. “Yes, to us.”
My smile breaks free, radiant and raw. “I don’t have sweet words or grand declarations. But I am willing to surrender to this destiny, utterly and completely. I want to be yours, Ry. Only yours.” Tears gather, blurring the world. I can’t ignore my feelings anymore, and with the memories of our childhood flickering in and out like they have, I know he is who I’m meant to be with. Sure, it’s fast. It’s terrifying how fast, but the gods chose him for me.
I’m done denying fate.
The love in his gaze is my undoing, a culmination of every desperate hope, every unspoken dream. A gasp tears from my throat as profound heat blazes along my spine, and the tether between us surges, solidifying into an immutable stone bridge.
“Are you sure?” he asks, stumbling to find the words.
Tears fall when I nod.
