That boy sure can stride.
“It would have been nice to know that pretty much everyone in there wants you dead.” I breathe, gesturing to the gnarled tree in the distance, my arms crossed in frustration.
“Not everyone,” the devious smirk reclaims his lips. “Psy didn’t want to kill me.” He chuckles, scratching the back of his neck, as if this is all just one big joke.
“I’m serious!” I exclaim, but he only stops in his strides and exhales deeply.
“Look, you didn’t have to come.” He shoots me a side glare, which only increases my angst. “You’re so cute when you’re mad.” His fingers cup my chin, and for a minute, my anger dissipates in the dark swirl of his eyes.
I have to quickly look away to remember myself.
“If I didn’t come, you would still be in there fighting people for money.” I maintain my frustration, but he just glances at me, shrugging his shoulders again.
“I would have found a way out.” He says softly, his eyebrows drawing in.
“How?” This time, my eyes find his again as I cross my arms tighter.
“Look, we don’t have time for this, any minute now they are going to send men out to track us down andkillus, so can you please get angry at me another time.” Ryder looks from left to right, assessing his surroundings.
My arms drop to my sides as I exhale and follow him deeper into the forest.
“That sword better have been worth it,” I mutter under my breath as I trail slightly behind him, my feet crunching on the twigs and stones below. He turns to me, half his face hidden by the shadows of darkness suffocating the forest. But, even in the poor lighting, I can tell his eyebrows are rigid, and his gaze is serious.
“That sword holds more power than you could ever know.” Ryder’s eyes scan my own for a moment before breaking away. He continues walking. “And it wasn’t even Fang’s sword, he asked me to steal it for him from the Southside… and I did, just not for him.” His eyes sparkle in the moonlight as he smirks at me. He flexes the muscles in his hands, scrunching and then unscrunching them. They’re bruised and bloody, but he doesn’t wince.
My stomach flutters. Why does he have to be so Gods damn attractive?
“What’s so special about it anyway?” I avert my eyes from the definition in his arms and back to the forest ahead.
“It’s not the sword that’s special, it’s its past,” Ryder says, piquing my interest. His voice carries through the forest and bounces off the trees around us. “It’s said to have been owned by Salem Lewis”
I gulp.
“TheSalem Lewis?” I ask, my brows knitting together. “The hitman?”
A chill skates down my spine.
Everyone had heard of him. Bound by Xoro. One of Moon’s most prolific killers. A name spoken in lowered voices and unfinished sentences—right up until the RHE finally put him down. People said Salem Lewis never missed. That he didn’t need luck, or mercy, or even allies.
They said his sword carried the reason why.
A weapon soaked in more blood and pain than even a scorcher had ever seen. Rumoured to hold something inside it—some buried strength, some remnant of the man himself—that made him unstoppable for years.
If he really has his blade…
It isn’t just rare.
It’s priceless.
“So you’ve heard of him then?” He winks at me, and I scoff at him in disbelief.
“That’s crazy!” I exclaim. “Do you know how many people would kill you to get that sword? Owning it is like placing a literal target on your back!” His unbothered body language gets under my skin, so I stomp my feet a little heavier behind him. “And you what, just keep it above your bed for everyone to see?” Sarcasm laces my words, and he chuckles, pushing his looselocks off his forehead, running his fingers through his silky hair. Even after the fighting and the tainted air from that place, Ryder still looks perfect, untouched by the chaos. The only sure sign of any conflict is the slight bruise above his cheekbone and the dark patches on his knuckles.
“If you think I would be stupid enough to hang it above my bed, you don’t know me too well.” Is all that he says, and I huff in response.
If I didn’t know him enough, it’s because he doesn’t tell me anything. I mean, how much do I really know about this boy? I just found out that he had a whole other existence in the shadow realm where he lied, stole and fought people for money.
Now he wants to act likeI’mthe problem.
