Ryker moved over me. His large hand reached out, and he gripped the sheet covering my nakedness. His eyes remained locked on mine as he gently tugged it down my body.
I shivered, not from the cold but from the heat of his stare as he exposed me. My heart hammered against my ribs, a wild, desperate thing seeking escape. The air between us grew charged, heavy with unspoken words. I couldn’t look away from his gaze, even as vulnerability clawed at my insides.
When the sheet pooled at my waist, Ryker leaned in, pressing a kiss to my abdomen. “Our son is a fighter,” he murmured against my flesh.
Relief crashed through me, so intense I almost choked on it. I hadn’t realized how desperately I wanted this child until that moment.
Ryker’s palm settled against my still-flat stomach. A myriad of emotions flickered across his face: relief, and… wonder, perhaps?
My own emotions tangled into a knot so tight I couldn’t breathe around it. A child. Our child. Growing inside me despite everything my body had endured.
“It’s a miracle,” Ryker said, an echo of my thoughts. “Butof course, something as petty as poison was never going to take you from us, was it, Son?” Quiet pride threaded through his tone.
I chuckled despite myself, and Ryker rested his cheek on my stomach as though he expected an answer.
The weight of his head against me, the careful reverence in his touch. It undid something inside me. My fingers found their way into his blond hair, threading through the strands that had grown longer since I last noticed.
He had been here, watching over me, for three days. “You didn’t leave.”
He lifted his head, those storm-grey eyes finding mine again. “Did you think I would?”
For a moment, the world felt impossibly fragile, yet perfect. His breath warmed my skin, and I could feel the tension leaving his shoulders as he held us both.
“You’re different here,” I said, studying the way the morning light caught the sharp planes of his face.
“Different how?”
“Softer.”
He let out a low hum, but whether it meant agreement or something else, I didn’t know.
“Let’s stay here forever.”
He chuckled in response, but he did not argue.
We both knew it was a foolish wish. But in that moment, with his arm wrapped around me and the world outside held at bay, itdidn’t matter. Here, time felt slower, with duty and destiny just distant echoes.
He moved closer, crawling up my body, and pressed a kiss to my temple. I closed my eyes, letting myself believe, even for a little while, that this peace between us was real, that it could last.
Chapter Thirty-One
Cadence
For three blissful days, Ryker and I ignored the world outside his mother’s cottage. With our shields lowered, we talked like never before, uncovering countless new things about each other. We explored the surrounding woodlands, went swimming in thelake, and, to my complete surprise, I learned my husband was a fantastic cook.
We found peace in each other’s company, something I never would’ve imagined possible. Not after everything we’d been through. But as I twisted his mother’s ring around my slender finger, I had to wonder if it was all coming to an end.
With all he’d done to protect me while I was fighting for my life, a new sense of loyalty took root inside me, unexpected but undeniable. Despite all the things he had put me through, all the secrets and betrayals, he was there for me when I needed him the most.
That meant something to me. Maybe even more than the hatred I felt for what he’d done to my family. But was it enough to survive the venomous snake pit of the Unseelie Kingdom?
Ryker’s hand tightened around mine, his calloused fingers grounding me with his quiet strength. “Want to share what’s going on inside that pretty head?”
My gaze flicked to him, his storm-grey eyes seeing more than they should.
“I was wondering what it’ll be like when we’re back at the palace,” I said. “It’s difficult to imagine us holding onto this sense of peace when every courtier is circling like vultures, eagerly awaiting our demise.”
Ryker tugged on my hand, pulling me to a stop. His free hand gripped my chin, tilting my head until my eyes clashed with his. His touch was firm but gentle, and for a moment, the weight of court politics, trials, and bloodshed faded into the background.
