Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“Ryker, don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry about it? This guy tells another guard, and then Father finds out I’m lying to him—”
“He’s not a guard, alright?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re supposed to be a virgin—”
“Say that shit to me again and I’m going to slam this tray into your head, alright?”
“You know I don’t give a shit, but if you were to marry—”
“Not getting married.” Because I was already married, and he didn’t give a damn how many guys had come before him. “Are we done here?”
“Ivory—”
I shut the door in his face and set the tray on the coffee table.
Huntley stepped out of the bathroom as he scrubbed the towel over his head. “Tell him that your husband doesn’t give a shit.” He dropped the towel, fully naked, his hair a little uneven. “But I appreciate his concern.”
I rolled my eyes, and now that I was too awake to go back to sleep, I hit the books.
He started to get dressed, as if he was leaving.
“What are you doing?”
“Going out.”
“Why?”
“Don’t expect me to stay cooped up in here all day.”
“But what are you going to do? You’re the most wanted man in Delacroix.”
He gave a shrug as he headed to the window. “Get a drink.”
“A drink?” I asked, flabbergasted. “You’re willing to risk getting caught for a beer?”
“More like scotch or rum. And I won’t get caught.” He parted the curtains then sat on the windowsill. “You need to focus, and if I have to sit here and watch you bite your lip all day, you aren’t going to get anything done.”
“I still don’t think this is a good idea. You’re going to crawl up the walls in broad daylight?”
“No offense, baby. But I’ve worked security here before, and it’s pretty lax.” He threw both legs over the edge then hopped down.
20
RYKER
Even after days had passed, it wasn’t the same.
He was still pissed.
Hardly said a few words to me. Burke ignored me. My usual duties were revoked. I felt like shit even when I hadn’t really done anything wrong. I went to the bottom of the cliffs to save an innocent person…and I was the bad guy.
At lunchtime, I brought two trays to Ivory’s door. I was pretty annoyed that she was shacking up with some guy the second she got back, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. The last thing I wanted to do was think about my sister’s private life, so I chose to block it out.
When she opened the door, she let it open fully, giving me a full view of her bedroom.
That meant nobody was there.
“Thanks.” She took the trays and set them down on the table near the door.
I glanced left and right and saw no sign of life. “You still need two if you’re alone?”
“Probably not. Want to eat with me?”
I was lonely as fuck, so why not? I shut the door and came inside.
She tucked the towel under the crack in the door to keep out the light.
Her bedroom was messy, her sheets rumpled in disarray, books stacked everywhere.
We took a seat together on the couch and ate.
I stared at the cover of one of the texts as I put the piece of chicken in my mouth. “Any luck?”
“I think I’m making some headway.”
“And what are you trying to accomplish?”
“I told you I’m trying to heal a creature.”
“But what creature? And why is it so hard for you to do?”
She took a few bites of her food and never gave an answer. “How are things with Effie?”
I gave a shrug.
“You haven’t talked to her?”
“And say what, exactly?”
“Ryker, I told you she would forgive you.”
“Well, maybe she shouldn’t.”
She stopped eating altogether. “You aren’t the bad guy here.”
I didn’t know what I was anymore.
She read my mood and dropped the conversation. “How are things with Father?”
“He’s not talking to me.”
“He’s not?”
“No.”
“I think that’s harsh.”
“He was happy that I returned unharmed, but he gave me the cold shoulder afterward. I questioned the lottery…he didn’t like that.”
Now she was quiet.
“I’m pretty lonely, honestly.”
Her hand went to my forearm.
“He’s not assigning me tasks right now. As punishment.”
“You know how he is. He’s just…passive-aggressive.”
I knew that all too well.
“I really think you should go see Effie. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”
I kept my eyes on the floor.
“If you think you’re lonely…imagine how she must feel.”
I saw his life through a different lens.
Because he didn’t censor it, not like he did with Ivory.
So, I saw the whores. I saw the drinks. I saw the drunken stupors she knew nothing about.
The doors to his study opened and he stepped out, but the women were visible in the background, naked on the bed behind his desk. Long hair. Tits. Rumpled sheets. He was in his breeches and a loose tunic, his brow marked with a shine from old sweat. In his hand was a glass, and he knocked it back as he approached the table where Burke and I sat.