The moment he let out a sigh, I knew he wouldn't be on board with this. I could simply tell before he even voiced his reluctance. "Xy, I don't know what to tell you. These sorceresses, these witches, we couldn't trust them. I foolishly let myself trust her once and it cost me a lot. I hurt people that I didn't want to hurt and —" he sighed again, "what they said about you was nothing but a lie. You are alive and that's what matters most. I really don't think you should meet them."
"But I really want to. I know the sorceress was wrong when she told you that I have died," it was still weird to say that out loud but I pushed through, "but someone did die, Ry. My mother did and I have the feeling that the sorceress will know something about it."
"Xy, it's dangerous." He ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration. The action ruined his perfectly combed hair and he should look less attractive yet his messy state of hair right now only gave him a rough edge and somewhat made him look sexier. Damn it! I shook those thoughts away as I focused on his eyes.
He was right about that, Eros had said the exact same thing, but I also knew — although I still wasn't sure how I knew — that when push came to shove, Ryker would help me. "But you will protect me, right?"
This time his sigh only asserted his resignation. "Yes, of course I will."
I let my hand run down his arm and catch his hand. I held it and gave it a little squeeze as I pleaded, "Please. I have to find out more about my mother's death. If you were given a chance to know what happened with your brother and who —" I cut myself before saying the word 'killed' or 'murdered' instead I settled for something softer, "— did it to him, don't you want to know too?"
His hand squeezed mine almost painfully but I didn't flinch because I knew he didn't mean to hurt me, that he was actually hurting inside recalling what had happened to his brother. I didn't actually know what truly happened to his brother aside from what Tiffany had told me, that Walker had been murdered by a rogue, but I knew neither of them could find peace until the culprit was caught and put behind bars or at least, get a punishment.
Slowly, he loosened up his hold as he briefly closed his eyes. When he reopened them again, I could see understanding in his eyes as well as compassion. Despite everything else, we were alike. We both wanted to know what had happened to our loved ones. A bit of hope rose within me when I realized that.
"Alright." Ryker nodded. "I will take you there."
As soon as he'd said that, I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him. This was not a hug meant to seduce him, I wasn't even sure why I went on hugging him but I did. I could feel his arms closing on my waist too. "Thank you," I muttered against his chest then felt his lips planting a kiss on top of my head.
"Anything for you, Love," he whispered against my hair and this time I didn't object the endearment.
We went downstairs afterward and headed to the kitchen where Dmitry and Tiffany were chatting over their meal. Surprisingly enough, they both were talking in Russian which annoyed me because I had no idea what they were talking about. For all I knew, they could be having an interesting topic which I missed. Ryker took a seat beside Dmitry and I automatically sat next to Tiffany, across from him. After our kiss and the small argument we had recently had, I found myself unable to directly look at him. Instead, I put all my attention on the food in front of me and began eating. Having a huge appetite when it came to food, I gobbled everything on the plate in less than ten minutes while glancing at Tiffany and Dmitry, thankfully they had started talking in English the second they had seen Ryker and me sitting down. From what I'd gathered, they were talking about how different the weather here compared to Siberia, Dmitry was mentioning some beautiful sights that Tiffany should visit, then they were talking about American football. Tiffany had a long conversation explaining to Dmitry about the rule and how it was being thrown at instead of kicked. It seemed that Dmitry had never had any interest in football before because he had that wonder in his eyes the more she explained.
A few seconds passed since I'd finished my food and I was drinking the cranberry juice when I felt a soft nudge on my foot. I frowned then quickly dismissed it. Perhaps someone had moved their foot and accidentally bumped into mine. Tiffany was talking about her fourth eldest son who had recently gotten married to his secretary when I felt another nudge on my foot, only this time it was slightly harder. I resisted the urge to look under the table and find out who the hell had been kicking my foot. Instead, I reached for my glass of cranberry and finished its content. Another kick came about five minutes later while Tiffany was still talking about how her son's love story hadn't been easy and that her daughter-in-law, which I gathered the name was Andin, even had amnesia and had forgotten about her son, Sebastian.
I placed my hand on the edge of the table and was about to duck my head under the table when Tiffany suddenly stopped with her story and said, "Oh, for the love of gods, go get a room you two, and stop kicking her foot or she won't have anything left down there, Ryker."
Upon her words, Dmitry and I immediately turned to Ryker. I was quick enough to notice a tiny blush on his cheeks before his expression turned impassive.
"Very subtle, Tiffy." He shook his head in exasperation before turning to face me. "Go get some rest. We shall leave in the morning."
"Leave? Where do you plan to go?" asked Tiffany, her eyes widened in surprise.
Dmitry glanced at Ryker and I could swear I saw him giving Ryker a small nod. It seemed that Ryker had probably updated Dmitry through their wolf telepathy thing.
I grabbed my plate and my glass and then turned to Dmitry. "Thank you for the lovely meal. It was delicious." I moved towards the sink and placed the plate and glass there. I was about to reach for the plastic gloves when Ryker stopped me by grabbing my wrist.
"Leave it," he said.
"Of course not." When he opened his mouth, I quickly added, "I know you're gonna say that we have Tati here but that doesn't mean we have to leave all the dishes to her. I'd like to help whenever I could."
Ryker took the gloves from me. "Not tonight."
"Give it back to me," I said, putting my palm up. "It will only take five minutes."
"Five minutes that I'd rather you use to rest," argued Ryker.
I groaned, feeling both irritated and frustrated by him. Yet before I said another protest, I watched him put the gloves on and began doing the dishes. "Get your rest, Xyrra. I mean it."
I really wanted to tell him that I was fine, that I was used to sleeping at midnight or having no sleep at all. But the concerned look he had on his face silenced me. "You had a headache this morning. It may be gone now but don't push it."
At last, I gave him a nod then after saying good night to Tiffany and Dmitry, I headed out of the kitchen. But as I ascended the stairs, I heard Tiffany saying. "Wow, my brother doing dishes. This certainly a sight I've never seen before."
I heard Ryker mutter his response, "Shut up, Tiffy."
"I need to take a photo of this so I can show it to Mum and Dad."
Ryker said something that I couldn't hear but it send Tiffany to a peal of laughter.
Then just before I was truly heading upstairs, I heard Dmitry — out of all people say, "People do crazy things for love, Tiffany."
"Yes indeed, Dimka, they do indeed."
Annoyingly, true to Ryker's words, the second I hit my bed, I fell asleep. I hadn't realized that my body had been so worn out. Morning came faster than I would have liked it but knowing that I would meet the sorceress and find out more about my mother was proven to be the most effective alarm ever. Before the clock hit seven, I was already downstairs having a light breakfast. Dmitry was already there sipping his coffee, evidently, he'd done eating his breakfast. Ryker came fifteen minutes later in an untied bathrobe and a pair of boxers. He was yawning, rubbing his eyes as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed the mug from the drawer. I was about to get my second coffee when he nearly bumped into me.
"Sorry, a girl has to have enough caffeine," I muttered with a small smile.
As if he'd just recognized me, his silver eyes widened to the point where I thought it was not possible. He turned and shot Dmitry a look. Dmitry shrugged and said in a flat tone, "You never asked me to tell you. Also, it is hardly my fault that she saw you like this. You should always dress properly."
I bit my lips from smiling as I turned around and went to get the sugar. I didn't quite get why Ryker did not want me to see him like this when he actually looked really good. I could catch a glimpse of his eight-packs and muscled thighs just now albeit briefly. However, by the time I turned around, he already tightened the sash of his bathrobe and after taking a small sip of his coffee, he was heading back upstairs.
Dmitry glanced at me and for a moment, I thought I saw a trace of a smile on his tight lips. "He has never been this nervous to a girl."
"Maybe because I didn't immediately fall head over heels at the sight of him." I laughed, shaking my head. "I was told it happens very often."
"Maybe." Dmitry shrugged in his unconcerned way of his then he added, "Or maybe because you are someone special."
Before I could even argue with that, Ryker had come downstairs and the discussion was over. Once we both had our breakfast, we went to the garage where Ryker and Dmitry had parked their cars.
"Is Dmitry coming?" I asked Ryker when I saw Dmitry pressing the buttons on the keypad at the wall. I wondered if Dmitry would be his backup. After all, Eros couldn't emphasize how dangerous the East region was.
"No, I need someone to watch over here." He opened the door for me and I got in.
As soon as Dmitry was done pressing the button, the garage door started to lift up almost at the same time as Ryker settled in behind the wheel. "Do you know the exact place?" I glanced nervously at him.
"No, but I remember where she met me and Alana. Plus I asked Alana last night so I know where to find the sorceress."
I wasn't sure how I felt about him asking Alana but quickly dismissed that thought. He could kiss her in front of me and I was pretty sure I wouldn't feel anything besides annoyance for having to witness a public display of affection but nothing more than that. "Good," was my only response.
The trip didn't take as long as when we had driven to the South but it did take about two hours to reach the northeast border. Unlike the South or the North where everything was sunny and warm, the second we crossed the border, I could feel the difference in the atmosphere, it was almost eerie. The trees were somewhat scarier than the normal trees and the further we went inside the forest, the creepier it got.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I finally asked after hearing a crow making scary noises in the background.
Ryker glanced at me before turning his attention back to the road. "What is?"
"This trip."
"No, it's not safe which is why I won't let you come here alone, Xy." His tone was serious but there was no hint of frustration or exasperation in it. He knew that this trip was necessary because I needed to know.
Then I realized that the further we went into the woods, the darker it became. I checked my phone and it was only noon, it wasn't supposed to be this dark, at least not for another six hours or more. Although in the daylight, the woods didn't seem as threatening, as darkness fell, I couldn't help but worry. The darkness surrounded us, and I felt a chill in my bones. The only light there was from Ryker's car's headlights to brighten the path we were heading.
At long last, the car finally came to a full stop. Ryker undid his seatbelt and said, "We are here." He nodded towards a cabin not far away from us. "That was where she met me and Alana last time."
He opened the car door and got out. I followed suit and stood beside him as we walked towards the cabin. With every passing second that we got closer to the cabin, I got more and more nervous. When Ryker's hand found mine, I nearly jumped and bolted but his words reassure me, "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." His hand gave me a gentle squeeze and I nodded.
We resumed our walk to the cabin hand in hand. In less than two minutes, we arrived in front of a wooden door that was painted red. Ryker lifted his free hand and knocked. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Then he knocked again. "Adelina, we are only here to talk."
Something dropped on the roof on top of us and Ryker quickly pulled me behind him right when the culprit jumped off the roof and on the ground next to us. Ryker shielded me with his body, his hand never let go of mine. I peered over his shoulder and saw a beautiful creature who looked every bit like a human except for her ears. She was standing there in a gorgeous purple gown that was probably made out of silk. She stood so gracefully that if I had not seen it, I probably wouldn't believe that she had been the one who jumped off the roof merely a few seconds ago. She was lithe and delicate-looking. Yet when she opened her mouth and spoke, I could hear malice in her voice.
"Oh, how foolish of you to come here unguarded, Alpha Ryker?"
* * *
A new character appears, oh, and doesn't she come with a bang? ;)