Lauren Fox stood in-between the two men. One, a dangerous psychopath (who had joined legions of demons in a fight for the world). The other, her ex-soulmate who had abandoned her to potentially bleed out and die in a dungeon – purely to save his own skin. It was the trickiest decision she'd ever made but she got there.
Ryder's dark eyes widened with hope as Lauren closed the gap between them. With zero hesitation she punched him in the face.
"You fucking monster!" She snarled angrily. Ryder's fingers touched his bloody lip and his shoulders sagged in defeat. He made no move to stop her as Lauren hit him again, catching him in the gut and knocking his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground and Lauren stood over him, kicking him repeatedly until Lewis hoisted her up into the air – restraining her easily. "Put me down!" She screamed, flailing wildly.
"You're going to kill him!" Lewis protested. He looked anxiously down at the warlock. Ryder was hunched over, cradling his stomach with blood dribbling from his mouth.
"So what?! He deserves it!"
"No, he doesn't." Lewis grunted when Lauren caught him in the shin but he kept a firm grip on her waist.
"Why are you on his side!?"
"He's my friend." Lewis replied breathlessly.
Lauren stopped struggling. "Lauren?" She didn't reply. Hesitantly Lewis set her down and let her go so that he could move around and read her expression.
"You two...are friends?" Her tone was icy.
"It just happened," Lewis replied, rubbing the back of his head. He winced - his skin was blistering in the morning sun.
Lauren turned on Lewis, her hands still clenched into fists.
"He attacked your pack." She reminded him sternly.
"He had his reasons."
This was so surreal – Lewis couldn't even have begun to explain all that he was feeling at that moment. She was alive. He had to fight back the impulse to pull her to his chest and hold tightly on to her. "Ryder wanted me to fight against Project Blue – to rescue the people it was imprisoning and experimenting on-" Lewis tried to explain before Lauren interrupted him.
"He killed people."
Lewis shrugged though he looked uncomfortable.
"So did I," he reasoned, "when I took over the neighbouring pack - in order to protect my people and secure the border – I killed people. It's what leaders do."
"He hurt us."
"I-," Lewis lowered his gaze, "I forgave him." His tone was soft, his expression crumpled pathetically.
"He helped the demons." Lauren reminded him, her tone harsh.
She glanced down and her heart trembled in her chest. Ryder hadn't moved. He'd remained at her feet, huddled and broken. He looked up at her and expected no mercy.
"He betrayed them. The demons are losing now because of him." Lewis answered. Lauren frowned, her jaw locked angrily.
"Tell me everything, everything that's been happening."
"You-you were dead." The biggest thing that had happened – they'd lost her... Lauren shook her head impatiently.
"No."
"I felt it." Lewis persisted. "As your soulmate, I felt you die." He reached up and stroked her cheek, Lauren pulled back out of his reach.
"So you knew I was alive? Before that I mean." Lewis nodded slowly. "And you didn't come find me." The hurt leaked into her tone.
Lewis cringed away, the skin on his hand had turned red raw and was flaking away.
"Where were you?" Ryder asked – speaking up at last- his voice husky. Lauren ignored him. She was frowning at Lewis.
"What's up with your face?" She asked, noticing the burns spreading across his cheekbones. Ryder got gingerly to his feet and touched Lewis' arm.
"Get back to the caravan. Quickly." He instructed. Lewis looked from Ryder to Lauren. "I'll keep her safe," Ryder assured him.
Lewis hissed in pain, putting his hand up to shield his eyes.
"Don't die again, Lauren. Once was enough." And then he ran, seeming to vanish before their eyes as he moved at vampiric speed.
Lauren stared after him – her lips parted in confusion.
"I don't understand..." She admitted. Ryder sighed heavily – keeping his back to her.
"He's a hybrid now," Ryder explained, "Part werewolf, part vampire."
Lauren stared at the empty space Lewis had occupied. "It's not his fault...being with me now. He was kicked out of his coven. He's weak in the daylight but as a hybrid, he needs more blood than a normal vampire. He can't make it on his own. He found me because he had no other choice. It wasn't a betrayal of you."
Lauren nodded thoughtfully.
"And now he's your man. You use him in your schemes."
"No schemes," Ryder turned slowly to face her, "not anymore." There wasn't much space between them but the air felt cold. "Where were you? I looked, looked everywhere for you."
Lauren compressed her lips, not trusting her voice to reply encase he heard it tremble. "It drove me mad to not know where you were or how you were doing." His gaze smouldered with remembered anguish. "I didn't have the resources to find you. I needed to be stronger, so I joined forces with the demon queen-"
Lauren's eyes flashed angrily.
"You're blaming that on me!?"
"Why didn't you come find me then?" Ryder countered, gripping tightly onto her arm, "why didn't you come to accuse me – to kill me?" He shook her, demanding a response. "I thought perhaps you couldn't. That they'd enslaved you. I managed the movement of all slaves in Europe to look for your name, to find any trace of you-"
"ENOUGH!" Lauren pushed him roughly back, getting out of his clutches. Tears shone in her eyes. "I wish you hadn't! I wish you hadn't done any of that!" They were both breathing heavily. "Do you know how guilty I felt – how fucking awful it was to know you were killing countless people!?" Tears streamed down her face but Lauren smeared them hastily aside. "I lost my family, I lost friends and then I lost even the ability to look at myself in the mirror. I lost any right to keep living and breathing the same air as those around me because I had you as dirty secret in my heart. You," she jabbed her finger at his hard chest, "you killed me slowly every day. You stole all that I had left."
"Everything I did," Ryder's eyes shone as he gazed down at her, "it was all for you."
"Don't, don't you dare say that to me ever again!" She turned to leave but Ryder grabbed onto her, sinking to his knees at her feet.
"Never leave me." He pleaded. He clung to her middle, rubbing his face against her abdomen and breathing in her scent. "Hate me, hate me with everything you've got and make me miserable. But don't leave me."
She attempted to shove him off but overbalanced and fell. Ryder was lying over her in an instant.
"Let me go!" She shrieked crossly.
"I can't – it's the one thing I can't do for you." He held onto her wrists to stop her from hitting him.
"Get off me!"
"Use me!"
"What?!"
"I'm yours. I will be your slave - if you'll just keep me by your side."
Lauren stared incredulously up at him.
"How could I ever trust you?"
"I will live for you." His gaze burnt with frantic energy, "I'll follow your command. I will be by your side – you'll know every move I make." He inclined his head, his nose brushing against her throat, "I'll be your shield," his lips skimmed her collarbone, "your servant."
"My weapon?" She asked. He looked up, gazing questioningly at her unreadable expression. He nodded. "You're mine Ezra Ryder." She lifted her head and Ryder's breath caught at having her so close, her lips almost upon his. "If you ever betray me," her voice was cold, "I'll leave you to rot in the ground."
"Yes." He breathed.
"Now get off me."
He quickly complied though it hurt to return to the distance between them. He offered his hand to help her get to her feet but she didn't take it. Not looking at him she brushed the dirt off her back.
"How were you able to come back to life?" Ryder asked. Whatever the reason - he'd be thankful for it with each and every breath. "Lauren?"
Lauren clutched her head, wincing in pain and staggering. "Lauren," Ryder called her name in concern, putting an arm out to steady her. Lauren's eyes were glazed over. "Lauren?!"