Page 13 of Wicked Fate

And there, in the middle of it all, was Reid.

Paler than before, he’d been propped up on a pile of pillows. Bandages were wrapped tightly across his chest and neck, and his half-lidded eyes were locked on me with startling clarity.

Placing one hand in the center of his hunter green sheet, Reid rasped, “I need to speak with Ember and Briar. Alone.”

The silence that followed felt like a fuse being lit.

Ryker moved.

A snarl ripped from his throat, deep and raw. His arm jerked forward, the tendons in his neck bulging like he was seconds from lunging.

Gage grabbed him from behind, arms locked around Ryker’s chest. “Don’t.”

Kendric stepped in front of him, palms out. “Think this through. He just wants to chat with them.”

“Let go of me,” Ryker snarled, his gaze locked on Reid like he could tear him in half with just a thought.

“No, I agree withhim,” Sun spat and pointed at Ryker while glaring daggers at Reid. “You’ve got some nerve. You’re near death and in our home and bed, and you want alone time with the girl you were fated to—after claiming me? No. Not happening.”

Reid’s eyes hardened. “There’s a reason, and you know what it is. There’s a lot that needs to be—”

“No,” she snapped. “Not without me.”

I stepped forward, but Ryker surged again, this time hard enough that Kendric joined Gage, both of them holding Ryker back with every ounce of strength they had.

“Calmdown.” Xander exhaled, shaking his head.

“I swear to Fate, I will rip him apart,” Ryker snarled. “You think I’m gonna stand here while he tries to—”

“Bro, he has amate,” Gage growled. “He’s not going to try to make off with your girl.”

“I’m not going to even fucking risk it. I’ll finish him off before he gets time alone with Ember.” Ryker broke free and reached the side of the bed.

“That’s enough!” Cassi shouted and waved her hand. Ryker suddenly lost his balance and stumbled sideways. He managed to catch himself but barely.

Everyone froze.

She stood in the doorway, arms tense and face taut. “We all need to take a deep breath.”

“Abreath?” Sun barked a humorless laugh. “There’s no calming down when yourchosen matenearly completed the fated ceremony withhisfated. Or did you forget how sacred that is?”

Cassi picked at her lip. “You’re all reacting to something that isn’t real.”

Sun blinked. “Excuse me? Have you lost your mind? I know—”

“They’re not fated,” Cassi interjected. “Reid and Ember were never fated mates.”

The room spun.

“What the hell are you talking about?” For a moment, I might as well have been back in calculus class with how hard my brain was trying to make sense of what she’d said.

Ryker stilled.

Wrinkling her nose, Sun shook her head. “Don’t lie. Reidfeltit.”

“I know.” Cassi’s shoulders sagged. “But only because I made it that way.”

The air vanished from my lungs.

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