Page 26 of Wicked Fate

Ryker—

But he didn’t stir. He remained completely still beside me, his breathing deep and even—asleep.

Like he couldn’t hear me or sense the danger.

The strange man’s hand remained soft over my mouth as he stared at me like he was silently willing me not to panic, and the strange warm magic inside me responded, surging forward, appeasing me.

Then, softly, he pressed a finger to his own lips. A silent command.

Don’t scream.

My pulse thundered. Magic crackled at the edge of my awareness, my skin buzzing where his body hovered too close.

He was real.

And I had no idea how he’d gotten inside.

Or what he wanted.

CHAPTEREIGHT

The man didn’t move; he merely stared like he could see everything inside me.

Warmth exploded through me. It wasn’t anything like the sensation I felt with Ryker. This wasn’t a tug and attraction but more like familiarity that shouldn’t be possible. A whisper threading through my veins, the intensity stronger than anything I’d ever felt before.

My new magic stirred like it recognized him and wanted to go tohim.

His hand fell away from my mouth—slow, deliberate.

I needed to scream, but I wasn’t able. The noise just wouldn’t come. I was locked there, staring into his glowing eyes while something unseen passed between us. My magic seemed to pool into him as he returned the favor.

For a heartbeat, we justexistedin this strange moment of knowing and not knowing. My skin prickled. I was both petrified and freed, as if a part of me that had been hidden was finally being seen.

Somehow, I realized he wasn’t here to hurt me.

Just as quickly as the warmth bloomed, Ryker stirred beside me, and it disappeared. The stranger’s eyes flashed—liquid gold catching the light—and then he was gone. Vanished into thin air with no trace of a shadow to denote his presence. No sound of movement, nothing but a faint swirl of floral scent and the lingering imprint of his presence ebbing from within me.

My lungs finally worked on their own as Ryker’s concern slammed into me.

He bolted upright, searching the room for danger.Is someone in here?

Of course, he’d suspect it to be a shadow. Heart pounding like a drumline against my ribs, I scanned the room searching for some hint ofhim. He couldn’t really just vanish, but shouldn’t I be able to see him if he was cloaked?

Still, there was nothing.

The room was empty.

“No, no one is in here right now.” I let out a breath, and my hands shook. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“Ember?” Ryker’s voice grew sharper now. His hand gripped my arm, turning me toward him as he rasped, “What the hell just happened?”

I couldn’t answer. I shook my head, my pulse screaming, then opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I wasn’t sure how to describe what had just passed between me and the stranger, but he’d done something to me. The warm presence I’d come to recognize inside me had calmed, but it was stronger than it had been before his arrival.

Baby, you’re scaring me.

I blinked, trying to force words to form. “I…” My throat closed again, the words sticking to the back of my tongue like ash.

His thumbs brushed my cheeks. “I don’t feel pain, but are you hurt?” Cold tendrils of fear flowed into me from him.

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