Page 208 of Tag

The lake shimmered under the summer sun, the air thick with warmth and the smell of fresh grass. Ryder held a dandelion between us, his expression too serious for a twelve-year-old, brows drawn tight like he was about to change the world with one sentence.

“Close your eyes and make a wish,” he’d said.

We did it together, our shoulders pressed close, and when he counted to three, we blew. The seeds scattered like tiny, fuzzy stars, drifting up into the wide, endless blue sky.

Then he hooked his pinky around mine. “Now pinky promise,” he’d said, voice fierce and unyielding. “We’ll always be best friends. No matter what. No one will ever come between us. Nothing can ever break us apart.”

I’d entwined my pinky with his without needing to think. “I promise. Always.”

Ryder had grinned, wide and boyish, and then carefully twisted the dandelion stem into a tiny ring, slipping it onto my finger like it was the most important jewel in the world.

I blinked, the memory fading as the sound of the lake returned, as did Ryder.

“Being here brings it all back,” I said softly.” I still have it, the ring.”

That fragile stem sat in a frame on my nightstand, surrounded by photos of us, different than the ones on my wall. A lifetime of memories mapped out around one promise.

“I know you do.” He ran a hand through my hair. “I think we both knew even then that this was special,” he said, his voice low, threading through me like a dark current. “We didn’t just grow up together, we became pieces of each other.”

I turned those words over in my head, and found they were spot on. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

“You know I’m obsessed with you, right? I’ve wanted you so long it’s poisoned every other part of me.” His fingers brushed across my cheek like he was memorizing me. “I don’t take a single breath without you on my mind. I know you’re scared to let yourself feel this. I know trusting me doesn’t magically erase all your doubts, but I’ve been playing the long game with you, Sass.”

“The long game?”

“It means that I would sooner tear myself apart and hand you every piece before I ever broke your heart.” His forehead pressed to mine. “Our new normal will be a beautiful thing, baby. I won’t let it hurt you,” he promised, his voice dark and sure.

How was I supposed to fight against something like that?

He looked at me like there was no air in the world unless it passed through me first. Hearing him proclaim his obsession out loud should have terrified me. It should have sent me running. It had the opposite effect and made me never want to walk away. Even if it was messy, even if it was twisted and poisoned at the edges… it was ours.

“You’re insane, but I think I might be just as gone for you.”

I kissed him, and he reacted instantly, his hands threading into my hair, pulling me closer until there was no space left to think. I melted into him, my hands sliding up his chest as his tongue swept into my mouth. I pulled back before we could get too carried away, knowing our time was limited.

“We have to talk about The Hunt still,” I rasped, smothering a laugh.

The look on his face was comical. “Sass, your timing is horrendous.”

“Let me finish.”

“I was going to.” His grin deepened as he shifted beneath me, pressing me down harder against him. My breath caught, my hands pushing at his chest even as my thighs instinctively tightened around his hips.

“Rye,” I warned. “Unless you want us to be at risk of public indecency, you’ll stop and listen.”

He chuckled. “I’m listening. Keep talking.”

I sucked in a shaky breath. “What if… what if my main Huntsman is actually aHuntswoman?”

His expression turned thoughtful. “Explain how you came to that conclusion.”

“It’s hard to,” I admitted. “I have this gut feeling now. It’s obviously someone close. Someone who knows my routine. I can’t pinpoint who.”

“Or your Huntsman is a man, and a woman close to you is feeding him everything he needs.”

My stomach twisted at that, and I made a face. “Okay, but I like my theory better. Yours creeps me out ten times more.”

He began rubbing my back. “Ferret would do it.”

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