Page 30 of Hopeless Realm
As if he can hear my thoughts, Ryder’s strong arms wrap around my body and I let him. I let him hold me. The feel of his body holding mine pushes down the weight of guilt that’s rising within me.
His palm brushes over my tangled hair. My eyes close hard as I force the dampness from them. Moments pass like that. Mesa leaves the room without a word and still I cling to Ryder like he can fix this mess of a life I’ve made.
“Can Tristan really be fae?” My voice is muffled and there are countless questions in my mind, but I refuse to lift my face from his chest.
“Yeah.” He sounds just as confused as I am. “It could have been a dormant trait within him. Just like yours was until you were sixteen. It could have laid silent until he was older, or it could have never surfaced at all.”
A gruff sound interrupts my peace as someone clears their throat. My hair brushes against Ryder’s chest as I peek up. The way Daxdyn looks at me sinks right through me. His silver eyes study everything about me as if he’s appreciating every detail to keep in his memory.
Ryder releases me slowly, his hands pushing into his pockets as he takes an intentional step back.
“Tristan followed Darrio and I through the Hopeless well. A normal human would have died from the magic. But he absorbed it. Just like a fae,” Dax says in a quiet tone.
Ryder’s brows crease with confusion as he stares at Daxdyn.
“He ran the moment he landed. We followed after him. We tried to capture him but he’s unnaturally fast. When the nix saw him, they were just drawn to him. Weirdest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” Dax looks as confused as I feel. His silver eyes lower as he seems to consider everything.
“It’d take a lot of power for the nix to bow to him,” Ryder tells us.
My sword sliced through his heart and he didn’t bleed. Dax hit him hard enough for that blade to kiss brain matter and the guy didn’t even flinch.
I’m told that I’m powerful but he’s …morepowerful.
“You okay?” Daxdyn asks, walking toward me.
My arms fold over my chest, my shoulders slouching slightly.
“I’m supposed to ask you that,” I say in a quiet whisper.
As soon as he’s close enough, as soon as his warm scent wraps all around me, my fingers fist into the hem of his soft cotton shirt. I yank hard and he stumbles into me. The panes of his chest collide with mine and I just sink into the feel of his calming body.
“I missed you so much,” I whisper in a hollow tone.
Warm hands hold me tightly, not a breath of space separates us. For the first time in days I feel like I can finally breathe.
“I missed you too.”
And we stand like that for so long I wonder if the night fades away, if it grows tired of waiting for us to remember the world is still here. I start to realize he’s holding me up entirely, my weight slouches into him.
His lips brush against my hair and my eyes flutter slightly.
“Kara, go to sleep.”
I shake my head at him and remain half-sleeping in his arms.
“Go to bed. We’ll still be here when you wake up. Nothing’s going to happen to us.” Once more he kisses my temple before pulling back from me.
I nod but stay in his arms a little longer. Slowly I untangle my tired limbs from his solid chest. I pause to appreciate the smoky color of his shining eyes. I never want to forget the magic that swirls in his beautiful gaze.
Ryder leans against the iron doorframe. His attention feels heavy against my skin as I pass. Rough fingertips meet the inside of my arm, just over the inky symbol of the Hopeless, and he trails his palm down to my wrist. His fingertips tangle through mine for only a second before he pulls away and walks toward Dax.
A curious look is all I give him as I leave the room.
In the hall, just outside, I stop, my back meeting the cold wall as I get comfortable there. Yes, it feels slightly like eavesdropping. But it’s not. I need to make sure Dax is really okay, that everything is okay, before I can actually sleep. It takes a few seconds before either of them speaks. Their voices carry through the steely room.
“You two had sex,” Dax states in a taunting voice.
Of course, this would be what he wants to talk about. I roll my eyes but continue listening.
