“I’m no longer sick, just pissed that you didn’t come get me.”
His head came up, and his eyes landed on me. They were no longer the golden color of a few moments before. Something within his eyes stared at me, hungrily. “Why are you pissed now?”
“You promised to come and get me and then left me here!” I growled.
“It wasn’t by choice, Pet.”
“Okay, how about…you said you would get me, and bring me to your room. Instead, you left me with Claire!” I grumbled.
“I sent Claire and Ristan to you to explain things; didn’t he let you know what happened?”
“Oh, Claire explained things alright, and the Demon didn’t show up until today,” I snapped angrily. His eyes opened slightly and slid to me.
“If you’re not sick, get in this tub with me.”
“You don’t get to order me around, Fairy!” I felt hot tears burning behind my eyes. I wasn’t sure where we stood, or if he even wanted us. I knew he wanted the baby to save his precious Faery, but that wasn’t the same as wanting it, or me for that matter.
“It wasn’t an order, it was a request,” he said, clapping his hand over his eyes. He looked as tired as I felt. The tour with Ristan had taken a lot out of me, even though we hadn’t done more than walk and talk for hours.
“Fine!” I shouted, irritated by the entire situation. I stripped out of my clothes and stomped over to the tub and got in on the other side. The water was warm and welcoming, and his presence gave it an added level of comfort.
His big hands pulled me from where I’d sat across from him, until he’d nestled me in his arms, my back snuggled against his chest. I rested my head against his wide chest and allowed some of the tension to leave my mind.
“Ask it, Synthia,” Ryder whispered against my ear.
“Ask what?”
“Ask the question that is burning on your tongue.”
“Why me?” I spat out.
“Because I wanted you, Pet. It is as simple as that. Even if I had not signed that contract, you would still be mine. I planned on waiting until you were ready, but I still would have taken you from Adam. One way or another, I’d have come for you. Fate pushed us together, but destiny knew we belonged together. Now you just have to accept it,” he continued.
“You expect me to become just another woman in your harem?” I asked, as a single tear slid down my cheek.
“I don’t think of you as just another anything. I won’t send them away; they are my responsibility and they belong here with the Horde. I need to have a care for what their families have been granted and rewarded in return for them. Those are contracts I won’t cross,” he said guardedly.
I shook my head and moved to pull away from him, but his arms pulled me back. “I feel like I’m just another pretty thing for the collection.”
“That’s not true, and you know it. I have had them for many years, and they live comfortably in the pavilion. I won’t uproot their lives for any reason. Don’t ask me to, Pet.”
After speaking with Ristan earlier, I understood where he was coming from; I just wasn’t sure where it left me, or how I felt about it. I needed to change the subject, so I did. “Tell me about the beast, Ryder,” I whispered, watching him closely.
“He’s a part of me. Like a split personality mixed with my own. We are one, I’m his host. All of the Fae get brands when they Transition, but only a select few inherit a beast as well when they come into their full powers. Mine just happens to be stronger, and uglier, than most others. The form of the Horde King is what you see when he and I merge and become one. The first time we took that form, was when I became Danu’s chosen Heir. Until your presentation, that form had only been seen by the Horde the day I killed my father.” A small smile tugged at his lips.
“What does he look like when it is just him? Do you know, or do you have to be in front of a mirror?” I teased softly.
“He is whatever he wants to be. He is the spirit of all of the creatures of the Horde and can be any of them if he so chooses it.”
“So your beast took me, and did this?” I indicated my stomach as a whole. “Why? Did he know who I was?” I climbed out of the tub, because I knew where my questions were heading, and if he couldn’t answer the next one correctly, I wanted to be out of reaching distance.
“No, he just refused to let you go, or belong to another man. By impregnating you, he did what I couldn’t at the time.”
I nodded and continued with my original line of questioning. “Do you want this baby—our baby?”
“The child is needed to save this world. He was smart in claiming you and ensuring you were ours with the child. We can now move forward with what else is needed to save Faery,” he replied carefully, his midnight eyes watching me.
“Do you want this baby?” I asked again.
“To save Faery, yes, I do,” he continued evasively.
“Fucking Fairy, answer the question! Do you want this baby!?”