We walked out to the yard silently as a group. I heard an engine purring to life from a garage I hadn't noticed that was connected to the house. The midnight blue SUV pulled out and the driver opened up the door and got out.
"Follow," Ryder said as he strolled toward the garage. I followed until we were standing in front of a darker SUV. As I stepped around it and placed my fingers on the door handle I hesitated.
"Afraid little itchy Witchy?" He purred from the other side, his hands resting on the hood as if he was readying to jump over it.
"Should I be?" I retorted raising my brow line. I should be. I could see it in his eyes.
"Very," his lips twisted up into a full out smirk.
I rolled my eyes and opened the door and pulled myself up into the seat. It still had the new car smell, the seats white leather and soft against the palm of my hand as I fastened my seatbelt and settled in.
The moment he got in, the nervous energy I felt around him came slamming home as he closed the door sealing us inside the SUV together. "Why am I riding with you?" I asked needing to know why he had me alone yet again.
"How did you walk through the ward last night?" He got straight to the point.
"No clue, but I'm not Fae if that is what you're thinking," I snapped.
"There is no birth record of you being born. Nothing from before your parents brought you to the Guild. Marie pointed this out, said it was strange."
"Marie said I have no record of live birth?" I asked making sure we were on the same page.
"Yes."
"Do I look dead to you?" I replied in a voice that dripped sarcasm.
He turned his head in my direction as he grabbed the steering wheel. His eyes flowing over my body making the air in the SUV crackle before he turned those golden eyes back on the driveway we were driving out of in line with the other cars.
"Adam doesn't have one either, Larissa on the other hand does."
I wasn't an idiot, I'd known something was up when I hadn't been able to get my papers from the Guild or Alden, but I'd figured it had been due to the violent deaths of my parents. "Adam was abandoned practically on the Guilds steps, my parents were killed. Ever think that it might have been an oversight on the Guilds part due to the fact that we were orphans?"
He snorted as he pulled the vehicle onto the highway and gassed it, opening the engine as we drove back towards Spokane. "Who died?" I asked trying to change the subject.
"There still should have been records, yours are sealed. Adam's were opened but only said he was found outside the Guild—by the door to Alden's living quarters."
"Should have been, what does it matter anyways?" I was getting angry.
"I like to know everything about those I work with. Surprises can get people killed," he replied coldly.
"So ask me what you want to know," I snarled.
"How many lovers have you taken between your thighs?" He asked casually, as if he hadn't just switched topics completely and asked me something deeply personal.
I realized it was a test, to see if I tell him the truth. "One."
"Only one?" He asked his eyes firmly on the road still.
"Sorry to disappoint," I mumbled taking in the passing pine trees out the window as the countryside flew by us.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty one," I answered.
"Twenty one and only one man?" He questioned.
I flinched inwardly. It wasn’t from the lack of men on my roster. It was because I'd only loved one and I didn’t believe in simple sex. I'd loved Adrian with everything inside of me, everything I'd been. Until I'd gotten him killed.
"I didn’t feel the need to fuck everything with a dick, so yes. Only one."
"Everything with a dick? No wonder you gave in so easily to compulsion, you need to get laid."
"I don’t need to get laid. I can do the job just as well by myself."
His eyes swung over, the heat of them drilling into my head until I gave in and turned to face him. His eyes glowed with intensity so bright I had to blink to keep looking at him. "Indeed, but getting yourself off is not the same as allowing someone else the intense pleasure that comes with allowing a release. Nor does it scratch the itch that burns inside of you. It only scratches across the surface."
"Is there a point to this? I don’t think my sex life—or lack of is any of your business," I growled fed up with talking about how lacking I was in the entire department.
"Did you love him?" He continued ignoring my outburst.
I felt hot tears threaten to break lose at the touchy conversation. "Yes."
"Are you still in love with him?" He pressed.
"He's dead, change the subject."
His eyes narrowed but he turned back to watch the road. My mind scanned over the line of questions and then discarded them quickly. It was still painful and saying his name made my heart ache. His beautiful face was still the first thing I saw before I closed my eyes—or had been until meeting Ryder.
"How long were you together?" He asked quietly.
"Too long. I don't like to talk about it, so ask me anything else. Just don’t ask me to talk about him."