“Feeding,” Ristan said impishly. “They are not complaining, Flower. No one was so injured that they needed more than a good feeding and some fresh Faery air to heal. We all have grown attached to you, so none of us harbor ill feelings toward you for what happened. We could have sifted out and ended the fight before it had begun, but, then again, we would have lost an opportunity to learn more about these Fae who want to kill you. You are an infant in our world, and you are learning. It takes time, and we respect that. Do the same for Ryder,” Ristan said, serious for once.
“I don’t even know if it’s me who wants him, or if it’s the fact that everything is turning upside down and he’s something to hang on to. That’s not being fair to him, Ristan. I told him what I heard him say to Adam. He doesn’t want me for more than we have right now. I’m not built like that. I’m not someone who will go from one man to another. It’s better if I get away from him now. We go at each other hard; we fight more than anything. I’m not even sure we actually like each other, because it’s been one thing after another since Larissa died. He’s not my happily ever after. He told me that from the start of this. Fairytales are full of shit, as far as I’m concerned. There is no happy ending to this. I get it now. I just need to go home and figure out where I am now.”
“Welcome to the club, Synthia. Life isn’t a fairytale,” Vlad said with a faraway look in his eyes.
I wanted to know about his past. I mean, who got to ask the real deal about Dracula’s past? I needed to go home where my brain could put everything together; make sense of it all. I was still in shock, and processing it all here wasn’t an option.
“So, you remember nothing else, except that he bit you?” Dristan asked.
“Nope, only that he went crazy and bit me. Again, should I remember more?” I asked him yet again.
“No,” Vlad said with a small smile on his lips. “You should try and rest a bit. Ryder will be back soon to talk to you about going home.”
Great! That’s all I needed—Ryder coming in here and us going at it like rabbits, which we seemed to do every time there was a bed near us. As if my panties had a mind of their own, which was attached to Ryder’s will—they just slid down…or dissolved according to his whim. I was a smart person, unless I was facing Ryder. From the moment I had met him, I had stopped thinking anything through. I had started doing stupid things, making mistakes, like signing a contract without reading it. Normally, I wasn’t that girl. I was a badass Witch who did as she was told, and protected people. What I did had meant something, and now I had no idea where to even start rebuilding my life.
“Flower, we need to talk,” Ristan said, sitting closer to me on the bed.
“Go away, Ristan. I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I replied.
“Did you tell him how you feel about what he did to Adrian?” he continued to question.
“Yes, but inside his head it was the right thing to do, and I get that. It hurts knowing he did this to me, to my friend. He stalked me, Ristan, and while I could overlook that, I’m not sure I can ever forgive him for what he did to Adrian. I just want to go home and start living. I need time to heal.”
“Could you?”
“Could I what?”
“Could you go back to your life now that you are Fae, and could you forget him so easily? If it was only because he was using you, you wouldn't be upset. It's because you have feelings for him, and they always get the better of us.”
“I’m not admitting to anything but distrust and anger right now.”
“Cheater. You are upset, because you think he hurt someone you loved. You’re upset, because you have feelings for him, and it pisses you off that, even after learning about everything he has done, you still want him. Ryder won't love easily; you will have to fight for him if you want him, Flower. He's a good man, stubborn and very self-disciplined, and, yes, he knows what he wants, and he gets it, no matter the cost. You’re applying human rules to him when he isn’t. He is what he was always meant to be.”
“Is this another pep talk? I told you, I need time. If Ryder can’t give me that much, then he isn’t the person you think he is. What he did was over the top and uncalled for, Ristan! He shouldn’t have done this, period.”
“You're missing the point. Shit, you're as stubborn as he is. There's something bigger going on right now, Syn; bigger than you both. You brought the Mages along with that group of Fae to the mansion, and they were ready for war—we weren't. He could have blamed you, but he didn’t. He protected you while he was looking for answers, even though he could have been killed. His worry was for your safety. He sent us to protect you, which left him without his main bodyguards, so you could be safe.” He stopped and placed his fingers under my chin to lift my face to his. “I think you are tied to his destiny, and that’s why you are in my blind spot. I've never once met someone who has no tomorrow inside my head, Syn—until you and Adam.” His silver and black eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “Tell him, Syn. Tell him how you feel.”
Ristan left soon after that, and I replayed his words over and over, in my head. I watched the time go by on my watch slowly as I lay in the bed, wondering where Ryder was, and if he was okay.
Time passed endlessly, before Adam came into the bedroom radiating anger. “Let's go, Syn. Now.”