I did, only to find Sinjinn and one of the other men—I think his name was Aodhan—looking at me in surprise. I ignored them both as I headed into the kitchen to escape them and their words. Would Ryder really try to remove my memories? No way in hell was I going to allow that to happen. I poured myself a cup of coffee and slid into a chair at the small table.
“Syn, don’t think anything about those fucking idiots,” Ristan said, coming into the kitchen.
“You all share women,” I said, making it a statement instead of a question.
“We don’t live by the same code as humans do, Syn.”
“The girl they were talking about…Ryder was with her when you all were—together?”
“Yes,” Ristan said calmly, with a gentle nod of his dark head.
“When was this?” I asked carefully, trying to school my emotions.
“Years ago, Flower.”
I chewed on my lip, considering how much information I could get from the Demon. He was being open with me right now, and I needed to know more about Ryder while he was in such an accommodating mood.
I sat at the table, thinking over everything that I had heard. I could flip out, which would totally be the girlie thing to do. But I wasn’t hot-headed. I could do a lot of things, which wouldn’t make me feel any better. Why would Ryder take my memories?
“Brewing over what the two jackasses said?” Ristan asked, hauling up a chair to sit with me.
“How many women has Ryder shared with you?” I inquired, straight to the point.
“Many, but you need to understand something first, Flower. We grew up together, and we are not human. We feed from what is available, and, as you have noticed, some of the men are not that bright. Probably starve to death, because they got nothing but shit for brains. Anyway, that wasn’t my point. We only share because we grew up together. They feed and I fuck. I like to fuck—a lot. Women love it—well, most do anyway. We are not human, and we have different views on what is normal. They fuck to eat. I just like to fuck. Very seldom do we keep women to ourselves for sex alone, as Ryder is doing with you. In short, we grew up together, so sharing isn’t an issue for us.”
“Will he ever want to share me?” I asked as I looked up to meet his patterned eyes.
“No, he won’t. You, he is different with; very territorial and possessive. If he’d been planning to share you, he’d have left that door unlocked at the club when your Transition began. He wouldn’t have warded it against us coming in. He is different with you and has been from the very beginning.”
I didn’t know he’d done that. “Can I ask you something…err…well, can I ask you something that’s a little uncomfortable, Ristan?” I swallowed down the uncomfortable feeling that was causing my cheeks to fill with heat. Now, was as good of a time as any to get this out of the way.
“Uncomfortable how, Flower?” His eyes lit up with mischief. “Are we speaking toys and nipple clamps kind of uncomfortable, because I’m an expert with that shit, or are we speaking your vagigi uncomfortable? I’m game to look at it, play with it. Hell, Flower, I’m pretty much open to it all. Lay it on me.” He smirked, and his eyes laughed at me.
“No, this has nothing to do with that…” Mental Note: Ristan was a freak! “Uh, yeah, there was a courtyard that I saw in Faery.” I couldn’t make eye contact, but I noticed that he’d stiffened and sat up straight in his chair. “There were a lot of women there, and Adam was told that they all belong to Ryder.” I heard Ristan sigh.
“That’s the reason you ran, Flower?” he asked softly as he reached over and lifted my chin. I met his eyes and nodded. “Yes, there is a pavilion, you heard the idiots referring to it earlier. The women there do belong to Ryder. Most are there voluntarily, and some are there for protection.” He shook his head and moved the hair from my eyes with the tips of his fingers. “Ryder hasn’t been inside of it since he took you to his bed, Synthia.” His lips jerked up in a wicked smile. “You locked him into a contract as much as he locked you into one. You made him agree to only feed from you while he had you under contract. Smart, but useless. He wouldn’t have touched anyone else while he had you. He’s protective of you, and he’s also different around you. He’s a good man to have at your back. He’s the one person in this world and any other that I’d give my life to protect.”
“So, he hasn’t been with anyone else since we started this…whatever it is we have?”
“You have to ask?” He shook his head.
“Why would he erase my memories, Ristan?” I asked as I lowered my gaze to the smooth wood of the simple table. I felt conflicted about knowing the answer.
“He won’t. I’d have seen it if he’d intended to go through with it. He talked about it; thinking it would make it easier to leave you if he had to. You gotta understand, Synthia. He has an objective here in this world. A lot of people depend on him. You’re a distraction; one that no one saw coming.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. How the hell was I supposed to respond to that!?