Page 26

"Cheater," I huff, rolling my eyes as he smiles, knowing he won.

"You know you love me," he says as he moves impossibly closer, nuzzling into my side and pushing me back against…Blair.

Somehow, I know it's him without turning to see, and I let myself relax into him. Well, for a moment I do, until Pike licks my cheek, making me tense up and once again reach out and smack him.

"Gross," I hiss, rubbing at my face as the guys laugh, and I swear Storm joins in.

Every day, things get better; one day at a time, we'll fix this.

I won't stop until we do, because that's what you do for the people you love.

You sacrifice.

Ididn’t actually intend on falling asleep, but I laid down early to ensure that if I did, I’d still wake up with enough time to meet Ryker.

I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Pike is wrapped around me like an octopus, and slipping out of his grasp is almost impossible. I’m not sure how long it took, but it felt like hours; that boy’s got a grip.

Somehow I make it, but just barely. The only reason I don’t have any problems is because Blair is gone, and as much as I wanted to track him down, I know better. Blair’s the only one I’ve never been able to sneak up on,ever. There’s no way I could track him through the castle and he wouldn’t realize I was there. Which means it came down to satisfying my curiosity or getting away. One or the other, not both.

Given the choices, I had to go with meeting Ryker. He’s my only hope to save Lyle, and I can’t deny I want to see him even if I know I shouldn’t.

“Two nights in a row without your watchdogs?” His voice is in the air around me, and though I can’t sense or see him, I know he’s here.

“Let’s not pretend like I haven’t given them the slip a few times now.” I don’t need to tell him what I’m talking about. He knows damn well, considering both times I was with him.

His deep chuckle vibrates around me and makes my breath catch.

“You’re right, maybe you’re the bad influence.” I hear the smile on his lips, and I spin, searching for some hint of him, desperate to see that smile. To see a hint of the playful man I knew those first nights after he found me in the woods.

“I’m not the one hiding in the shadows, watching the poor defenseless girl in the woods.” I bat my eyes and pout my lip in an attempt to look like the defenseless girl I just claimed to be.

Ryker materializes right in front of me, so close that I have to crane my neck back to meet his gaze as he peers down at me. His lips are still turned up, but not in a full smile. It’s more of a sarcastic smirk, but damn it if it’s not sexy as hell. I lick my lips and watch his eyes track the movement before I sink my teeth into my bottom lip in an attempt to stop myself from smiling.

Ryker shakes his head, taking a step back, and I have to fight the urge to follow him.

Why am I so drawn to him despite everyone else fearing him?

“We only have about six hours until sunrise, so we should get to it.” He turns, disappearing into the dense trees. I damn near trip over my feet trying to catch up with him. “Still the same lost, clumsy girl I found in the woods, huh?”

I roll my eyes even if he can’t see me because, of course, he didn’t miss me tripping and had to use that stupid name.

“I’m not lost this time, though. I chose to be here.” I’m not sure why I say it, because it’s kind of obvious considering I flew here and met him, but it felt right.

It’s Ryker’s turn to trip this time, and I bark a laugh before I can even think to try and keep it to myself.

“Who’s the clumsy one now?” I sass, unable to stop myself.

Fuck, this is Ryker, not the guys. I need to get it together and remember I’m here to learn how to save Lyle, not to have fun, even if it is at Ryker’s expense.

Ryker starts walking again, but not before he looks over his shoulder at me, his brows drawn in a look of confusion. Before I can ask what his problem is, we leave the dense trees and step into a clearing, the most beautiful clearing I’ve ever seen.

“Holy shit…”

I’d grown used to the trees and plants, the way they are here versus the human realm, with their eerie colors and phosphorescent glow. It took a second, but really, this is what I grew up with, so seeing it again wasn’t as shocking as it was for the guys. Some things still catch the guys off guard about being here, and I can’t say I blame them. I thought I was pretty well versed in this realm, but clearly I was wrong.

The trees that line the clearing are tall, just like every other tree in the forest, but instead of the dark, almost dead look that most of the forest has this far out, these are alive and glowing a beautiful purple color that lights up the clearing.

“Oh, wow.” Anolas is beautiful, but this…this is otherworldly, as if pulled from the pages of a story or the imagination of a child.