Page 27

N aomi

We’d taken a few minutes to rifle through the supplies the guards had kept back in the lodging area.

Restocking our own packs as efficiently as possible, we made sure to take as much food and water as we could carry in addition to the important items we were bringing back from this place.

It took a while for us to climb up out of the many levels of the underground labyrinth.

Ryker had used the badge to shut several doors along the way, which would hopefully ensure that none of the guards could follow us if any of them happened to still be alive.

Once we emerged from the decaying building, we paused for a moment in the afternoon sunshine, just breathing in the fresh air. I was willing my heartbeat to return to normal after the massive adrenaline rush from our near-death experience.

“What now?” I asked.

Ryker stilled with his back to me. He’d just killed six men to save me.

I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling at this moment.

We’d accomplished the objective of our mission, but at a cost I’m sure he never expected to have to pay.

Turning around to face me, I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed heavily.

His eyes were soft, but somehow revealed the tumultuous nature of the thoughts he must be having.

When he finally spoke, he didn’t sound like his usual self.

“You’re coming home to Pacifica with me,” he declared, his voice authoritarian.

For a moment, I just stared at him, not really taking him seriously. Slowly, I began to realize that he sincerely believed that was something he could just decide unilaterally. Like it was even a possibility.

“You can’t mean that. I have a life, a home, a career. I can’t just turn away from that,” I argued.

“It’s not up for discussion. It’s too dangerous for you to go back to New Englandia, so I’m taking you with me,” he answered in a tone that brooked no argument.

There was zero room for negotiation here.

I chewed my lip and sighed. The sun was low overhead, which meant that it would set very soon, and it would be too dangerous to traverse the bridge in the dark.

This was a conversation I’d postpone for tomorrow.

“Why don’t we get some rest and talk about it in the morning? It’s been a long day,” I replied.

“That’s a good plan,” he sighed. He looked exhausted. I didn’t ask him to explain any further. He needed rest and so did I. Maybe he would be more rational in the morning.

We walked for about a mile before finding a small clearing with enough room to build a tiny shelter for the night. Ryker built most of it, but he looked to me for several ideas in the planning of it. It was nice, but I was too exhausted to really appreciate it.

When we finally went to bed, I laid there for a while. I thought I would fall asleep right away, but I spent a long time thinking over what he had said needed to happen.

I couldn’t do it. I could not go with him.

Pacifica was on the same continent, but it was a completely foreign land to a person like me. I wouldn’t belong there. I would lose my home, my job, my way of life, my independence.

Everything .

When I eventually closed my eyes, I knew what I had to do.

I would wake up at first light, make my escape, and get back home by myself.

I’d get back to the car and send out a distress call to my city state.

They would come for me, and I would go back to New Englandia, to the only life and place I’d ever known.

Whatever this was between Ryker and me would become a thing of the past.

I woke before the sun rose the next morning.

Ryker had rolled over sometime in the middle of the night, so I used the opportunity to slink quietly away from him without disturbing him.

When I was certain that he was still deep asleep, I gathered my things and slipped off into the woods.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when I approached the metal bridge.

I glanced over my shoulder, watching warily for any indication that he had noticed my departure.

I sighed with relief when I didn’t see or hear any signs of movement.

A feeling of sadness and loss permeated through me.

It seemed to originate deep down in some secret place I’d been unaware existed, roiling up through me like a rising fog.

Regret over leaving him without a word of explanation, without a goodbye, and the loss of his comforting presence, soft smile, and quiet confidence left me feeling alone in a way I’d never experienced before.

With every step, I wanted to turn around and run right back to him.

I sighed. I shouldn’t feel this way. I was simply going back where I belonged. I’d always been alone; this would be nothing new.

The valley was peaceful. There was a bird singing somewhere in the distance, as well as a chirping frog down below. When I focused on them instead of the emotions rattling around in my head, it made every step a little bit easier.

I readied myself to cross the bridge alone.

I looped the belt around the metal cable, testing to make certain it would hold just as I had done before. I hitched up my backpack high onto my shoulders and took a deep breath, readying myself to make the long trek over the gorge.

A twig snapped behind me and I jerked my head back around but saw nothing at first. I narrowed my eyes, searching through the brush. The vegetation swayed and suddenly Ryker was pushing through the leafy branches. His normally stormy gaze looked positively apocalyptic.

Fuck.

Immediately, my heart thumped with nervous panic. Without thinking, I moved my foot backwards and a rock skittered over the edge of the gorge, clattering loudly enough to give me pause. There was nowhere left to run. The cliff’s edge was only a few inches away.

Did I even want to run?

“Come here, Naomi,” he said firmly. Before I even realized what I was doing, my feet were moving in his direction. Every step felt interminable before his arms were wrapped around me once again.

I didn’t want to run away. I wanted to leap into his arms, wrap my legs around his waist, and never let go.

“Ryker, I can…” I began.

“You were going to try to go back to New Englandia by yourself, weren’t you?” he asked.

I swallowed heavily.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“After I told you that you were going to come home with me? I thought I made it very clear that it wasn’t a choice, that I had decided that for you,” his deep voice was a rumble of thunder through my body.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I stared down at the ground or behind him, pretty much anywhere but directly at his face. I felt more nervous I ever had before. My heart quickened until it felt like a freight train huffing in my chest.

“I knew you hadn’t been exactly thrilled at the prospect of going with me, but I hadn’t expected you to openly defy me like this, little girl.”

His tone was tired, maybe a bit weary, but not angry. Not even a little bit. For some reason, that made it even more terrifying, and I wasn’t sure why.

“But I don’t…”

My words faded off and I stopped speaking as his hand reached down to cup beneath my chin.

With a single finger, he lifted it and forced me to look up at him.

I couldn’t help but whimper at the dark intent in his gaze.

There was also a hint of sorrow, like I had hurt his feelings by doing what I had done.

I hated that.

I wanted that to go away. I wanted to make it better and I wasn’t certain how.

“I think you know how I’m going to handle this, don’t you?” he asked.

He didn’t even have to say it. Intuitively, I knew by everything in his demeanor that he was going to punish me.

My mouth went dry. My lips parted, opening and closing several times as I tried to figure out what to say.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead gently.

Then he took my backpack off my shoulders and grasped my upper arm firmly enough to let me know that it was no longer up to me whether or not I went with him.

He led me all the way back to where we’d camped the night before without saying another word.

My mind was racing the entire time, wondering what he might do or say.

Would he yell at me?

Images of the old photos flashed before my eyes. The last time I’d gone over his knee, it had been with curious arousal. I had a feeling this time was going to be very different.

“Ryker, I can explain…”

He simply shook his head, letting go of my arm and gently turning me back to face him.

“You defied me, Naomi,” he scolded, his voice dropping once more into a quiet, dangerous rumble. This was different than anything I’d heard from him before today.

“I wasn’t trying to…” I whispered, my hands playing at my stomach. I didn’t know what to do with them. Straight at my sides felt odd, so I finally crossed one arm over my chest and grasped my shoulder. My fingers dug in hard enough to hurt. I meant to distract myself, but it didn’t work.

There was something playing across his features, something I didn’t quite recognize, and it scared me a little bit.

“I’ve spanked you before, little girl. You also know what my belt feels like on your bare bottom, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” I answered meekly, blushing a bit as the words fell off my lips.

“That was a spanking. I haven’t punished you yet, little girl,” he warned.

“You haven’t?” I asked, furrowing my brow anxiously.

“No. I haven’t, but soon, you are going to understand the difference.”

The finality in his tone made my stomach drop straight down to my toes.

Without another word, he pulled a thick blanket out of our camping gear and laid it over a fallen log. He turned to me, beckoning me to come closer. I didn’t know what else to do other than to go to him.

“I’m sorry,” I whimpered quietly, my nerves firing along my appendages now that he’d confirmed my fears. He squeezed my shoulder a bit tighter.

“I know, sweet girl.”