Page 111 of In Between Darkness

“I had too. You didn’t believe me,” I confess and brace for his hate to flood back to the front of his brain, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he looks at me with reassurance and understanding.

“So, it’s all real then?” he asks.

“Yes,” I simply say, hoping it is enough for him to finally believe it.

“And you’re in trouble?” he says, and I nod my head slowly.

“I didn’t mean to get you all caught up in this. I took your memories to keep you safe.” I tread the space between us. “But I don’t want to take them again. I just need to know that you won’t tell anyone about this.”

“The last thing I would want to do is put you in danger.” He smiles at me. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Enough of this sweet talk. When is he going home?” Ryder shifts in his stance and crosses his arms. I exhale at his rude demeanour and ignore the burn from his stare at the back of my head.

“Don’t worry about him,” I say, giving Ryder the side eye. “You can go now. I will portal you to your room.”

“You expect me to leave you here with him?” He gestures to Ryder, who looks like he is ready to fight.

“You forget that I am the one who helped her when you decided she was a liar,” Ryder snaps, and the air is getting thicker again.

“I didn’t exactly have time to figure everything out,” River retorts.

“And I didn’t need time.”

The boys walk closer to each other in their battle of testosterone, and I wedge my way between them.

“I don’t care about why. Ryder was there when I needed him, and you weren’t,” I interrupt, and River’s face saddens. “We have bigger things to worry about, so I will portal you home, and we will talk when it’s over.”

“I’m not leaving, you’re right; I wasn’t there for you before, but I am going to be now.” His eyes don’t waver from mine, and Ryder backs down and takes a seat on his bed.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“That’s exactly why I can’t let you do this without me,” River adds, and I sigh, defeated, turning to Ryder for advice.

“Let him stay, if he wants to get himself killed, who are we to stop him?” He shrugs as if he couldn’t care less, but I walk over to him and frame his face in my hands.

“If anything happens to him…” I don’t even have to finish my sentence for Ryder to understand the depth of the situation. He stands and ambles over to River, who looks established in the corner of the room.

“If you are truly willing to help, I will protect you with my life.” He extends his inky arm out to River, who is genuinely shocked at Ryder’s kindness in that moment.

“I am.” He shakes his hand firmly, and they exchange some manly looks.

“Now tell me what this plan is,” River says, and they both turn to look at me.

Chapter Forty-Four

“But how do we know we can trust them?” The cold stares from Moon students burn through River and me as we stand in front of them, vulnerable. The only shield that stands between us and them is Ryder.

“Their kind is the reason the Moons are going missing in the first place,” another student shouts out, this time a female. She has long blonde hair, French plaited all the way down to her bottom, and she is wearing a low-cut black vest top and cargo trousers with a dagger in a holster on her thigh. Her statement riles up the crowd even more, and they begin talking over each other and stomping their feet.

“How do you know she isn’t working with the enemy?” Is the only sentence I can make out as the murmur between the students gets louder. I am starting to think this is a bad idea. I stare down at the stone flooring of Moon Archive, wishing it would just swallow me up. River nudges my arm gently, sensing my unrest, and gives me a reassuring smile.

“ENOUGH!” Ryder booms, and the whole crowd quietens.

He waits a moment before speaking, making sure that he has everyone’s attention.

“Sheis the only reason we know where to look in the first place.” He gestures to me, and I flash a small, insecure smile. “Yes, she comes from enemy territory, but that does not mean she is the enemy.”

“How can you jump at creating an alliance with the Sunkind? Have we learned nothing from our ancestors? You of all people know exactly what they are like,” another voice calls out, and Ryder tenses his jaw. His fists clench at the unrest in the room.