“Excellent.” Therian clapped Ryker on the back, and the fae winced. That would definitely bruise. No wonder the Carinoc Division was so well respected. “My wife will be delighted to hear that. We’ll see you at the Reunion, right?”
Ryker’s eyes widened, and he inwardly cursed. By the Sands, he’d completely forgotten about that.
Roughly two months after the last wedding took place, Choosing participants gathered for one last celebration. It was the final send-off into the world for the new couples and the closing ceremony of the Choosing. Like the rest of the marriage competition, it would be broadcast to the entire Republic. With everything else going on, it had slipped Ryker’s mind.
Forgetfulness wasn’t sufficient cause for missing the Reunion, though. He could already hear his mother’s sharp voice in his mind.
Waterborns do not fail. Waterborns do not cause scenes. Waterborns attend all social events required of them, even if they do not care to attend because they are the public face of the Central Region fae.
Tertia was already angry with him. He wouldn’t dare risk incurring more of his mother’s wrath.
“When is it?” he asked Therian.
“Three weeks from tomorrow,” the dragon shifter said.
Ryker mentally cataloged that information and nodded. “We’ll be there.”
They had three weeks to fix everything… or at least enough that going to the Reunion wouldn’t break them. It was a tight deadline, but he wasn’t intimidated.
He and Brynleigh would repair their relationship, even if it was the last thing they did.
CHAPTER 20
Irrational Fears and Night-Blooming Roses
Brynleigh
Tell me, Captain, what’s your most irrational fear?
Stretched out on his hotel bed, Ryker smiled at his phone. He held it above his head, his fingers flying over the screen as he typed out his reply. He was tired, but it was a good kind of exhaustion. It had taken them far too fucking long, but finally, with the dragons’ help, they’d uncovered some actionable intelligence.
Ryker had spent most of the day tracking leads with his team. It was after midnight, but he couldn’t sleep. He’d texted Brynleigh an hour ago, and she’d replied immediately.
Ryker
Who says I have an irrational fear?
Three dots instantly appeared.
Everyone isafraid of something.
True.
The problem was that Ryker knew fear on an intimate level. He was afraid of many things, and none of his fears were irrational. At least, not to him.
There were so many, sometimes he was worried he would drown in them.
He was afraid that even with daily training, River’s power would grow too strong, and she’d lose control again. He was afraid he and Brynleigh wouldn’t be able to fix what was broken between them. He was afraid his father would die and leave them alone, with Tertia as their only parent.
But more than all those combined, Ryker was afraid that even if he followed all the rules and regulations, he would fail his family.
Those fears weren’t irrational or ridiculous. They were real, and they kept him awake at night. When he did finally sleep, they fueled his nightmares.
That was too much to put into a single text, though. Too raw.
Why don’t you go first?
He wasn’t sure she’d answer. Gnawing on his bottom lip, a habit he’d picked up from River, he stared at the dim screen. Several minutes passed before those three dots appeared.