His sister’s brown eyes widened, and she gasped. “Who, me? I wouldnever.”
Yet, Ryker knew firsthand that River could very easily do that. At school, she was the quiet academic type, but she could be unhinged when it came to sports.
“I’m serious, River. I don’t want you to scare her off.” Especially not now, after last night.
River must have picked up on the seriousness of the situation because she swallowed.
“Okay. I understand. I’ll be good.” She smiled, gesturing to her feet. “I stopped and picked up a few snacks on my way.”
Ryker’s eyes widened. “A few?” Five overflowing cloth tote bags surrounded her. “We’re not hosting the entire army.”
She smirked, handing him several bags. “I know, but I got hungry and couldn’t decide, so I bought everything that looked good.”
He laughed. That was just like River. He loved her, but she had no concept of money.
Picking up the remainder of the bags, Ryker led his sisterinside. They unpacked the snacks, putting them out while River updated her brother on the state of her life. She was halfway through a tale about an incident in her senior chemistry class earlier this week when another knock came on the door.
“Hello, anyone home?” Atlas’s deep tenor was audible through the door.
Ryker grabbed a stack of colorful bowls from the cabinet that had been a housewarming gift from a teenage River when he first moved into the apartment.
“Come on in,” he hollered.
Moments later, the door opened. Atlas came in first, carrying a case of beer in each hand. The tall redheaded earth fae wore a T-shirt despite the cold weather, showing off his tattoos.
“I’ll put these on the balcony.” He lifted the cases in demonstration. “The temperature is dropping fast. The winter will be long—the land is preparing for a cold snap.”
When Ryker first met Atlas, he found it strange that the earth fae often spoke for the land. Now, it was just one of his friend’s amusing little quirks.
Despite looking like he should be part of a dangerous gang, Atlas had a gentle side that he hid from the world. Even his students would never guess their tattooed professor could be soft outside of the classroom.
Thanking Atlas, Ryker set the bowls down as Nikhail entered the kitchen. The air fae placed two wine bottles on the counter before leaning against the marble.
“Hey, River, nice to see you,” Nikhail said.
She turned from the fridge, smiling shyly at the air fae dressed in his signature suit.
“Hey, Nik. How are you?”
Something in River’s tone had Ryker narrowing his eyes. His gaze danced between the two, and he glowered.
Whateverthiswas, he wasn’t pleased about it. Nikhail was a good man, but he wasn’t suitable for River.
At. All.
She deserved someone perfect, and Nikhail, for all his good qualities, was not that.
Frowning, Ryker glared at his best friend. This had better not be what he thought it was. He already had enough going on without dealing with his sister and his…
No. He wouldn’t even entertain the thought.
Nikhail didn’t seem to notice Ryker’s displeasure as he dipped his head.
“I’m good. Glad to have a night off.”
River chewed on her lip, the ring glinting from the artificial light in the kitchen. “You deserve it. You army folk work too hard, which says a lot, coming from a medical student.”
The air fae shrugged and smiled.