“She’s been sleepingfor a few hours, Ry, and she barely ate any food.” The hushed, concerned whisper came from nearby. It drew River out of a nightmare filled with shouts and screams and endless waves. And death. So much death. “I’m worried about her.”
A floorboard creaked. “So am I, but what else can we do?”
“I don’t know. She seems so devastated.”
The words were nearly as heavy as River’s heart.
“Dad was… we both loved him, but the two of them had a special connection, you know?” Ryker’s voice cracked. “He was her father, and they were a pair.”
Fabric rustled, followed by an indistinguishable murmur.
River peered through the slits of her eyes. Night had fallen, the moon and stars clearly visible through the large living room windows.
Ryker and Brynleigh stood a few feet away, hugging. Their heads were bent together, and they gently swayed back andforth. Brynleigh was murmuring in Ryker’s ear, and his hand swept down her back in a soothing motion. The military fae was still in his uniform, having come straight from the base. He still wore his boots. Marlowe was lying on the rug, his head cradled in his paws as he slept.
They were a family, and River had never felt more like an outsider. This was an intensely intimate moment, one shared between partners that wasn’t meant to be witnessed.
Squeezing her lids shut, River pretended to still be asleep. She shouldn’t be watching this.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the air shifted in front of her. A warm, calloused hand brushed hair off her forehead, then cupped her cheek. The touch was soft and familiar, and she knew it was Ryker before he rumbled, “Hey, Shortie.”
She did her best impression of waking up and whispered, “Hey.”
“Sorry I wasn’t here earlier.”
“Don’t be. You have a life.” She tried to smile, but she wasn’t sure it was working. “I wouldn’t expect you to drop everything for me.”
Not again.
Besides, unlike River, Ryker was a good water fae. He was strong and able to control both his magic and his emotions. He had a job he enjoyed. A home. A wife who loved him. A dog.
His life was as close to perfect as one could get, and if it belonged to anyone other than the brother she adored, River would be jealous.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
That was a good question. It shouldn’t have been difficult to answer, and yet, it was. Gods, everything was difficult.
The clouds were back, or maybe they hadn’t ever left. The medical part of River’s brain realized that she should be hungry,since she’d barely eaten, but the thought of putting food in her mouth and chewing right now felt like far too much work.
“I’m… tired,” she admitted.
Ryker’s mouth pinched, and she could tell that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He exchanged a concerned glance with Brynleigh, who stood nearby, but neither of them pushed back.
“Okay.” Ryker stood, helping River to her feet. She kept the blanket wrapped around herself, not ready to give it up, and she didn’t miss the disapproving glance Ryker sent the prohiberis cuffs. “I’ll make you some tea, but if you want to go back to sleep, that’s fine.”
It wasn’t that River wanted to go back to sleep. Not really. But also, she didn’t really want to do anything else.
And that…
That made every step heavy, every breath hurt.
It wasn’t until after River had half-heartedly drunk some tea before climbing into bed and pulling the blanket over herself that she realized she hadn’t even turned on her phone.
CHAPTER 8
Dark Times are Coming
Nikhail missed the days when working was enjoyable and brought him a sense of peace. Right now, sitting in a boardroom and watching the film being projected on the wall, he felt anything but calm.