“My sister!” Ryker took hold of Nikhail’s shoulders and yanked him away from River. “How fucking dare you, Nik?”
Nikhail pushed against Ryker’s arms without putting his full force behind it. He didn’t want to hurt his friend.
“Release me, and I’ll explain,” he gritted out. “We can talk about this like adults.”
Although, it struck him that there might not be an explanation that would help them out of this situation. Between the rage of Ryker’s face and the smarting of Nikhail’s jaw, he got the impression that telling his best friend that he’d been drawn to his sister since the moment he first saw her wouldn’t go over well.
He never got the chance to try.
Ryker shoved Nikhail, and he slammed into the wall with a grunt. Picture frames, as gilded as everything else in this hotel, trembled with the impact of his body.
River gasped, and the sound had Nikhail’s insides seizing as he pushed away from the wall.
“Stop!” she cried out, panic lacing her words. “Don’t hurt him.”
Her words seemed to go over Ryker’s head as he formed a fist and tried to punch Nikhailagain.
And that was one step too far.
“Cut it out, Ryker,” Nikhail growled.
“No,” was the water fae’s snarled reply. “I told you to stay away from her.”
Nikhail understood that his friend was upset. His anger was at least partially justified.
The first punch, Nikhail would forgive, no questions asked. After all, he had sisters, and he would lay down his life to protect them. Not only that, but this was aboutRiver. He cared about her more than anyone else, and he understood wanting to keep her safe. He… loved her.
The thought slammed into Nikhail, stealing his breath.
What a moment to reach such a conclusion. But when Nikhail searched his heart, he realized it was true.
Whether Ryker liked it or not, Nikhail had gone and fallen in love with River. The captain would have to get over it.
Nikhail ducked, evading his best friend’s fist. “That’s enough,” he growled.
Spinning around, he tried to grab Ryker. The water fae eluded him, throwing yet another punch.
“How could you, Nik?” Ryker yelled, fury tinging every word. “She’s my sister!”
He came at Nikhail again. Swearing, Nikhail swung his own fist. It connected with Ryker’s middle. The water fae gasped, charging at him once more.
They were a flurry of fists and grunts. At some point, Nikhail hit Ryker’s jaw. A moment later, Nikhail felt a sharp sting in his nose. Blood poured down his face.
“Fuck,” Nikhail yelled.
He charged at Ryker, but before he could get close, shadows rose from the floor. The dark wisps wrapped around Nikhail. Pinning his arms to his sides, the shadows shoved him against the wall. A glance told him Ryker wasn’t faring any better.
“Well.” Brynleigh stood beside River, arms crossed and a frown on her face. Her wings flared, blocking them from anyone else’s view. “This day certainly took a turn.”
“How could you, Nik?”Ryker sounded no less hurt and angry than he had an hour ago.
Brynleigh had kept them bound in her shadows until they’d both verbally agreed to put an end to the fighting. Then, Brynleigh had gone back to the party long enough to say goodbye on behalf of the Waterborn children and do what she could to smooth over the way River had run out. Afterward, she and River had taken the SUV back to the farmhouse, leaving Ryker and Nikhail to find their own way home.
According to the vampire, it would give them time to “work through things.”
Ryker had begun to argue with his wife, but one look from her, and he’d sighed, acquiescing to her demands. In the end, they’d agreed to take Nikhail’s rental car back to the farmhouse, where Brynleigh said they weren’t welcome until they’d figured things out.
Both men had cleaned up, and their fae healing had already kicked in by the time they got in the car. Nikhail had driven them around in silence, giving Ryker time to process.