Page 63 of Rite of Unity

I exhaled a shaky breath.“I don’t even know you.”

To my left, the announcers talked animatedly.

He stepped toward my bed, touching the tablet, and the screen froze.“I’m discreet.I promise.”

I sputtered a laugh.“If anyone found you here, I wouldn’t just be eliminated from the Rite; it could be far worse.”My gaze tracked the curve of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed not once, twice.“But you don’t have to worry about things like that, do you?As a man.”

His hands came out of his pockets, one running over his thigh.I tracked the movement as it slid up and down.Recognized the nervous tick.

We stared at one another.

“Eat your breakfast.It will get cold.”

I looked to the bowl sitting by the bed, then at him.“Please leave.”

“This isn't my hometown.”He rubbed his thigh again, looking up.“Mondays are—” He stopped."It's just hard."

A soft smile touched his lips as he patted the space beside him.“Let’s be friends.”

My brows pinched together.The image of Mama waving as I drove away yesterday rose in my mind.“You miss your mom?”

He exhaled.“Yeah.”

My heart slowed a fraction, my shoulders relaxing.

“When was the last time you went home?”

His hand on his thigh stopped.“Her birthday.”

His lips stretched, and I exhaled.The look was so warm, so genuine, my feet were moving before I’d decided.

My gaze went to the door, then slid back to him.“Okay.”

I moved, skirting around the bed, and picked up my bowl.

“Okay?”

His hopeful tone caught me off guard.“But you have to promise to be quiet.If anyone heard you…”

He held a finger to his lips, smiling.

I dragged a chair across the room to face the screen, its legs scraping the floor, then sat with my bowl balanced in my lap.

I glanced sideways at him as he touched the tablet on the end of the bed and resumed the broadcast.

“Joshua Silva’s Rite begins tomorrow.”

My spoon halted inches from my mouth.

“Let’s take a look at his matches.”

I held in my groan as the sugary oats coated my tongue.

On screen, twelve women were shown one by one.All from the Middle, all oddly similar in appearance.Elias hadn’t chosen women who looked anything alike; for the most part.Josh clearly had a type.

Ruth’s face appeared on screen.

“Let’s watch this match.”