Page 19 of Ravaged Devotion

They were identical in more ways than simply appearance. Most stories about twins’ spoke of individuality, some even saying they were split down the middle, with one being boisterous and the other quiet, or something of the like, but that wasn’t the case with Ryker and Ryder.

Of course, they weren’t the same person, but their differences weren’t so glaringly obvious, and usually took someone a long time to discover.

Ryder had always been more interested in game play, while Ryker was fascinated with how things worked. The tech side of it all, the code. How that code could bring something to life in vivid color. But when it came to actually playing, he was the opposite. He didn’t enjoy games that made him think too deeply. Wasn’t into puzzles.

Ryker wanted the thrill of the hunt and to purge the violence swirling within him, so to speak. His brother preferred lengthy, complex mystery or RPG games. When they could find something that combined both, they could disappear in their lounge at home for days. A full week even, once.

Belladonna was an RPG Costume Fantasy virtual reality game. It hadn’t even entered full testing stages yet, had barely been spoken of publicly, and yet somehow one of Ryder’s connections had learned about it. The company, Sanxing, had been one of the leading game developers in the galaxy, having released several of Ryder’s favorites over the years.

After the accident, the company claimed Ryder had obtained the prototype through coercion and threats—and maybe he had. There was a good chance of it, in any case. But that didn’t change the fact that Ryker’s brother and one of their friends were lying here, hooked up to machines that were keeping them alive while their minds were a whole universe away.

Integration.

That’s what the doctors and the developers of the game had described it as. Ryder and Uriel’s brain waves had integrated with the system, making it impossible to pull them out without causing severe brain damage. The interface, a VR headset with six wire attachments at their temples and the base of their skull, was too dangerous to remove. Everything had a specific energy pattern, and theirs had retuned itself to match the thrumming machines that sat between them.

The super computer was an eyesore, but Ryker was used to it. His brother had bought it specifically to run Belladona. The capsule pods had come with the game itself, the items delivered the day before the accident. Ryker had gotten a look at the setup and joked that his brother had turned their east room into a laboratory of sorts.

The twins had been given the side house when they’d turned fourteen, and had mostly converted it into a space where they could explore their interests without worrying about their father’s snide comments. Rhys almost never visited, since the building had been their mother’s sanctuary before her death.

This room had blank walls and white marble flooring, with a wide bay window that faced the east gardens. He’d cracked the window earlier, and the smell of powdery roses filtered through with the breeze, a sea of colorful blooms greeting him every time Ryker glanced outside.

He thought of Rue and scowled, pulling his gaze away.

Rue was supposed to be here that day. When Ryker and Uriel had entered the game, Rue was meant to be the monitor, the person on the outside watching their vitals to ensure nothing went wrong. According to the doctors, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had been here. It may have even been more catastrophic, because if Rue had tried to wake them, or turned off the game in an attempt to, he could have inadvertently killed them.

In the beginning, Ryker had assumed Rue’s absence was due to guilt. Had thought he’d run because he couldn’t handle the idea of harming Ryder or Uriel. Rue wasn’t like the rest of them. He was soft, delicate. Despite the harsh words Ryker had thrown at him the other day on the field, Rue was a decent person.

Or, he was when everyone else was involved.

Just not to Ryker.

“Rue still avoids me like the plague,” he found himself telling his brother. “Still acts like nothing ever happened between us. It makes me sick when he’s caring towards others. When he’s protective of them.” He scrubbed at his face and chuckled humorlessly. “Pathetic, right? If you were awake, you’d tell me to get over it.”

It was a waste of energy wanting someone who didn’t want him back. He knew that, and yet…

“I hate him so much for abandoning me,” he murmured. “But I also can’t seem to forget him. Can’t get that image of him out of my head, no matter how hard I try.”

Ryker dreamed about it often.

Rue surrounded by roses, pale skin gleaming in the moonlight as he panted beneath Ryker. The way his breathy moans had carried on the wind. How hot his body had felt, like Ryker was embracing a tiny fallen star, his cock engulfed in blindingly brilliant heat.

That night, that moment, had been perfect. Had fulfilled something in him he hadn’t been aware was empty. Had surpassed every wild fantasy and wet dream Ryker had ever experienced.

He’d been ready to offer the world to Rue after that.

And then Rue had left him.

Had acted like it’d never happened.

Ryker had given all of himself.

And gotten slapped in the face in return.

“I hate him,” he repeated.

Because hatred was easier. Manageable. Ryker could live with it. Could do something with it.

Because he was a Black Hart. The Black Hart.