Page 57 of Ravaged Devotion

“It’s not a negotiation,” Ryker cut him off. “It’s everything or nothing with me, Rue. Choose. This is the only time I’m going to give you any sort of choice at all.”

That meant if Rue said no right now, if anything happened in the future with those creatures outside, Ryker wouldn’t lift a finger to protect Bowie or Lenore. Maybe he wouldn’t even bother keeping Rue safe either.

On the surface, remaining indoors should be an easy enough solution, but with no way of knowing how long the fog would remain, how long they’d be trapped here…It wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.

Sensing his wavering resolve, Ryker gave him another kiss, this one soft, slow, and far too fleeting. “Say yes, sweetheart.”

He found himself nodding before his brain could even comprehend he was doing it. “All right.” Rue made himself inhale and exhale, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. “Yes.”

Chapter 12:

There was never any choice. Not really.

The second Ryker learned this was all one big miscommunication, a dirty trick played by his brother for reasons as of now unknown to him, any chance of Rue walking away had been rescinded.

But it was better this way, easier, if the other man thought he was making a conscious decision to give himself to Ryker. He was under no illusions that this conversation would magically make things right between them, or that Rue would really follow through without pushback—his little brother couldn’t help himself in that regard—but this was a start. A good one.

One that set them back on the correct path after years of deviation.

He wanted Rue to stay in his room and wait for him, but of course, not even five minutes after their agreement, Rue didn’t want to listen. That was how they both ended up returning to the main level, Ryker deciding it was too early to fight, knowing it was smarter to pick and choose his battles.

Everyone had gathered in the lounge once more, a small group of them hovering over Esti, whose leg had been bandaged. Cosima was missing again, and Rhys and the others hadn’t miraculously returned in Ryker’s absence, which meant he was still in charge.

“Can we move somewhere else?” Ishleen had just asked Ellery when Ryker and Rue stepped through the open doorway. Her eyes were on the floor to ceiling window. “It’s creepy being in here.”

“It feels like something is watching us from out there, right?” Penn agreed with a shiver. He was standing in the center of the room, between the two resting areas. Esti and the others were to his right, while Hollis was on his own on the chair nearest the fireplace closest the door.

Had probably been kicked to the curb for abandoning his girlfriend and her mother to save himself earlier.

Weakling.

“Rue!” Bowie and Lenore were standing by the bar, the first calling out to him as soon as they spotted them.

Rue moved away from Ryker, going toward them without so much as a backward glance, and Ryker tried hard not to let that bother him.

He couldn’t afford to give into misplaced anger right now. Had to keep a clear head.

“Hey.” Ellery was seated on the couch across from Esti, his arms stretched out over the back. Out of everyone here, he appeared the most relaxed.

“Cosima?” Ryker asked.

“Searching the property for staff members. She’s warning them not to go outside, or open anything and risk letting anything in.”

“On her own?”

“Sent Uriel with her.”

Ryker noticed that the other Black Hart wasn’t at his post by the window any longer. That was probably a good thing. “Anywhere in this place that doesn’t have an entire wall of glass?”

“None that I’ve found yet,” Ellery replied. “Even the damn kitchen has some windows. They really took the whole ‘view’ thing seriously. Considering it’s what most people who come here pay for, that’s not too surprising.”

“No, but it is inconvenient.”

He lifted a brow. “Don’t tell me you think we’re being watched as well?”

“Can’t you feel it?” Ryker had the moment he’d arrived. Even though he couldn’t see anything other than white and gray, there was the uncanny sensation of being stared at.

“Guess the general consensus is not a bear then?” Ellery chuckled. “Fun.”