River Cast: Part Two in the Tale of Lunarmorte (24 page)

“
I thought we
had been over this, already. You’re starting to sound like a broken
record.”

“
We’ve not
been over it to my satisfaction.”

Somehow she managed to
contain the snort of annoyance that comment elicited. It bothered
her that he wanted to talk about all the bad stuff when all she
wanted was to forget it. And she could; she could do that now that
she had him, now that she had something to look forward to,
something to work towards.

At her silence, she could
feel his tension build, his frustration pulling tighter and tighter
until-

“
For Artemis’
sake, Jae, talk to me.”

With a huff, she drew
herself up on the truck, tucking her legs in close to her body.
Finally she allowed her gaze to drift over him. As his eyes blazed
at her with a mixture of emotions, she was reminded of how of lucky
she was that someone like him cared enough to keep asking - despite
the wall = head-hitting that occurred each time he did.

“
What is it
you want to know, Ryder?”

He sat up, his huge body
taking up most of the room on the hood, drawing her closer in
towards him despite her wish to remain aloof – at least with this
part of herself.

“
I want to
know if you really are coping with what happened with Ethan? Are
you still having nightmares?”

She clenched her teeth
together, grinding them back and forth as she squeezed out, “You
really are trying to embarrass me to death.”

“
Why is this
embarrassing?”

She deliberately dodged
the question. “I thought we talked about this that night in the
motel room. I told you I was fine.”

“
Yeah and
I... I don’t
get
how you
can
be.”

Goddess, he was a
frustrating pain in the ass. No wonder he was a Rogue Hunter, he
was completely relentless.

“
I told you I
don’t understand my change in feelings.”

“
I told you
that’s not what I’m asking about.”

“
Ryder... ”
She threw him a pleading glance. “This is what I’m afraid of.
You’re doing what my parents are doing.”

“
What?”

“
Trying to
decide if I’m a mental patient.”

“
Well, are
you?”

“
Ryder!”

“
Jaeden, I
just need to know you’re OK.”

“
Yes, I’m
OK!” She yelled at him, her heart pounding as she got ready to say
it. “I’m OK because of you. Because I love you! You big ass!” Face
pulsing with heat from the blood rushing underneath her skin, Jae
made to throw herself off the hood of the truck, only to struggle
against a steel hold that wrapped around her waist. She yelped as
it dragged her back and slammed her none too gently on her back.
Ryder held her down, his eyes bright as they roved over her, red
face and all. He looked... surprised.

This is it.
It’s true. You can die of embarrassment. He thinks I’m
insane.

“
You...You’re
OK because of me?” He asked incredulously.

Jeez, the whole
country can probably feel my heart spluttering in abject
horror!

“
Well,
not
just
you,”
she groused, still pinned under him. “The fact that I might be
useful to Caia in the war is also keeping me quite
sane.”

“
You plan on
fighting?” He frowned.

“
Well, what
did you think I’ve been practising for?”

“
Huh.” He
looked off into the trees considering the notion, and then his eyes
narrowed back on her. “I don’t know if I like that too
much.”

“
Well, you
can just take a flying-”

“
Now, now, I
said I didn’t like it, but I get it.” He nodded and pulled back,
allowing her to scramble up and regain some equilibrium. “It makes
sense that it would help.”

Great, he’s not
going to say anything. He’s just going to completely ignore that
little announcement.

I thought he
had to love me back if we had any chance of being mates?

She felt like killing
him.

Matters weren’t helped by
the way he just stared at her for a long moment, his expression
quizzical.

“
It’s more
than you,” she reiterated, trying to regain some ground, “When I
was in that... cage... I gave up on life,” her voice cracked a
little. “And when Sebastian died I felt ashamed of myself for
feeling that way. I’ve promised myself that I will live... because
he can’t.”

For a moment they sat in a
heavy-hearted silence.

“
Maybe you
should take me home,” she whispered, looking away, her heart quite
literally hurting in her chest.

“
Jaeden?”

“
What?” She
refused to look at him.

Gently, he took her chin
in his hand and forced her to look at him, his eyes searching. “I’m
not ignoring what you said-”

“
Ryder,
don’t-”

“
Shut up for
a second OK. Jaeden, I wouldn’t have suggested we might be mates if
I hadn’t been falling in love with you. I love you.” He grinned
ruefully. “Despite the fact that you make me crazy. I’m just...
awed that I could do that for you; that I could help you be
OK.”

Relief flooded her and she
let him draw her in for a long, comforting kiss that heated up too
quickly. He withdrew from her laughing shakily. “I’m going to kill
Lucien for extending this trip of theirs.”

Jaeden laughed at his
belligerence, relief melting her doubts into the shadows of the
forest around them. “Yeah, cos’ I’m sure Lucien is enjoying being
away from the pack.”

“
Point
taken.” He sighed and looked around them. “I suppose I better get
you back.”

“
Can’t we
stay... just for a little longer?”

He smiled softly.
“Sure.”

They settled back down,
lying side by side, listening to the sounds of the insects in the
nearby woods, the chirping of birds that should have been
asleep.

“
So, you
really want to fight, huh?”

Jaeden laughed at his
pretend innocent question. “Yes. I’ll be OK. You’ll be
there.”

He chuckled and put his
arm around her, drawing her in. “Nice try.”

“
Ryder?” She
asked after a few moments of delicious silence.

“
Hmm?”

“
Why did you
decide to be a Rogue Hunter?”

It took him a moment to
answer and then he squeezed her closer once more. “Because of my
dad.”

Her heart thudded a little
with the sad remembrance that he had lost his father when he was
only a young boy. “Your dad?”

“
Yeah.
Because of what happened to him. What he couldn’t prevent from
happening. He was strong, don’t get me wrong, but he was always
just a family man. However, he loved Caia’s father, respected him a
great deal. Rafe was a Rogue Hunter and a great one at that. But
for the most part I remember Rafe being the guy that everyone
turned to, you know. He was a good guy. A truly good guy. I
remember my dad defending him when he let Adriana into the pack. A
lot of people back then were already sore from Mikhail’s stupidity
and betrayal. When Rafe fell for Adriana’s lies only a few stuck by
him. People left. Of course Magnus and your dad were two who stuck
by him, so was Lucien’s. And my dad. Jeez my mom would rag on Rafe
so badly, which would just end in an explosive argument between my
parents. My dad would take me and Aidan aside and tell us quietly
that mom was just upset, but not to listen to the pack’s tales
about Rafe. Or Caia. My dad was really fond of that
kid.”

Jaeden quietly placed her
hand on his chest, feeling it thud quickly into her
palm.

“
That’s why
he was there when Adriana came back for Caia. He was at their
house; he told Rafe to take Caia and run, he would hold her off.”
He cleared his throat, and she hurt for the way it still hurt him
now. “My dad was a brave guy and strong, and he did a heroic thing.
But he wasn’t trained to fight. And he especially wasn’t quick
enough to fight a magik.”

“
So you
became a Rogue Hunter.”

“
So I became
a Rogue Hunter. So I could fight and give myself a better chance of
staying alive in order to keep protecting the people
I
cared
about.”

“
That’s why
you’re so protective of Caia.”

He nodded, clasping her
hand tighter to his chest. “My dad didn’t die for nothing, Jaeden.
He died to keep her alive. She’s here for a reason and I trust
that. I’ve come to trust her.”

“
So you’ll
fight for her?”

“
Yeah, I
will.”

Jaeden felt
an overwhelming amount of respect for him in that moment, a feeling
so strong it actually took an unyielding grip on her chest. “I said
I would fight with her. But
I
trust
you
. So I guess I’ll fight
for
her as
well.”

She felt his smile without
looking for it.

***

“
Why don’t you
just give him the tools tomorrow?” She asked in a ‘guys have no
logic’ kind of tone.

Ryder shrugged. “I’m
trying to stay on his good side.”

“
Getting me
home at a decent hour would accomplish that.”

He rolled his eyes and
jumped out of his truck. “Come on, I’ll just be one
second.”

With that Jaeden hopped
out of the passenger side and came around to meet him as he began
walking towards the main door of his apartment building. Having
just remembered the tool box Dimitri had asked to borrow as he was
driving Jae home from their unbelievable night together, he thought
it prudent to do everything he could to be a dutiful son-in-law to
her father. Jaeden was still teasing him as he put the key in his
door and pushed it open. Immediately he felt something unfamiliar
in the air, and his arm flew out without thinking, pushing Jae
behind him, shushing her with a quietly placed finger to his
lips.

She nodded, telling him
she understood.

Slowly, they crept down
his hallway and turned to gaze into his sitting room. In the dark,
they could make out clearly with their wolf eyes, the two figures
standing huddled together by the window. Their body language didn’t
suggest menace. Curious and furious at the same time, Ryder hit the
light switch on the wall and flooded the place in light, eliciting
a high pitched squeal from the girl. The boy blinked at them in
fright, holding the girl closer.

“
Who the hell
are you?” Ryder growled, hoping to scare the truth out of them.
Jaeden seemed to sense what he had – they weren’t a threat - and
pressed a halting hand on his arm.

The tall boy edged a
little closer, seeming to draw some strength from somewhere as he
straightened his shoulders back, bracing himself. “We’re from the
Centre. Caia sent us.”

Well,
that
he hadn’t been
expecting.

“
What?”
Jaeden asked for him.

“
I’m Vilhelm,
this is Laila.”

They were Scandinavian or
something by the look of them, and by the accent the boy spoke
with. Ryder glowered, completely bewildered by their appearance
here tonight.

“
Sit down,”
he ordered, ignoring Jaeden’s continued attempt to make him be
nicer to their ‘guests’. Obediently, the two fell on to his sofa,
and he felt a twinge of regret at his tone when the girl physically
cowered from him as he strode towards them.

“
Why would
Caia send you here?”

The boy looked quickly
between the two. “You are Ryder?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Caia said to
come here. That she trusted you.”

“
That doesn’t
answer why you are here.”

“
She’s a
Midnight.”

They all swivelled around
at the voice and Ryder narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Reuben.

“
What the
Hades are you doing here?” He snapped.

Even Jaeden gazed at him
warily. “Reuben?”

The vampyre moved fluidly
from the hallway to stand by her. “I came to speak with
Ryder.”

“
Maybe we
should leave.” The boy abruptly stood, his eyes now wild with fear,
his grip on the girl white with intensity.

“
No.” Ryder
gestured them back and then glared at Reuben. “What do you mean
she’s a Midnight?”

“
Please,” the
girl whimpered.

Ryder’s heart was thudding
like crazy, his mind whirring. “Reuben?”

“
I can feel
it.”

“
I thought
only the Head of a coven could feel trace?” Jae
interjected.

The vamp shook his head.
“I don’t have trace; I can’t find supernaturals. But I can feel
whether one is a Daylight or a Midnight when I’m in the room with
them.”