Page 103 of Renegade Kings
So here I was, pretending that I didn’t see how Rhidian’s eyes tracked me whenever we were in a room together. Knowing I could never give him the one thing he’d wanted since the very first day we’d met.
With a sigh, I moved to where a map was tacked onto the wall of the cabin, tracing the surface with my fingers. I carefully looked over the route we were following along the coastline. It was risky considering we could be spotted from the shore, but Rhidian had assured us we’d moved far enough from land that we’d just be a spot on the horizon until it came time to move closer. Even then, we were coming to shore at such an isolated spot that we should be fine. The mountains came nearly to the beach and there were few who would risk them, especially now. The plan to use the mountains to obscure our approach wasn’t foolproof, but it was the best we came up with. If we could get close enough to Arik’s forces before they realised we were there, we could stand a chance—maybe.
The door to the cabin opened and then closed, and I was relieved to finally not have to suffer through my own company any longer.
My gaze travelled across Dean and Ryder to see if there was any outward sign of what had happened when they’d gone down to see Damon. They’d been down there a while, so I knew it wasn’t as simple as giving him food and then leaving.
They were both intact though, and I knew if they wanted to talk about it, they would. There was no point poking at that wound now. Especially when I didn’t have a solution for how we were going to get Damon back with us in body and in mind.
“Tank is playing with swords up on deck with Rhidian,” Ryder told me when my eyes moved back to the door as I realised Maddox and Tank weren’t behind them.
I snorted in amusement at the thought of Tank standing over Rhidian with a sword in his hand. It wouldn’t be something I’d particularly want to endure. When he had the strength of his bear behind him, Tank had one hell of a swing.
“What about Maddox?” I asked.
Dean moved closer. His fingertips trailed across the hem of the shirt I still wore, grazing the skin of my thighs as he did.
“Damon is lucid at the moment, so Maddox is having some time with him while he can. He wants to ease some information out of him before the nightmare forces control to stop him,” Dean told me as his head dipped down to kiss my neck.
My mind felt foggy with the rising lust that Dean was coaxing out of me as he continued to place soft kisses up the length of my neck.
“Should he be doing that alone? What if the nightmare comes back? Can Maddox handle seeing Damon lose control?” I was worried, and it was enough to have my mind coming back online, even if it was only for a moment.
Ryder stepped closer, licking his lips.
“That’s what we’re hoping for. That the nightmare takes over, not that Maddox can’t handle it,” Ryder quickly explained. “Maddox thinks he can get some information out of the nightmare about the hold he has over Damon if he plays the worried brother card.”
I had to admit it was a good idea, but I was worried about how well Maddox would handle the nightmare’s taunting. I didn’t like the idea of him risking his own mental health, especially not when he was by himself. He shouldn’t have to take this on alone, but then that was the whole point, wasn’t it? The nightmare would have its guard down more if it thought it could deal Maddox as much pain as possible. Having someone there as backup would only undermine what he was trying to do.
“Trust him,” Dean whispered against my neck. “He knows how to do this. Maddox will be fine. And if he’s not, he’ll come to you and you can help him feel better.”
My mind went to exactly the place Dean wanted to go. It obviously helped that he was slowly bunching the bottom of my shirt up as he spoke. Slowly revealing me to Ryder, who was tracking his every move.
“I think that’s an excellent point,” Ryder said with a grin as he stepped to press himself against my front. “But you should probably practise how you’re going to do that first. You know… just to make sure you get it right,” he whispered against my lips.
I felt his cheeky smile against my lips before I pressed forward to seal the kiss, unable to take their teasing any longer.
A small part of me felt guilty, that we should wait for the others to join us. But then Ryder’s hands slipped around my hips before he grabbed me by the ass and pulled me tighter against him.
And I was lost.
Lost to the sensations of their touches, lost to the feelings they both coaxed to life inside of me. Lost in the dream of what the future would be like if we didn’t have a war hanging over our heads.
Dean pulled my shirt over my head, dropping it to the ground. Ryder was already on his knees before it had hit the floor, running his hands up my legs with a look of wonder on his face.
I leant back into Dean’s chest, watching Ryder at work. As he revealed me to himself, he trailed his fingertips almost reverently across my skin.
“So beautiful,” he murmured before looking up at me. “So perfect.”
I felt my cheeks heat at the compliment. Perfect wasn’t a word I’d ever use to describe myself. It wasn’t something I could ever believe.
Dean’s hand grasped my chin and turned my head. “I can feel how much you don’t believe that through our bond,” he told me. “Would I ever lie to you?”
I thought about it for a moment, wanting to make sure that he knew I meant what I said next. “No.”
Because he wouldn’t. If there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty about Dean it was that he didn’t have the usual bullshit everyone else used to sugarcoat their daily lives. He cut through all the crap and told you how it was, not because he wanted to hurt you, but because he wanted the very best for you instead.
“Exactly. You are perfect. Everything about you, from your infuriating need to step into the line of fire for everyone else, to the way you’ve selflessly stepped up for this realm, even knowing that it could cost you your life. I have never known a person who is as pure and good as you are, Alyssa. I don’t deserve you, but I’m going to spend every day of the rest of my life trying to change that.”