Chapter 90

CHAPTER NINETY

Ellery

As soon as Ryker fell asleep, I should have returned home to see my mother. She was probably still worrying about me, even though Scarlet would have told her I was safe.

I couldn't bring myself to walk away while he was still healing. Despite being safe in Tucker's encampment, he was still vulnerable, and I did not like it.

I patrolled the tree house, making sure the ladder used to climb in and out of the hole in the floor was inside and the door covering it was locked. I checked the canvas and windows again, but there was nothing more I could do about them.

When I came to the pile of weapons in the corner, I inspected them, but I already had my dagger, bow, and quiver. I would take out anyone who tried to enter without permission.

When I was sure there was nothing more I could do to make the tree house safer, I returned to Ryker and knelt at the foot of the mattress. He was so large his feet dangled over the edge.

I untied and carefully removed his boots before tugging off his socks and pants. After I finished, I dropped the ruined clothes in the corner as far from him as possible. There was no saving them, and I wasn't going to open the door to take them out tonight.

Returning to Ryker, I pulled the green blanket from under his legs at the bottom of the bed and pulled it up to his waist. It was probably too warm for such a thing tonight, but he might be cold after all the blood he'd lost.

If he'd prefer not to have it, he could always kick it off, but it would be more difficult for him to pull it over himself than it was to remove it. Once I tucked the blanket into place, I removed my weapons and placed them next to me as I settled beside the thick mattress.

I tried to ignore how hard the floor was beneath my ass while pulling off my boots and stuffing my socks into them. I set them beside my quiver, placed my dagger in my lap, and leaned my back against the nightstand beside the bed.

The reassuring sound of Ryker's steady breathing was music to my ears as it mingled with the songs and cries of the Revenant Woods. I could have lost him today. Not from his injuries; it would take more than that to kill him, but at any point, something could have gone wrong, and it could have been over… for all of us.

But Ryker was the only one who'd ended up hurt. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I studied his handsome profile; stubble lined his jaw, but because of his hood, his face remained clean of dirt and blood.

At some point, he'd removed the bandages to reveal the raw, puckered marks beneath. I could only see one of the wounds, but I knew what the other three looked like.

He's okay. He's still here.

But for how much longer?

I wanted to believe he was far too strong and well-trained for anything to take him out, but things had changed so much. Our realm was in turmoil, and he intended to keep putting himself in jeopardy. Anything could happen.

Doubt over our current plan flickered through my mind, but what other option did we have? We couldn't sit back and do nothing while the nobles and king took everything from us.

If we didn't stop them, they'd destroy Tempest and all of us. Because of his position in our realm, Ryker might survive it, but I doubted his father would allow that. They hated each other far too much.

We either fought or allowed everything we loved to be dismantled by the rulers who'd put us in this position. I was never one to sit back and take it, but I didn't kid myself into thinking we'd all make it out of this.

Some of us would die before this was over.

With a sigh, I pulled myself out of my morose thoughts to study the tree house. Ryker's apartment in the castle was cold, unadorned, and nothing like him, but I saw pieces of him here.

His neatly folded clothes sat on the shelf, and an extra pair of boots were next to the hatch in the floor. A collection of rocks in assorted colors and shapes also decorated the shelf. The rocks were pretty, but I pondered what made him grab them. Was it simply a whim, or did he know something about them that I didn't?

From my earlier examination of the ten-by-ten room, I was aware three books sat beside a lantern on the nightstand behind me. Another lantern hung from a hook on the wall.

When I looked at Ryker again, I leaned over to brush the hair back from his forehead. In sleep, his face had relaxed, making him look younger and more approachable.

I kept myself from leaning over to kiss him as my fingers lingered on his cheek. If he didn't welcome my kiss while awake, he wouldn't welcome it while sleeping either, but I couldn't stop touching him until I realized I was only torturing myself and pulled my hand away.

I should go; it would be better for my heart if I did, but I couldn't leave without ensuring he was up and moving again. Once I knew he could defend himself, I'd go. Until then, I'd make sure he stayed safe.