Chapter 14

Ruby walked back into the room that she shared her first heat with Ryker in and immediately felt her gut twist. Their scents were gone as if no one had entered here since it was built. The room was immaculate, like it was cleaned by a professional cleaning business.

It’s like he got rid of every piece of evidence that we were in here together.

The thought saddened her in a way she had never experienced before. Tyson may have wanted her dead after they had sex, but Ryker made their night disappear altogether. Ruby did not even know how he was able to get the room to have no scent at all, but he went to that length.

Like he is ashamed of me.

You don’t know that. He may just like his place clean.

How is this even possible?

Maybe the Witch helped him.

A Witch does not help a Shifter that much without a price.

Maybe they have some kind of arrangement…

Her gut twisted again. This time it nearly made her run to the bathroom and hurl all its contents. Ruby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She repeated the process until her stomach was calm once more then took in the details of the room.

Ruby ran her hand along the forest green comforter. The soft fabric felt so inviting to curl under and sleep the past twenty-four hours away. She pushed her hand into the pillow and nearly fell onto the bed. There was just enough resistance to call it a pillow instead of a cloud and silently wondered if she should just curl up on the bed after all.

No, I want to wait for Ryker.

The back of the bed was just two metal bars. It prompted Ruby to hit the bed with her hip and was surprised when she did not hear a squeak. She tried to think back to last night to remember if the bed had squeaked when she and Ryker were on it, but all that did was flood her mind with the images, reminding her of what happened here and the way Ryker took command of her body. Heat pooled into her lower abdomen, and she quickly pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

It was becoming one of the most difficult things she has ever had to do. While at work, it was easy to banish away those thoughts. The hustle and bustle of the club made it difficult for anyone to think of anything other than take an order, make a drink, hand off the drink, add it to the system, and then onto the next. Even when she took a few seconds to go to the bathroom or get a drink, it was not enough time to settle her mind down long enough to think of what happened between her and Ryker. But looking at the bed where he had taken her to a level of pleasure she had never experienced before, not even with her True Mate, it was rather difficult to not think about it.

I am so screwed.

Not yet, but I’m sure Ryker can fix that.

You are no help.

There was no window, but there were two lamps on either side of the bed on end tables. The wood was a deep brown which looked good against the cream on the walls. She took off her shoes and felt the plush carpet against her toes.

Jeez. This guy lives like a King.

The whole room reminded her of the time her father had taken her and Jeremy on a trip to the Central Sanction to speak with the Council. The room they stayed in was a high-end hotel and had the same soft and tempting style as Ryker’s room. Jeremy had tossed her onto the bed shortly after they felt how soft everything was, and then it snowballed into them jumping on it until their legs felt like jelly.

After Ruby took inventory of the room that was now hers, she sat on the bed and tried to keep herself calm. There was no telling what was going on downstairs since Ryker had made the apartment soundproof. He wanted to be sure that, if he decided to take a night off from the club, he would not hear anything so he could keep his mind off it. Tasha mentioned this to her one day when an asshole caused a commotion when Ryker was taking a break.

Ryker looked dangerous when Deacon got him off Josh. He may have been gentle towards her, but Ruby could see that he was still in his state of rage. Ruby left so she would not push his wolf any further, but that left her in the dark as to what was happening down there.

Did Ryker finish what he started?

Was Josh just thrown out?

Maybe they just took Josh on the other side of the territory line and banished him from entering like the last guy?

Ruby flopped onto the bed and let out a groan. The sound of the apartment door lock clicking caught her attention. The door opened and then softly closed. Footprints echoed in the hallway before there was a soft knock on the door. The knock made her jump even though she heard the footsteps leading to her new room which had stopped just outside the door.

Ryker’s scent of amber and berries reached her nose even with the door between them. Her heart skipped a beat, and she found herself breathing it in deeply as if it was a drug that could fix all of her problems.

“Ruby? Are you asleep?” His voice was gentle like it had been after Josh smacked her ass.

“No, you can come in,” she answered him.

Ryker opened the door and walked into the room. Ruby kept her eyes forward as they gazed up at the ceiling. She had no idea if Ryker was in control or his wolf, so it was best that she did not look at him. Scarlett had no problem keeping Ryker’s wolf’s gaze, but the last thing Ruby wanted was for Ryker or his wolf to believe that she would challenge him in any way after witnessing Josh’s face being beaten in.

Ryker must have noticed her efforts and decided to call her out on it. “You’re not in any danger, Ruby. You can look at me.”

His voice registered on the left side of her. Ruby slowly turned her head and found him leaning on the wall. She kept her eyes fixated on his lips at first, still avoiding his eyes at all costs. Ryker shook his head and let out a sigh.

“I scared you, didn’t I?” Ryker’s voice remained in the gentle tone that she was slowly falling in love with. She had not seen him talk this way to anyone else, including Tasha.

Is it something that he will only do with me?

Ruby moved her eyes to look at the wall just beside his head. “Scared? No. Nervous? Yes.”

Another sigh. “I don’t want you to be nervous or scared around me. There really is not a reason to be. I would never hurt you.”

Ruby looked up at the ceiling, “I know. You aren’t the kind of guy who would willingly hurt a woman. Physically, anyway.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” His voice shifted slightly, almost as if he took that in a way she did not intend.

“Not what you think it meant. You are an Alpha that will protect his people at all cost. An Alpha who regards women and children to be precious and should never be harmed.”

“If you know I won’t hurt you, then why won’t you look at me?”

“Just a precaution.”

Ruby heard some shuffling and a couple of footsteps. Then the weight of his legs pressed against her own which dangled off the bed, and his hands came down on either side of her, his face hovering over her. His navy-blue eyes looked down at her with a twinkle of mischief in them and a smirk playing at his lips.

“I let Josh go on the condition that he does not come back here again.”

“Oh. Good. Did Nick fix him up?” Ruby tried to make her voice sound casual but had no idea if it worked. Feeling him pressed against her, the heat of his body setting hers on fire…it made it very hard to think.

“No. He is a wolf. He can heal himself.”

Should I tempt him with the questions I want answered?

You should tempt him into doing a lot more than answering some questions.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

Why is it so hard to talk to you right now? “Why did you get like that tonight? I got it after he broke the glass. But not when he smacked my ass. Or even a month ago.”

Ryker took a deep breath. His eyes darkened as he pondered his answer. Ruby was unsure what that answer was going to be or what he would do next. She had seen what happened after his eyes shifted from his to his wolf’s, but not when they darken. Ruby’s heart started to bang into her chest like a drummer completing his solo.

“You’re mine, Ruby Gardener.”