Page 20 of Ravaged Devotion

And Black Harts didn’t get heartbroken.

His gaze shifted to the empty pod closest to the door. It’d been meant for their friend Ares, but at the last minute, he’d changed his mind and hadn’t shown.

Should Ryker climb in?

Hook himself up to the game?

Find his brother and escape…

Just…escape.

He sighed and closed his eyes, conjuring a thread of that familiar anger to help center himself. If he willingly trapped himself in a virtual world, the way his brother and Uriel apparently had, he’d never get to act on that animosity. Wouldn’t get to terrorize Rue. Wouldn’t get to wave in his face what he was missing.

What he’d given up.

The day of the wedding, Ryker had been talking with one of his father’s colleague’s kids. A twenty-two-year-old he’d only just met less than an hour ago. He’d heard the door, knew without a shadow of a doubt it was Rue, and had shoved the twenty-two-year-old to his knees and whipped out his cock.

It was good the guy hadn’t refused, had gone along with it as though that’d been his hope from the moment he’d agreed to leave the party with Ryker. Maybe it had been. Ryker hadn’t really been paying attention. He’d simply needed to get away, couldn’t stand being so close to Rue with Rue so blatantly ignoring him.

The trick had worked.

He’d seen the flash of hurt in Rue’s eyes, just after the shock. It’d lingered.

Rue had lingered.

So Ryker had done it again.

On Cor Night, he’d chosen one of Rue’s annoying friends as his Praeda pick, knowing it would drive Rue crazy, even if he’d never admit it. They hadn’t actually done anything, but Ryker had sworn Adams to secrecy, had threatened him bodily harm if he didn’t keep his mouth shut.

As far as he was aware, the poor guy had died with that secret.

“Dad’s making us join that stupid company retreat he throws every year,” Ryker said to his brother. “It’s some remote resort in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by forest on all sides. Super isolated.” He snorted. “What do you think? Maybe he’s taking us up there to off us like he did mom.”

Rhys wouldn’t.

Not when Ryker was his only conscious heir.

He dropped his head back, staring sightlessly up at the high white ceiling. “Wake up, brother. Shit is unbearable here without you.”

“…Ryk.”

He blinked, momentarily wondering if he’d gone mad and was hearing things, but then it came again.

“Ryk,” his name was muffled, hard to hear among the machines.

Ryker snapped to attention, shooting to his feet to hover over his brother’s pod, brow furrowing when Ryder appeared undisturbed within.

Okay…Was he going insane?

A hiss and the sound of a vacuum seal coming undone had him jumping, head turning toward the middle pod five or so feet away. The top popped free and then slowly lifted a few inches before pausing. Tendrils of fog rolled out, followed by a deep groan.

Ryker bolted around the pod, shoving the door aside just in time to see Uriel blink and begin to tug at the wires attached to his head. He grabbed onto his friend’s hands, stilling him, excitement and panic both bubbling at once. “Hold on. Hold on, don’t.”

He hit the emergency call button on the wall, alerting the onsite medical team Rhys had moved in the day after the accident. Within seconds, the sounds of pounding footsteps could be heard out in the hall. Ryker placed a hand on Uriel’s chest to still him while they waited, grinning.

“Help is coming,” he reassured, noting that Uriel’s gaze was unfocused, his body slowly warming.

* * *