Page 106 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

A door separates us from the rest of the world. From Clara. From everything.

It doesn’t feel like enough, and yet, I need him. With my life turned upside down, Ryker is my rock, the one anchoring me so I don’t get lost in the storm.

Ryker’s trousers join my dress on the floor. His hands are already on me, grounding, steadying, like he knows I’m barely holding it together. A dark sound leaves him as he lifts me into his arms, and I wrap myself around him without hesitation, needing the contact, the closeness—needing him.

He carries me into the water, and I tighten my hold as we sink onto the stone bench, the warmth surrounding us.

I press my face into his neck, breathing him in, and something inside me settles. His hands move over me, familiar, anchoring, until the world quiets to this—to us. When our foreheads press together, his breath uneven, I realize I’m not shaking anymore.

“I’ve got you,” he murmurs.

And I believe him.

For long minutes, neither of us moves. We breathe together, holding each other in this strange new world. We’re impossibly far from home. Far from everything we’ve ever known, and yet the constant is each other.

When we curl up later, my head on his chest, I can’t help but let my mind drift. Back to that beach. Back to my…my…sister. I know my parents didn’t have another baby, so how is this possible?

Ryker presses a kiss to my forehead before spinning me around, pulling my back flush with his chest. “Talk, love. Where’s your head?”

I don’t reply right away. I’m scared that if I do, the horror and truth of everything will come spilling out. Instead of needing an answer right away, he kneads the muscles in my shoulders.

“Were we wrong to leave?” I choke out. “We left everything and everyone. And what if—” I bite my lip, holding back a sob. “What if we never see them again?” My throat burns as I stifle my tears.

Ryker presses his lips to my temple as his hands move up and down my arms. “We will go home, Raea. I’ll make sure of it.”

I shake my head. “What if they die and⁠—”

“Hey. No spiraling. The best way we can help them now is to train our magic and learn how to actually fight whatever the shadow forces are, okay? It’s what Astor and Calia said we needed to do. We’re here. We made it.”

I nod.

“For now, we eat, we regroup, we sleep, and tomorrow, we begin.”

Chapter 37

Ryker

Raea is getting dressed in the clothes we discovered in the armoire while I check on Clara. She’s been asleep since we arrived—most likely from the shock of it all. I hate that I didn’t give her a choice, that I brought my little sister across the galaxy, but she’s safer here than at home.

Cole is the only one I’d trust who isn’t a shadow of a man—but even he shouldn’t have to carry the weight of Clara’s safety. Besides, he has Linnea and his own child to worry over. I was the one who was supposed to be her shield. Every time I look at the healing line on Clara’s palm, I see my father’s face—the man who became her monster before I could even stop him.

I sit on the edge of her bed, brushing back her hair. She stirs beneath my hand, and her lashes flutter open.

In her sweet little voice, she asks, “Anders, are they going to hurt me?”

I shake my head, promising her nobody is going to hurt her.

“Where are we?” she asks, looking around.

“We’re safe, little tidefish. Far away from anyone who can hurt you. I promise.”

She nods, slipping her arms around my hand and closing her eyes with another yawn.

“I need to go talk to Trysten, but we’ll be right next door, okay?”

She hums sleepily but doesn’t open her eyes again. I tuck the blankets in tighter around her and kiss her head.

I find Raea leaning against the doorframe with a smile. “I could watch you with her for hours,” she whispers. “You’re so sweet and tender with her.”