Page 65 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

“Soon,” she echoed softly.

Ryker didn’t want their date to end. He could stay here for hours, talking with his vampire. “Did I ever tell you about my dad?”

She hummed. “No, I don’t think so.”

That didn’t surprise him. “I thought so. I don’t talk about him much,” he admitted.

“Oh,” she murmured. “Is he…”

“Both my parents are alive,” Ryker answered, sensing where she was going with the question. “My parents both love me, but my father…” He raked a hand through his hair. “He’s everything to me.”

Memories flashed through Ryker’s mind.

Riding with his father, galloping through the fields of the family’s country house in the Western Region. The plains stretched for miles, a sea of grain in all directions. Watching sports together. Learning to read. Listening to music. Hunting. Playing chess.

Everything Ryker enjoyed doing linked him to his father in one way or another.

“Tell me about him?” The request was soft, as if Brynleigh was afraid to pull him out of his memories.

“Dad and I were close,” Ryker said. “He taught me to ride a horse and was always my biggest champion.”

Another memory, a much more recent one, flashed through Ryker’s mind.

“How is he?” Ryker asked the nurse quietly.

She shook her head, her soft smile tinged with pity. “I’m afraid it’s not a good day, Captain.”

Ryker’s mouth pinched. “I was worried that might be the case.”

Still, he would see his father. Tomorrow, he was entering the Hall of Choice. He needed his dad to know.

Thanking the nurse, Ryker entered the room quietly. Once, it had served as one of the three studies in Waterborn House. Now, it was his father’s sick room. Machines beeped, disinfectant covered the underlying scent of illness, and a hospital bed with crisp white sheets sat in the middle of the room.

“Dad.” Ryker strode towards the bed.

His heart nearly stopped in his chest as he took in his father’s sickly state. His father’s condition had deteriorated since Ryker’s last visit.

Unseeing eyes stared at the ceiling, and even after Ryker picked up his father’s hand, they didn’t even blink.

Ryker’s cheeks were damp as he squeezed his father’s hand. “I’m going to find a wife in the Choosing, Dad,” he promised. “Like I told you I would.”

There was no response.

“I’m going tomorrow,” he said. “I won’t be able to visit while I’m gone, but Mom and River will take good care of you.”

Cyrus’ fingers tightened ever so slightly around Ryker’s. It was more than Ryker expected, and it stole his breath.

“I love you,” Ryker said gruffly.

There was no response.

A tear slipped from the corner of Ryker’s eye, and he quickly wiped it away. No matter what, he would keep his promise.

“Was?” Brynleigh’s quiet question drew Ryker out of his thoughts.

He ran a finger under his eyes, surprised when it came away wet. He was crying again. “My father’s been sick for a long time.”

“Oh no.”

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