Page 41 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

“Ma’am,” he teased, tilting his head. When he put his hat back on, he plucked something hanging from his back pocket. “A rose for a desert rose.”

It was a short-stemmed hybrid of some sort, gleaming with magic. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” I said, taking it in my hands.

“They call it a moon pearl rose. It’s a beautiful thing at first sight, but beneath the luminescence of the moon, she comes alive for all to see. The thorns represent a beauty one could never touch, but every once in a while, some stupid bastard will try.”

I chuckled. “Are you the stupid bastard?”

Ryder stepped into my space in answer as I held the rose between us. An awareness raked through me, one that stilled my breath at the truth of his words. No matter what storm I threw his way, he was called to it. His gaze confirmed such thoughts as he studied my face.

“Pain never scared me,” he said, cupping a hand against my cheek, brushing his lips across mine as if searing them to memory before he kissed me. This time, it was slow and calculated, as if he’d been imagining this moment since the last time we’d been alone, and maybe I had too. He backed me into the room, kicking the door shut behind him in the process. I smiled faintly against his mouth, running a hand through his long, dark hair, tasting the hint of whiskey that was always on his breath. He was rugged with soft lips. His grip confirmed a deep desire that was hard for me to ignore. I felt the power in his touch every time we were near. He was a storm himself, and we were two tornadoes with an undeniable pull to collide as one. The arousal was palpable as he groaned into my mouth, and I felt my power stroking along my fingertips. I set the rose down on the dresser beside the table as he laid me onto the mattress, but my mind halted.

“Wait,” I breathed as he nestled his face in the crook of my neck.

“Vessa.” He groaned. A sound that rumbled in his chest like an ache, sending my heart to flutter. I’d never known two syllables could undo me in one breath, yet he did it so effortlessly.

I moved up onto the bed.

He exhaled deeply, sighing, as he knew he had to stop. “Fuck,” he grunted, resting his forehead against mine. Moments passed before we spoke, and he sat back onto his knees.

I slid out of place, lying horizontally as I turned to see him still kneeling, the moon casting light onto his body.

“As much as I love seeing a man like you kneel before me, I think it’s best we try to get as much rest as possible. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” I briefly smiled as we held one another’s gazes. He would get his last payment tomorrow, and I would have my endless supply of tonic. I didn’t want to think about anything beyond that—what would happen once his job was over, or the fact that I hadn’t been taking the tonic. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and my insides felt like they were on fire. I was playing too many reckless games.

“You’re right. We do.” He moved to get off the bed, but I caught his hand. He studied the way mine glowed in the moonlight, shimmering with its own faint light. I still knew sleep wouldn’t come. As much as I tried to take charge of my own body, it had its own ideas.

“Tell me something about you I don’t know,” I said, yawning in the process as Raven’s words came back to haunt me.

Something flashed in his eyes as he lay beside me, gone within the next breath as his weight brought down the mattress.

He hummed, looking past me, scratching the scruff of his beard as his eyes shone in the light.

“No lies,” I teased, but it made him glance my way.

I sensed something in him had snagged while he chewed on his bottom lip. He huffed a faint laugh, then stared into the space between us. “‘No lies.’” He thought long and hard for a moment, leaning onto his elbow. He combed his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath before his gaze flicked back to mine. The shadows hid so many stories he would likely never tell.

“That rose is from Blightstone Hollow, and it sells here for a lot of money.”

I arched my brow and rolled my eyes. “The only reason your pockets are lined with nara coins is because they were given to you by Pa. Try again.”

He laughed. “Gods-damn, hold your horses, woman. There’s more.”

With a speculative look, I snickered.

“While the lands are constantly changing, and while the trees in Blightstone Hollow are spreading, a moon pearl rose will always remain the same. No matter the curse or blood that taints the lands. Like the moon, its existence will always be. You can try to burn it, stomp it to pieces, but by the time the moon rises once more, its glow is as strong as ever.” He cupped the side of my face, dragging the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip with a never-ending desire. “It’s a story my mother used to tell me before she died—how magical Blightstone Hollow was, and the stories that came out of it were endless. It was just a rose to me until I saw it tonight right outside this place. It reminded me of you, Desert Rose. Always so strong.”

“‘Desert Rose.’” I smiled faintly, brushing away the locks of hair splayed down the side of his face, gently tucking it behind his ear. He didn’t shudder when my fingertips brushed the sharp edges of his scars. He closed his eyes, as if my touch were a remedy.

“Always so bright,” he said, bringing my hand to his lips as he closed his eyes, kissing each finger. The magic within my palm illuminated his face; a halo of soft lavender and faint starlight glinted in the irises of his eyes. He was caught in my aura, my light, and as I felt the world slip away into a dream that beckoned my name, his last words fell into a void as I was whisked away to sleep.

“Little shadow.Is that your name? Here, have this…”

26

Ryder

Asharp, searing pain in my side pulled me away from a dream that was forgotten the moment I opened my eyes. I nearly shot up before I jerked back, peering into a beady black eye. The raven canted his head before cawing in my face.

Vessa’s rich laughter rang in my ears as she seemed to say something through their bond before lazily rising up onto her elbows. Her hair was tousled, and her top was slightly misaligned—another slight shift and her breast would pop out. She caught my stare as I hoped to the heavens for it to happen, and she smirked, setting her top back in place.

---