Page 33 of The Wolf and the Chimera
I glared at him, but my words did the trick on Lyall. He smiled smugly.
“Of course,” he said. His blue eyes glittered. “Get some rest, Elle. I’m sorry for not warning you of the wine’s effects.”
I waved off his concerns and said goodbye to Kalli and Kieran. As Ryder led me out of the room, colors and light swirled. We turned down one of the many, many, white halls, and I stumbled into his back.
“Godsdammit,” Ryder muttered and swept me into his arms. “How did you not notice you were getting drunk?”
Closing my eyes, I toyed with my sleeve and relaxed my head against Ryder’s warm, broad chest. Though he grated mynerves to no end, I couldn’t find a flaw in his body. I breathed in his woodsy scent and sighed in contentment.
“Don’t do that,” Ryder ordered, “not when you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk,” I argued.
He snorted.
“And what did I do that was so wrong anyway, Wolfie?” I asked.
“First,” he said, “you called meWolfie.Twice. Second, you acted like you might actually like me.”
I opened my eyes and admired the strong angle of his jaw and the smile toying at the edges of his lips. He always fought to hide his smiles.
“I do like you,” I whispered. “Sometimes.”
He smirked, and the flash of teeth felt like a victory. One day, I would coax a real grin out of him.
“That response only proves how far gone you are,” he said. “We need to get some water in you, otherwise the only thing you’re doing tonight is sleeping.”
“Right,” I realized, “because we were supposed to—”
Ryder palmed a hand over my mouth, and I winced at what I had almost proclaimed in the public hall.
Okay, maybe I’m a little drunk.
I should’ve never let Lyall talk me into trying the wine. I should’ve never gone back for seconds. I should’ve recognized the headiness that spread through my body with every sip and stopped drinking it.
I had always contributed very little to my own protection, but this was a new low.
“Hey,” Ryder said softly and pushed open the door to our room. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m an idiot,” I whined and pressed my face into my hands.
Ryder sighed. “No, you’re not.”
He set me on the velvet couch and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. While I sulked, he grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and brought it to me.
“Drink,” he instructed.
When I brought it to my lips, my grip wobbled, and I spilled a few drops on my blanket. Ryder chuckled.
“Do I need to hold it to your lips, Ellie?”
Heat that had nothing to do with wine buzzed in my veins, but I ignored it and glowered at him. Desperate to clear my head, I gulped down the water quickly, but my stomach turned. Light danced in my vision, and nausea made my head swim.
I raced to the toilet and retched. A second later, warm hands grabbed my hair and held it out of the way. When my stomach finally quieted, I groaned.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I screwed everything up.”
“I know,” Ryder joked. “You really stole my job.”
