Page 20 of Collar Me Crazy
"October thirteenth, thirty-one years ago. The night of the hunter's moon eclipse." He pressed his forehead against the cold glass. "Varric calls it destiny. I call it a curse."
"Ryker—"
"Do you know what it's like to grow up knowing that your very existence is a threat? That there are people out there who would kill you rather than risk what you might become?" He turned to face her, and the vulnerability in his expression nearly undid her. "My pack died protecting me from those people. Twelve years old, and I watched them all die because they loved me enough to keep me safe."
Sonya rose and moved toward him, her heart breaking for the scared child he'd been. "That wasn't your fault."
"The prophecy says I'll either save or destroy. What if I'm the destruction, Sonya? What if caring about you, claiming you, is the thing that tips the balance toward catastrophe?"
She reached for him, but he stepped back, shaking his head.
"I don’t want to be responsible for hurting you and everyone else. I won't watch you suffer because you got tangled up in my mess."
"So you'd rather we both suffer apart?" She followed him, refusing to let him retreat. "You'd rather live alone and miserable than take a chance on something?"
"Yes." The word came out fierce and final. "Because alone and miserable means you're safe."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." She stopped directly in front of him, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "You think avoiding the bond protects me? It doesn't. It just guarantees we'll both be incomplete."
"Sonya—"
"No, let me finish." She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart race beneath her palms. "I've been having visions aboutyou for weeks. Not just random flashes, but detailed, important visions that led me halfway across the state. Do you really think fate would go to all that trouble just to torture us both?"
His hands came up to cover hers, his touch warm and electric. "Maybe fate has a twisted sense of humor."
"Or maybe fate knows what it's doing." She stepped closer, close enough that their bodies almost touched. "Maybe the prophecy isn't about choosing between saving and destroying. Maybe it's about choosing between fear and love."
"And if I choose wrong?"
"And what if you don’t?" She rose on her toes, bringing their faces within inches of each other. "But if you don't choose at all, if you keep running from this, then you guarantee the worst outcome."
His eyes darkened, pupils dilating as his gaze dropped to her lips. "You don't understand what you're asking."
"I understand perfectly." Her voice came out breathless as his head began to lower toward hers. "I'm asking that you trust me."
"Sonya." His lips hovered just above hers.
"Trust me," she whispered again.
The sound of vehicles outside broke through the haze of desire, followed by voices calling their names. Ryker jerked away from her, his breathing ragged, eyes wild with a mixture of want and panic.
"Rescue teams," he said roughly, already moving toward the door. "They made it through."
The students began stirring, roused by the commotion outside. Sonya stood frozen by the window, her lips still pouted out in waiting, watching as Ryker transformed back into the controlled, distant man who'd fled from her at the lake.
But she'd felt the truth in that moment. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. The prophecy might complicatethings, might make their path more dangerous, but it didn't change the fundamental reality between them.
They were meant to be together. She just had to convince him that some risks were worth taking.
Even if it meant rewriting destiny itself.
12
RYKER
The rescue had gone smoothly once the teams arrived, the college students safely transported back to town and checked over by medical personnel. But now, twenty-four hours later, Ryker felt like he was being watched by every mated pair in Hollow Oak.
"You look like hell," Emmett observed as they finished loading supplies at the Hollow Mercantile.
