Killing (And Other Games)

(Twenty One)

(Twenty One)

Hushed conversation wakes me out of my shallow sleep. My whole body aches from a restless night and the space next to me feels empty without Ryker. For a moment the night before is unclear, I wonder why Ryker was in my bed with hesitation, then I remember my mother, Charlie and Ryker saving me. He sat next to me all night whilst I tried to stop crying. That's all.

Talking this early in the morning--this morning in particular--bothers me. It feels too early, not right, until I realise it must be afternoon already. My sleep cycle will be screwed by this whole event.

I inch out of bed, wincing as my ribs seemingly clash together, and inch towards my door. Zane and Ryker are on the floor below, probably in one of the bedrooms.

"Danika says she doesn't know but...I don't know, she's met his family so she'd probably have an idea."

"We can't go and drag him out of whatever cave he's decided to hole up in," Ryker says, his foreign accent clear after hearing Zane's strong Aussie voice. "We should wait."

"Then he'll just want to fight back even more. God, how am I supposed to hurt the kid? He's so..."

"Helpless?" Ryker offers, a sarcastic hint in his tone.I can imagine Zane rolling his eyes but I don't take a step further, unashamed of my eavesdropping.

"We're friends."

"So don't do anything. I don't think you should."

"Of course you don't," Zane snorts, matching my thoughts exactly.

"I'm just saying that Char has got a pretty violent past and a lot of friends. Do we want to piss him off when we don't need to? He'll take a beating but his pride won't heal as fast as his face."

"Fuck Ryker, you're just making this more difficult. You're meant to be my best friend; agree with me!"

I go down the stairs, knowing what I have to do. I'm surprised to see the master room's door open, the inside revealed. Ryker sits on a chair in front of the huge bed and Zane sits on the bed, facing Ryker. They both turn to look at me, giving me completely opposite looks. Zane hops up immediately, coming over to me and wrapping his arms around my tender body. Ryker almost succeeds in looking bored, if only it weren't for his eyes darting between Zane and I.

"I'm so, so, so sorry," Zane whispers, squeezing me tight. I yelp in pain and he releases me, taking a step back. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," I croak, aware of my gravelly voice, and I make eye contact with Ryker. "Ryker saved me."

"I heard. He does that sometimes." Clearly Zane hasn't heard the full story because he acts like I still don't want to be around Ryker. Chivalrously, he puts himself between us. "We're going to find Charlie, I promise that--"

"No, I don't want you to. I mean, I do want you to, I want nothing more, but it's not going to help me. If you can find him then I want to talk to him but don't do anything that's going to make things worse."

Zane is surprised, Ryker even more so.

"I always took you as the vindictive type, Immy," he quips.

"I am," I mutter, losing myself in the icy blueness of Ryker's eyes. I've never really noticed how...calming they are. "But I also know a priority when I see one."

Zane opens his mouth to speak but I cut in, still not done with Ryker. "I thought it was my mum and I thought she was going to kill me. I guess I know now why she's been acting so weird." I don't even start the process of deducting how much Charlie had been imitating her. How many times have I actually spoken to her since I moved in here? The potential truth scares me. "He was dragging me across the gravel into the car. I was screaming so loud, I must've woken up the whole neighborhood. But you're the only one who did anything. I owe you. Thankyou."

"I...okay. I shouldn't have...said what I said the other day. You don't owe me; we're equal." The threat is almost non-existent in my mind now but him mentioning it reminds me of the change in impression I've had of Ryker. I see something now that I never saw before, a kindness and gentleness that's hidden by his brooding exterior.

"Equal," I agree.

Ryker just nods, accepting the terms. Zane waits for a moment to see that I'm not still talking and then offers to make me breakfast. I follow him downstairs, leaving Ryker in the master room.

"I should've been there," Zane sighs as he goes through the cupboard. "I was down in the stadium. I should've noticed something."

"It's not like you can read minds." I pause for a moment. "Right?"

"No, no I can't. Charlie can."

"Seriously?" This really isn't making me feel any better.

"If he's slept with the person he can read their mind."

"What? What sort of power is that?"

"A useful one, according to him." Zane takes flour and eggs out of the pantry, finding buttermilk and berries to make pancakes. My stomach growls.

"Will he come back?" I ask, unsure of what I want. Would I be able to handle having him back here? I'd have to get a lock for starters.

"Maybe. You have to understand Immy, we like you very much but--"

"You like Charlie as well, I get it. I'm not going to make you choose sides." I feel like I'm making the same speech Danika made last night to Charlie. "I just want to know what's happening now."

Zane stops mixing ingredients and comes round to me, putting a hand on my shoulder and spinning me around so that I'm looking right up at him.

"You'll always know everything. I promise to never lie about anything that's happening. You're part of this now, fully part of all of this." He leans down and kisses me gently, hovering his hands over my waist like a ghost. I press into him, following his movements, letting him guide me. This time I don't mind the fangs, I don't mind it when the inside of my lip stings and tastes like metal. Moving my arms up around his neck, he lifts me onto the bench, moving my legs around his waist. One of his hands runs up from my knee, taking advantage of the ridiculously short Bond shorts I'm wearing. A moan that's half pleasure, half pain escapes my lips as his hand stops in the right place.

And just as I'm about to suggest a more appropriate location, Ryker walks in. He looks blissfully unaware, a purposefully stupid smile on his face, as he walks over to the kitchen. Zane and I are like teenagers caught in the act by their parents, still statues following Ryker only with our eyes.

He just dips a finger into the pancake mix, smiling up at me with a warm, sunny smile. Oh, he knows exactly what he just interrupted.

"Mm, pancakes."