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looked much smaller, filled to the brim with Ryder. His
head was resting back against the rim and his eyes were closed.
    I wanted to throttle him for looking so sexy
when I was so upset that he hadn’t bothered to show up when he’d
promised me he would. Naked Ryder was a catastrophe for my mental
state. I went from knowing how to talk, to a brainless sex crazed
being.
    “Eliran said you were sick earlier. Are you
better?” he asked without opening his eyes.
    “I’m no longer sick, just pissed that you
didn’t come get me.”
    His head came up, and his eyes landed on me.
They were no longer the golden color of a few moments before.
Something within his eyes stared at me, hungrily. “Why are you
pissed now?”
    “You promised to come and get me and then
left me here!” I growled.
    “It wasn’t by choice, Pet.”
    “Okay, how about…you said you would get me,
and bring me to your room. Instead, you left me with Claire!” I
grumbled.
    “I sent Claire and Ristan to you to explain
things; didn’t he let you know what happened?”
    “Oh, Claire explained things alright, and the
Demon didn’t show up until today,” I snapped angrily. His eyes
opened slightly and slid to me.
    “If you’re not sick, get in this tub with
me.”
    “You don’t get to order me around, Fairy!” I
felt hot tears burning behind my eyes. I wasn’t sure where we
stood, or if he even wanted us. I knew he wanted the baby to save
his precious Faery, but that wasn’t the same as wanting it, or me
for that matter.
    “It wasn’t an order, it was a request,” he
said, clapping his hand over his eyes. He looked as tired as I
felt. The tour with Ristan had taken a lot out of me, even though
we hadn’t done more than walk and talk for hours.
    “Fine!” I shouted, irritated by the entire
situation. I stripped out of my clothes and stomped over to the tub
and got in on the other side. The water was warm and welcoming, and
his presence gave it an added level of comfort.
    His big hands pulled me from where I’d sat
across from him, until he’d nestled me in his arms, my back
snuggled against his chest. I rested my head against his wide chest
and allowed some of the tension to leave my mind.
    “Ask it, Synthia,” Ryder whispered against my
ear.
    “Ask what?”
    “Ask the question that is burning on your
tongue.”
    “Why me?” I spat out.
    “Because I wanted you, Pet. It is as simple
as that. Even if I had not signed that contract, you would still be
mine. I planned on waiting until you were ready, but I still would
have taken you from Adam. One way or another, I’d have come for
you. Fate pushed us together, but destiny knew we belonged
together. Now you just have to accept it,” he continued.
    “You expect me to become just another woman
in your harem?” I asked, as a single tear slid down my cheek.
    “I don’t think of you as just another
anything. I won’t send them away; they are my responsibility and
they belong here with the Horde. I need to have a care for what
their families have been granted and rewarded in return for them.
Those are contracts I won’t cross,” he said guardedly.
    I shook my head and moved to pull away from
him, but his arms pulled me back. “I feel like I’m just another
pretty thing for the collection.”
    “That’s not true, and you know it. I have had
them for many years, and they live comfortably in the pavilion. I
won’t uproot their lives for any reason. Don’t ask me to, Pet.”
    After speaking with Ristan earlier, I
understood where he was coming from; I just wasn’t sure where it
left me, or how I felt about it. I needed to change the subject, so
I did. “Tell me about the beast, Ryder,” I whispered, watching him
closely.
    “He’s a part of me. Like a split personality
mixed with my own. We are one, I’m his host. All of the Fae get
brands when they Transition, but only a select few inherit a beast
as well when they come into their full powers. Mine just happens to
be