Huntress

Chapter 53

There was pacing and muttering for some time, back and forth along the length of the room. When he did come into view, I would see him raking his fingers through his dark hair, chewing on his nails, or just staring at me like if he looked hard enough, all of this might just go away.

"This can't be happening," he whispered at one point. "You were fine. Everything was fine. Nothing could happen because we're mated. You're my mate. I couldn't do this to you. I couldn't."

I wanted to comfort him. My heart that had been racing now ached for him. I wished I could have wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his forehead until he gave out one of those big sighs and settled against me. But if I had been able to move at all, we wouldn't be in the position in the first place.

"I thought you said this happened slowly," Ryder continued, his pacing resuming at a faster rate. "Fuck, I thought there would be warning signs."

So had I. there had been with my parents. It all started so slowly. Day by day it had gotten worse. There was a visible regression. It was not like this. It was never supposed to be like this. I wished I had asked more questions when I had the chance. I wished that I had spent hours grilling everyone in the group, figuring out each individual story. I should have demanded to know just what this could look like, what it could do and how quickly. But it was too late.

My mouth wouldn't form the words to say what I needed to.

"We need to get you out of here. We need to get you away from me," Ryder blurted, his voice cracking.

No. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to be away from him. In such a short time, he had become the smile I looked for, the eyes that knew me. being separated...even the idea felt like an iron poker in between my ribs. But I couldn't tell him that either.

"People are going to see if I carry you out the front. What would I even say to them?" he continued. "We need to use a back exit."

There was a brief moment of internal deliberation before Ryder decided that getting me dressed for the day was worth the risk of proximity. He mumbled something about us being stuck in the car together and dug through my bag. I was wrapped up in a cozy hoodie and a pair sweatpants. Ryder was trying to be gentle, but it was clear he had no experience with these things. I flopped around a lot, my body limp when he didn't support me. the most control I had sometimes was contracting my muscles just a little bit to slow down the fall. I was a cooked noodle at worst and a slinky at best.

"Alright George, let's get you home," he murmured, then I was hoisted into his arms. His voice cracked a little. When I had been a teenager, I had dreamed of a strong, handsome man carrying me. but it was not like this. Never like this. My head lolled backwards until he used his arm to prop me up. "Don't worry, Georgia, you're going to be fine."

I might have believed him if I hadn't seen the tears in his eyes.

All of our belongings were left in the hotel room aside from cellphones and wallets. Ryder propped me up in the passenger seat and buckled me in. When he pressed a kiss to my cheek, I felt the wetness of his tears. Or maybe they were mine. I couldn't really tell

I didn't remember much of the drive. Ryder was quiet through most of it, I think. There was never any music playing. Sometimes, it felt like I was dreaming, then I would blink and be back in the car. I didn't know where I went in those moments, couldn't recall what I had seen, I only knew that my mind wasn't where it should have been. Occasionally, my hands were raised or I would have moved my legs, but it seemed that my body could only handle one or the other. I was either in control of my limbs or my mind. Movement seemed to put me in a dream state.

Ryder said something to me. at the time, I hadn't been able to hear him above a dull warble in my ears. I briefly tried to fight it. I imagined myself moving, thought of my arms and hands listening to direction. I thought about speaking, getting the words out of my mouth, even when they felt stuck in my throat. I gritted my teeth – at least mentally – and tried to move. nothing. Then I tried to speak. Nothing.