Chapter 56 Writer's POV
As Ryker leaned back on the bench looking up at the stars with Onyi, his gaze kept drifting back to Onyi's profile. Onyi was young, vulnerable, and Ryker had developed feelings for him. He had had his eyes on him, but got no way to make advances, especially him being Duke. But seeing Onyi talk about missing Amanda, his mate, made a spark of jealousy ignite within Ryker.
"Amanda, huh," Ryker said, his voice a little tighter now. "You miss her a lot?"
Onyi nodded, his eyes still on the stars. "Yeah. She understood me. She was... more than a friend."
Ryker's jaw clenched slightly. He didn't like hearing about Onyi's connection to Amanda. Though to Onyi they just met,Ryker knew Onyi and ever since he got a chance to get close to him at the male party,he had been thinking about Onyi all nights. He had been trying to get closer to Onyi, to be the one Onyi turned to, but Amanda's presence in Onyi's thoughts bothered him.
"Onyi," Ryker said, his voice turning softer but more intense. "You're here now, in the palace. I'm here. You don't have to feel so lost."
Onyi turned to Ryker, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. Ryker's eyes locked onto Onyi's, and for a moment, it was like the rest of the world stopped.
Ryker leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I'd take care of you, Onyi. If you let me."
Onyi's cheeks flushed slightly at Ryker's words, at the intensity in his gaze. Onyi wasn't sure how to respond to Ryker's advances, but he couldn't deny the pull he felt toward the powerful and enigmatic Ryker.
As they sat there in the silence of the garden, the tension between them grew. Ryker's jealousy of Amanda lingered, but his desire for Onyi was stronger.