"No. No. I'm okay," he said.
Isabella's amethyst eyes scanned him through the phone. She was looking at the background behind him, she saw the beach. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"A party?" she inquired.
"Graduation and F-rank exam celebration," he explained.
She nodded, her expression unreadable.
"What did you want, b-brother?" her use of the word was tentative, a foreign object in her mouth.
"To ask about a Liam Dravus," he said.
The line went silent for a moment. Her reaction to his question was a stillness so complete it seemed to suck the energy right out of him.
"No," the answer was a block of ice. Final, absolute.
"He was my friend's older brother," Ryker pressed, refusing to back down, "My friend believes he was murdered. Not killed by monsters."
Isabella sighed, "I don't care about your friend," she said, her words delivered with a chilling lack of emotion. It was as if she was discussing a defective piece of equipment.
"I won't let you ruin your life. I'll see you at Meridian."
She ended the call. Just like that.
But the knot in his belly was already there. Something more happened with Liam's death and he would find out more at Meridian. A new objective he had in mind. One more thing to add to his list, along with finding out about the Alucards.
Heading back to the party, the music thrummed through him, a bass line that vibrated up from the soles of his sneakers. A kaleidoscope of colored lights swept across the crowd of dancers.
Anna and Liv both came rushing to him, almost pushing him to the ground.
"Where have you been?" Liv asked, slurring, her brows furrowed.
"I was with Kael on the roof, then took a call," his explanation was simple because it was the truth.
Liv grabbed his left arm and Anna grabbed his right. Both were smelling him. The familiar scent of sand, salt and beer wasn't what they were looking for.
"Jasmine," both said at the same time in disgust.
Ryker chuckled, "Just Elara. Nothing happened."
Anna relaxed, "Good."
Liv's fingers were still wrapped tightly around his bicep, a possessive pressure that was starting to become a familiar, if slightly uncomfortable sensation.
"Let's get more shots!" she proposed, dragging him to the bar.
The shots hit him with the warmth of a wildfire spreading through his chest. With Liv on his arm, he went to see how Brock was handling the cat-girl situation.
He was sitting at a small table with a white-furred cat-girl who was listening intently, her head tilted.
"Mind if we sit? My legs are giving out," Ryker said.
"Nah come on, sit down," Brock gestured to the empty chairs.
His butt had barely touched the plastic when Liv had already plopped down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"So you're all leaving soon?" the white cat-girl asked, her name was Mimi, the youngest of the six siblings. Her voice was as soft as cotton.
"That's right. We're going to Meridian tomorrow," Brock replied, leaning in.
Mimi's ears twitched, a gesture of curiosity, "I'm actually going there too! I've been accepted into their eastern music program."
A blush appeared on Brock's face. This girl could literally hear the blood rushing to his head. Ryker and Liv shared an amused look.
"We a-are part of the adventure course," Brock tried to act cool, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed him. The sight of a six-foot stone golem trying to flirt with a tiny cat-girl was something out of a sitcom.
"Adventure huh... My mother told me to stay away from you guys," Mimi giggled.
Anna decided to join the conversation, pulling up a chair opposite them, "He's harmless. Just a big rock with a heart of gold."
This made the golem smile and Liv snort, she was now playing with Ryker's hair. The scene was warm, a final night of teenage normalcy before their world got a whole lot bigger.
People started to leave as the night grew old. The only ones still standing were Ryker and his group, plus the family. Anna kept stealing glances at him from across the table, while Liv made sure to claim all of his attention with stories about Meridian Academy she had read on their official website.
Finally, the party ended. Brock was going home with Mimi, the grin on his face was wider than the Grand Canyon. Ryker was happy for him, his friend finally got his catgirl.
As for him there was a vampire and a dryad staring daggers at him.
"Um..." Anna hiccupped, the alcohol making her bold, or maybe just stupid, "Can we talk?"
"Sure," Ryker patted Liv to make sure she gets off him. But she didn't budge.
"Liv," he whispered, but her grip only tightened.
Finally she let him go.
Anna was standing with her back to the wall, and Ryker mirrored her stance. The silence stretched, filled only by the distant crash of waves and the thump of music from the bar's closing cleanup. Anna's braids looked almost silver in the faint moonlight.
He had quiver in his stomach, unsure what Anna wanted to talk about, hoping it'd be about something other than Liv. Stretching his hand, he held hers. He expected her to pull away or tense up, but she laced her fingers through his, her palm surprisingly warm against his cool skin.
"You'll always pick her first right?" Her words were so quiet he had to lean in to catch them.
His throat went dry. Her question was simple, but the answer was a complicated mess of guilt, affection, and fear.
Liv was currently sitting on a sand dune, watching them. Her ruby red eyes were fixed on Ryker.
"Yes," he said.
The dryad squeezed his hand and bit her lips.
"Because she needs you? Because she'll go crazy without you?" The questions were like small, sharp stones, and her blue eyes were pleading for a different answer. For him to choose her.
The alcohol had stripped away her usual careful composure.
"Because I need her."
Anna flinched as if he'd slapped her.
"A-and me? What about me?"
"Anna I..."
"You bit me," she reminded him, "You marked. You claimed me."
The weight of his two bondings was a heavy blanket, threatening to smother him. He had wanted the thrill, the connection, and now he was drowning in the consequences. But it wasn't really a consequence.
"Yes because I love you."
It was the first time he had ever said that to her.
He watched the dryad's breath catch in her throat. A tear traced a path through her cheek. She wiped her tear away with the back of her free hand, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"I love you too," she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "But I can't be your second choice."
She dropped his hand. The sudden emptiness was a physical ache.
"Don't worry," she tried to keep her voice from cracking, "It's for the best. We'll have fun. Just friends right?"
Turning around, she tried to walk away, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, it smelled of grass.
"Don't do this," he was being selfish, wanting to have both.
Anna fought a little but quickly surrendered. A sob she couldn't hold back any longer escaped her, and she turned around in his arms.
Taking a deep breath in she said, "I'll give it a try Ryker... I'll give the three of us a chance, but you better make me feel like I'm not second."
He gently lifted her chin and kissed her. Her lips were salty from the tears, soft and hesitant. She leaned into him, deepening the kiss.
"Aw that's cute," Anna's mom, Sarah said, making them both spring apart. She was standing there, smiling.
"We should get going. It's late," the mother said.
Anna glanced at Ryker, feeling a tingle of electricity. The future was a mess, but for a fleeting second, that felt okay. She went to say goodbye to Liv who was now waiting by the car.
"I'll win him over," Anna declared.
"We'll see about that little plant," Liv smirked.