His canine maid was crouching yet still staring down at him, a solitary tear on her face. The most vulnerable he'd ever seen her. She smelled like damp earth and blood, and something else… something ancient and wild like a winter forest.
She wanted him to free her. The moment he heard that his heart ached yet raced. His eyes lit and his fangs elongated from his gum. The glory of helping her was a potent cocktail that made him giddy.
He opened his mouth, ready to say yes, ready to become a savior, a legend.
But a certain memory made him choke on his words. This was the same feeling he had when he went after Anna in that dungeon. The memory of her rib jutting out. The fear of losing her was more important than any validation.
"I need to know more," he said.
The words felt heavy, a strange new flavor on his tongue, that is maturity.
A sigh escaped her, but her posture didn't shift from its weary vulnerability.
"I need to be stronger before I can even think about freeing you," he added, not just as an excuse, but as a truth he was only just starting to understand.
"Strong enough to protect my family, to even try to help you."
He pointed a thumb towards the door, "Alya apparently can bring world war with one phone call. Liv's anxiety is growing the more I leave her. Anna's jealousy might make her do something stupid. Maddie is hiding a whole family from me, and she has her own trauma."
His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.
"As much as I want to I can't handle this right now. Not at my level."
Fenia didn't say anything for a long minute. The only sound was the soft hum of the plane's engines. Then she gave a slow, deliberate nod, a concession that seemed to cost her.
"Understood," she said.
The moment of fragile connection shattered as she stood up, her shoulders straightening, the hard armor of her persona clicking back into place.
She took her spot on his bed, grabbing the tablet, resuming her k-drama binge as if nothing had happened.
Ryker sighed. Leaving the room before closing the door, he took one last glance at her.
A pang in his heart. He knew nothing about her but she seemed so fragile despite all that bravado.
Ryker checked the map and found a basketball court. He went there to get his head out of the clouds.
The ball squeaked against the polished wood, rhythmic and therapeutic. Sweat beaded on Ryker's brow and dripped from his chin as he dribbled, the motion a second nature. He'd spent countless hours on a court with Brock, Kael and Rul.
Just him and the hoop. The squeak of sneakers on wood, the hypnotizing bounce of the orb. They still had 10 hours to go.
But he wasn't alone for long.
Brock entered the court, a massive grin on his face, "Yo Ryke you beat me to it," the golem said. He wore simple athletic shorts that looked painted onto his muscular frame.
Ryker passed the ball to him. The weight of it was familiar.
"Mimi seems nice," Ryker said, trying to distract himself.
A deep blush bloomed on the stone golem's cheeks, a sight that was as endearing as it was bizarre.
"Yeah she's amazing," Brock sighed, taking a shot from the free-throw line. The ball hit the rim with a clang.
Grabbing the ball Ryker went for a shot, the ball arced perfectly, and swished through the net. His luck with women may be complicated, but this was simple.
"Already sealed the deal?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Not yet," Brock rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish, "I want to take it slow. She's different."
Just like the past, Ryker and Brock were playing one on one, sweat dripping, their feet squeaking on the glossy lumber.
"What's different about her?"
Brock took a deep breath, catching the ball and holding it for a second.
"She laughs at my jokes and not just to be nice. When we were dancing she never laughed at my awful dancing skills," Brock dribbled the ball.
"Her cat ears twitch when she's happy," he went on with a shy smile.
Ryker managed to block a shot, but the ball bounced awkwardly. They both scrambled for it.
"And get this," the golem continued as he passed it to Ryker, "She's into my romance novel."
Ryker's eyes widened, "You told her?"
"Yeah, she didn't laugh. Instead she asked for a signed copy," the stone golem had a huge smile.
Heat radiated through Ryker's chest. He was happy for him.
"I'm glad, you deserve someone like that," he said.
Brock paused at the top of the key, the ball held securely between his large hands.
"What about you Ryke? How are you handling..." he gestured vaguely at the hallway leading towards the more luxurious part of the plane, "All that?"
Not even his buddy could describe his situation without stumbling over the words.
Ryker grabbed the ball, trying a three pointer.
"Badly," he confessed as the ball hit the backboard and bounced into the waiting arms of Brock.
"What? Really?" the golem sounded surprised.
"Yeah I promised Anna and Liv to try and make it work as three. But Alya and Fenia?" Ryker ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair.
"I'm in over my head. I almost bit Alya," a hint of shame in his tone.
A slow chuckle rumbled from Brock's chest, a sound like shifting bedrock.
"Yeah Mimi told me," he said.
Ryker raised his eyebrow.
"It seems that Anna and Liv are starting an alliance to kick Alya out. Mimi was dragged into it as a mediator."
The sheer absurdity of it hit Ryker like a punch to the gut.
Brock let out another chuckle, "I think they called it Project: Flush Alya down the toilet."
The mental image was so ridiculous it made Ryker's anxiety momentarily evaporate, replaced by a fit of laughter. He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.
"Ryke I think it'll be fine," Brock's smile faded into something more earnest, "As long as your honest."
He gave him a firm pat on the back.
As they walked down the corridor to their rooms, the pleasant ache of a good workout settled into Ryker's muscles. The clock trickled down to 8 hours. Sleep was calling.
They split up and Ryker was standing in front of his door, his hand on the handle. A lightness filled him. He turned around and went to Anna's room, practically dragging both of the ladies to his room. He wanted to be with them tonight.
The scene was a collision of worlds.
"I don't want a threesome," Liv was looking at the king-sized bed as if it were a battlefield. Her arms were crossed, a fortress of ice and doubt.
"Me neither," Anna sat on the sofa in the small sitting area, tracing a pattern on the velvet cushion with her finger. Her green braids fell forward, obscuring her face.
Ryker nodded.
"Good. Because we're just going to sleep."
He pulled Liv to his left and Anna to his right, cocooning himself in the middle. This was a peace offering. A promise of equality. Anna leaned into his chest and rested her head on the steady rhythm of his heart. Liv latched onto his other arm, her head in the crook of his shoulder, her breathing gradually matching his.
The trio slept until the plane began it's descent.