Page 124 of Ravaged Devotion

No, that wasn’t right either.

“If I’d been stronger,” he said, “and stuck around instead of running that day, none of this would have happened. I should never have left.”

Ryder had been lying about the two of them hooking up. If Rue had only been more confident, he could have confronted Ryker and uncovered the truth immediately. Then Ryker wouldn’t have hated him, and the two of them would have fought together to clear his name and keep Vadim Enterprise running without his mom needing to grovel for Rhys’ help.

Sure, Bowie’s uncle probably would have still lost his job, but Ryker also had influence. He would have helped if Rue asked. Maybe they would have had to explain to Uncle Marx he needed to be patient for a bit, but they would have gotten him a position in another company eventually for sure.

“If you won’t come with me,” Bowie said then, “I won’t make you. But I am shooting Ryder.”

“Wait—”

“In a miraculous turn of events, we’re being told that there are in fact survivors!” the news reporter exclaimed, catching both of their attention.

Bowie turned around with a gasp just as Ellery’s face appeared on the screen.

“Can you tell us what happened?” the reporter held a microphone out to Ell.

“The whole place came down. There was fire everywhere. It was terrifying.” Ellery did not sound even remotely like he’d been afraid. He even flashed the reporter a flirtatious smirk.

“How did you manage to make it out? So far, you’re the only known survivor.”

“Oh, I didn’t do it alone. I’m just the one who stayed behind,” Ell said.

The reporter frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Ellery looked directly at the camera, expression morphing to one of pure loathing, “it’s Game Over.”

Rue barely had a chance to process those words when movement from within the pod came.

As if in response to the comment, Ryder immediately sat up, arm slashing across the space between him and Bowie. It happened too fast for anyone to react, and neither of them even realized the extent of what had happened until a thin line of red appeared across the center of Bowie’s throat.

He coughed and then gurgled, retreating from Ryder, only managing a couple of steps before he dropped onto his ass. His hands wrapped tightly around his own neck, clearly trying to stop the bleeding, and his panicked and pleading eyes landed on Rue, silently begging for help.

But Rue didn’t look back. He was too distracted by Ryder.

“How…?” Since he hadn’t been around for Uriel’s awakening, he had no clue if this is how it went down, but it didn’t feel right.

“Quit gaping,” the Black Hart’s arm dangled over the edge of the pod, the switchblade he’d just used to slit Bowie’s throat dropping to the ground with a loud ping, “and help me out of this thing, sweetheart.”

He knew that weapon.

And only one person had ever called him that before.

“Ryker?!” In his excitement, Rue completely forgot about the bindings, getting to his feet too fast. He instantly lost his balance and toppled forward, catching his breath when Ryker’s arms wrapped around him, preventing him from falling.

Rue opened his mouth to say…he wasn’t even sure what, there were too many questions all swirling through his mind at once, but Ryker didn’t give him the chance to ask any of them.

The Black Hart captured his mouth in a possessive kiss that had Rue’s brain misfiring. Somehow, without breaking it, he managed to pull Rue over the side of the pod and into it with him.

“We’re going to have to have a talk about why situations like this turn you on,” Ryker breathed against his lips. “Later.”

Rue realized with a start that he was in fact extremely aroused.

He was turned around and bent over the end of the pod, his pants roughly yanked down. A startled sound escaped him when his knees were forced as far apart as they were able to be in the confined space, but then Ryker’s fingers were there, touching him between his cheeks, prodding at his entrance, and all else was forgotten.

There was a gurgling noise and he turned his head, making the mistake of latching eyes with Bowie.

Bowie was sprawled out on his side facing them. A tear rolled down his cheek, but he took his last breath and went still almost as soon as their eyes met.