Chapter 21: The Familiar Ache - How the Stars Fall

Ryker leaned against the mouth of the cave, watching the forest come alive in the early hours of the morning. Little squirrels darted here and there. A young doe silently moved through the underbrush and birds had already begun their morning song.

His mind was restless. All night he’d tossed and turned. Not wanting to wake Nova just yet, he’d left her sleeping peacefully by the fire.

When she’d touched him last night with her delicate hand, it took all his strength not to reach for her, to kiss her. But if he did, then he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking her right there and then. The moment he stepped away from her, her face fell. Her disappointment pulled on his heart. Before, he’d let his hands take it too far, and it had been the most incredible feeling, but he shouldn’t have done it in the first place. He should have kept them to himself. His heart couldn’t take saying goodbye to another woman.

Get her home to Ara—go back to your canoe. That’s what he kept telling himself.

But every time she looked at him with those sea-green eyes scattered with tiny fragments of stardust, it got harder and harder to stay away.

Deer called to one another through the forest and pulled Ryker back to the present. Before they continued their journey, he wanted to wash some of their spare clothes, including the ones they were wearing, down by the stream. Though, last time he’d done something similar, he’d come back to an empty bed. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Ryler pushed off the side of the rocky wall and headed back into the heart of the cave. Nova was up and stretching as he returned.

“Morning, star,” Ryker smiled at the sleepy, glowing female.

Nova grinned back and stretched again. “What I would give to not sleep on a hard stone floor.”

“I do apologise for the less than comfortable sleeping arrangements, but it’s better than a prison cell,” Ryker added as he moved to their food bag.

“You are quite right. I shouldn’t complain. Although, the thought of staying in that cosy cabin back on the island with Captain Sable and her crew does sound even more appealing.”

Ryker twisted to look at Nova, who was now standing, brushing her fingers through her waves of hair. She had a sparkle in her eye, and Ryker couldn’t help but smile.

“I thought you’d had your fill of the pirate life?”

“I guess so, but I certainly haven’t had my fill of cosy cabins,” Nova challenged, lifting an eyebrow as if daring him to speak against the idea.

Ryker huffed in amusement and returned to the food bag. “You would get over that pretty quickly.”

“Doubt it,” came the softened reply.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Ryker pulled two apples, some crusty bread, and wax wrapped cheese from the pouch. “Let’s eat. I think we should wash our clothes and ourselves before we leave this morning, or people are going to smell us coming before they see us.”

Nova grinned as she bit into the fruit. Juices spurted into the air and she locked eyes with Ryker as they did so. Swallowing his mouthful of food, Ryker cleared his throat and turned his gaze away. She was getting too good at the eye thing, and it made his pants feel way too tight each time. Damn those eyes and the way they looked into his soul as if they already knew all his secrets, good and bad.

“I promise I won’t run away this time,” Nova said casually.

“If you do, I can promise you won’t get too far.”

“Why? Will you chase me?”

Ryker’s gaze travelled over her body. “I would,” he replied before taking a sip of water.

Nova bit into her apple again, delaying her answer as she chewed it. “Sounds like something I’d enjoy.”

Ryker raised his brow. “There would be consequences when I found you.”

Nova lightly shrugged as she bit into the cheese next. “I’d probably enjoy that, too.”

Sea-green and russet met across the distance. Smiles dancing on hungry lips. A wave of heat pulsed through Ryker’s body, and he fought the urge to stretch his limbs out from the pent-up pleasure battering against the inside of his skin. Not only was she looking at him with a desire that made his cock jump at the sight, but she was also teasing him in a way that made it very . . . very hard to function.

The respectful, disrespectful things he would do to and for her if she allowed him the pleasure. Better yet, if he allowed himself.

Ryker huffed in amusement. “Let’s eat.”

They finished their light breakfast before gathering their clothing, feeding Charlie their apple cores, and heading down to the stream. Ryker stayed a few steps behind Nova as they walked and couldn’t help but glance at her ass a few times, attention catching on the way it swayed gently as she moved.

His pants felt tight again. If he didn’t get himself together, there was no way he would be able to bathe in the same stream as her without very hard evidence making itself known. Who was he kidding? It was going to be hard regardless.

They reached the water’s edge and dropped their clothing on the ground. Ryker had brought down the small bar of jasmine soap he carried for all their washing needs. He passed it to Nova to use first as he kept an eye on their surroundings.

Movement from Nova had him glancing her way. She was stripping down to her undergarments.

“Are you bathing first?” Ryker asked.

Nova nodded as she pulled her gown up and over her head. “If I’m washing these other items, I may as well wash my dress, too.”

Ryker nodded and returned his gaze to the forest. Anything to keep from looking at Nova in her barely there outfit. Every sound or flick of movement had him hyper-vigilant, not wanting anything or anyone to catch him off guard. He’d let her wash first.

It should only take them the day to reach the base of the Twin Peak mountain range, where the woman Chester had told them about resided. Perhaps they would even reach her sooner if they didn’t face any problems along the way. Knowing his luck, though—

Cold water hit Ryker in the back of his head, and it took a moment for him to register what was happening.

The sound of Nova’s laugh rang through the trees like a magical song.

Another handful of water hit him in the back, causing Ryker to spin on his heel to face her. He looked at her with a cocked brow. “You do realise what you’ve just started?”

“I slipped . . . sorry.” Nova smirked.

Ryker shook his head but couldn’t stop himself from grinning at the beautiful creature before him. Taking a deliberate step towards the water, he kept his eyes locked on hers as he crouched and cupped his hands under the surface. With one swift motion, he tossed two handfuls of icy cold water in Nova’s direction. Squealing at the temperature, she dashed into the water further, then spun around and splashed water back at him.

“Oh, you’re going to get it now.” Ryker smirked.

Nova laughed as she backed further into the water. He hadn’t planned on dallying by the stream, but his heart longed to do something other than running.

Fuck the world and the people looking for them.

Ryker stripped down until he was only wearing trousers. He moved into the water, sucking in his breath at the sting of its coolness.

When he was waist deep, he sank beneath the water’s surface, but as soon as he emerged Nova splashed him again, laughing as she did so.

He lunged for her and caught her ankle just before she slipped from his reach. She fell under the water, and Ryker went with her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he stood, dragging her up, still laughing and spluttering. The feeling of her body against his was electric. Her white undergarments had become see through from the water and her shell-pink, peaked nipples poked through the wet fabric against her skin.

Oh, how he wanted to take them in his mouth and taste them again.

His gaze darted from her breasts to her mouth, to her eyes. Ryker took a breath to steady his racing heart. “How’s that bath going for you?”

Nova’s chest rose and sank as the pair stood waist deep in the water, the palms of her hands resting against his bare chest. “Best one I’ve had yet.”

If he didn’t let go of her soon, there was no way of stopping what would happen next. So, he swooped down to pick her up, supporting her under her knees. He grinned. “How about now?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before throwing her into the stream.

Her squeal silenced as she disappeared beneath the water’s surface.

Still beaming, Ryker made sure she was okay before he headed back towards the bank. The sound of water splashing behind him told him that she followed.

“Why won’t you kiss me again?”

Her question hit him right in the gut.

Ryker drew in a breath before spinning to face the dripping wet star. The fabric of her garments plastered against her skin and her hair slicked back from the weight of the water. She embodied femininity.

“Nova . . .”

“No, don’t do that. Answer the question. Why won’t you kiss me?” she asked again.

“It’s complicated,” Ryker answered.

“Uncomplicate it then.”

Ryker ran his hands through this wet hair. “It’s not that I don’t want to star . . . I do. It’s just I can’t have you. It’s selfish of me.”

Nova stood in front of him. “What do you mean? Why can’t you have me?”

“Because . . . because you’re going to go home and I will have to stay here and I don’t think I can say goodbye,” Ryker answered.

He wouldn’t allow his heart to fall for another woman that would leave him.

“You wanted me the other night . . .”

Ryker looked into Nova’s eyes and all he could see was pain and confusion. He shouldn’t have done anything with her in that heated moment all those nights ago, but before she returned to Ara, never to be seen again, he’d wanted just a taste of her.

“And I want you now. I would take you against that tree over there if I could.” Ryker spoke in a low tone as he flicked his gaze between her eyes and her lips.

Nova took another step closer. “Then why don’t you?”

Ryker ran a hand over his face in frustration. “I just can’t, Nova . . .”

“I don’t believe you can’t . . . I just don’t think you’re ready yet. So I’ll wait, because I want to experience human things between a man and a woman, but only with you.”

Ryker didn’t answer as she moved to the water’s edge, retrieved her clothing, and began washing.

That familiar ache he schlepped inside his chest—the constant companion he didn’t allow to leave—clawed at his heart. Would it ever end?

Perhaps if he bid it farewell.

* * *

The rest of the morning was quiet as the pair allowed their clothing to dry before packing their belongings and leaving the cave that had become a safe haven for them both. The atmosphere between them wasn’t unpleasant, but Ryker knew that Nova was somewhat upset, and he didn’t want to make things worse by opening his big mouth.

They rode for a few hours through dense forestry and rocky open spaces. It was late afternoon when they reached the base of the Twin Peak mountain range, where the woman supposedly lived. The sun cast long shadows across the rugged terrain, and the peaks loomed above them, shrouded in mist. Ryker dismounted and looked up the steep, rocky trail, his eyes narrowing as he considered the journey ahead. He wondered what lay at the top. Would they find the woman they sought? Would they find danger instead?

He knew Chester wouldn’t send him on a journey filled with peril on purpose, but there was always a chance of unexpected dangers. They could encounter creatures lurking in the shadows, hostile humans, or even the more elusive of the fae kind who were known to inhabit these remote regions. Environmental dangers could also strike without warning, adding another layer of uncertainty to their quest. Yet, the only way he was going to find out was to travel it.

Ryker took a deep breath, the crisp mountain air filling his lungs, and glanced at Nova. The star-turned-woman met his gaze with a determined look.

“Is everything alright?”

He nodded.

It wasn’t, though.

If the woman they were looking for turned out to know how to send Nova home, it meant that their time together here on Earth was nearly at its end.

And Ryker didn’t like it . . . not one fucking bit.

“Are you ready?” Nova murmured as she leaned into his chest.

“If you are?”

Nova nodded. “I think so.”

Ryker relished the feeling for as long as he could. The scent of the jasmine soap she’d used earlier filled his senses, the softness of her skin in his arms, the sound of her voice when she asked about nature. Or the way she laughed each time Charlie whinnied or shook his mane.

He wasn’t ready to say goodbye, yet he urged Charlie on.

The trail leading up was steep and treacherous, the ground uneven, strewn with loose rocks. Ryker led Charlie carefully, the horse’s sturdy hooves finding purchase on the rocky path as the mountain range rose before them like a wall of stone and forest.

As they ascended, the air grew cooler, and the sounds of the valley below faded into the distance. The trail wound its way through dense thickets of trees, their branches forming a canopy overhead that filtered the late afternoon sunlight into dappled patterns on the ground. The forest was alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls, creating a symphony of nature that Ryker found a welcomed comfort for his chaotic soul.

Hours passed before the trail halfway up the mountain came to a stop. Ahead of them lay a wall of thick, entwined branches that climbed all the way to the sky, almost blocking out the sun.

Ryker pulled the black stallion to a halt and jumped down. “Surely this isn’t it?”

Nova slipped from Charlie’s back. “There is nowhere else to go, though?”

Retrieving the sword from his side, Ryker hacked at the limbs and branches of the trees and shrubbery, but each time he cut through, they would instantly knit back together as if bound together under a spell of enchantment.

“I don’t think this is the right place, Nova. I can’t even cut through,” Ryker said, sheathing his sword back at his side.

Nova stepped closer to the rough, woody branches and brushed a hand over it. “It has to be—it’s enchanted, Ryker. I can feel it.”

“So how do we get through if it is?”

“Maybe my magic can do something?”

“You haven’t bathed in moonlight, though. You’ll exhaust yourself.” Ryker reached to still her glowing hand.

“Ryker, I have to try.”

He didn’t want to see her overexert herself. Yet, what other way was there? They’d come so far, endured too much for them to turn back now. If the woman truly dwelt on the other side of this murky forest, then some sacrifices must be made.

Ryker just wished it was he who bore such sacrifice.

“Perhaps we could just ask it to move?”

Nova smiled at his attempt at humour. She brushed her fingers over the foliage and closed her eyes. “Can we please pass through?”

As soon as she spoke, the branches parted and created a long, dark passageway straight through the trees.

Ryker’s mouth dropped open. Never in his wildest dreams did he think asking the forest would actually do anything. “How did you do that?”

She shrugged, offering him a smile as she disappeared inside.

“Nova, wait!” Ryker called as he hurried to gather Charlie and follow her.

It was shadowed and eerie as they entered the entanglement of twisted trunks and branches, the large black stallion trailing behind them. There were no sounds, no rustling of leaves or calls of birds, just a pervasive silence that hung thick in the air. The trees loomed tall and gnarled, their bark rough and charred, as if scorched by fire long ago. Grey and black trunks stretched out in all directions, the occasional muted green patch of moss clinging desperately to life. The underbrush was sparse, littered with tangles of thorny bushes and brittle branches, all cast in a dull, lifeless hue.

It reminded Ryker of a burnt forest, stripped of its vitality, as if nothing had dared to grow back. Desolation surrounded them, and even the wind seemed reluctant to pass through.

A small slit at the end of the path glowed yellow, and Ryker hoped it was sunshine. As they neared, Nova held her hand out once again. The branches parted, and they had to squint against the gleam.

Ryker inhaled sharply; eyes wide at the sight before him. A small cottage sat on a grassy knoll in the distance, nestled amongst a meadow of brightly coloured flowers. Each blossom bobbed their heads in welcome as Ryker and Nova unhurriedly dragged their eyes across the scenery. It was a striking contrast from the dark forest behind them.

“Well, I think we found her,” Nova whispered.

“I think we did,” Ryker agreed.