was protecting her the only way he knows how. As well as protecting himself.”
“Himself?” Max questioned, knowing in her heart that everything Lark said was true. She knew Ryker’s love for her was all-consuming. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t some parts about her he maybe didn’t like.
The corner of Lark’s mouth kicked up in a sardonic smile. “Max, a scared Ryker is a loud Ryker. And a terrified Ryker is a man who lashes out at everyone. Especially those he loves the most. Because you are the most convenient.”
Max thought about it for a moment, deciding Lark was right. Ryker had been terrified. Still … “We’ve never really had a proper fight. I mean, we argue all the time and we piss each other off of course. But we’ve never had serious words before. Never thrown hurtful words at each other since we became a couple.” She looked at her friends. “He hurt me.”
“Right,” Axel said, cracking his knuckles. He walked quickly to the door, followed by Darius.
“Will you two macho men stand down?” Lark halted them. “Beating Ryker up won’t fix anything.”
“The hell you say!” Axel growled, Darius nodding his head in agreement.
Lark rolled his eyes, “We want the best for Max, right? So just wait. Now, Max. Tell us how you felt when Dana told you the baby was going to become a part of the Triumvirate one day?”
Max shrugged, chewing her lip. “It was a surprise, but also not really at the same time. I mean, there are a lot of details I want to know and clarify. I want to speak to Tanda as soon as possible. But overall? I’m okay with it, I guess. I mean, how could I not be? I felt the truth of mum’s words as soon as she uttered them,” she revealed.
“Exactly,” Lark said, as if he had solved all of Max’s problems.
Max glared up at him, “Is that supposed to make sense to me?”
Diana patted Lark on the arm, gently pushing him aside so she could take his place in front of Max. “What Lark is trying to get at is that you feel secure in the information because you can feel your daughter and see the future. Ryker can’t do that. He doesn’t have the powers you do. He doesn’t have the innate knowledge that everything is going the way it is supposed to. All he knows is that someone is telling him his daughter is going to be extra special – to more than just him – and he has to believe them. Max, he was just told he is going to have to share his precious baby with the whole world.”
“The same information doesn’t cause you to have a nervous breakdown because you were born knowing you would belong to the world. You’re desensitised to it,” Cali pointed out.
“Oh,” Max said, finally understanding what they were saying to her. Yes, she supposed it was easy to accept that everything was going to be okay when she could already see her daughter laughing and playing in the shallow waves with her daddy. Max hadn’t ever seen her daughter’s face, but she kept having recurrent dreams about Ryker helping their toddler daughter jump over the waves, her black curly hair shining in the sun and her innocent giggles floating back to Max where she sat on the sand. When Max said she knew her daughter was going to be safe and happy, she meant it literally. It wasn’t just a mother’s hope or wish. She knew it because she felt it with her very soul. Which, now knowing her daughter was going to be like the Queen of souls, raised a whole new bunch of questions.
Max groaned, dropping her head into her hands. “What am I supposed to do?”
“First,” Darius said sternly, still looking like he wanted to punch Ryker. “Get an apology.”
“A big one,” Axel added.
“And then talk about what this all means to you both. Not just what it means to Ryker. And not just what it means to you. But what it means to both of you as parents. You’re in this together,” Beyden pointed out quietly, so unassuming in his wisdom.
Max felt her chin tremble and water flooded her eyes again. “You guys are the best,” she yelled, before bursting into tears once more. Her Order simply smiled and wiped them away.
Chapter Four
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Ryker cursed himself as he paced back and forth along the sand. He was the first to admit he