Awakening

Chapter 22

"Are we almost there?" I asked pathetically?

"Well considering how you just asked that a few minutes ago, my response is going to be the same. We aren't too far. But, at the rate you're climbing we might not get there until tomorrow night," Ryker said sarcastically.

Shooting a glare at him over my shoulder I continued up the steep slope. "Well if you had let me know ahead of time I could have at least gotten better shoes to go trekking through the woods in. Flats were not made for this," I bit out.

Ryker was about to say something back, most likely extremely sarcastic but he didn't get the chance. My feet slipped out from under me on the rocky slope and gravity wasted no time in flinging me backwards. Luckily Ryker was there to catch me.

I fell back into his chest, letting out a big "humph" as I did. His strong arms closed around me and pulled me in tight. Reaching up I brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes and gazed up at him. His ebony eyes stared down at me with amusement and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, well if I had told you then I wouldn't get to catch you when you fell. Which happens quite a bit," he teased. I rolled my eyes and stood back up to begin climbing. "Also the view from back here isn't so bad," he quipped.

I froze and felt my face instantly flush red. I wanted to turn around and punch him but he'd only expect that. Instead I chose to ignore him, which really wasn't possible but it was worth a shot.

Ryker had been like this all day. Ever since we had left Gabriel at the cantina yesterday evening Ryker's mood seemed to have lifted. I wasn't sure if it was because we had a plan to try and fix everything, or if a visit with his best friend was the reason for his easy going mood. Either way I was enjoying it. We spent the rest of yesterday driving into Penjamo. After getting us settled at a small bed and breakfast Ryker suggested that we head into town. I had readily agreed.

The city itself was nice. The main street held lots of little shops that had everything from a grocery store to a clothing store. They had a shop that made blankets, one that made toys for children, and one that Ryker stopped at. It was a vendor who was selling a dish that had corn, peppers, and chili all rolled inside of a tortilla. Although it was simple it was delicious. Ryker enjoyed his so much he went back for seconds.

We spent all day strolling through the shops, looking at all the different things that all seemed to be hand made. At one shop I found myself admiring the clothing. While Ryker chatted it up with the store owner I fell in love with a beautiful blouse. It was a traditional plain white with fringing. But what drew me was the elaborate beadwork that was done. As I ran my fingers over all of the shiny beads I couldn't help but wonder how long it must have taken someone to make it.

As the sun began to sink we left the shop and walked back to our room. I was pleasantly surprised when Ryker reached out suddenly and grabbed my hand. I looked up at him but he didn't say anything. He didn't even look at me. He just continued to walk, lightly holding my hand in his. It took me a moment but a smile slowly began to spread across my face. It seemed so odd for us to be doing something that a normal couple would do, because we were far from normal. But instead of questioning it I simply enjoyed it.

I felt a twinge of regret as I watched the sun dip lower. The day had been eventful. I finally met Gabriel, we'd managed to get to Penjamo, and Ryker and I had played tourists for the evening. It had been such an unexpectedly pleasant day that I hated to see it end. I wasn't ready for what tomorrow would bring, because I knew that tomorrow would bring with it so much uncertainty.

Ryker and I would face the possibility of not seeing another sunset. My gut clenched at the thought of what failure tomorrow would mean for the both of us. I would never be able to see my family again. I would never be able to find out who my real parents are. But the worst thing of all would be not being able to see where this amazing new thing between Ryker and I went. I had no delusional fantasies that if we succeeded that Ryker and I would ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Our lives were far too complicated for something so blissfully simple. But I needed to see where this relationship went. I craved to know how our lives would play out and if they stayed intertwined. The thought that tomorrow there may not be anymore Ryker or no more us had me squeezing his hand involuntarily.