427 Head over cliff in love

Ry thanked the gods… mostly his father… as thunderheads rolled in and the tide began rising, crashing violently against the cliffs. He curled his body around Jaden as he braced himself for impact. From that height, water was still going to hurt but not nearly as bad as the rocks would have. Sure enough, the sting of the water cut through his thin shirt and his skin. The shallow tide wasn't enough to keep him from cracking several ribs as his back made contact with the rocky bottom. The air was knocked from his lungs as salt water flooded them.

Jaden quickly scooped up his head. "Are you alright?" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please say you are… Please…" She gently patted his cheek. "Ry?"

Ry sputtered out the salt water. "Ough… That would be my luck… Son of Poseidon drowns in three inches of seawater…" He winced and huffed as he forced himself to sit up. He clasped his ribs. He could feel the thick trickle of blood ooze through the water-soaked shirt. He forced a neutral expression as he turned his attention to her. "Are you alright?"

Jaden nodded. "B-because of you… B-but why?" 

He winced as he cupped her face. "Because you're important to this island and to all of us on it." He forced a smirk as he nodded toward the top of the cliff. "Now that you got that out of your system, can we talk?"

Jaden couldn't help a tiny laugh. "How can I say no after you threw yourself off a cliff after me?"

He nodded. "Good call." He held up a finger. "Just give me a minute." He tried to stand but found his leg was also broken." He closed one eye and gave her a crooked smile. "On second thought, you wouldn't mind giving me a hand, would you?"

Jaden's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no… this is all my fault!"

He caught her hand. "No, let me stop you right there. I didn't have to jump after you. I didn't have to be so shit at controlling the ocean… Now if you could just give me a hand."

She did her best to support his massive frame and heavy weight as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pushed himself up. When he began moving deeper into the water, she paused. "Wait… what are you doing?"

Ry chuckled. "Healing… Unless you want to walk all the way to the top of the cliffs like this?" He nodded toward the water. Once he was waist deep, he lifted his free hand over the water, and it began to glow.

"Wow… It's so pretty…"

Ry arched a brow. "Are you hurt anywhere? As long as you're touching me I can heal some of your wounds as well."

She shook her head. "No… I believe I'm fine…"

Ry nodded. "Then give me a few minutes…" Ry pulled the torn bloody shirt over his head, revealing one rib that had broken the skin causing Jaden to wince. "It's fine, it will all be better in a minute. Just watch."

Jaden watched in amazement as the glowing waters moved over Ry's body, and it seemed to magically repair all the damage there. Her hand involuntarily moved to the spot where the rib had been poking through just moments earlier. Her mouth hung open in ah and her eyes wide with childlike wonder. "That's amazing… I've never seen anything like it…"

Ry nodded. "Yep. Nifty party trick… Now… What the fuck were you thinking?" He asked as he took her hand and led her out of the ocean.

Tears began to burn Jaden's eyes again as she stared down at the ground as they walked across the wet sand. "I have nothing to offer… I can't do the one duty of a wolf queen, and it's all my fault…"

Ry's steps froze. He pulled her to a stop and caught her face in one massive hand. "No." He shook his head. "You listen to me. Nothing that happened to you up until you were taken out of that dungeon was your fault… before you came to this island before you were rescued… none of it was your fault. You were forced into situations no one should ever be forced into and made to make decisions no one should ever have to make at such a young age. I commend your bravery. You're a warrior. You hear me? One of the bravest, strongest women I've ever met. Do you realize how old I am?"

More tears flooded her eyes, but this time they weren't sad. "I… I don't know what to say…"

Ry took a step closer. "Say you'll put all these thoughts behind you and come back to the palace with me. Say we'll have a sit-down and talk with Russ. Say we'll work something out with him."

Jaden shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I fear I've already messed that up beyond repair."

Ry smiled down at her as he shook his head. "You haven't. Not at all. He still loves you very much, and believe me, very forgiving." Ry gave her a wink.

Jaden searched his eyes. "Why would you help me like this? I know you love him too. I've seen the way you are with him."

Ry gave her a sad smile. "I do love him… but who's to say you're not what could make him the happiest?"

Jaden shook her head. "I can't… I can't even give him a child."

Ry shook his head as he thought back to all the fighting Arei and Jos had just gone through because of issues surrounding having children. "Too bad you're not mine, this wouldn't be an issue."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

Ry chuckled as he released her face and took her hand to walk toward the path leading back up the cliff. "Arei and I are sons of a fertility goddess. We could knock up a shoe if we fucked it… It's why he and Jos split a while back. Jos wanted kids and Arei doesn't want to father children for his own personal reasons… now that they have come to an agreement and decided to adopt they always have to be extremely careful. Shy of being a man or having a hysterectomy, a child of a fertility goddess wouldn't have trouble procreating…"

Jaden pulled Ry to a stop. "You could get me pregnant?"

Ry's smile faded. "Wait, that's not what I meant…"

"But you could?"

Ry released her hand and ran both his hands through his wet hair. "Fuck…" He turned away from her. "Russ isn't going to like this…" He muttered to himself. He arched a brow as he glanced back down at her. "You realize not only am I the twin of the man who took away his first love… but also the man that has been making mostly unwanted advances on him for over a year and a half now, right?"

Jaden ignored his words, instead, she caught his belt and tugged him back around to face her. "Wait, Ry… You… you…"

Ry swallowed hard, his eyes moving from her desperate eyes to where her hands clasped his belt. He carefully loosened her fingers. "Jaden, you're not thinking rationally right now… Let's get you home and changed first. Then, you, Russ, and I can sit down and have a talk… sound good?"

Jaden nodded. She swallowed as she examined his body for the first time. She reached out and ran her hand over the bear tattoo on his chest, the cold bar of his nipple ring catching her by surprise. She pulled her fingers away slightly but didn't remove her hand. Her eyes moved from his chest to his eyes. "Ry…"

Ry swallowed harder. "Jaden, you're playing with fire. Stop."

She tilted her head to the side. "You like men and women both, right? You're in love with my husband, and would do anything to stay by his side…" She moved her focus back to his chest and the bar going through his nipple. She took a step closer and leaned forward.

Ry groaned as her breath tickled his bare chest. "I'm not sure what's going through your head right now, but we should get you changed before you get sick- Shit!" He called out as the tip of her pink tongue shot out and flicked the bar. "Dear Gods, Jaden!" He bent and scooped her up into his arms.

She arched a brow. She'd braced herself for rough handling, but he took care handling her as if she were fine china. She tilted her head as she studied his face close up for the first time. He'd seemed so scary to her up until now. She reached out and wiggled the nose ring going through his left nostril, before letting her hand trace his scruffy beard over to his ears. She ran her fingers through the odd holes there.

Ry arched a brow. "Now what?"

"I've never seen anything like these…"

Ry sighed. "They're called gages…"

"My finger fits all the way through this one…" She muttered before turning her attention to the tattoos on his neck. "Does it mean anything? I notice you, Arei, and Peg have the same one."

He nodded as he began climbing the path up the steep cliff. "Yeah, it marks us as Embassy special operations. It makes it easy for those who need to know immediately, and those who don't… well, typically just think it's a brotherly thing or gang thing…"

"I see… and this?"

Ry blew out another sigh. "Why the sudden interest?"

"I've never been this close to you without your shirt on for starters… besides… if there is a chance that we may become… closer… I'd like to become better acquainted with you…"

Ry arched a brow. "And you're not still afraid of me? Have you already forgotten about our Embassy stay?" He could see Jaden redden under the moonlight.

"I have not… but I have been around enough as entertainment at the palace to know that there is a difference… and if Russ had not enjoyed it or wanted it at some level he would have demanded that you leave… yet here you are, still by his side…"

Ry nodded. "I suppose you have a point…" He arched a brow. "So, now you're curious?"

"I am…" She answered honestly.

He shook his head. "I'm so lost right now… This is not… man…"

She arched her brow. "Do you not find me desirable?"

A muscle in his jaw clenched, and he forced his gaze forward past her. "Quite the opposite. You're very beautiful… It's just…"

"I'm Russ's wife? You didn't seem to care that he was my husband when you did whatever it was that you did the other night…"

Ry had the good grace to look embarrassed. "You're right… And for that, I apologize."

She ran her hand up his neck. "Then it is only fair, I would think." She tugged his head down toward her.

Ry sucked in a breath as he realized what she was asking for. "Jaden… are… are you sure?"

She nodded. "I am… I want to see what it is that is so captivating about you. What is so irresistible…"

"Fuck…" Ry groaned against her lips as she tugged him closer. Guilt coursed through his entire body as her soft lips pressed against his, but he was too weak to resist as her tiny fingers tangled in his wet hair. Ry groaned against her sweet mouth as the tip of her tongue teased the part of his full lips. He gently cradled her in his arms as she continued wiggling about in the heavy sopping-wet dress. He could feel himself harden against her needy administrations. "Jaden, please I beg you… Not now… let's just get back to the palace first… Then I'll let you do whatever you want but not here… not soaking wet, on the side of a cliff, in the middle of the night…"

Jaden relaxed into his arms once again. "Anything?"

Ry blew out a sigh. "Gods knows I'm going to regret the hell out of this, but yes… under one condition… WE talk with Russ first. You said it yourself, I'm in love with him… so, you understand the last thing I'd want to do is hurt him…" He arched a brow. "And at one point I would have thought the same of you…"

Jaden frowned. "I do care for him greatly, and I will give it to him he can be an amazing person… but… I have never felt like I've ever held any special place within his heart… or ever will… maybe it would be best if we did this thing… then I could have a child to love at least… several even maybe… I wouldn't feel so alone…" Her sad eyes met his. "Is that selfish to think?"

Ry's heart ached as he studied her under the pale moonlight. He stopped and carefully balanced her in one arm as he brushed the wet hair that clung to her face away with the other hand. He smiled compassionately down at her as he shook his head. "No… not at all…" As he brushed away the last strands of hair he gently cupped her face and tenderly pressed his lips to hers. He let his kiss linger, only barely teasing the tip of her seeking tongue. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he pressed his forehead against hers, still fighting the nauseating feeling of guilt in his stomach. "I'll do what I can to help you… but not without his approval first… that's all I ask… Ok?"

Jaden nodded. "Alright… I understand." She whispered as she ran her hand through his damp beard and hair. It was crazy looking back… how could she have ever been afraid of such a sweet, gentle man?