LithiumWolff

Aiden began to think of back when he was turned, having a similar experience right down to the lack of blood he was being given. He began to wonder how he ended up in those types of situations, he was hoping that this one wouldn't leave him with nightmares. "Come on, there has to be a reason, unless you do this for fun."

Ryker was good at what he did. Catching vampires and supernatural creatures like a hit man, only he didn't always kill them. He was mostly hired, paid and then to the next. "Okay, fine...since you're pretty much dead already. I was hired to capture you. Capish?"

"Things are different for women." She'd never been given much of an option in life. As he trailed off, her head tilted to the side slightly, unsure of what he was asking. "Do...what exactly?" Delilah wasn't sure how any of this was supposed to work. After the wedding, she'd be expected to be intimate but she wasn't sure if that's what he was asking for here. She captured his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles gently.

At that he kept his hands to himself. It was mostly him just being awkward never being in a bed with a woman before. "What?..Nothing." Ryker shrugged looking in another direction. The wall, the ceiling, the floor. Then the feeling of her hand on him. "We could talk before one of us falls asleep..most likely me." Letting out a soft chuckle at his words. "Is this awkward?..feels awkward. Not being married and in bed together I mean. I also proposed to you even though this is an arranged marriage." He let out a soft chuckle. Wow he wasn't great at small talk but he was trying.

Elena held his gaze for a long second, unreadable, then let out a dry scoff. ❝ A year? ❞ Her eyes swept the cell again, lingering on the rusted chains before settling back on him. ❝ Either you're stubborn as hell or they're not as good at breaking people as they think. ❞ At his advice, the corner of her mouth twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile. ❝ Funny. Every time someone tells me to do what I'm told, I end up bleeding anyway. ❞

A breathy laugh left him. Stubborn or not good at breaking people. It was a teeter totter, although stubbornness was his specialty. Even when he served they would still lock him up in a cage. It was good advice but what she did with it was her business. Then looked down at his dried up bloody knuckles. Fighting in the pit was one of his duties of entertainment, kept him alive and fed.

Selene snorted, shoving his shoulder a little harder than necessary as she fell into step beside him. ❝ Keep talking, hero, and I'll test that whole 'barely hit me' theory by smacking you upside the head. ❞ The corner of her mouth twitched despite herself, annoyed that he could still pull a reaction out of her. ❝ And for the record, I could absolutely drag your oversized ass. It just wouldn't be graceful, and I'd complain the entire time. ❞

Ryker huffed at the word. "Hero?...I suck at being that, anything close to that." A lie. Even if he was a hitman, with her he was definitely a hero or at least an anti-hero. Just a bad guy put in a situation. "Please don't hit my head, it's very fragile." Nudging her once. Not that she would hurt him. A chuckle, "Yeah, that would be a sight to see. You dragging my body across gravel. That won't attract any sort of attention, nah."

Liliana closed her eyes, his words settling somewhere between the part of her that still loved him and the part that had spent years teaching itself not to. It would've been easier if she hated him, if the memories didn't still feel warm enough to touch, but they did, and that was the problem. ❝ Alex is good,❞ she answered softly after a moment, a small smile finding her despite herself. ❝ He's stubborn, curious, and asked a hundred questions before breakfast.❞ She wanted to trust him and part of her did because with each interaction, each time they were getting together, he was proving her to be a better man.

"Hmm." He hummed, "Stubborn like his dad." Ryker let a chuckle leave him. Not always being there but he was there when he was born. Then in between times before he went to jail. "I'm sorry I stormed off the way I did. I didn't want to do anything..worse." At least he was honest, walking away was better than putting his hands on her or throwing something risking the whole custody of Alex. "Is there a chance I could see him...like, soon?"

Now didn't feel like a time to be joking at Octavia stood up pacing around before facing Lars again. ❝ The other guy? The other goy you say! You were literally stabbed Lars! ❞ She could feel her eyes well up with tears. ❝ This isn't something to joke about! ❞

"No major arteries." His breath was uneven but blood loss did make him a little dizzy. "I'm sorry, okay?..look at me. Paramedics are on their way." This is what he got for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Selene rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't get stuck. ❝ Oh, wow. A graze. That's so much better. ❞ She leaned in anyway, brushing his hair aside to inspect it herself before flicking his forehead. ❝ You know, normal people don't use 'the bullet barely hit me' as evidence that they're fine. ❞ His stupid grin made her want to laugh and strangle him at the same time. ❝ And don't flatter yourself. I'm worried because if you pass out, I'm the one who's gotta drag your oversized ass somewhere. ❞

Making a face, he looked back at his ex. They were a thing a long time ago, then ended up on two opposite sides of hit people. It was still nice knowing that Selene wasn't able to pull the trigger either. Ryker didn't even think about it, his answer was no. "But it's true, the bullet barely hit me." The look on his face, trying to get her to smile. Maybe it worked underneath all that tough girl that was on the outside. "Yeah, you won't be able to carry me." Agreeing with her. Now stuck with her for who knows how long, so he ought to make the best of it.

❝ I’m not talking to you like you’re a child, Ryker, ❞ Liliana said quietly, her voice gentle despite the ache behind it. ❝ I’m talking to you like someone who loved you, got hurt by you, and is trying to figure out if it’s safe to believe you again. You saying you’ll do whatever it takes for Alex means something to me—it does—but trust isn’t built because someone gets angry that it’s missing. It’s built because they keep showing up, even when it’s hard. So don’t tell me who you were or who you are. Just… let me see it. ❞ It was hard trusting him, trusting that things could actually change. Sure, people do change over the years but to her it still felt like it was yesterday no matter how much her heart still loved him.

It was easier to talk over the phone than in person, at least that's what it felt like in this moment. She couldn't see his expression or the hurt in his face. Mostly just him being disappointed in himself and the situation he put himself in. Ryker chose to be a criminal and he did time for it. Letting her speak, he listened. Wiping his face. "Still. You don't trust me. I am not going to hurt Alex, I promise you that." If he did hurt their kid that was it, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. "I'm not perfect and I've made mistakes. Most people don't give me a second chance but you did." So that had to mean something. "How is Alex today?" Casually changing the subject.

Elena's eyes snapped open long before the rest of her body caught up. The ceiling above her was cracked concrete, damp with condensation, and somewhere water dripped in a slow, maddening rhythm. Every muscle screamed when she tried to move, wrists rubbed raw where restraints had only recently been removed. Then she heard the voice. Don't panic. Guards hate that. Her gaze slid toward the man against the wall. Bruised knuckles. Split lip. The kind of exhaustion that settled into someone who'd stopped expecting miracles.

He noticed the fear look in her face, but it was only for a second. Gage had literally been through hell, maybe this was his own personal hell. The guy was scared of death, but he did what he had to do even if it meant being entertainment. The chains were on them but loosely, loose enough for them to walk freely amongst the cell. They each had a mattress but shared a toilet, sorta like prison. "Well, there could be monsters still up there." Saying it so casually. This was the new world they lived in and there were no exits.

"Oh, but then they'd have to change the whole 'beauty is pain' thing and then how would we function?" She asked with a lifted brow. Most days she was stuck in a corset that made it hard to breathe...but it kept her posture perfect and her figure pleasing to the eye. Those things had been important to her mother. Delilah settled herself on the bed next to him, turning on her side so she could face him. "We wouldn't even have to touch if we didn't want to." But she didn't move away from him.

"I did not see it that way." Nodding his head then, now completely understanding that saying. "Makes sense." Arching a brow playfully. It was nice seeing her out of a corset, no boundaries. Later he would have to figure out how to undo a corset. Eyes on her when she laid facing him. "Do you want to?"...dragging the word a bit, "We don't have to." Dragging the second sentence gives her the choice if they touch or not. Even if he was the man and had 'authority', he wasn't like most men. Slowly he moved a piece of her hair out of her face like some romance move that had been done for decades.