Chapter 69 A Sexy Ultimatum
Lyra let herself sink.
Not gracefully. Not calmly. She simply gave up and slid down beneath the surface of the tub, letting the warm water close over her head like a curtain.
For a few seconds, she stayed there, eyes shut tight, ears ringing with the dull hush of being submerged. She was flushed and wished that maybe she could just drown and the water would swallow the embarrassment too.
Maybe it would quiet the shame burning through her chest, the sound of Ryker’s voice behind her, of being seen at her weakest and most desperate. Her lungs began to ache, but she welcomed it. Pain was easier than humiliation.
“Lyra,” Ryker’s voice came again, louder now. “You’re not breathing in there.”
She ignored him for one more second.
Then her body betrayed her.
Lyra broke the surface with a gasp, water streaming down her face as she dragged in a lungful of air, coughing and sputtering as she clutched the edge of the tub.
“Are you planning to die than look at me?" He smirked.
“You should have knocked."
“Damn it,” Ryker muttered. “I didn’t know you were in here before coming in.”
“Well, that's just not decent."
“Decent?" He laughed. “This is my house."
She wiped her face roughly. “Yeah,” she said hoarsely. “It’s also your quarters too.”
There was a pause. She could feel him standing there even without looking. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest. Goodness, she couldn't look into these sexy eyes of his.
“Well, could you leave now?" She asked with the softest done she could muster.
“I'm worried about you. Why are you touching yourself?" He asked, “I mean after the lake I thought you'd be fine."
“It doesn't matter, please leave," she said, still flushed.
“Why?"
“I want to get out,” she said finally.
“What’s stopping you?” Ryker replied flatly.
Lyra stared at the water, then up at him. “Turn around. I’m naked.”
He scoffed. “I’ve seen all of you before, Lyra. What’s with the modesty?”
She lifted a brow at him, daring him to push it further.
He huffed, turned on his heel, and tossed a towel behind him. “There. Happy?”
She grabbed the towel, stood carefully, and stepped out of the tub. Her legs felt weak, whether from the heat or the shattering orgasm she had, she didn’t know. She wrapped the towel tightly around herself.
“I’m decent,” she said.
Ryker didn’t turn back. He folded his arms, staring at the tiled wall as if it had personally offended him. “Are you feeling any better?”
Lyra let out a slow, tired breath. “You already know the answer to that.”
His jaw tightened. “Now that you’ve seen it doesn’t help, I’m going to talk to the doctor. We’ll find medication to manage the fever. And you can’t go outside, Lyra. Everyone can smell you.”
She laughed, but it came out angry. “Fantastic. I’m officially a walking sex sign.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“Nothing about this is funny,” she shot back. “Do you at least know how long this will last?”
“A female's heat lasts the entire moon cycle.”
Her head snapped up. “What?”
“Three weeks of peak fertility. I don't know if it will be different since you're a half-breed, but that's what I know,” he said grimly.
“You’re saying I’ll be indoors for three weeks?”
“Unless the heat is taken care of.”
Lyra stared at his back, disbelief giving way to irritation. “Don’t be absurd, Ryker. If I had options, I’d have taken care of it already without begging you to fuck me.”
A low growl rumbled from his chest. “Stop.”
She blinked. “What? You hate the word? Or you’re imagining something that you don't want to?”
Then she got closer to his face. “Does the thought of your cock inside me upset you? Are you disgusted at that?”
He spun around then, eyes blazing. “That’s enough.”
She met his gaze without flinching. “You don’t get to police my mouth when you’re the one refusing to touch me.”
Ryker looked away first, clearly unwilling to be part of that heated conversation. “Lock the door behind you,” he said stiffly. “I’ll be going out for evening patrol.”
“I dare you.”
He paused mid-step. “What?”
“I dare you to leave tonight,” she said, voice trembling but determined. “Go on. Go do a patrol you’re not even needed on.”
“I have to protect my people.”
“You have trained warriors that do that,” she shot back. “And you forget so quickly that patrol ran just fine without you for years.” She took a step closer. “You just want to be far away from me.”
“I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Fine,” she said bitterly. “Maybe I don’t either.” She took a shaky breath. “But if you don’t come back tonight, I won’t be here either.”
His eyes snapped to hers. “Lyra.”
“I’ll go for a walk in the forest,” she continued, voice rising. “And I’m sure I’ll find someone willing to fuck me until the heat the gone.”
“That’s not funny,” he snapped.
“I’m not joking.”
“Lyra, stop being so…reckless.”
“Is that the word?” she asked softly. “Because last time, it sounded a lot like you called me a whore, maybe that's what I want to be now.”
He sighed deeply. “I never called you that.”
“You didn’t have to,” she said. “You made it clear enough.”
“I said you’re in heat,” he argued. “That you might not be able to control yourself. And right now, you’re proving me right.”
“You don't know what it feels like to be in heat. So don't tell me what to do."
He held her back. “Stop being dramatic, I'll talk to the doctor and find a solution, a herb or something!"
“Is that it?" She barked angrily, “I need a fucking herb to stop the heat when there's a man right in front of me who's job is literally to keep me satisfied."
"Our marriage is complicated, Lyra. You know that.”
"No, I don't know that. I know that you won't forgive me since I kissed your brother and now you've probably sworn never to touch me again.”
"This has nothing to do with Dax.”
"It has everything to do with Dax!”She scoffed, "you're punishing me.”
Ryker sighed. "I'm not punishing, Lyra. I'm giving you a chance to be free. One day, you'll thank me for that."
She whipped around. “I’m not arguing anymore. Leave for your patrol Ryker, I dare you. I'll take care of this one way or the other tonight.”
She brushed past him, towel clutched tight, and stormed into the bedroom. Before he could say another word, she slammed the door shut.
“Lyra!" He called out, “don't do anything stupid!"
Lyra leaned against the door, breathing hard. She wasn’t sure what she'd do. But humiliation had a way of turning pain into stubborn resolve.
One way or another, she thought shakily, tonight, someone would take care of this heat.
Ryker or not.