by Janie Marie
Kylie darted her eyes to where Ryder and Janie were. He was supposed to train her. Did that change? It appeared so since Ryder was holding Janie, her head on his shoulder as the bad boy swayed with her like she was a baby.
“She’s feeling a little sick today,” Logan said, sitting opposite Kylie.
“Oh.” She focused on him, her eyes instantly glued to his. “I’m sorry about last night,” she blurted.
Logan chuckled, leaning on his hands. “Nothing to be sorry for. You’re doing a brave thing by coming here, and now you’re getting ready to go back to school. We just wanted you and Maura to see what it’s like inside.”
“But we’re not inside your group.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “You’re not a family member, no, but Ryder’s let you in. Janie and Luc have decided you’re welcome to see their Wolves.”
“Their wolves?” Kylie looked around for Luc, but he’d left.
“Yeah, she’s kinda with him now. Like how he called her his queen—she’s accepted him. Plus, she’s our adorable little hoe”—he laughed at her shocked face—“so she’s fine with having the Wolves around.”
“I can’t believe you called her a hoe.” She tried not to smile, but it was funny.
“She is.” He grinned, sliding back into the image of her man-boy easily. “Not like she’s doing hoe things—just surrounded by guys. She knows everyone calls her that, so we’ve made it a joke to make it easier for her.”
“If you say so.” She rubbed her cheek. It had been a long time since she’d smiled so big, and it hurt. “I asked your dad if you’re werewolves.”
Logan laughed louder. “What did he say?”
“He said maybe in his next life.” She was smiling again.
“I can see him that way—he acts like an actual wolf. Have you seen the wolves they have?”
She shook her head, frowning. Then she remembered the big dogs. “The guard dogs?”
“Yeah, they’re wolves.” He grinned again. “That’s probably as close as you’re going to get to werewolves, but they treat them like they’re people—family. So I guess the pack is just that—a pack.”
“Are you trying to be one of them?” She regretted asking, so she blurted, “Don’t feel like I’m judging. You can do what you want. I’m just curious. It’s just . . . everything has changed since realizing everyone thinks the stories are real. Luc is Lucifer, and all.”
He didn’t comment about Luc. “I’m not walking away from my family. Let’s just leave it at that.” His dark eyes met hers again. “Do you want to warm up? If Ryder’s training you, you need to get focused on that.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea. I still can’t believe I’m doing this.”
He got to his feet and held out a hand for her. “It’ll help you relax to have something new to do, and who knows, it might help with any sort of situation that arises.”
“Okay.” She watched him tilt his head to the side, then he glanced over to see Ryder carrying Janie out of the gym.
Logan returned his attention to Kylie as he tossed his phone on the mat. “All right. Let’s do some basic warm-ups. He’ll probably change up what you do with him, depending on what training he’s picked for you each day. I think he’s doing a mixture of weight, endurance, and combat training. You might not be a fighter at the end of this, but you’ll be stronger, faster, and know the basics.”
She nodded, getting nervous now. Maura was supposed to train with her, and she was thankful when Maura started coming back, but she had Gareth and Gawain at her sides.
“Grimm,” Gareth said in a teasing tone. “You’re not supposed to be interfering with our student.”
Kylie’s eyes widened. “Your student? I thought Ryder was training us.”
Gawain looked at her, annoyed, but the crinkle around his eyes proved she amused him. “Dare insult us by choosing Godson?” He whipped his head around to Gareth. “Brother, these mortals simply do not deserve to be trained by Knights.”
She laughed. “No, I’d pick you guys over Ryder any day.”
Gareth smirked at her. “Don’t let Godson hear you say that.”
“He’ll make you puke twice, then.” Gawain winked at her. “No, we’re helping. We don’t train with Janie either, so we’re more than happy to help you two.”
Logan butted in. “We’re Janie’s guard around the house, so while I train with her, they do their thing. With the extra help now, they can join in on training.”
Gareth nodded. “And Sissy’s sick, so you two get all the attention today.”
“Oh.” Kylie squirmed, hoping not everyone would be watching. “So I’ll get a break from Ryder?”
“Not likely.” Gareth laughed, setting down a water bottle. “Tercero will go keep an eye on her, and Ryder will come give you hell.”
“I am here to give them hell.” Ryder strolled over, a dangerous fire lit within his eyes. “Grimm, did you make my baby sick to save these girls?”
Logan crossed his arms. “Do you want me to leave?”
Ryder shrugged. “Tercero’s with her. Do what you want—she’s gonna need to rest today.”
Kylie looked between everyone. They were watching Logan, and she suddenly didn’t know if she wanted him around or not. “You don’t have to stay, Logan,” she mumbled.
He darted his eyes to her, and she swallowed when they fell to her lips for a few seconds.
Ryder caught it, too, and he looked at Kylie, as if he were asking her if she was okay with this or not. When she realized she wasn’t ready, he nodded at her and put a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Actually, can you go to the store and buy Janie more drinks and that cream I use for her headaches? Tercero’s massaging her, but you know she’s better with that stuff.”
“Yeah.” Logan cast Kylie a small smile before walking away.
“What’d I tell you?” Ryder grinned at Gawain before motioning to Maura. “Get beside your sister.”
Maura did as she was told, a dreamy smile on her face. Boy, this girl wasn’t getting over her crush on him.
“All right.” He pointed to the floor. “I’m assuming you used this time to warm up.”
“No,” Kylie murmured, but he was talking again.
“Well, next time you’ll get warmed up before I get here.” He rubbed his hands together and nodded toward the floor. “Drop and give me fifty.”
“Fifty?” She had to force her mouth closed. “I can’t do that many.”
He shifted his gaze between her and Maura. “You came here for help, because you’re done being victims—because you’re ready to be warriors for yourselves and each other. You won’t get there by complaining about how hard this will be. I don’t care if you struggle, as long as you try and don’t give up.”
He pointed at Kylie. “You’re alive because you didn’t give up, but he would’ve killed you had it not been for these two showing up. Kevin’s that good. So let’s get you prepared to put up an even better fight. One where you can run longer, faster. One where he won’t get away when the Wolves come to collect him.”
“I’m not strong,” Maura whispered. “I could only hurt Kylie with a bat.”
Ryder slid his gaze to Maura. “You shouldn’t have done that, but you initially grabbed that bat because you were weaker. So I’ll teach you how to wound a monster with whatever weapon you have nearby, and your bare hands. You know now she’s not your enemy, yes? Neither of you are monsters—understand?”
Maura nodded.
“Good. Now, next time, no fucking around.” He glanced back at Kylie. “Warm up when you get down here and be ready to work.”
Kylie was absolutely stunned. Maura had apologized for everything, but she’d never admitted to hurting her to anyone other than Lorelei and Gabriel. It overwhelmed her to the point tears blurred her sight. Even more that Ryder had said neither of them were monsters.
Gareth patted her back before getting down on the floor. Gawain copied him, as did Maura. Ryder stayed standing, his ex
pression unreadable, but his words were anything but. “I’m sorry for being harsh with you for everything before. I’m glad you made the choices you have, and I’m proud of you for helping everyone by coming here. You’re helping my girl, whether or not you realize it, and I appreciate you risking your life for everyone, just as she’s tried and failed to do for you.”
Her mouth went dry, and she could only stare at him, silent as he continued. “I’ll be harsh with you here, but it’s because if some fucker out there comes for one of you, he won’t show you mercy. This is why I don’t train Janie—I can’t be hard on her. So I let Luc destroy her and I let Logan support her.” He smirked. “But you know if I let Grimm help you, he’ll get a boner like a fourteen-year-old boy seeing his first hot babe.”
Gareth choked on his laugh.
Ryder ignored him. “Suck it up right now, okay? Because you know what happens if I fail you? It means all of this—every one of us here fulfilling our legacy—we let down our goddess. The fairy tale fails, and her dreams stay nightmares. The Big Bad Wolves win. You know why?”
Kylie shook her head.
“Because, Kylie, this was for you after all. You’re the Red Riding Hood who’s supposed to be the best of them all.”
“No.” She wiped at her cheek. “Maura and Janie are the Red Riding Hoods.”
He nodded, putting his hands on his hips. “There are always two—at a time. One who the wolf eats, one who dies. That has many meanings, as far as death goes. This girl might live in some degree, but her journey as Little Hood ends, and she becomes something else. So where do the two others come from?” His eyes drifted to where Lorelei was watching. “Maura, where did you first get that hoodie?”
Kylie frowned, never having considered that.
“It was Mama’s.”
Kylie almost fell to her knees.
Ryder focused on them. “One dies, in some way. Though you’ve endured hell, your souls are still intact in ways theirs are not. Even you, Maura. Kylie saved you that night. You’re still very much alive.”
It hurt. Everything hurt.
“In the stories you know,” he continued, “the second time Red Riding Hood encountered the wolf, she remembered—she learned. But in our story, it’s a new girl altogether. She’s a daughter who survived because her mother sacrificed. In your case, Kylie, you misunderstood your purpose when Logan told you the story that Janie was his Red Riding Hood. You are the second Red Riding Hood, the girl she never got to be. The Kid, the Young, Little girl—Innocent in ways she is not—and the one who has Everything still possible for her.
“My moon never had simple dreams of happily ever after. Even if she tried to make it simple and sweet, she suddenly had monsters and too much horror to fight through to reach her happiness.” He smiled the gorgeous Ryder Godson smile. “Bottom line, it was all done for this moment. Her moment to glow is at rest now. She had to shine for you to see, that’s all this has been. All the focus on her—she was trying to glow because it was her story all along. Now, it’s time for the Darkside to embrace her scars in the light.”
He pulled out a gold chain that was under his shirt. On it was an emerald engagement ring, and a medallion of a half-moon. “My baby glows for me, so she’ll be okay. But this dark side, it’s always been there—always something no one expected. A dark soul. Her wolf. Silly girl I have, though. She smiles at her monsters and forgives them so they might find light.”
His finger slid over the light side. “All this time, it’s been to give you what she didn’t have—when she was just a girl who dreamed of being a warrior goddess for all the little goddesses watching her.”
“Why is this so cryptic and magical?” Maura whispered to Gareth.
Kylie laughed, wiping more tears away.
Ryder hid the chain under his shirt again. “Start glowing, Blondie. That’s what we’re here to see.”
Her heart pounded, her hands shook, and her lips trembled, but she smiled at him and got down, copying the push-up position the others were in.
Ryder did the same. “Count it out, Little Hoods.”
Kylie smiled at Maura, and they did their first push up together. “One.”
Seventeen
FORGOTTEN ONE
Kylie kept still on the sofa as Ryder walked past. It had been hours after training. She hadn’t wanted to go back to the room, so she’d hidden out in the gaming room. Sin was her guard, but he wasn’t into hovering and it allowed her some quiet, alone time to process everything.
Ryder had been really tough during training, but he’d made it very clear it was for their benefit. He was still a jerk, not giving her a break when she felt like she was going to puke, but the Knight brothers were a nice buffer. They’d tell her to raise her arms up or get her to focus on breathing while Ryder kept up his hardass routine.
“Where are you going?” came Janie’s voice.
Kylie startled but stayed quiet; she hadn’t even noticed her old rival was resting on an oversized chair on the other side of the massive room.
Ryder stopped walking, turning his face in Janie’s direction. “To take a piss, babe.”
Kylie’s face heated, and she prayed to all that was holy for the bad boy not to notice her.
“Oh.” Janie frowned at him.
Kylie hadn’t seen her at all during the training session, but she looked a lot better than she had earlier.
Ryder smirked, heading over to his girlfriend. “Want to come hold my dick so you’ll stop feeling left out?”
Kylie tried to disappear into the cushions as Janie eagerly nodded. Oh. My. God.
The sweet smile Ryder gave Janie was too adorable for words as he sat beside her. “Silly girl.” He smoothed her hair back.
“I missed you,” Janie told him.
“I know,” he murmured, twirling a lock of her hair. “Did you not sleep good with Tercero?”
“I did,” she said. “But he got a call from Elise; I told him to go.”
Ryder chuckled at Janie’s annoyed face. “Are you digging my brother now?”
“No,” Janie said too quickly.
He shook his head while his smile stayed in place. “My adorable little hoe. Don’t get jealous.”
Kylie’s eyes were about to fall out. They really called her a hoe, and Janie didn’t get upset. It made perfect sense though; they’d taken all the power the insult had and made it something ridiculously cute between them. And holy crap; Janie was totally into Tercero, it seemed.
“I’m not,” Janie argued, sounding very jealous.
“Babe, you can’t get jealous,” he said. “The girls need to be trained. Logan’s not gonna be any good at it the way he is with you.” He watched Janie turn her face away from him and spoke again. “And you know Tercero isn’t going back to Elise.”
“I don’t know why . . .” Janie’s words dried up.
Ryder smiled, still lovingly at his girlfriend who was almost admitting to something Kylie had suspected for a long time. “You’re fucking horny and lonely, babe,” he said. “Of course you’re crushing on him and he’s always had the hots for you. If he didn’t make you feel better, I’d kill him.”
Janie whipped her head around to glare at him.
His smile only grew. “What? I can’t be jealous too? I see you get all flustered when he speaks Italian to you. Now he’s spending more time with you than I am. I’ll fuck him up if you keep thirsting like this.”
“Dick,” Janie snapped at him, turning her face away again.
He chuckled. “Needy girl. You’re lucky Logan’s ass isn’t panting around after you anymore. I’d have to kill him too for all the cuddles you give his stupid ass.”
“I don’t cuddle him or Tercero,” Janie argued.
“Uh huh.” He snickered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Stop being jealous. It makes you get sick and pissy. Then I can’t give you dick the way you like after you miss me.”
It still stunned Kylie about the whole Tercero thing, but another detail
became crystal clear; Janie was jealous of her because Ryder was devoting time to her and Maura. Janie really could be as insecure as a lot of girls, as insecure as she was being at the Godson mansion and seeing Janie and Logan together.
“I don’t want your dick,” Janie spat as Kylie made her move.
Like a wet noodle sliding off the edge of the bowl, she slowly slid off the sofa. She would army crawl or even do ‘the worm’ if she had to, no matter how sore she was from working out.
“Yes, you do. You want it right now,” Ryder said before fluently spouting off something in a different language. Janie looked like she was seeing stars. Hell, Kylie damn near joined her; she had no idea Ryder could speak another language, and it was one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard. The previously mean bastard grinned wickedly at the dazed state he left Janie in. “See? You can’t handle my sexiness—I know who’s King Boyfriend for you. Now are you gonna stop acting jealous?”
Kylie peeked, only because she wanted to make sure she wasn’t caught wiggling her ass across the floor. Ryder was kissing Janie’s neck, and the girl was acting like he wasn’t touching her.
“Kiss my ass,” Janie said, giggling though. “I’m serious. I’m sad.”
“Aw, baby girl is sad—all jealous of the blonde and her sister.” His tone was mocking, but Kylie didn’t doubt Ryder’s jerkiness was an act of love.
A wicked smile crossed on Janie’s face. “Nah, just jealous of Elise. Tercero’s looking pretty fucking mouthwatering lately. Pretty sure I squeezed his ass in my sleep. Wow.”
Ryder didn’t even look fazed by her jab. “You act like your panties didn’t get soaked at the sight of me just walking across the damn room. Now stop. For real. I know you’re missing me and shit is stressing you out, but it’ll be just us again soon. I’ll give you all the attention you want. Just us, my moon.”
“What if something bad happens?” Janie asked, sounding like a little girl.
“You always forget who I am, babe.” He leaned down, kissing her. It was all cute and romantic until he slipped a hand under Janie’s shirt and blatantly copped a feel.