Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder) novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Xena’s POV

Ama sat on the ground, rubbing her injured ankle in frustration. “Damn it,” she muttered, clearly annoyed. William was still pacing back and forth, patrolling the area with watchful

eyes.

Leonard’s girl–Cindy–looked much better than before. She was now clinging to Leonard, sobbing into his chest as he comforted her.

Ryder and I straddled the fallen tree trunk. He gently tilted my chin up as I kept my hands at my sides to avoid flashing anyone. His movements were incredibly gentle as he

removed pieces of glass from my face one by one.

“By tomorrow morning, most of these marks will be gone,” I said, trying to make it sound

like no big deal.

“What about your ribs?” He completely ignored my comment, his eyes flickering with

concern I couldn’t ignore.

“They don’t hurt that much, actually,” I said, while mentally debating whether to tell him

the truth–that each breath felt like a knife slicing through me.

“Probably still the adrenaline working,” Leonard mumbled. Looking up, I saw him

watching Ryder’s “work” intently.

“Hmm,” Ryder hummed softly. He’d moved to my neck and collarbone, even having to shift

my T–shirt. “Anywhere else?”

I pulled my shirt open with one hand to check. “I don’t think so.” Hell, whether there was

or not, I wasn’t about to tell him.

“Need help checking?” Leonard joked. His date immediately slapped him on the arm.

We all laughed. “What? It’s not like I’m getting lucky tonight anyway.”

“Leonard, you’re never getting lucky with me,” I said with a laugh as I adjusted my position, no longer straddling the log but sitting with my legs crossed.

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7:30 pm

Chapter 33

“Are you two mates? The chemistry between you is really good,” Cindy asked, looking

between Ryder and me.

An awkward silence followed. I felt a little disappointed when Ryder remained silent,

saying nothing.

“Your head…” Dad rushed out of the car and ran to me, crouching down to examine my head up close.

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Chapter 33

“It’s probably almost healed. Just some minor scrapes. Once I clean up, it’ll look good as new.” I tried to stand, but I was still sore.

“Here.” Dad helped me up, steadying me, and then Ama supported me as we walked toward the vehicles.

“Leonard, take the girls home. We’ll handle the rest here,” Dad ordered.

“Yes, Alpha.”

I cast one last glance at Ryder, who was staying behind, and caught him looking at me. Our eyes met, but I couldn’t make out his expression in the darkness.

With Ama’s help, I painfully climbed into the back seat. Cindy sat in the passenger seat, while Ama and I quickly fell asleep in the back.

“Ama, X, wake up.” Leonard shook us after parking the car. Ama and I rubbed our eyes and supported each other as we walked upstairs to my bedroom. We showered together, turning the shower floor a brownish–red. It stung a little, but thankfully Ryder had done a good job removing all the glass fragments.

I pulled two sets of silk pajamas from my closet, handed one to her, and put on the other. We both crawled under my covers. Our heads had barely touched the pillows before we fell

asleep.

I vaguely heard voices in my bedroom, then the sound of the door closing. I wasn’t even sure if Ama was still in my bed, but I couldn’t wake up enough to check what was

happening.

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