Karizma: Reborn
Chapter 15: Ryleigh

Ryleigh sat behind the desk in Kristopher’s office. The closed door gave her some semblance of solitude, but she knew that was the furthest from the truth. She could hear Kristopher and Lukas and Bailey down the hall in the VIP section of the club. She forced her wolf to pull her hearing back so that she could not hear the extent of their conversations. She gripped the neck of the tequila bottle tightly as she took another drink. I need a drink. The pain that consistently radiated from Kristopher caused Ryleigh’s stomach to roll and force bile up her throat. I did that. She took another drink from the bottle.

The bottle was about half empty, and Ryleigh did not feel a thing. Damn Lycan metabolism. Maybe it was for the best; had she been human, she would have already passed out and everything would fester until tomorrow. I need to deal with this tonight. She sighed and placed the bottle on Kristopher’s desk. She rubbed her hands over her face. She suspected that a part of her had known that this would come, the end of her and Kristopher’s relationship. Ever since she came back, she had grown detached from him physically, and had grown more attached to Lukas physically. I suppose you were trying to tell me, she thought to her wolf. I just did not understand it until now.

Ryleigh would lose Kristopher, but would gain Lukas and become his queen, to rule the Lycan pack by his side. She grabbed the bottle and took another drink. It was a lot to process within two weeks of resurrection. Two weeks ago, she was just a witch with a bounty on her head and an expiration date; now, she was meant to be the queen of the Lycans and wage a war against the vampires that were hunting her. She took another drink.

The door to the office creaked open slowly and Bailey poked her head in. “Hey,” Bailey said softly.

“Hey yourself,” Ryleigh responded as she nodded, approving Bailey’s entrance. She wanted to be alone, but more from the two men outside than from her sister. She never wanted to be away from her sister, not for long.

“How are you holding up?” Bailey asked gently as she closed the door.

“Fantastic,” Ryleigh said as she held up the tequila bottle. She took another drink and continued. “I was killed two weeks ago by the vampire that I fell in love with. That same vampire brought my corpse back to you and the Alpha Lycan, who brought me back to life. I began feeling things toward the Alpha and less from the vampire, only to replace out that I am supposed to be the Alpha’s wife and can never be with the vampire again. Fucking fantastic,” she finished as she took another drink.

Bailey sighed and approached the desk. She grabbed the bottle from Ryleigh and placed it on the desk. Ryleigh opened her mouth to speak but Bailey shook her head. “No,” Bailey spoke. “Riles, I love you, but I need to say this because no one else will.”

“Okay,” Ryleigh said slowly.

Bailey came around the desk and placed her hand on Ryleigh’s shoulder. “We understand that you have been through a lot.”

“No one does—”

“I’m talking, Riles,” Bailey snapped. “Please, let me say this before I change my mind.”

When Bailey realized that Ryleigh was not going to protest, she continued. “No, we do not understand exactly what you have been through. No one does. Really, no one does. But it has been two weeks, Riles. I know we all heal at different speeds, but this self-pity act needs to take a back burner for a while.” Bailey squeezed Ryleigh’s shoulder gently. “We have a war that we need to prepare for, something that a great mentor of mine spent our lives training us for. That training cannot go out the window because of emotions. I understand that you died, to come back to lose the love of your life and be promised away to another like a trinket; but Riles, I was comatose for a week. A week of my life that I lost to bring you back. I’m not blaming you,” she added quickly as Ryleigh went to speak. “I would never blame you for that. It was my choice, and I would do it all over again without hesitation. But we need to grieve these moments after this war, after we know what Naomi and Nathan are planning and when they plan to put it in motion.” Bailey smiled softly and cupped Ryleigh’s face. “You are the strongest person that I know, and seeing you like this before the war terrifies me more than the war ever could.”

Ryleigh inhaled sharply but simply nodded. Bailey is right. I am spiraling, but the world around us is still moving. Nothing has changed with this war, other than I have stopped trying to actually fight it and focus on myself. “You’re right,” Ryleigh said softly. “No one else would have said that.”

“No, they wouldn’t have. You know why?”

“Because they’re nicer than you?” Ryleigh teased.

“No, silly,” Bailey smiled. “Because those two men out there are crazy for you and will do whatever it takes for you to be happy. If that means biting their tongues and leaving you alone to wallow, then they will.”

“And you don’t care for my happiness?” Ryleigh asked sarcastically.

“Of course, I do,” Bailey nodded. “But we are Karizmas first, right? When the hell was the last time that our kind was allowed to be happy before a fight?”

Ryleigh sighed and stood up. She pulled Bailey into a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Do me a favor and send in Kristopher?” she asked as she released her sister. “We need to talk.”

“Of course,” Bailey whispered. She squeezed Ryleigh’s hand gently and made her way to the office door. “You know that you won’t have long with him,” Bailey said softly. “Lukas is on edge being without. You being in here with Kristopher…” her voice trailed off.

“Lukas will survive. We live on his land, after all. I need to do this,” Ryleigh stated. Bailey simply nodded and exited the office.

Ryleigh glanced at the tequila bottle on the desk but shook her head. No more crutches. No more trying to avoid the pain. We need to acknowledge it for us to move forward, both of us. There was a faint knock on the door, and then it was pushed open. Kristopher entered the office and gently closed the door behind him.

Pain and betrayal were etched into his beautiful face. His once warm brown eyes were filled with despair. His blonde hair was tousled and chaotic, the contrast from his crispness screaming of the ache in his heart. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the office door. He is keeping his distance, Ryleigh realized. Ryleigh walked around the desk to stand in front of him. She saw his jaw tick and his eyes locked on to her emerald ones, but still, he did not move.

“You wanted to talk,” Kristopher said deeply.

“No, I needed to talk,” Ryleigh whispered. “This was not a talk that I ever wanted to have with you.”

“Did you know that you would be promised to a wolf?” Kristopher asked sarcastically.

“You know what I mean,” Ryleigh said. “Ending us…” She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. She felt tears try to prick her eyes, and she rubbed her eyes harshly. “I never wanted to be without you. You were everything to me. You helped me grow as a witch, as a person, and showed me that not all vampires are evil. Even the infamous Karizma Killer himself had a heart.”

“Had a heart,” Kristopher responded coldly.

“Don’t do that, please,” Ryleigh begged. She approached him and stood directly in front of him. She saw him flinch briefly, either in anticipation of her touching him, or denying himself the ability to touch her. “Your heart is beautiful, Kristopher. Do not let it die because of me.”

“It only beat because of you. Before you, it did not know love. It only knew survival, not actually living.”

“You need to keep living,” Ryleigh whispered. Before she could stop herself, she pressed on her tiptoes and cupped his face. “Do not let my resurrection kill you. Please, Kristopher. I am alive because of you; do not let my life destroy you.”

Kristopher swallowed as he closed his eyes. Ryleigh sighed and removed her hand from his face as she lowered herself back to her feet. She took a step back and rubbed her face again as tears threatened to free themselves. “I despise how this happened to us. We never even considered this as a possibility,” Ryleigh said. She cleared her throat suddenly as a sob attempted to overpower her voice. “Regardless of everything that has happened, and everything that will happen, I will always love you, Kristopher. Never, ever, doubt that. That will never change, even if everything else does.”

Kristopher’s eyes opened slowly, their auburn color fixated on her dimmed emerald ones. “Your husband wouldn’t like you saying those things,” he said bitterly.

“He isn’t my anything yet,” Ryleigh said. “Let alone a husband. He’s just a guy that I’m apparently supposed to marry at some point.”

“You think that’s all this is? That being his mate is just a choice?”

“I know that it’s not. I know that what I’ve been feeling proves this destined mate bullshit. But I still have the choice of when I decide to make him something.”

“And that wasn’t when you had his tongue down his throat at my club?” Kristopher growled.

“I suppose it was,” Ryleigh whispered. “Nothing had felt right or normal since I came back. Nothing had felt…well, anything. I hadn’t felt anything since I came back, until that moment.”

Kristopher pushed off the office door and strode over to her. She stood her ground as he looked down at her. “Nothing felt worse than seeing you with him,” Kristopher whispered.

“Nothing felt worse than knowing the pain I’ve caused you,” Ryleigh whispered back. “To know that someone that I love so much, I hurt so horribly. This was not how our future was supposed to go.”

“Is he good to you?” Kristopher whispered.

“More patient than I think any other Lycan would have been in his position,” Ryleigh said. “He’s known since I opened my eyes, and he’s fought it ever since for me.”

Kristopher gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. “If he ever hurts you, I will rip him apart,” he muttered. “You deserve so much better than either of us, pet.”

“You know I can take care of myself,” Ryleigh smiled softly. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

“I meant what I said, you know,” Kristopher said. “That you could be the strongest witch who ever lived. I meant that when you were just a witch, and now, with your lycanthropy, I know it to be true.”

“I would have never had this chance without you. I owe you my life quite literally, Kristopher,” she said. She placed her hand on top of his and her emerald eyes began to cloud with tears. “Promise me to keep living, Kristopher, not just surviving. I fell in love with who you’ve become; please, don’t let him die.”

Ryleigh gasped in surprise as Kristopher dropped his head down and captured her lips in a kiss. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close as he kissed her. Ryleigh felt her wolf snarl in protest, but Ryleigh ignored her. She slipped her arms around Kristopher’s neck as she kissed him back. This is our goodbye. Her wolf began to claw against her skin in an attempt to gain control, but Ryleigh shot her magic at her and forced her into silence. She would apologize to her wolf later, but she needed to do this. Kristopher and I need this. Both of his hands cupped her face softly as he slowly pulled back from the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers.

“For you, I will promise the world,” Kristopher whispered as his lips grazed hers softly. “All that I ask in return is for your happiness and your success in this newfound life. I love you, Ryleigh. That’s all that I’ve ever wanted for you.” Ryleigh heard a loud bang and immediately snapped her head toward the office door. “We should get you back to your Alpha before he destroys more of my club,” Kristopher muttered bitterly. Ryleigh’s wolf howled softly, and she pulled away from Kristopher. Lukas can feel what I feel. He felt what was happening. The need to comfort her mate became overpowering and she looked at Kristopher. “I have to go,” she whispered.

“I know you do, pet,” Kristopher nodded. “Go. I will see you soon.”

“Stay safe,” Ryleigh said as she opened the office door. “If you need anything or run into trouble before we meet again, you know where we are.” She quickly exited the office to hunt for her mate.