Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Xena's POV

Ryder's patience snapped. He stormed over and slapped her hard across the face, the sound sharp and brutal. Martha hit the floor again, and Ryder began beating her mercilessly, demanding answers between each blow.

Martha screamed and cried, mumbling incoherently through her tears. The sound was pathetic and desperate.

"Ryder, stop!" I shouted, unable to watch anymore.

His black eyes flickered back to green as he looked at me, his chest heaving with rage. He grabbed Martha by her hair and

yanked her up so her battered face was level with ours.

"SPEAK UP!" he bellowed.

Martha's mouth was bloody, her face swollen and bruised. Penelope turned away, unable to look at the damage.

The room fell into heavy silence. Then Martha's weak voice drifted up from her broken form: "Kill me... just kill me..."

Tears streamed down her face as she begged for death.

We all stared in shock. Even Ryder seemed stunned by her words. After a

moment of hesitation, he slapped her again, this

time hard enough to knock out one of her teeth.

"Ryder, calm down," I said firmly, moving toward him. "Let her go."

He released Martha with disgust, spitting on her as he backed away to stand beside me. Martha collapsed to the floor like

a broken doll, her eyes empty and staring at nothing.

mercy again. But then I remembered my father's death, remembered how she had

anymore.

freed you,

for Martha's answer, but she remained numb, staring blankly at the bathroom light fixture. Her

punch when she spoke

"Benedict Nash."

the last answer I could

around at the answer, her eyes wide with the same shock as she looked between Ryder ar1 me. Logan's face mirrored our expressions of

DID YOU SAY?" Ryder exploded, rushing to Martha's side and slapping her hard across the face. He grabbed her by the collar, his voice cracking with rage and disbelief. "How

a corpse-her eyes vacant and unseeing, no longer responding to anything

1/3

Chapter 292

as

each blow like she

my mind racing through the possibilities. Could Benedict really still be alive?

so impossible to accept, so devastating if true. My brain fought against believing it even

took Ryder's trembling hand, gently pulling him toward the door. "Tie her

to follow us into the living room area outside the

alone, "did you feel

Ryder's face was still flushed red with anger

shoulder. "The chances of Martha lying are pretty slim,

he

in agreement, her

Ryder's eyes widened as if remembering something crucial. "I just remembered what my mom said before she died. She told me that after you and Xena left the pack, dad

couldn't finish the sentence, but we all

still couldn't prove one hundred percent that Martha wasn't lying. I squeezed Ryder's

lied or mistook