An uncertain spark flashed in Dylan's dark eyes for a heartbeat—a mixture of caught fear and unspoken pain. In fact, Ray seemed to have finally gotten through to Dylan as he pulled back further and pressed his lips together into a thin line.

"How...?" he heard the soft words before Dylan shook his head vigorously and tightened up again. The sparkle in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Ray had already opened his mouth when Dylan interrupted him without him being able to say anything. "You have no idea what it's like to return after months in the field and have no peace of mind."

'What the fuck?' The thought flashed through Ryker's mind, and his shoulders seemed tense.

He didn't know what it was like to come back from a mission? What it felt like to see shadows flitting around every corner? The feeling of not breathing as the walls drew closer and closer, waiting in the darkness for the crack of gunfire and the tremor of explosions?

Had Dylan lost his mind?

Ryker knew all too well!

Although he hadn't served for years, the darkness haunted his every move. Whenever he turned his head, he had to look twice to make sure the gun barrel wasn't pointed at him. Even today, after hard days, his dreams were restless. Even today, the rumble of thunder made his forehead sweat and robbed him of sleep.

"Wherever I went, their footsteps followed me. Liam stomped through the house and whined repeatedly; he wanted to play. War, war, war, even at home! All I heard were complaints - just theatre. Kaylen complained about Mum, and Mum complained about her. All I wanted to do was rest. But no, everyone was complaining! Is it too much to ask for something warm on the table after weeks of eating only cold food from a tin? Is it too much to ask to close your eyes and relax after endless tension?"

Was Dylan even listening to himself?

Ray's jaw ached; he had to clench his teeth so hard as the words hit him like blows. The dam continued to break with every stroke of his tongue, making his well-trained body tremble with rage. His heart pounded in his chest as if he were running a marathon, and his blue-grey eyes darkened.

"Have you blown the last shred of sanity out of your brain, Dylan?" his voice thundered like a landslide. The dark fabric slipped from his fingers as he clenched them into fists. Only sheer will kept his arms in the folded position and was the only limit that kept him from lunging at his former comrades.

"I served the same way, and you have the gall to tell me I don't know what it's like when we get home? Have you lost your mind?"

"Please, Raven! You have no family," Dylan snapped at her with a mirthless laugh. "No child, no wife!"

The words hit him like the impact of a bullet.

"Then how are you supposed to understand what I mean? You could rest!" Dylan thundered back, not realizing he was beating a sleeping bear with a stick. "Shit! I never meant to hurt Kaylen; you've got to believe me! She just didn't..."

"She didn't what?" exploded Ryker. He stepped forward and, as quick as a biting snake, his hand shot forward to grab Dylan. The seams of the camouflage jacket groaned under the rugged grip. "She was your wife, you arsehole! Of course, she wanted your attention after you'd been gone for weeks and months. Of course, your son longed for his father," he continued to roar as the dam of his self-control broke with a crash.

Who did this pile of shit think he was? Just because he patriotically defended his country and risked his life to fight against the evil in this world didn't make him a god with everything at his feet. He was to blame for what had happened. Him and his stubbornness!

"You are to blame for what happened! You drove Kaylen away with your stubbornness and lack of judgment! We were all exhausted, you, me, and our comrades, but that's no reason to raise your hand against his wife!"

Enraged, he pulled Dylan closer to him while his fist shot back like the rubber of Liam's slingshot. Without thinking about whether it was the right thing to do or what the consequences might be, he swung his fist and hit the Seal's jaw with a crash.

The blow threw Dylan back and made the gravel crunch under his staggering steps before the Seal fell flat on his arse on the ground.

"You hit her, and you're surprised she's running away? How deluded are you? That's domestic violence!" Ryker snapped as Dylan palpated his jaw.

He looked at him in shock for a moment before they narrowed into slits.

"You idiot has no idea how well you were doing," Ryker rumbled. "You had someone waiting for you at home. Someone who held you when the world came crashing down on us. Someone who loved you - and how did you repay him? By kicking him underfoot! Over and over again!"

"Raven," it rumbled to him from the floor as he stepped forward and closed the gap between them.

"Don't call me that!" he interrupted Dylan before he could continue.

He was no longer the one who sent a shiver down the spine of his enemies in the Middle East. He was no longer one of the Seals. The battles had ruffled the raven's feathers and left him wounded back home, unable to fly any further. Instead, everyone went their own way, far away from the others. Everyone carried their own baggage. And for the first time, he was at peace with that. "We are no longer brothers, not for a long time!"

With these words, his comrade rose to his feet. Trembling with rage, Ryker saw Dylan twitch a muscle in his jaw and clench his hands into fists. As if a shadow had fallen on the brown mirrors of his soul, they seemed to darken. The indignation and anger of a man who was beginning to realize the truth lay in them.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to slow down. They stared into each other's eyes and fought a silent battle. Neither wanted to lower their gaze. Neither would back down from the other.

"You have feelings for Kaylen," the unveiled truth came darkly from Dylan's lips like an icy knife thrust. The words were simple yet drenched in a burgeoning anger that knew no bounds.

Ryker realized the unspoken threat and seething anger in words, but it couldn't have impressed him less. He had just as coldly stated facts. There was no more softball fighting here. Dylan had brought it all on himself. He had pushed Kaylen away from him into the arms of another man. His arms - and if he was honest, he didn't even feel bad about it.

Perhaps that was why the cold smile played across Ray's features as he prepared for the storm brewing. Dylan was a proud man. One who didn't just accept the facts but challenged them. He closed his eyes to reality. He preferred to run like a billy goat against the wall in the hope of tearing it down. That had always been the case, and it didn't seem to change when he was always looking for excuses for his misbehavior and blaming others.

"Yes," Ray confessed, maybe that's why. So many nights, he had felt guilty about what had happened. But now that he was facing Dylan, knowing the background and thinking about Kaylen's words in the woods... he didn't feel guilty anymore. He stood by what he was or pretended to be—Ray the craftsman, Ryker the detective. No matter, the result remained the same: he loved Kaylen. He had first had to recognise and accept that himself, but now it was clear to him.

"Sometimes nothing is as it seems, not even yourself. But an act can also become the truth."