Of Bone and Ash (Silverwood University Book 1)

17. Ryland

SEVENTEEN

Iglower at the man sitting in his pristine wheelchair, trying to calm my Dragon as he simply glowers back at me. He’s sitting behind his absurdly large desk, hands clasped, gold rings on his fingers flashing with magic as he stares me down. My Alpha dominance was thick in the air, enough that Andrei stepped out of the room, leaving me to Atlas and Boris since it was making him uncomfortable.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Boris shift in his chair, his hands gripping the armrest like a lifeline. I know I’m making him uncomfortable. His Dragon no doubt wants to submit, yet the older shifter stays perfectly poised, looking from me to Atlas with a puzzled look on his normally happy face.

“Anyone want to explain what the fuck just happened? Because everything I just witnessed was a damn shit show that I now have to deal with,” Boris grumbles, one of his big hands raising to rub at the back of his neck. “Do you have any idea how frustrating that Phoenix woman is to deal with?”

I stay silent, my eyes locked with Atlas’ in a silent showdown. This fucker has pissed me off, and I refuse to give in despite the amount of magic he’s now flooding the room with to combat my own. I grind my jaw together when I notice there is no scent of fear, hesitation, or leniency that I can sense from the Warlock, and that pisses me off even more. In fact, I’m pretty sure his lip just quirked up in the smallest of smirks.

I can hear Boris’ hands tighten on his arm rests, his heartbeat quickening as he loses his temper because he’s being ignored. “Answer me now,” he demands in a calm tone, even though I know he wants to yell at us. Atlas quirks a brow at me, and then the bastard actually smiles as I narrow my gaze on him. He opens his mouth to respond, but I’ve lost what little patience I have.

“You are supposed to keep her safe!” I bellow at him, standing up so fast my chair goes flying back. The crack of wood echoes in the room as my breath comes in heaving pants.

“Ryland, sit down!” Boris snarls, trying and failing to dominate me. I typically listen to him, letting him win our battles and giving him the respect his station deserves, but nothing will sidetrack me right now.

“I am,” Atlas says calmly, tilting his head to the side as he studies me, brown eyes flickering over my trembling body as I seethe in front of him.

“I told Gabe I would take this assignment. That I would stay here until I figured it out. But he HAD to protect her! He promised!” I bellow, feeling my composure slipping by the second as scales ripple up my neck and claws slowly lengthen at my fingertips.

“And what were we supposed to do, Ryland? Lock her in a room and keep her fed and watered until you came back?” he asks, amusement dancing in his warm gaze as he shakes his head. “You know her almost as well as I do. How do you think she would handle that?”

“I know her far more than you do,” I snap back, affronted at his claim.

“Three years ago, sure. Not anymore. Fina’s not a kid anymore, Ry. You wanted her to grow up…” he pauses and then shrugs as I take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to keep calm. “It’s been over three years, man. She”s grown,” he whispers the last part, and I curse and tear my burning gaze from his infuriating face.

“She shouldn”t be here,” I grumble as I run my hands through my now tangled hair. The long black strands are twisted in knots and are going to be a bitch to untangle, and I mentally curse myself for letting it get to this state.

“Yeah, well, Gabe didn”t really give his permission for her to come. She transferred on her own from Black Veil when she overheard Gabe and me discussing the murdered girls. She says she wants to help,” he grumbles this last part like he”s mad about it, and I scowl, looking back at him as he looks down at his hands.

“In what way?” I ask, almost afraid to know the answer. Atlas inhales and shakes his head.

“Something about the monsters needing something to fear. She believes she can be the bigger monster,” he rasps, the words forced from his lips like they physically hurt him. My heart stalls painfully in my chest as I roll my lips together, shaking my head.

“She actually said that?” I ask, knowing she’s believed the words for years, but when I left, I hadn’t actually heard her utter them out loud. Atlas nods, looking defeated, and I lose it. A roar breaks from my lips as I kick the chair next to me, turning it into kindling as the small pieces fly through the room.

“Jesus. Will you calm down? You shift in here, and you’ll destroy the tower. I don’t want to explain to the headmistress that you destroyed her school!” Boris chides, sitting back in his chair while watching me freak out. I can feel his Dragon close to the surface, his magic lingering next to mine. He’s not trying to dominate me this time. No… this is my Alpha trying to lend his emotional support and keep me calm. “That woman is the biggest ball-buster I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting,” Boris harrumphs, making Atlas chuckle and nod in agreement as I begin to pace, my mind reeling with questions.

How bad is Fina’s mental stability? I had her level before I left. I made sure she had a friend to rely on, that her magic was under control, and that she was well protected. She just needed a few more years to grow up.

Staying there made me feel like a creep!

I had fallen desperately in love with my best friend, but I had it under control. I kept everything well within the friend boundaries and never ever allowed myself to be alone with her. That all changed when my Dragon selected her as our mate. I could no longer keep him at bay, but Fina was still in high school!

So I did the only thing I could. I left. I made sure she was safe, and I left, needing her to grow up, needing her to know herself without me so that she wouldn”t feel like I forced her into mating me. Leaving her almost killed me, but the risk of her resentment in the future hurt more. As my mate, Serafina, was my number one priority. It didn’t matter who got hurt as long as she was okay.

“You were supposed to stay off university grounds,” Atlas mutters and I twist on my heel to stare at him.

“That was your plan? To keep me off school grounds for the rest of the school year? Are you fucking kidding me?” I grind out, hands falling on my hips so I don’t reach across the desk and strangle the man who helped raise me.

“No. My plan was to keep you out of sight until Gabe told you,” Atlas says with zero repentance. “I didn”t want to deal with your bullshit and this,” Atlas weaves a hand in the air, gesturing to me, then the window which looks over the courtyard, “is why. You lost your shit the moment you realized she was here,” he accuses.

“I wonder why,” I snark back, tossing my hands up in the air. “Girls are dying here, Atlas!”

“And you think Fina can”t handle herself?” he asks, his voice genuine. I shake my head.

“I know she fucking can. I know she can chew up whoever is killing these girls like an easy dinner. But at what cost to her? She already thinks she’s a monster; are you willing to let her fully believe it now?”

Atlas scoffs and shakes his head.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Gabriel, it’s that you can never change a Reaper or their intent. Fina is a killer, Ryland. No matter what you want… no matter how you try to protect her from it, that won”t change. The only thing we can do is offer her emotional bonds. Magical ties to keep her steady once she reaps her first soul in order to control her blood lust. It’s a part of who she is. If you can’t accept that, then you need to leave her be.”

“Wait,” Boris intervenes, sitting forward in his chair and resting his enormous hands on thick thighs. “I thought the girl was yours. But then this ball of fire,” Boris grumbles, thumbing over at me as he talks to Atlas. “Is popping off like a premature firecracker, and I’m really starting to get confused.” I blink at Boris in surprise as Atlas grimaces and shakes his head.

“I already told you that Serafina isn’t my mate.”

His mate!? What the fuck? Boris thought Fina was Atlas’ mate?

“But you protect her…”

“Like a brother would his sister?!” I snap, the very thought of Fina belonging to someone else enraging me to my very core. My Dragon doesn”t care how silly the thought is. Atlas is her brother, yet he still sees any male as a threat until he”s mated Fina for himself. Sometimes I wish I could kick my Dragon’s ass and shove his possessive and irrational thoughts in a box and ignore them.

“A… sister?” Boris says slowly, brows furrowing. “I thought she was the councilman”s sister?” Atlas nods, and Boris looks at Atlas with a raised brow. “No, shit? I never would have guessed that,” he says, bringing a hand to his cheek and rubbing at his coarse beard, a flicker of respect entering his gaze as he studies Atlas.

“Your discretion would be appreciated. No one knows about my relation to Councilman Covington. He’s kept it to himself so that I can gather information without the fear his name brings. People are less candid when they realize….” Atlas trails off and grimaces.

“Realize you have a brother who will rip their souls from their bodies and has the power to cover up their deaths with a simple flick of his wrist?”

“To put it bluntly… yes,” Atlas agrees with a nod of his head. I snort at that and grin. If only they knew just how twisted Gabriel is to his enemies. I once watched him disembowel a man who called his wife a whore during a business meeting. Granted, Gabe was already planning the man”s death since he discovered the guy was elbows deep in the skin market and was selling underaged girls. But he made sure the man”s death was extra painful for that comment.

“Shit, a sister who can basically do the same thing, too, huh? And here I was, worried about the odd amount of magic you have at your disposal. I suppose that should be the least of my problems.”

“Nothing about me is your concern,” Atlas says coolly, the hint of authority in his tone making me purse my lips in approval. This man in front of me, full of confidence and an air of authority, is not the broken shell of the man I grew up with.

Sure, the Warlock has slowly gotten better over the years, coming out of his townhouse a little more each holiday and interacting with our family again, but this… I study the man and can”t help but smile a little as I watch him quickly and proficiently put Boris in his place. He doesn’t do it with disrespect but with a tone that suggests Boris shouldn’t overstep his bounds. Is this what Atlas was like before the injury that took full use of his legs?

“I think we should get back on topic,” Atlas says gently, and I nod yes. We need to figure out how fast we can get Fina out of here.

“Right. Well, I still have the deaths of twenty girls to figure out. Do you think you two can stow whatever this shit is and help me out here? That Phoenix is going to roast my balls if we don”t catch this prick, and my Dragon is itching for the blood of the man who has the fucking audacity to kill innocent girls like this,” Boris says with a rumble in his chest. His eyes flash gold, prompting my Dragon to answer with a vibrating growl in agreement.

“I’ll continue to help, but I want Fina to return to America. She belongs at Black Veil, not here.” Atlas chuckles and eyes me in amusement.

“Yeah, okay, I can agree with you on that. But you have to convince her to go.” I scowl at him and shake my head. She’ll never listen to me. It”s one of the reasons I love her. Fina has a mind of her own, and there is only one person she’ll listen to.

“Gabe…” I start to say, but Atlas shakes his head, cutting me off.

“You know that whole Fina has grown-up conversation we just had?” I nod and Atlas slowly rises onto unsteady feet as he pushes his chair back.

I watch him carefully, ready to dive and catch him if he happens to stumble or fall, but he is surprisingly sure of himself, if not a little slow, as he takes a handful of steps to the bookshelf behind his chair and grabs a book, opening and grabbing some papers from it before turning back to face me.

“She doesn”t listen to anyone. Don”t get me wrong, she’ll listen to reason, but you better have a damn good one if you want her on your side. Gabe no longer holds the sway he did three years ago,” he mutters, tossing the papers at me. They slide across the desk, and I frown, stepping forward and gathering pictures, not paper, my eyes scanning them.

They’re all of Fina. She”s standing outside a small, modern-looking house and is giving the camera the tiniest of smiles. Her eyes are cold, emotionless pools of silver that make my gut twist as I look at another one. Fina stands at a small countertop with my adopted father, Zane, at her side. It was taken in a kitchen I’d never seen before. They’re both wearing aprons, and the counter is full of cookies. Zane is beaming at the camera with his daughter Emery in his arms and Aria in Fina’s. Fina”s smile is slightly broader here, more authentic than the last, but it still looks forced.

In the last photo, Fina is sitting behind a desk similar in style to the ones I always see her brother sitting behind. The only difference is this one is smaller. She’s working on a computer, her attention solely on the brightly lit screen in front of her, seemingly unaware of whoever is taking the picture of her. She’s dressed in a simple but elegant black dress and has a full face of make-up on. She looks so different from the girl I left three years ago. Older, more beautiful than I can even process, and… sad. She looks so sad.

“She moved out of Gabe”s house about eighteen months ago. She bought her own home in Montana and started up a charity for homeless girls that runs side-by-side with Roar’s boys” home he’s opened. She no longer goes to family dinners every night, and Gabe has to go to her house to talk with her. She”s completely separated herself from the family. Hell, I think I’m at Gabe’s house more than she is these days,” Atlas muses.

I startle at the information, as panic slowly starts to creep in. No. No, that”s not good at all. She’s cut herself off from our family? That can”t be right. Fina loves our family, she…

“Wait. How… why?” I stumble over my words, shaking my head as I try to piece together everything. I had my father keep me informed on Fina’s health but asked not to get too much information so my Dragon wouldn’t try anything stupid. “I’ve been back to the house three times in the last eighteen months, and she was there each time,” I say in confusion. Atlas’ eyes widen before he scowls at me.

“You were… wait. When were you at the house? Zane never mentioned…”

“Zane didn”t know,” I admit, making Atlas’ confusion melt into annoyance.

“Gabe’s going to kick your ass,” he states, and I shrug.

“He can try,” I respond. Truth is, my magic has only grown. The last time I spoke to Gabe face to face was a little over four years ago when he came here to check on me. And for the first time since I met the Reaper, who welcomed me into his family, his magic no longer held dominance over mine. I could tell he could sense it. Before he left he had clapped me on the shoulder and leaned in, warning me to be careful with the people around me.

Gabriel would be able to rip my soul from my body since he’s a Reaper. But his Demonic magic is no longer stronger than mine. There is only one person who still holds more power than I do, and she would rip her brother”s balls off if he tried to kill me.

Well… that is if she doesn”t do it herself. I cringe at the thought of Fina’s wrath, the way her body goes completely still before she loses her temper. I’ve only had the anger directed toward me a handful of times over our years growing up together, and it only got worse the older and stronger she became.

I look back down at the pictures in my hand and sigh, my heart sinking at the dead look in her eyes. Something happened. More than what Zane has told me since I should have returned the moment she turned eighteen, but I wanted her to have a chance to live a little before my Dragon came in and attempted to bind her to us. My Dragon growls in anger as he shifts under my skin, wanting to leave Atlas’ office and find her.

“Evans, the Covington girl yours?” Boris asks, cutting into my thoughts as I stare down at the pictures. I nod, making Boris curse, and stand up. “You don”t let that get in your way with the Patrol or you’re out. You understand? The moment one of my men finds their mates, I put them on a year”s leave in order to control the primal shit we go through or until they’re mated, but I need you here. Can you handle her being here, or do I need to contact the councilman?”

“I’m fine. She won’t distract me from my job,” I snap, furious that he would think otherwise. Yes, Fina is and always will be my main priority. But she always has been. That has never changed; she’s just closer than she was before. I’ll be able to handle my Dragon… I think.

Boris growls at my tone. “Don”t be like that. I need all this information, or I can”t decide what”s best for the girls going missing and my team!” he grinds out, crossing thick arms over his equally thick chest. “How long have you known she was your mate? I need to know how temperamental your Dragon is going to be.”

I glare at him, turning to give him my full attention as Atlas slowly takes his seat again. His legs had started trembling despite his efforts to hide them behind his desk.

“A little over three years. I came to work here about two months after I found out,” I admit and Boris’ eyes bulge from his face, making him look like one of those stress toys for children.

“Three years! Damn, no wonder you”re such a grumpy bastard,” he chokes out, running a hand through his hair. Atlas chuckles at that comment as Boris’ head explodes. “Well, I guess I have nothing to worry about then.”

Atlas frowns at Boris and tilts his head to the side.

“Why is that?” he asks the big Dragon Shifter.

“Because that girl will be mated to him by the next full moon. I’ll place money on it,” Boris says with a smirk, making my blood run cold as my Dragon growls in agreement.

“No, she fucking won”t!” Atlas snaps, standing from his chair so fast that his knees buckle and I have to lunge across his desk to help support him as he glares daggers at me. “I swear to God, Ryland. If you mate Fina without her consent…”

“I wouldn”t do that!” I roar, shoving him a little harder than I need to back into his seat before walking around his desk and kneeling on the ground next to him, concerned he may have hurt his legs in his mad attempt at trying to put me in my place. I shoot Boris a dirty look for what he said, but to be fair, he’s only voicing the exact same concerns I’ve been thinking about since I felt Fina’s dark magic caress my skin. I shiver at the reminder of it as I grab Atlas’ knee, pulling his leg out and fully extending the joint before letting it go. “Any pain there?” I ask as Atlas grumbles something I can”t quite understand and shoos me away with a waving hand.

“I’m fine,” he mutters, cheeks red as he looks at his legs in disgust. My Dragon growls low in my chest wanting to come out and smother Atlas and I curse.

Patience,I chide, stuffing him further down. I already know there is no talking him out of stalking after her the moment we’re done here. And if I’m being honest, I don’t want to. I need to talk to her and fix whatever I have to. I know I’ll have to earn back her trust. It’s something I’ve been preparing for. Something I will gladly do for however long I need to, but I need to know what else is going on before I can work on rebuilding our relationship.

“Ryland,” Atlas continues, glaring back up at me, but I shake my head, cutting him off.

“I won’t.”

“You didn’t have much control in the courtyard,” he points out, and I roll my eyes. Yeah, he has a point there, but to be fair, I was surprised to see her here. Knowing she was so close and in danger, I didn’t have time to restrain myself or my Dragon. Now that I know I can have a better grasp on myself.

“If I knew she was here, that wouldn’t have happened,” I try to say calmly, but it comes out with a bitter edge that Atlas picks up on and at least has the fucking decency to look a little guilty. “Did she know I was here?” I ask, hating that I need to know this answer.

If she knew, and didn”t seek me out…

I growl under my breath and yank the hair tie off my wrist, gathering my long black hair and tying it into a tight knot on top of my head. I don”t have any right to be upset whether she chose to find me or not. I left, not her.

“No. Gabe wanted to talk to you before I was supposed to tell Fina. He said he would call you last night, but I’m guessing he got caught up with something and hasn”t had the time to call yet.”

Hope I shouldn”t feel at the knowledge that Fina didn’t choose to stay away from me fills my chest as I wince, remembering the three missed calls from Gabriel I had ignored this morning. I have a lingering resentment toward the man despite how much I love and respect him. We have had our share of fights and arguments over the last few years. All of them surrounding Fina and how she should be taken care of. Sometimes, I have a hard time letting go of my stupid pride. I knew he would have texted me with instructions to call him with Boris if it had anything to do with the missing girls, meaning whatever he had called me about was personal, and I was too damn mad to answer his calls.

“He.. shit… Gabe called me this morning. I ignored his calls,” I admit, making Boris whistle under his breath and side-eye me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Jesus. Ryland, you can”t ignore him. He’s going to end up coming here, and then we’re going to have a fight with him and Fina on our hands,” Atlas complains, whipping out his phone and tapping on the screen as he shakes his head. “I’ll handle Gabe. You handle Fina,” he adds, shocking me to the core.

He wants me to talk to Fina? I thought for sure I was about to get a big brother lecture and a stern warning to stay clear of his sister.

“You want him talking to her?” Boris asks in confusion, echoing my surprise.

“No. But there’s no stopping those two. I may be able to threaten him enough to keep him away from her for a few days,” Atlas says, tipping his head toward me as he keeps texting Gabe. “But there is no stopping Fina. I’ll be surprised if you don”t need to find a new second in command by morning. Actually, I want you to give her twenty-four hours before talking. She’s used a lot of her magic and needs rest. Plus, giving her some space increases your chance of survival.” Boris frowns and looks at me. When I shrug and nod, he pales a little, then clears his throat.

“I… fuck, you’re all bat-shit-crazy. Evans, try to keep your soul in your body throughout the night and report for duty in the morning. I want you at the chapel to meet with the parents of the deceased with me before we go over the evidence with that stupid Angel prick.”

Atlas chuckles, looking up from his phone and cocking a brow at me when all I do is glare at my Alpha. When Atlas” phone pings with a message, he curses and looks up at me.

“Out. I have a mess to clean up, thanks to you,” he mutters, dismissing Boris and me with a flick of his wrist before he wheels himself away from his desk and toward a small side door at the back of the room. We watch him go, staying silent until the door slams with an echoing thump before Boris looks at me with pursed lips.

“I’ve never been dismissed like that before. I can’t tell if my Dragon is pissed, apprehensive, or respects the hell out of him,” he admits, rubbing at his thick beard as he moves to the door, and I follow.

“If you”re smart, it will be a little bit of all three,” I mutter, stepping around him and taking the stairs three at a time so I can figure out what to do.

“Hey!” Boris shouts after me, not trying to keep up. I look over my shoulder at him. “Stay alive, kid. I need your help with these girls. Fix whatever the hell you did to that girl, and learn not to piss off females who can kill you. Especially if she’s your mate.”

I smirk up at the man who has quickly become someone I respect and have grown fond of.

“Yes, sir,” I say with a mock salute before I turn and run out of the castle. I have twenty-four hours to figure out how to get Serafina to talk to me with minimal bloodshed and I’m not going to waste a minute of it.