Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Rynn
I hovered in the doorway of Cade’s office, chewing on my bottom lip. It’d been three days since my fun swim in the freezing river. When we’d arrived home two days ago, Bastian had promptly disappeared, which I wasn’t surprised about, given how distant he’d been on our journey back.
Was a part of me a little disappointed he hadn’t made good on his threat to punish me?
Yes. And for the last two nights, I’d had some very dirty dreams. All of which had involved Bastian .
. . and Ryker. And the two of them putting me into some very interesting positions.
Each time, I’d woken up with my fingers buried in my pussy and very damp sheets.
But those fantasies would remain just that.
It was for the best that Bastian and I had gone back to being distant towards each other. It would certainly make things easier when I left.
Still, I could admit I missed falling asleep next to someone.
Those days traveling alone with Bastian had been nice.
Despite all his flirting and teasing, he was a far safer option than Ryker, who had been acting extra possessive lately—if that were possible—and was the reason I was currently seeking refuge with Cade.
“Something you need, Rynn?” Cade asked from where he sat behind his massive desk, his gaze still glued to the letter he was reading.
“Mind if I work in here?” I shifted my weight from foot to foot.
“Need a change of scenery from your library?” He finally glanced up at me, one thick eyebrow arched.
A small smile flitted across my lips at him calling it my library. I guessed I had kind of taken it over. “Yes. Plus you have better lighting.”
Cade leaned back in his chair, studying me with an unreadable expression. “This have anything to do with Ryker following you around night and day like a lost puppy?”
It had everything to do with that. Things between Ryker and me had changed ever since that night in the garden.
I hadn’t thought it was possible for him to get more obsessive, but apparently I’d been wrong.
Based on scent, he slept outside my bedroom every night, although he was gone every morning when I got up.
It was like he couldn’t help himself and had to be close to me but also knew it would piss me off so he vanished before I could yell at him.
I spent most of my waking hours in the library, doing research about the crest. Throughout the day, he’d bring me my favorite foods.
If he thought I wasn’t drinking enough water, he’d put a pitcher down in front of me.
If I shivered even a little bit, a blanket would magically appear over my shoulders.
We barely spoke because I didn’t know what to say. The only thing Ryker had asked me was if I would go for a run with him. I knew what he wasn’t saying.
Will you go to the cavern with me?
But I couldn’t do that. Things had been bad enough when we’d been hate fucking. I was done denying that this had become something more than that. It was almost like we had a mating bond.
I shut down that thought immediately.
We didn’t. We couldn’t.
Soon enough, I’d be negotiating my exit from the Alpha pack. For both our sakes, whatever this was between us had to stop.
“Rynn?” Cade prompted.
“What?”
Cade looked at my hand, which I realized had drifted directly over my heart while I’d been lost in my thoughts. I promptly let it fall to my side, which made Cade frown a little.
“Is something going on with you and Ryker I should know about?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I’d just like some space, and it’s easy to forget you’re here.”
He gave me a wry smile. “You really know how to dish out the compliments, don’t you, Princess?”
“I didn’t know you required flattery,” I said flatly before inviting myself in since he hadn’t told me no. “If that’s what you’re looking for, we both know you can just walk into any tavern to get it.”
“You do remember my best friend is Bastian, yes?” He went back to sorting through the paperwork on his desk. “He tends to draw the eye wherever he goes.”
“Yes, I’m well aware of his attention-whore ways.” I snorted and set my books and notes down on a small table, close to the area where the wall had been ripped away, before walking behind Cade’s desk and looking over his shoulder. “New reports come in?”
“Yes.” He continued scanning the page he’d been reading while pointing at another pile. “If you have time to look through those today, I’d like your thoughts.”
“Sure.” I grabbed the small stack of papers and settled in my seat overlooking the snowy landscape.
The next few hours flew by as I alternated between the reports of monster attacks and the books, looking for clues about where the crest could be.
The reports were very informative, and we finally had some better descriptions of the new monsters that had been coming down from the mountains as well as specifically what areas they seemed to be coming from.
I’d already written three pages of neat notes and suggestions for Cade on new patrol and trade routes and areas we should send hunting parties to.
Unfortunately, my research wasn’t going nearly as well. I slammed a book closed and let out a frustrated sigh. Another dead end.
“Is that from Drudonia?”
I jumped in my chair as Cade’s voice came from behind me, and I glanced at his desk, finding it indeed empty. Maybe Bastian was right and I really just wasn’t as observant as I thought.
Scowling, I got up and leaned my butt against the table so I could face Cade where he stood in front of the large map. He was standing at enough of an angle that I could see the slight upward tilt of the corners of his mouth, telling me he’d definitely noticed my startlement at his question.
He looked away from the map and gestured at the book. “You had your nose buried in that thing when I walked by. I know all the books in the library; that’s not one of them.”
I didn’t doubt his claim. Cade might have looked like a warrior with his broad build and scarring, but he was a scholar at heart.
It was something I found intensely hot, and before Bastian and Ryker had invited themselves into my dirty dreams, I’d had more than one of Cade bending me over his desk and—
“Yes,” I said quickly, clearing my throat as I fought back a blush. “It’s an inventory of Drudonia, slightly out of date but still useful.”
Cade gave me an odd look that told me I had failed at containing my blush.
I only hoped he couldn’t smell my arousal, because that would’ve been all kinds of embarrassing.
My fantasies about Ryker and Bastian were one thing.
Ryker was obviously interested in me and Bastian was .
. . well . . . Bastian. But Cade had never expressed even the slightest hint of liking me. Not like that.
We worked well together on a professional level.
I’d actually spent more time with him than any of the other Alphas.
But I knew little about him, and he’d never asked me any personal questions.
Before I’d found out I would never truly be a member of the Alpha pack, I’d thought it would just take time for us to at least become friends.
Now, I understood he had put that distance between us deliberately.
I didn’t mind it because it made things less complicated. Currently, Cade was the safest person for me to be around because he felt nothing for me and I nothing for him.
Other than some lust during my incredibly filthy fantasies.
Given that I was embracing celibacy until I negotiated my exit to the Moroi realm, my fingers would be getting quite a workout for the foreseeable future.
But that was for later. Right now, I had work to do.
“I found out a little bit more about that broken mirror when I was visiting my friends,” I said carefully.
“We think what’s missing from it is a Fae family crest.” Cade wasn’t as good as Bastian at picking up on lies, but he spent most of his time working out problems, so he was quite clever.
I didn’t want him knowing I’d spoken to the Seelie King because that would raise his suspicions.
My obsession with fixing the mirror wasn’t a secret, but the reason I was now so motivated was.
There was also the minor fact that he’d forbidden me from speaking to Erendriel without him, and Samara had agreed to that. I didn’t care about getting in trouble with Cade, but I was hardly going to throw my friend to the wolves.
“From what family?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, trying to make it look casual.
Technically, I wasn’t lying. I had no idea what the names of the Unseelie Princes were.
“But it’s silver and has a starry night sky engraved on it.
I’m positive I’ve either seen it or read a mention of it somewhere, but I’m having no luck remembering. ”
Cade’s brows furrowed together in that way of his that told me he was working out a problem . . . and I was that problem.
Not good.
I grabbed my notes off the desk and held them out to him.
“The mirror is no big deal,” I said smoothly.
“Just something I’m curious about, and I mean, it could lead us to another room of treasures.
Maybe even more shadow-marked weapons, which would be useful.
But it won’t get in the way of more important work. ”
He didn’t look entirely convinced but stepped closer to take the papers and started scanning them.
“I didn’t even think of using the Marblehead ravine like that,” he murmured.
After a few more seconds of looking over my notes, he moved to lean on the table next to me, keeping several inches between us.
“I told you this before, but I want to reiterate it: you have a home here. I know it’s not exactly what you wanted, and I’m sorry I didn’t handle it better.
But you told Samara you wanted to come here to make things better, not just for Velesians but for the Moroi as well. You can still do that.”