Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rynn
I froze in the hallway as Ryker burst out of Cade’s study. The light, calm feeling I’d gathered after spending a couple of hours with Selene evaporated as adrenaline crashed my system.
Was he going to confront me? Would he drag me into one of the many empty rooms and demand I acknowledge him? Or would he not say a word and just kiss me while tearing off my clothes?
The third option was what I was secretly hoping for. Was it responsible? No. Did I care? Also no.
But Ryker didn’t do any of those things.
Instead, he crashed to a halt and stared at me, his silver hair tumbling around his face.
Pain shot through my chest when I met his eyes.
In the time I’d known Ryker, he’d looked at me with rage, frustration, desire, and something I wasn’t willing to put a name to yet.
At this moment, it was none of those things. Only pain.
“Ryker.” His name was a broken word on my lips.
I stepped forward. He stepped back.
My chest ruptured like someone had shoved a sword through it.
Without a word, Ryker spun and raced down the hall towards the stairs. Cade and Bastian stalked out of the room and called after him.
“What happened?” I asked numbly before latching onto Bastian. “What did you do?”
Cade could be a frustrating asshole, but Bastian was the one more likely to cause the pain I’d seen in Ryker’s expression.
Panic gripped me. I’d spent the night in Bastian’s room.
Nothing had happened, but still. Had he told Ryker?
Knowing Bastian, he would have phrased it in a way to make it seem more important than it had been.
I mean, it wasn’t like we’d fucked or anything.
It would have been less complicated if you had, an unhelpful thought echoed through my mind.
I needed Samara. I needed Cali. My two best friends could have helped me figure this out. Because how was it that I hadn’t so much as kissed Bastian but he occupied so many of my thoughts? And why did my heart feel like it was breaking at the way Ryker had looked at me?
How had I let things get so messy? I was smarter than this, damn it.
This wasn’t my fault. Or at least not entirely.
Before I knew what I was doing, I’d closed the distance between me and Bastian. My hands slapped his chest as I shoved him against the wall. “What did you do?” I asked again, this time with a growl underlying my words.
“Don’t go soft on me now, Princess,” he said coldly. “You are not his nor is he yours. I was merely reminding him of that. You should be thanking me.”
My knee slammed into his groin.
“Thanks, asshole.” I whipped around and started after Ryker.
Cade’s hand caught my forearm. I glared down at it, and he released me immediately, holding up his hands to show he wasn’t a threat.
“You can’t go after him, Rynn. Night is falling.
It’s too dangerous. If Ryker doesn’t want to be found, you’ll never find him.
He’s been on his own after dark before. He’ll be fine. ”
“What if he runs into one of the new monsters?” I argued. “With how close we are to the mountains, you know that’s a possibility.”
I saw the war raging in Cade’s eyes. He might’ve been putting up a calm front, but I knew he was worried about Ryker. Cade had a protective streak a mile wide for the few people he gave a shit about.
“I’ll find him,” Bastian rasped.
“You will do nothing!” I turned around, my fist already flying, only to be caught by Bastian.
“I’ll give you one hit,” he grunted, dropping my hand. “But not two. Go sit down while I drag the pup back.”
Well, someone had a death wish.
I didn’t entirely mean to summon them, but when I raised my hand to point at him, an axe was already in it. Bastian went still as he took in the weapon, and I felt Cade do the same where he stood behind me.
“What have I told you about giving me orders?” The promise of violence coated my words. “I can find him faster than either of you.”
For a fraction of a second, Bastian’s gaze flicked to my chest, as if he could see the thread that bound my soul to Ryker’s. He knew, I realized. Was that what the fight had been about? I shook my head slightly and backed up at an angle so I could see both him and Cade.
“Don’t do this,” Cade said calmly. “Ryker can survive out there. You can’t. Stay here and we’ll go look for him.”
“Maybe you should stop underestimating what I’m capable of.” Every muscle in my body tensed, waiting. Cade was a strong fighter, better than me, but he was too slow to catch up with Ryker. Bastian could do it, but given how pissed off Ryker was at him, I didn’t see that going well.
And all I could think about was that look Ryker had given me. One full of pain and betrayal. If something happened to him tonight, I couldn’t stand the thought of that being the last exchange between us.
Granted, he’d probably look at me like that once I bargained my way free of the Alpha pack. But at least that one I would have earned instead of taking the blame for whatever Bastian had insinuated.
I shouldn’t have stayed in his bed last night. Sleeping more soundly than I had in weeks didn’t make up for the fact that Bastian was a manipulative asshole with a penchant for cruelty.
The three of us stood there in our standoff for several tense seconds. Cade was slightly to my left and Bastian to my right. We were on the third floor. Even if I got away from them now, I’d never make it down the stairs.
But the entrance to Cade’s study was right in front of me, and the full moon was rising just beyond the broken-down wall.
My instincts screamed at me a second before Bastian moved. He was fast, normally faster than me, but I was really pissed off.
“Fuck!” he snarled as my axe sliced into his thigh.
I dove forward, still gripping both axes and barely managing to avoid Cade’s grab before sprinting into the room. A distant howl sounded just as I reached the wall, and the pain in my chest became almost frantic.
Every lycan understood the meaning behind howls. It was instinctual for us.
That was a hunting howl. But Ryker wasn’t the hunter. He was the one being hunted.
“Stop!” Cade ordered.
I didn’t.
My feet pushed off the ground, and my body twisted to face the castle as I plummeted straight down.
I slammed my axes into the stone, slowing my descent.
Fifteen feet from the ground, I dismissed them and pushed off the wall.
My body tore, the wolf spilling forth, shredding my clothes, and I hit the ground on all fours.
All Velesians felt stronger and more alive at night, but it was on nights when the full moon reigned that we felt it the most. I poured every inch of that extra power into my legs as I raced towards the area Ryker’s howl had originated.
To where that knot in my heart was yanking me.
Glowing eyes blinked at me from the trees, and vines slithered along the ground like serpents.
Something with dark red scales lunged at me from where it’d been lying in wait, nestled amongst a tangle of roots.
Bone-white fangs flashed in the moonlight.
I shied left, barely slowing down, and kept running.
Another howl echoed through the forest.
I altered my course slightly.
Only after half a mile did I drop to a jog before halting altogether.
The monsters that’d been snarling at me from the branches had stopped. And nothing had tried to ambush me in the last few minutes. That usually meant there was something big and nasty around, keeping all the lower-ranking beasts away.
Please don’t be Strigoi, I mentally pleaded. My last encounter with them was still fresh in my mind, and I really didn’t want a repeat.
I tried to quell my growing panic. Ryker hadn’t howled again, and the tenuous connection between us was practically vibrating. He wasn’t far. I couldn’t pinpoint his location exactly, but I just knew he was close. And still alive.
There were only two ways to completely break mating bonds—both potential and fully accepted ones: everyone involved had to reject the bond, or death could sever it.
Someday very soon, Ryker and I would be rejecting ours.
It would hurt, but at least we’d both be alive.
But in order for that to happen, I needed to find his stupid ass and get him back behind the wards of the stronghold.
Which meant I didn’t have time to stand here, waiting for whatever monster was lurking in the dark to come out and say hello.
Lowering my head, I let a deep growl rumble from my throat and took a step forward. Nothing happened. I took another step. Then another. The fourth time I raised my paw, I went completely still. I couldn’t sense anything, but I knew with every part of my soul there was something here.
And it was watching me.
Staying as still as possible, I scanned the area around me.
The trees were thick in this part of the forest, their branches full of needle-like leaves that blocked out most of the moonlight.
My night vision was good, but I still needed some light to work with.
I peered into the pools of darkness around the trees.
Come out, come out, beastie.
Leaves rustled, and my ears twitched as I picked up faint clicking sounds.
Shit. There was only one creature in Lunaria that made that noise, and they didn’t usually come this far north. I was really having the shittiest luck lately with monsters. On the plus side, I got my wish. Even the Strigoi avoided the kùsu.
I caught a glimpse of a large body gliding over the ground, and a shiver ran down my spine at the legs silently moving in unison. Nothing should have that many legs.
The kùsu stayed in the shadows, but based on what I saw, it was definitely an adult. And it was enormous. My teeth were sharp but too short to do any significant damage. How fortunate that I had other weapons at my beck and call now.