Chapter 4
Ryder Bosu
Normally I considered myself a collected and rational man, but not at this moment.
I was burning alive with fury, my kitsune magic and instincts rolling under my skin, demanding that we do something to fix this.
All of this. Everything that threatened our mate.
From seeing the man that had hung onto my life like a dark shadow, waiting in the wings ready to infect everything, to the true danger that my mate was now in. More than she probably even realized.
From Hastain.
From everyone who placed perceived ‘breeding’ value on her.
From our families—fuck, especially my family. I had seen the look in my grandfather’s eyes, how pleased he’d been to know I’d found my mate and what it would mean for our family line. It was so fucked up.
I was just thankful that he hadn’t seen the mark on her arm.
A mark that would tell him so much more than I was comfortable with him knowing. Although, if we were going to go back ‘home’ even for a small moment, then there would still be plenty of opportunities for him to see it. Which was only one reason to keep her away.
I didn’t want to go back there to begin with, and I didn’t want Effie stepping foot in that damn palace, let alone the country.
Which is why I had some semblance of a plan on how we could avoid him.
It wasn’t perfect, but it would at least prevent my grandfather and uncle from being in the country with us the entire time.
“Ryder,” Effie said as she packed a small bag of belongings for our trip—including a miniature snow globe, wrapped in not nearly enough clothing, at least in my mind.
Then again, I always felt an uncontrollable urge to ensure that Effie had everything she could desire; even the smallest need felt like a compulsion to me.
I wasn’t as bad as Caedmon, though…probably.
“Yes, kitten?” I asked, my voice rough as she stepped away from her bag and approached where I was sitting in her desk chair.
The minute she was within reach, I tugged her forward between my legs and examined her gorgeous face.
Her muscles were tense as I ran my hands along her frame, and I knew tonight had affected her far more than she even realized or would admit to.
“You seem tense,” she whispered, making me nearly smile at our similar thought process. Her fingers ran through my hair, hesitantly at first, until I leaned into her touch. Then she dug her fingers deeper, making my chest produce a deep rumble. I fucking loved her touch.
“We don’t have to go,” I said, wrapping my hand gently around the back of her neck and grazing my thumb over the column of her throat.
She let out a small breathy sound at the touch, and my cock took way too much notice of the needy sound, already impossibly hard as she moved forward and brushed her lips against mine.
I loved how she responded to my touch, and even more so, I loved that she had started to trust me more, to give me more of her. A groan nearly left my throat thinking about her on that desk as I’d teased her, talking about knocking her up before she marked me. This woman was going to kill me.
“We do.” She hesitated, her desire dampening as sadness invaded her features. “Think about what she said, about all of the women in trouble.”
The worst part was that I didn’t disagree at all.
I not only believed that there was a threat to women at the hands of men like Hastain, and there most likely had been for years, but it was clear that Mona—whether she was Effie’s mom or not—was extremely powerful.
Powerful enough to scare my grandfather, which had been more than gratifying in its own right.
Powerful enough that I had no doubt she understood and had more information than we did on what was going on right now.
Powerful enough to make my magic react so negatively that it almost seemed impossible she would be Effie’s mother—but I couldn’t deny that they did look similar in some ways.
Her magic also had a familiar feel—different from Effie’s, but it gave off the same aura.
“I know what she said…” I drew out, examining her dipped brow and clouded gaze.
“You don’t think she’s lying, right? I mean, she wouldn’t have me run around to unlock powers that didn’t actually exist, right?
” Effie asked. “I don’t want to put any of you in danger…
I don’t know, all of this seems so silly to even consider.
I mean, she can’t actually be my mom, right?
That would mean I have divine powers. That I’m from the divine realm.
Crap, Ryder, maybe this is a bad idea, but if unlocking my power and then opening the gate is what will save these women and cement our bond, I—”
Interrupting her anxious ramble, I kissed her hard, tightening my hold on her neck and gently tugging her down onto my lap.
I groaned as she nibbled my bottom lip and dug her hands into my hair, eagerly meeting my kiss.
I ran a hand over her ass and gripped it, loving how fucking perfectly she fit in my hands. Like she was made for me.
Effie was made for me.
Finally breaking away, nearly causing me to scowl, she flushed at the way I was looking at her, my expression no doubt betraying my need. “If we keep kissing, I’m never going to pack, and we need to go.”
“I like the idea of continuing to kiss you,” I argued, digging my fingers into her hip.
“Ryder,” she whispered.
“Kiss me again. Give me your lips, kitten.”
Her lips pressed to mine softly, and I groaned as she ran her tongue over my bottom lip, causing my cock to jerk against her center.
At that moment, I had to fight the urge to lay her out and take her right on her dorm floor, and when I finally pulled back, my magic tightened around us with a roar of possessiveness, wanting to keep this woman in my grasp forever.
“Alright,” I rumbled, frustrated with my lack of control. “Finish packing, kitten.”
“Okay,” she said breathlessly while standing.
I stood after a long moment of trying to collect myself, walking towards the door before looking back at her once more.
I had to admit, the dorm room had easily become a perfect space for her.
The light from the shelves for the snow globes fell onto her perfect form, and while I knew we couldn’t stay here, I hated the idea of changing Effie’s home once again.
She felt safe here, and she was happy; it felt wrong to have to fucking leave.
I continued to stare, loving the way that her oversized sweater, which she had swapped for the dress she had been wearing earlier, hugged her hips and drew my attention to her ass. Her hair fell almost to her waist, making me want to wrap it around my fist while I bent her over—
“Ryder. What’s the plan?”
I turned sharply to find Dakota and the others sitting in the living room of the triangle-shaped dorm.
The luxurious living space, featuring a view of Lake Michigan, seemed to exist outside of the school, like it was floating above it.
It was no wonder it was reserved for the blood-bonded packs and the wealthiest students at the school.
“The plan?” I leaned against the wall outside of her room.
“We don’t know if Mona is being honest. I can tell you that she isn’t lying about the divine realm and that I believe her about the women being in danger, but as for Effie’s heritage and their connection?
Or if she has true magic? I can’t confirm.
“We know Effie is lykos, possibly even more. And the pendant she has…well, it would make sense if she came from the divine realm, having that in her possession. Mona has nothing to gain from Effie traveling to unlock these powers unless she tries to open the gate, so until Effie makes a decision on that element, it can’t hurt, in my mind.
More so, if Mona is right about cementing our bond so no one can break it apart, then I would damn near say it’s essential we go. ”
“Plus,” Dakota pointed out, “I know Effie won’t want to risk the women’s safety if she has a chance to help them, so you’re right, Ryder. I say we go.
“Effie wants to go—she’s hellbent on it,” I added.
“So we go to your home, which is dangerous for Effie?” Tore rumbled, looking pissed.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Which is why we’re leaving as soon as possible.
We need to take my grandfather’s jet before he can—he’ll find his way back on his own, but we’ll have a head start.
I’m hoping it’ll give us enough time to do what we need to without running into him; we’ll just need to figure out a way out of the country after.
We can’t risk him realizing Effie is lykos, and the more time we spend around him, the more likely that is to happen. ”
The four of them thought on my words, and Caedmon finally nodded. “Okay, fine. Do we know where the jet is? Closest airport?”
“Yeah, private.”
“It’s probably better we leave as it is—even if we weren’t traveling overseas,” Dakota admitted.
“I don’t want her on this damn campus anymore,” Julian agreed, his eyes moving to the door.
“I think we need to consider withdrawing from the university before summer—I don’t want to take this away from Effie, but I also can’t handle the idea of her being in danger every day.
Us marking her isn’t going to make a difference to Hastain, even if it should—in his mind, everything is bendable to his will. ”
I didn’t disagree in the least, and as much as I hated running, I hated the idea of her being in danger far, far more.
I would do anything to keep my mate safe.
And if there was a chance that this pathway would cement our bond to the point that it couldn’t be forcibly broken?
Well, there was no question in my mind of our pathway forward.
“Let’s see how this goes, and then we can start looking at other options,” Dakota suggested. “Ryder, I assume you know some other schools that would work for her interests?”