Page 27

I rritated is an understatement.

Last night left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I finally found Lyle, only for him to try to get me to give up on him and then run away.

As if that wasn't bad enough, last night also happened to be the night that Garrett finally caught on.

It couldn't have been one of the times when I was out in the training yard or even sneaking into the woods to meet Ryker.

No, it had to be when I was in the Forgotten Forest, chasing down my friend turned monster, who may or may not want to eat me.

And not in the fun way.

Fuck my life.

I should lie low, spend a few nights at the castle to ensure Garrett isn't still following me around, but I can't bring myself to do it. The idea of sitting around doing nothing to help Lyle makes my stomach turn.

Garrett’s worried about me, and I get that. Going out last night alone to look for Lyle probably wasn't my brightest idea. But he's wrong about Ryker.

Everyone's wrong about him; I can feel it.

I make it to the clearing, my borrowed shadow wings disappearing while I'm still a few feet off the ground. Thankfully, my instincts are good, and I land on my feet with only a minor stumble.

"Woah, what's the rush?" Ryker asks, and I snap my head toward his voice. He's not invisible tonight; he isn't most nights now, instead choosing to hide in the shadows of the trees until I arrive.

I can't say I blame him. If anyone else were to stumble upon him, I doubt they'd be as happy to see him as I am. Hell, they might very well raise the alarm, and the last thing we need is more fighting.

I'm so sick of the fighting; I just want Lyle back, Draven gone, and...

Ryker moves out of the shadows, and my eyes are drawn to his, the bright glowing purple that matches his 'broken' magic.

I know from the way he talks about it that he hates it, and I'm sure I'd probably feel the same if my crazy father forced it on me in an attempt to experiment, but fuck, I think he's amazing.

If only he could see it.

I shake my head, attempting to clear it. What the hell is it about him that makes me like this? You would never know I have three mates with the way I'm damn near drooling over Ryker.

I'm just grateful he doesn't seem to understand that. Usually his lack of people skills makes things funny or even difficult, but in this particular situation, it works in my favor.

That's fucking rare these days.

"Wait, what?" I know he said something, but I can't remember what the hell it was. Fantastic, so distracted by how good he looks that my brain stops working...

The smirk that curls his lips is playful, and his eyes shine as he stalks toward me. I don't move because I'm stubborn, but it only takes me a moment to realize what a stupid idea that was when he stops damn near toe-to-toe with me.

I crane my head back, holding his gaze, unwilling to look away even as my heart races and my palms sweat.

Damn it, get it together, Serena. I mentally scold myself, but it doesn't do a damn thing. I remain trapped, pulled to those beautiful purple eyes like a moth to the flames.

That's why I don't miss his reaction. If I'd been looking anywhere else, I would have.

My mouth goes dry from his proximity. I know it's silly considering I slept in his bed and I've spent time in his arms, but I can't control this reaction I have to him. Pressing my tongue between my lips, I attempt to wet them, and while it works, that's not the only thing it does.

Ryker's eyes dart down as if drawn to the movement, which on its own is normal enough. I mean, we're in the woods… at night. It never hurts to be alert, but this isn't that. Not if you take into account the way his nostrils flare and his Adam's apple bobs.

It would seem I'm not the only one affected by our proximity.

He takes a step back, and I have to force myself not to follow him. It's hard because that's all I want to do, but somehow I manage.

"We…" he stumbles over his words, running a hand through his hair and messing it up even more than it already is. Fuck, I want to be the one who runs my fingers through his hair.

"We should start practicing. We don't have a lot of time."

He's not wrong, but it's not at all what I want to do, even though I know we should. I need to get my powers under control so that I can save Lyle. I won't give up on him, no matter what.

I can always daydream about Ryker while we practice, and it's not like I'm going to let him go back into hiding after this.

No, he thinks that's what he's going to do. Help me, then go back to being a shut-in, but he's so wrong.

He's stuck with me now, has been since the night he decided to bring me back to his cabin.

This is why we don't take in strays; I bet he won't ever make that mistake again.

I don't say any of that, instead nodding as I follow him into the middle of the clearing. We've been doing this long enough that I know the drill. I also know I'm about to get my ass handed to me.

I'm panting, sweating, and fucking losing, just like always.

Ryker zaps me out of the sky as I fly at him, and I hit the ground hard enough that it knocks the wind out of me, but I push to my knees. I know I need to move. If I stay in one place too long, he has no problem showing me how that leaves me open for an attack.

I used to train with the guys, but a lot of it was how to evade magic because I didn't have it. Now I do, and I need to learn how to use it in all capacities, including fighting. Not to mention, I've never gone against dark magic. It's a pain in the ass, and Ryker isn't pulling any punches.

' My father will kill you , or worse' he loves to remind me when I complain about him beating my ass. He's right, but shit, let a girl catch her breath.

I'm on my feet even as the world spins around me, moving into the trees for cover. I only need a moment to recover, but of course, he can't give me that.

His purple lightning hits the tree five inches to my right, and it explodes. I manage to cover my face as I roll away, but I still feel the wood as it slices into the exposed skin of my arms, a few splintered pieces hitting my cheek and neck.

Asshole.

"Move, Serena."

"What the fuck does it look like I'm doing?!" I shout back as I weave my way through the trees, attempting to put a little distance between us.

"You need to trust your shadows. They are a part of you, meant to protect you, the same way your beast is. They’re one and the same."

Another tree explodes to my left, and I groan in annoyance. How the hell is he right there still, lecturing me and exploding shit as if it's nothing?

It shouldn't be hot, but even with how annoyed I am with him, I can't help but feel that pull of attraction.

I'm going to need therapy after this, and not just because of the asshole that's trying to kill me.

The trees clearly aren't providing me the cover I hoped they would; instead, he's turning them into projectiles that have a very real chance of knocking me the hell out, or at the very least getting lodged in one of my limbs... yeah, let's not.

I take a hard left and head back toward the clearing.

It's quiet, and it's been at least thirty seconds since I saw the last shadow bolt; that's too long.

I can see the clearing, only a few feet away. If I keep a straight path, I'll make it through the trees in just a few seconds. Unable to resist, I peek back over my shoulder, looking for some sign of him behind me.

Nothing.

Fuck.

I really hate that little trick of his. Being able to disappear into thin air would be so damn useful, but he refuses to teach me until I have control of my shadows. He insists that I need control, or I might very well get stuck in the shadows.

Which sounds awful, but still, he shouldn't be able to use it; it's an unfair advantage.

Breaking through the treeline, I turn to face forward once again, only to hit what feels like a brick wall. I go down; the force slamming me back so that all I can do is brace for impact.

But it never comes.

"You should really pay attention to where you're going."

My smart-ass reply is right there on the tip of my tongue. I taste the words, ready to bite back about his cheating ways, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

The scent of him wraps around me—the fire and many herbs in his cabin mixing with the feeling of his arm around my back, holding me up.

My mind goes back to the memory of him holding me to drop us off the roof.

Then, I was beastless and at his mercy. Now, I could have easily taken the hit.

I probably would have hit the ground and rolled my ass away to keep going.

We've been doing this for over a week now, and he's had no issue with not holding back, so why save me now?

His lips are right there, only a breath away, and I know now whatever I've been feeling isn't one-sided. I've felt it since the night he found me in the woods, and every time I saw him, the feeling only grew.

Garrett is worried about me being around him, but Ryker doesn't scare me. I don't care what he might have done. I know he wouldn't hurt me; I can feel it.

"Serena."

I watch as he shuts down before my eyes, releasing me and pulling away, shrinking in on himself.

"Don't do that!" I cry, reaching out and grabbing his cloak, and to both our surprise, manage to pull him back toward me.

"How… how did you…" he trails off, but I know what he was going to say, and I shrug. I have no idea, but that's also not my main concern right now.

"It doesn't matter."

“What do you mean, it doesn't matter? Of course it does. That's the whole point of all this.” He throws his hands up, gesturing to the woods that surround us.

He's right, of course, or he was. I came out here because I needed help, help to save Lyle and better understand who I am and what I can do.

Ryker said he would help me, and he has been, but somewhere along the way I started coming for more than that. Or maybe I'd always come for more and just couldn't admit it until now.