Page 35

T hings are slowly going back to normal, or as normal as they can be, I guess.

Lyle’s still gone, and I spend most of my nights chasing after Serena, when she sneaks out to meet with Draven's son, Ryker, who is teaching her how to use her dark magic.

He also has dark elemental magic, though Serena said he wasn't born with it.

.. But he swears he can help her save Lyle, and I'm almost positive he's in love with her.

Okay, maybe not normal. That might have been a poor word to describe us.

But Storm and Serena seem to have fixed things if last night is anything to go by. I mean, I sure as hell enjoyed it.

Just as much as I enjoyed last night, I enjoyed this morning in the bathhouse with Serena, just the two of us. I won’t lie, I love fucking Serena, but taking care of her is up there for me too. The only thing that beats both is her lips wrapped around my cock…

That’s one of the best things I’ve ever experienced and I can’t imagine anything will ever beat it. The way her throat hugs my cock, her tongue licking me like I’m the best thing she’s ever tasted as I pump cum down her throat and she swallows down every drop.

Fuck…

A sharp smack to the back of my head pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn to glare daggers at none other than my twin. And to think I was excited he was around again.

"Control yourself," he scolds me, and I'm about to snap back at him before I realize that all eyes are on me.

Ryker and Serena have stopped their training. Serena's cheeks are bright red, and she can't seem to meet anyone's eyes, instead staring down at her shoes like they are the most interesting thing she's ever seen.

Ryker is outright staring at me, but he doesn't look embarrassed the way Serena does. If anything, he seems… intrigued?

Oh, shit.

I wasn't just thinking about last night; I was sharing! Why is this bond so damn hard to navigate?

"Powerful emotions make control harder." Ryker says, and I nod, filing that information away for later.

"Nobody can stop that," Blair says, and I groan because it's impossible to know if he's serious or teasing and because clearly I'm sharing again.

Serena's laughter is loud in the quiet forest, loud enough that it catches me off guard, and I don't seem to be the only one.

Every one of us turns our attention to her where she stands in the center of the clearing with Ryker, bent at the waist, arms wrapped around her stomach as she laughs uncontrollably.

I couldn't fight the smile that pulls at my lips if I tried, and I don't want to.

How long has it been since Serena laughed like that? I don't know, but I know it's been too long, and damn, did I miss it, missed seeing her happy.

She braces herself on her knees, pulling in deep breaths in an attempt to get herself under control before she stands and realizes she's the center of everyone's attention.

"Sorry," she breathes, still sounding out of breath and looking a bit embarrassed.

"Don't apologize, Little Rabbit. It was nice to hear your laughter again."

If Serena was embarrassed before, it's worse now as her cheeks go bright red and she looks away, unable to meet Blair's gaze the way she had a moment ago.

Pike barks a laugh that is almost literally a bark, and I'm not surprised to see he's sprouted a tail that's wagging about a million miles a minute. I'm honestly shocked he hasn't transformed and run to Serena already. Control isn't his strong suit, especially where his wolf is concerned.

As if he can hear my thoughts, he takes a step forward, only to stop abruptly and turn to Blair.

Ah, that makes more sense. Blair is keeping him in check.

I've only come with them a few times now, and this is Storm's first time, though it's clear he's not fond of Ryker.

I'm happy he's trying again. But Blair and Pike seem not only familiar with the location but comfortable with Ryker, which tells me they've done this a few times. More than a few, if the way Blair’s acting is anything to go by.

He isn't the type to warm up to anyone fast, except Serena.

She's the one exception to just about everything.

Pike whines before moving around me to stand next to Storm, and I swear my jaw about hits the ground when my brother, my twin, puts his arm around Pike's shoulder and pulls him into his side.

It seems to pacify Pike for the time being, but I swear Storm's cheeks are turning red.

The brother in me wants to poke at him, but after he avoided us for so long, I can't bring myself to do it right now.

I missed him, and if he's happy, well, so am I.

It's not like I wasn't aware of them fucking around before; we all were. They weren’t as good at sneaking around as they seem to think they were, at least not where I’m concerned.

I can always give him shit about it later.

I just want my pack happy and whole.

Serena.

She's standing exactly where she's been, her eyes fixed on Storm's arm where it rests on Pike's shoulder.

For a moment, I can't read her expression, but it only lasts a second before she melts.

There's a softness in her eyes I've only ever seen from her with her mates. She looked at me like that not long ago in the library when she assured me we didn’t have to be mated for her to love me, and again when I woke up and our bond snapped into place.

I almost feel guilty. I know Serena. The fact that I was even a little bit worried about how she would react to them being together is ridiculous. She loves us just the way we are; she would never try to keep them apart...

The thought has me turning my attention to Ryker, who stands off to her side.

His attention never strays from Serena. I don't need to know him to know he's got it as bad as we do and that he's also in denial.

We lived like that for years, either trying to keep our feelings under wraps like me or plain out denying them like Storm.

Whatever his reason for it is, that won't last. Serena has a way of worming her way into your heart, even when you’re not sure if you have one... cough, cough, Blair and Lyle.

I know Garrett said this guy is dangerous, and I know he's done bad things, but the way he looks at Serena...

I don't think he could hurt her, even if his father ordered him to. Love makes you push limits, and even if he's got no control, I can't imagine she's in danger with him.

Serena turns back to face him, her eyes still full of love and a small smile on her face, and I watch him try to fight one of his own, only to fail miserably. No, he would throw himself off a fucking cliff before he hurt her; I know because I feel the same way.

Serena loving you changes you, and there's no going back.

"Let's finish training." Ryker's voice rings out around the clearing, shattering the moment.

Serena purses her lips at him, glaring at him the same way she often does Lyle.

Thinking of my pack brother makes my chest tight, but as I watch Ryker and Serena go back to training, throwing shadows and their bodies around, I know if anyone can save him, it's her.

She's loyal to a fault, and if she believes Ryker has a way we can save Lyle, then that's what we’re going to focus on.

We can deal with her collecting yet another man later.

Hopefully, after she and Garrett have smoothed everything over.

Serena is panting, sweat dripping down her face, her hair sticking to it, and she looks exhausted, but damn if she still isn't the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

I can feel the rumble of my beast deep in my chest, and I'm hit with the overwhelming need to claim her, to hold her down and lick the sweat from her head before licking… well, everywhere else.

"Sol!" Serena's voice cracks, and when I look up at her, I see the heat in her eyes, the way her pupils are blown wide.

Damn it!

"We're going to work on your sharing problem when we get back to the castle." Storm slaps a hand on my shoulder hard enough that I stagger forward a step before righting myself.

"Speaking of, we should probably head back soon," Pike says, running to Serena and scooping her up in his arms to spin her around, making her giggle as she halfheartedly demands he put her down.

"You smell delicious, Buns." Pike nuzzles into the crook of her neck and breathes her in.

Now that he mentions it, she's all I can smell.

The scent of her arousal hangs in the air and I can’t help but breathe it in.

“Ew Pike, I’ve been training for hours don’t sniff me!” Serena pulls a face but Pike only laughs.

My beast pushes to the surface, craving his mate. All he wants is to chase her through the woods. He would never hurt her, but damn if the chase doesn't excite both of us, which is something I never would have thought twice about before she belonged to me and me to her.

"Behave!" Blair snaps, making everyone pause as he walks into the center of the clearing where Ryker, Pike, and Serena are.

My lion hisses but doesn't push back. I'm not a fan of his snake, and he isn't either. For the most part, he listens to Blair; he's never given him a reason not to.

"We have a little while before the sun rises.

I'd like to talk to you about something.

" Blair approaches Ryker, and for a moment I see the shock on Ryker's face before he makes it carefully blank again.

Aside from Serena, he seems to try and stay as neutral as possible.

Or maybe he just doesn't know how to interact with us.

Serena said he was pretty sheltered, and I can kind of see that.

Ryker looks to Serena, who is prying herself from Pike's arms, before he turns to Blair, giving him a nod in agreement.

"What do you know about power boosting?"

"Blair!" Serena shouts as she stumbles over her feet in her attempt to reach Blair and Ryker.

Blair is unfazed, but Ryker doesn't seem like he's as keen on this conversation anymore. He'll get used to her, eventually. Blair doesn't so much as glance her way, as if he didn’t hear her, but I hear Pike chuckle, which means Rena did too. She'll get him for that later, I'm sure.

"Is it possible for someone to act like a conductor? To amplify someone's powers?" Blair asks, and now he's got everyone's attention.

"Blair, stop it!" Serena finally reaches them and attempts to push Blair away in the direction of the castle. He doesn't budge, of course, but she sure tries.

"I'm not sure what you—"

A wall of fire separates them from us, hot and easily as tall as the trees.

"Fuck!" Storm hisses as we move back a few steps, feeling the heat crawl over our skin.

Serena!

My beast claws at my subconscious, trying to force me to shift, but before I can, the fire is gone. A ring of dead grass surrounds them, proving the fire was there, but that's it.

I'm moving before I can think better of it, and I can feel Storm at my side as we make it to Serena in only a few seconds.

Her hands are still on his back from her attempt to force him to move, but her chest is heaving and her eyes are dark with her shadows.

It only lasts a moment, as she stares off into space, almost as if coming out of a trance, then she blinks once, twice, and when she opens her eyes the third time, they’re back to the blue I love so much.

What the hell is going on?

"A conductor..." Ryker says, but this time he sounds thoughtful, and when I turn to look at him, I swear I can almost see his brain working.

I'm so damn lost, and one look at Pike and Storm says I'm not the only one. Before any of us can ask, Blair spins around, pushing Serena behind him as he lights up the trees to the south, the ones closest to the Forgotten Forest.

The trees catch fire despite being lush and green; magic has the ability to do what regular fire can't, but just as quickly as they go up in flames, a gust of wind blows it out.

"Wait!" Ryker shouts, disappearing into thin air only to reappear in front of Blair, hands up in a silent plea for him to stop.

That’s a neat trick.

I didn't even notice the fireball in his hand until now; I'd been too busy trying to understand what it is I'm feeling in the woods. Whatever it is that’s put Blair so on edge, it's strong as hell.

Maybe even stronger than all of us… together.