1
Ness
I lookedright and left as I leapt up the steps to Ryder’s door. It’d been a few days since I’d last seen him. The memory of Queen Beryl’s gossamer dress in the storm fluttered through my mind. Right after Ryder had delivered the evidence I needed to take down my corrupt Alpha, the local fae queen had swept in and stolen Ryder away.
I didn’t need two local leaders ruining everything. Ryder had been just about to leave, too. He’d made it clear that he had to go or else there would be more trouble touching down in Lakesedge. As badly as I wanted to keep Ryder around, I hated the idea of him in the devious unseelie queen’s clutches.
Ryder’s scent had all but vanished. I couldn’t find him anywhere, not even here where he’d been staying. I suspected he’d asked Beryl for another favor so that he could enter Alvin’s house undetected. He’d done that for me.
This all came down to me.
My stomach churned uneasily. My Alpha stopped trusting me when my first shift revealed that I would be his downfall. Before then, I’d had no intention of turning against Alvin. The witch’s prophecy that a Black Hound would take down an unjust Alpha had gone to Alvin’s head and turned him against me.
Ryder’s appearance had seemed like a stroke of good luck, but I had my doubts now. I’d gotten him caught up in this mess that I wasn’t even sure he could escape now.
Pulling myself together, I lifted my hand to knock on the door. It was flung open before I could bring my knuckles down. A tall redhead filled the doorway. Her eyes were wide with hopeful expectation. Upon seeing me, her expression faltered. She managed to pull it together before looking me up and down.
I took a startled step back. “Oh, I didn’t expect Ryder to have company.”
He had agirlfriend? Well, maybe she wasn’t his girlfriend, but there was clearly something happening here that I did not want to know about. This woman hadn’t beat me here. She must have stayed the night.
Disappointment turned heavy in my stomach. It dragged me down, lower than I’d felt in a long time. I swallowed and dragged in a deep breath so I could force a friendly expression onto my face.
The redhead was beautiful. I couldn’t compare. My own curls were untamed and frizzy, while hers were silken and shining. She had bright green eyes that sparkled with flecks of gray in the light. Her sleeve lifted when she reached for the door frame. The little bit of skin that showed was speckled with freckles and a few lines of an inky tattoo.
“I’ll just see myself out. Uh, Ryder can…” He canwhat?
Ryder didn’t want to talk to me anymore. If anything, he wanted to leave Lakesedge behind. I knew that meant leaving me, too. I shouldn’t have even visited.
“Hold up,” the redhead said as she reached for me.
I froze when her fingertips brushed my shoulder. She must have noticed my tension because she grimaced and pulled back.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Ryder told me to meet him back here a few nights ago, but he hasn’t returned yet. I’m beginning to worry. If you know where he might be, I need you to point me in the right direction.”
Ryder had mentioned an old friend, a woman, finding him at Alvin’s. I wondered how she’d tracked him there with his scent obscured, but the light in her eyes told me that she was a dragon, too. This redhead was likely his mate.
The thought only made this harder. I swallowed my feelings and lifted my chin. His car still sat in the driveway, which meant that he hadn’t left town yet. That left me unsettled.
When I looked the redhead in the eye, she seemed hopeful. I didn’t want to tell her that I’d gotten her mate caught up in my fight.
“My name is Brigid, by the way.” She flashed a shy smile. “You can call me Bri. I don’t mind. Ryder and I…well, we go way back.”
That did not help. I was almost certain now. Ryder’s mate had tracked him down only to find him in peril. I wanted to think that he was strong enough to handle this on his own because he was. I knew firsthand how strong Ryder could be. Yet, this was my fault. I couldn’t just point Bri towards Beryl’s court and let the dragon woman fall into the same trap.
I sighed. “All right. I think I know where he is. Just…follow me and don’t make eye contact with her.”
Bri blinked. “Her?”
“I’ll explain on the way. I’m Ness. You might have heard Ryder complain about me.”
Bri’s laugh nearly charmed me. It was bright and tinkling like small bells. She nearly jumped out of the door, quickly closed it behind her, and pulled a set of keys from her pocket. When she pointed the key fob toward the street, I noticed a car I must have overlooked earlier. The lights on the small SUV flashed as the locks clicked open.
* * *
I suckeddown the last of my hazelnut mocha coffee as I stared at Beryl’s restaurant. The last thing I wanted to do was go inside, but I didn’t have any other choice. I reminded myself that this was my fault. If I hadn’t used Ryder like a means to an end, he wouldn’t be in this situation.
Had he asked me to do something for him, too? Sure, but his problems weren’t the cause of this. He’d gone to Beryl to ask for help so that he could do what I had asked of him.