Go, she screamed.Get out.
Where could I go, though? An idea struck me. I would have to get there, first.
I knew very few people that could overpower Alvin. While I suspected that Beryl could do it, she was part of the ruling force that governed Lakesedge. If she moved against him like that, then the community might fall into a war. I didn’t want to see the pack fight the local fae. It would be a mess, and everyone would blame it on me.
There was one other person with such power that was outside of the governing forces. She kept to herself for the most part. She hadn’t even staked a claim on territory within Lakesedge. Instead, she set up a café outside of supernatural territory.
Audra Miura would protect me. I knew it, deep down in my gut. Even if she had no interest in protectingme, she would want to keep her café safe. My plan was risky—I could get fired—but it would be worth it if it paid off.
I debated running back to my car. It seemed like a risk I couldn’t afford to take. The car would get me to my destination faster, but Alvin might be there, waiting for me. The longer I hesitated, the more of an advantage Alvin gained. He could be several steps ahead of me by now.
The moment called for action. I turned on my heel and ran, putting as much distance between myself and Alvin as I could. At least, that was what I hoped.
My hound was pleased. She stopped fighting me and poured power into my body. I could feel her trying to use that power to take control, but I warned her that I would need human hands, still. That was, if I could make it there.
Ryder
What was I doing?I clenched my fists and tried to fight off the feel of Ness still lingering in my hands. She’d been right here. I’d finally gotten a taste of her, and now I craved more. My beast would not sit still. It snarled and lashed its tail.
I stared at the ceiling, my mind reeling from what had happened. I’d meant to put her to bed. Ness needed sleep. I hadn’t meant to find myself on top of her. I hadn’t meant to pull her on top of me.
The craving for faery wine would never hold a candle to the craving that set me aflame right now. I needed her more than anything, but I couldn’t stay to give her what she deserved.
The beast told me to stay and put down roots. If I had a pack of my own, then I would have the strength I needed when Morgan arrived. He wouldn’t put the pack in danger. His anger was directed at me, not at the others.
I wouldn’t be any better than Alvin if I hid behind the pack. They’d already been through enough. I couldn’t force them to stand between my brother and me. I had to face my problems on my own.
My beast moved. It paced inside me. A nervous energy built up inside my muscles. I lifted my hand to peer at the lightning-shaped mark to see if it might glow. Nothing happened.
Who was she to me? The witch I’d met had made it sound like Ness would be my saving grace. I’d hoped to find salvation in Ness, but I was even more confused than before.
The witch told me that the Barghest would be the answer to my problems. I wished the witch had given me a little more than that. If the woman could have told mehowthen I wouldn’t be in this situation.
I hated to say it, but Beryl might have trapped me here, but there was another reason I couldn’t leave. Even if I could get far, I knew that I would turn around the moment that Ness needed me. I couldn’t leave the little hound alone.
A part of me feared that would never change, even once Ness was safe. If I could take her with me, I would. I’d bring her somewhere that no one could ever hurt her again. My dragon told me that right beside me was the safest place for her, even though I knew full well that Morgan would find me eventually.
With a sigh, I sat up and reached for the phone that I’d kept turned off for the past few weeks. Maybe Morgan would be able to track my phone’s GPS, but that didn’t matter anymore. Bri told me that Morgan knew where I was already. It was only a matter of time before Morgan got his shit together and came looking for me.
I held the button to turn the phone on and flinched when the screen lit up brightly.
My thumb hovered over my brother’s name. I needed to talk to him.
Unable to hold my breath any longer, I sighed and tapped his name. The phone rang in my hand.
Distantly, I heard the front door open. I quickly hung up the call and turned the phone off again. Cautious, I slowly edged out into the hall.
“Aw, shit. Where did I leave it?” A familiar voice whispered in the living room.
I let out a sigh, happy to see that it was only Bri. When I stepped out into the room, she stopped what she was doing. Frozen over the couch with a cushion in her hand, she laughed. That laugh faded when her gaze dropped to my chest.
For a moment, I thought Ness had left a mark. That wasn’t possible, though. We’d only kissed. There was no way for Bri to know what I’d done. Even if Bri could tell, she’d been asking me to move on for years. Bri would be thrilled if she found out.
The couch cushion slipped from her hand. “What is that?”
Confused, I looked down. The medallion had fallen out of my shirt and now sat in the open for all to see.
Bri stopped what she was doing and came over. Her hand hovered in the air over the medallion. “I saw this before, but I didn’t think much of it. You’ve been really cagey about it, though. What is this?”