“Vanessa,” Alvin crooned as he came closer.
Alvin stopped near my father, who was already swaying on his feet. He looked down at my father with such derision that I nearly struck Alvin right then and there. I should have. This could have been over so easily. Why did I want to keep my own hands clean?
The ice in my chest reminded me that each death would change me. Wouldn’t this change be for the better? I had no way of knowing. If I killed Alvin, I might become more like him. That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. But protecting myself meant failing others.
It always had.
Alvin lifted his head and pinned me with his sadistic stare. Why had he come back? Was it simply because Ryder had been taken?
Before Alvin could approach me, a ball of fire slammed him in the chest. He rocked back, staggered. Vi put herself between Alvin and me. Marcus moved to stop her, but I stomped on his instep. He hissed behind me and smacked me in the back of the head again.
Alvin laughed in Vi’s face. “You can’t do much on your own. No one is going to help you. Your friend is a little tied up right now. Her father is dying. What are you going to do on your own, firestarter?”
Vi’s cackle had an edge to it. She’d been relying on her fire too much. Her demon blood was probably boiling. If she gave in to her power, then we might lose her altogether.
Bri joined her, standing shoulder to shoulder with my friend. The other dragon shifter lifted her chin in challenge. She had the presence of an alpha, or a clan leader as the dragons called them. Bri’s fingers lengthened into claws as she spread her hands open wide at her sides.
That wouldn’t be enough, though. Vi would lose her fight to her demon blood if she kept pushing her limits. I would lose my friend forever. Then she wouldn’t be able to help protect Bri from the poison that Alvin’s goons kept using.
Bri wasn’t invincible. I couldn’t warn her that she was in danger while this gag was still in my mouth.
I tried to shout, to tell them not to do it, but nothing I said made any sense with the gag in my mouth. Marcus jerked me back. The ground rushed up to greet me before I could even brace for impact.
The sound of fire roared despite the storm above. I shouted again, but Vi didn’t pay me any attention.
This was my fault. I’d wanted freedom, and so I’d kicked the hornet’s nest. I should have known that the hornets would come back to bite me in the ass. The consequences of my actions didn’t just affect me, though. The pack suffered. My friends suffered. Somewhere, Janessa was alone and afraid.
There was only one thing that I could do. It had nothing to do with fighting. We’d made a stand, and it wasn’t going to work.
I had to make sure that this didn’t go on any longer.
Ryder
Roaring,I flipped a table. It shattered against the far wall. I stormed toward the exit, but Beryl snapped out a hand and caught me by the throat. Growling, I resisted her pull. Her long fingers pressed against the arteries in my neck. I snarled and tried to jerk away.
Beryl dug in her claws and dragged me closer. Despite her lithe appearance, she was much stronger than she looked. She lifted me off my feet. I grasped her arm and fought the urge to claw for my freedom. I wouldn’t allow myself to appear weak in front of her.
I was done with this shit. My beast roared in agreement. Ness was in danger. Alvin was still close by. Now that I was in Beryl’s hands once more, Alvin would double back and hurt someone. That someone would likely end up being Ness.
I knew her. She would sacrifice herself. It was only a matter of time. If I couldn’t get back to the pack in time, Ness would be gone. I tried not to think about what might happen. She wouldn’t be gone for good. My beast wouldn’t allow it.
Go back. Save her, the beast screamed inside my skull.
Shut up, beast. I’m trying.
“Put me down,” I commanded.
Beryl laughed in my face. She gave me a shake as she laughed. The fae queen considered me a plaything. She would be disappointed when I came into power here and became her equal.
“You think you have any room to make demands?” Beryl asked. “You aremypawn. I’m growing tired of your defiance. You aren’t an animal, Ryder. You’re a dragon. Start acting like a dignified creature, or I will be forced to...”
“To what? To kill me? My own Alpha tried, and he couldn’t finish the job. I have the scars to prove it. My old man attempted to rip me in half. He only got that far because I held back. You might be a queen, but I’m the son of the Thunder Pass Alpha.”
Her smile faltered. The stars deep within her irises shuddered and winked out one by one as a wave of darkness passed over her eyes. Her features sharpened, becoming inhuman. She thought she could frighten me into behaving like a pet. She was wrong. I was in no mood to be cowed today.
I released her arm and grabbed the medallion around my neck. Instead of wrenching it, I squeezed. The metal crumpled in my grasp. The gemstone fluttered from my clenched fist like dust. The pact that had bound me to her was no more.
Though I wanted to say that my own strength helped me break the medallion, I knew there was more to it than that. Beryl’s request had been fulfilled. Though I hadn’t been the one to do it, Harvey was still dead. The magic keeping the pact in place had become warped and weakened.