21
Ryder
Alvin’s formran ahead of us. He ducked around a corner and disappeared for a moment. My stomach dropped and flipped. He was so close, yet so far.
Ness surged ahead of me. I shoved my wings out and asked the winds to carry me so that I could keep up with her. The winds answered my request, but Ness seemed to be carried on the same wind. No matter what I did, I was always just behind her.
She’d lost two packmates in the span of twenty-four hours. I wouldn’t lose her, too. Not now that she knew.
That excited look in her eyes, lit from the sparkle of hope for the first time, wouldn’t leave my mind. I held onto it, hugged the memory close so that it would give me what I needed to keep my head up. After seeing her joy, I couldn’t figure out why I’d kept this secret from her for so long.
We ran out of the neighborhood and into a dense patch of woods. Ness darted between trees and over fallen logs. They were barely an obstacle for her small form. However, my wings became a hindrance here in the woods. I had to tuck them close to my back and rely on my own two feet.
Alvin slowed. He stopped and turned. A broad smile slid over his manic features. Eyes too wide, he grinned down at us. I called out for Ness to stop, but she ignored me.
The sky above flashed with lightning. It illuminated the dark foliage for a split second. That was how I noticed two more figures standing behind Alvin. Marcus and Jackson held a pig between them.
Alvin turned and bent. He raked his claws along the pig’s throat. Arcana curled in the air, turning it thick and choking. I held my breath as I darted towards Alvin.
Ness’s cry made me change trajectory. I twisted toward her just in time to see her fall to her knees. She’d shifted back to her human form. On her knees, she hung her head. I saw the tremble of her shoulders right before they collapsed. Her cheek hit the earth, but she didn’t make a sound.
When Ness rose, it was as if a string tugged at her head. She lifted like a puppet being controlled by a master. I rocked back, heart lurching.
That light in her eyes was gone. She wasn’t dead, but the Ness that I loved wasn’t there anymore. This had been an ambush. They’d forced us to chase them, so we would fall right into their hands. This close to their sacrifice, the arcana was the strongest.
“Don’t let him win,” I cried out.
Ness didn’t acknowledge me. She turned, a stiff about face that was more robotic than mortal. I lunged forward and caught her by the shoulder. When she twisted, her lips parted. No words came out, though.
Only a strangled groan.
Her brow furrowed. Beyond her, I could see Alvin’s face contort with frustration—almost a perfect mirror.
I cupped Ness’s face and leaned in so that my scent would overwhelm her. I rubbed my cheek along hers and whispered in her ear.
“Come back to me, mate. Don’t leave me now.”
Ness put a hand against my chest, right over my heart. I thought I’d won. Nothing could separate us.
Then she shoved. I didn’t reel back, but the push startled me. She ducked out of my hands and resumed her march toward Alvin.
His laugh echoed between the trees. “This is my territory, dragon. You were never anything more than a visitor. My pack will kneel to me once again. I don’t have any doubts about that.”
My lip curled. Attention on Ness, I reached into my pocket. My fingertip touched the sensor on the back of my phone. It would have been nice if Morgan chose this instant to touch down and cause havoc, but that didn’t happen. It was just Alvin and myself, and his puppets.
And Ness.
Oh, boy. I prayed that I was doing the right thing as I swiped across my phone screen without looking. There was a strong chance that I wouldn’t press the right buttons. Touchscreens were so much more difficult to navigate than regular buttons.
“If you stay, you’ll kneel, too.” Alvin lifted his chin imperiously. There was a sick gleam to his eyes when lightning flashed again.
“Her arcana is weak right now,” I warned. “Ness won’t be able to control everyone for you, if that’s what you’re thinking. She’ll run out of power before you get what you want.”
Alvin’s gaze slid over to Ness. My beast rose and gnashed its teeth in warning.
Take one more look at my mate, and you will lose those eyes. I will pluck them from your head so you can’t see anything but your own demise.
The pack would come. I’d sounded the alarm. A while back, while watching Ness sleep, I’d struggled to find my own rest. Instead of wasting time, I’d programmed an SOS into my phone. One tap of a button and it would fire a message out to everyone in the pack.