Ryder’s hand slid up my arm, his fingers trailing along my skin and drawing shivers from me. When I lifted my gaze to mee his, an electrical shock pulled through my core. My breath hitched.
“And you belong to me, Vanessa.”
I cringed playfully. “Ew, never say my full name again.”
Ryder laughed under his breath, cupped the back of my head, and pulled me close as if for a kiss. There, where our breaths mingled, he whispered:
“Anything for you, Ness.”
My heart nearly stopped. It started again when his lips met mine. I scrabbled for him, hungry and desperate to keep him near.
“Stop making out near the food,” Vi quipped.
“They’re kissing?” Addie asked excitedly as she entered the room. “It’s about time.”
Cerri laughed behind them.
Ryder stepped back. I missed his warmth, but I couldn’t give in to need now. There was work to be done.
“Are you ready?” he asked my friends. “I trust the three of you to keep the pack safe while we’re gone.”
Cerri nodded. She lifted a backpack. Beside her, Addie gestured to her hiking backpack slung over her shoulder. Both clinked with bottles. Cerri must have been up all night brewing potions for the two of them.
Vi, on the other hand, had her fire. Her arcana gave her an innate ability to fight. I just hoped that she wouldn’t fall into her demon side while I was gone.
“The pack is safe in our hands,” Cerri said. “Nothing will get past us.”
Even from here, I could hear the sounds of joy outside. They were telling stories of their loved ones, the people we’d lost. I even caught Candi’s name here and there. Though she’d been Alvin’s wife, she was missed, too.
I didn’t want anything to interrupt this day for them.
That thought was quickly shattered by a scream. I leapt off the table and ran for the door. Ryder and the others were right behind me.
Wolves leapt into the throng of people. Marcus and Jackson had struck again. The pack scattered as more screams pierced the air. I started forward only to be dragged back. Ryder tugged me by my wrist.
On the other side, Cerri gave me a look. “If they’re here, then Alvin is up to something. They’re a distraction. I can feel it.”
Though I hated to leave, Cerri was right. Vi laughed and lifted her hands; fire ignited in her palms. She tossed a fireball at one wolf—Marcus, I think.
Ryder pulled me away from the fight. I wanted to stay. My arcana would have been useful, but I was needed elsewhere. I had to save my strength for the final fight.
This would end today. Even though the sounds of fire and snarls behind me made me want to turn back, I followed Ryder as he led me away from the cookout. I’d hoped that Alvin wouldn’t make a move today and that we could hunt him down while he was distracted.
It seemed that wasn’t in the cards today. We had to move fast. Alvin had the means to trap the pack in the same binding ritual that he’d used against me.
I cursed under my breath. “We should have held the cookout at a pavilion outside Lakesedge.”
“You know that the pack wouldn’t have been able to hide in plain sight like that. We should have struck sooner.”
Ryder was right, but I still didn’t like leaving the pack on Lakesedge territory. Alvin had it circled. The pack was sitting ducks. They needed someone to keep them safe. I hoped that I had what it took to do that for them.
“Let me shift. I’ll be able to catch his scent better,” I said as I slowed.
Ryder nodded but didn’t wait. Once I was on four feet, I lifted my nose into the air and caught a hint of Alvin’s reek. I made a sharp turn and yipped for Ryder to follow.
Alvin was close. Of course, he was. He’s sent the brothers after the pack to cause chaos and distract us while he started his ritual. I only hoped that we could find him in time, before he could even start it.
The ritual arcana swirled under my skin. It rose like a wave, a crescendo that answered to similar magic gathering in the distance. I let it tug me along even though my feet were starting to burn against the ground. The pads of my paws would heal.