“That’s manageable,” Riff mused, a boyish smile curling his lips when I glanced at him. “I can pull it off without him knowing, at first. By the time Angel walks into school, he’ll know, but he won’t dare spook her into running by interrupting classes. It will irritate him that he has to wait until lunch or school’s over. Still, it will be a sufficient way for us to express our displeasure over his orders, which helped cause the situation in which we find ourselves.” Well, at least Riff was a rebel with a cause. However, seeing Marcus had my soul dancing in excitement. So, Ryker didn’t completely kill the bond between us then. Could he still? Or did I have to be isolated from the wolf pack?
Glancing at me, Char’s eyes hardened before he asked, “what have you done to Angel?” I blinked, my brow furrowing before I met his gaze, and he placed a kiss on my forehead then raised his eyes defiantly.
“Nothing that can be undone at this point. Or that I will allow you to reverse, I should say,” the vampire lord replied with a cold chuckle. “I partially killed the bond between her and your alpha, something that can only be done outside his influence. Thus, Angel’s stuck between us. Half his, half mine, so we shall require a lesson in sharing.” Riff and Char shared a glance while I sighed soundlessly. It wasn’t as if I didn’t suspect that’s what Ryker did. “Besides,” his voice grew terribly cold, “Angel was mine first. I was present at her birth. Therefore, you dogs are the poachers, not me.”
Riff’s jaw dropped while Char’s eyes became guarded. “Shall I pretend I’m not here so you can continue your pissing contest?” I asked dryly when Riff opened his mouth to speak, his eyes full of anger. The werewolves had the decency to look bashful while Ryker burst out laughing.
“That right there is why Jaxy adored you so,” Ryker chortled. “You never let anyone argue around you for very long. I can only imagine what would have happened had Tyger snuck off to see you at the same time as Jax. I fear the world would have ceased to exist with that much snark in one place, albeit I’m sure the show would have been amazing.” My cheeks heated, and I stared at my feet while Char’s gaze weighed heavily upon me.
“You knew Jax?” He asked quietly, and Ryker chuckled.
“Knowing him is the reason I was present at Angel’s birth, and that’s the end of this discussion,” the vampire replied with a finality to his words. My brow furrowed while I tried to put that together. Why would knowing Jax cause Ryker to be present when I was born? I didn’t like this puzzle piece because while it felt like an important clue, it gave me nothing but more questions. “Stop mulling,” Ryker gently ordered with a light tap to the back of my head. Huffing, I stepped away to turn around and stare at him mutinously. “You agreed to wait until later, little one,” he reminded me with amusement. When I huffed, he added, “the answer to that part of the riddle Jaxy left you leads to solving nearly the entire puzzle.”
“Sounds like an important clue then,” Riff mused in a light voice, and I sighed before glancing at the teenager who grinned. “Jax would be disappointed if you solved his mystery so easily.” Grumbling under my breath, I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of Ryker’s bed, prompting laughter from the man who had the answer to every question I couldn’t answer. Bastard. Still, I smiled at Riff, then pointed towards the bathroom, and he sighed before warily eyeing Ryker, who quirked his brow.
“Puppy, if I were a threat, you would already be dead, I assure you,” Ryker smirked, and I rolled my eyes. When Riff looked at me with a slight sneer, I shook my head, remembering Stella’s quick and unexpected demise.
“He’s fast, and he doesn’t hesitate to kill,” I warned quietly.
“Which is why Angel is unworried. She knows I would have already killed you had I planned to. So, do us a favor and shower since you reek, dog,” the vampire lord sneered. Was this what I had to look forward to dealing with every day? I doubt I could handle it for long, or was that the point? Sighing, Ryker gently cupped my cheek, raising my face until our eyes met to murmur, “I am displeased. Thus, I seek something to relieve my frustration. I won’t always be at the throats of your puppies, I promise. They are rattled as well, stuck in enemy territory where they suffered before you stumbled upon them. Vesper would have revealed them sooner, I’m sure, had she believed she could do so. Someone hid them, at first, but once she discovered your puppies, she alerted me, then contrived a way for you to rescue those who came to save you.”
When I glanced at Riff, he shrugged with a slight smile that did nothing to hide the pain in his eyes. “Home feels cold and lonely without you, Marcus is a distracted mess, and we feared the leeches would hurt you. Marcus wanted to come after you but didn’t dare start an interspecies war by crossing the border without permission. He warned the pack against it, and we tried to obey, but you’re more important than following the rules.” I bit my lip upon recalling when Jaxy warned that disobeying the alpha was painful, and tears filled my eyes. No one has ever loved me so much they
