Page 50 of The Timeless Vigilante

What’s the point in having mind control if you don’t use it to help others? she questioned.

The point is to know when to use such an absolute power and when it will only make things worse, he replied.

Infuriated, Gen stomped forward, throwing her arms wide in front of Dwayne. “Stop this! It’s not who we are. This is not how we train. We may be demon riders, but we don’t have to act like monsters!”

His eyes narrowed into little slits as he stared down at her. “Get out of here.”

“No!” Gen yelled, whipping around to face the dragon and bear. “Don’t fight! That’s the exercise. Exert your own free choice. You don’t have to do this.”

“Gen…” Dwayne growled low behind her.

She ignored him, watching Night and the Kodiak bear continue to circle, staring deep into each other’s eyes. They were watching every move—their every muscle tensed. Gen sucked in a breath when the dragon halted, making the bear freeze too.

The air crackled with tension as Night swung his claws through the air, but hesitated, right before it collided with the bear’s massive head. With a low growl, the bear paused, confusion in its eyes, allowing Night a moment of clarity. In that breath, the dragon’s natural instinct to dominate waned, replaced by a shared sense of survival and an unspoken bond between beasts.

The spectators, expecting a display of dominance, found themselves watching a poignant moment of defiance. As the bear ambled away, unharmed, Night simply watched, no gloating in his gaze.

A scream ripped out of Dwayne’s mouth as he marched forward, swinging around in front of Gen. “You are out of line!”

“I am a human meant to protect and I won’t stand idly by and watch cruelty,” Gen said, standing tall, her shoulders back.

Anger buzzed in Dwayne’s small eyes. He opened his mouth. Seemed to rethink his words. Shut his lips and then shook his head. “You might be a Beaufont but that doesn’t mean that you’re invincible. I will find a way to break you down.”

She grimaced. “That sounds like a threat.”

“The House of Fourteen and Hiker Wallace might be in your corner, but you work for me,” he said. “And for now, it doesn’t look like you’re ever going to be working a case for the Rogue Riders. So, like I’ve said before, you might as well quit.”

“I’ve already completed my first training assignment,” she said smugly.

“What?” he hissed, that vein on his forehead throbbing. “What are you talking about?”

“I finished the first task you gave me,” Gen replied, feeling giddy.

“You solved a murder?” he asked, as the other riders stirred in the background and Night sulked off.

Gen shook her head. “No, I detected the murderer behind four murders.”

“How?” he asked, his vein pulsing on his head.

“Well, I worked with Sherlock Holmes,” she explained. “He, and his assistant, taught me strategies for detecting and then I studied a case with them and we found a murderer. That’s what you assigned me to do, right?”

“You were working with Sherlock Holmes?” he asked, hostility brimming in his gaze.

“And King Rudolfus Sweetwater,” Gen sang, now smiling cheerfully, knowing that would make Dwayne even angrier. “He’s the king over the?—”

“I know who he is,” the leader of the Rogue Riders cut in, curtly.

“Right, well, that’s what you assigned me to do,” she continued casually. “I can send you the details on the case if you want.”

“No, I don’t care,” Dwayne said, spinning around. “Complete the other two tasks. Then we’ll see about you having a case.” He glared over his shoulder. “But something tells me that you’re not going to make it long enough to fulfill your requirements…”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

A WALK ON THE ROGUE SIDE

Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, United States

“I can’t believe you know Sherlock Holmes,” Sully remarked as he, Gen and Jack strode down the busy street. The guys had taken her out on their patrols, which would fulfill her first set of hours shadowing Rogue Riders.

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