Page 27 of Wicked Fate

I had to get my head on straight. Worrying him like this wasn’t right, especially with everything going on right now.The strange man. He was here. I tried to wake you, but you didn’t stir.

Ryker’s body snapped taut like a wire about to break. “What? What do you mean? Was it a dream?” He scanned the room again like he expected to find the man hiding in a corner.

It wasn’t a dream.If my warm, strange magic wasn’t still sparking within, I might have believed it was.I woke up, and he was leaning over me. He clamped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t scream.

His nostrils flared. “Hetouchedyou? I’m going tokillhim.”

The thought of the man being harmed caused my heart to drop. “No.You can’t.” I grabbed his wrists, forcing him to look at me. “He didn’t do anything but… watch me. And then he touched me. But it wasn’t threatening. It was like… my magic knew him. Then he vanished into thin air without even a shadow defining him.”

Something unreadable passed into me from Ryker. My blood turned cold as the sheen appeared over his eyes.

“You think he wasn’t a threat?” His voice dropped low, more dangerous than I’d ever heard. That’s when I realized what he was feeling—fear and bloodlust. He wanted to kill the man for putting me in danger.

He wasn’t,I linked, but the second the words left, I knew I’d made things worse.

Ryker reared back slightly, shaking his head, disbelief—and something deeper—burning through our bond.

“That’s what has you shaken like this?” he ground out. “Because someone broke into this house while we were sleeping, andyour magic liked it? Why the fuck would your wolf like it, Ember? You completed the bond with me. That shouldn’t be possible.”

My mouth opened. Closed. I didn’t know how to defend what I’dfelt,but I understood why he was feeling that way. A strange man had appeared in front of me while I slept in bed with my mate, and I’d shared my magic with him with Ryker by my side. “It wasn’t my wolf magic.” I winced, realizing I hadn’t actually told him about the warm, strange magic within me.

Betrayal shot through our new bond. “What do you mean itwasn’t your wolf magic?”

I reached for him again, needing to touch him, to anchor us both. When I touched his hand, he moved a little like he was going to pull away, but then he didn’t. The buzz between us sprang to life.

“I don’t know. There’s… something else inside me. Something that woke up after you pulled me from the river that day. It’s warm. Not wolf. Not witch. Different. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what it meant. And I thought—” My voice caught. “I thought maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me because of my grief.”

“When did you figure out it wasn’t?” His expression strained as his eyes examined me, looking for any sort of reaction.

“Tonight.” The ache in my chest threatened to fracture me. “Just now. The part that I thought resembled the way we carry our pack inks flared within me, like I recognized him.”

Ryker’s lips parted, but nothing came out. Our bond throbbed, channeling pain, betrayal, fear. All tangled into a knot so tight it nearly strangled us both.

“I need to keep you safe.” His voice was hoarse. “A witch must have put a spell on you or something. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“But I am.” I clasped one of his hands in mine and continued.I don’t know how to explain it, but I could sense his intention, and it wasn’t to cause harm.

His mouth tightened. “From here on out, I need you to promise to tell me if anything strange happens again, even if it’s internal. I need to know we’re a team. That’s what I signed up for, and I won’t allow another man to come in and ruin it.”

“I promise.” I looked him in the eye, needing him to know that I meant it. “And I swear, I havenoromantic feelings for this man at all. No one couldevertake your place.”

Some of the tension left his shoulders. “I swear, if he tries anything with you in any sort of way, I’ll take pleasure in killing him slowly.”

I wanted to argue with him, but that would make him more steadfast in that decision. The best thing I could do was downplay my connection with the strange man. I couldn’t fault Ryker because, if I were in his shoes, I’d be acting the same way. However, something inside merecognizedthat man.

He threw the covers off and kicked his feet over the edge of the bed just as his voice popped into my head along with the other four pack links.Everyone, get up. We have a threat to chase down.

I tilted my head and spoke out loud so the other four couldn’t hear me. “What are you doing? Everyone needs rest, and we haven’t been alerted that there’s a breach.”

“But there has been a breach.” He lifted his chin.

What’s going on?Briar replied, and I heard her door open down the hall.Are we being attacked again?

I bit the inside of my cheek, but I suspected I knew where this was going. I didn’t like it one bit, but I had to stop pressing, or he’d be more determined.

Yes, but your sister doesn’t agree.Ryker crossed his arms, daring me to say something.

If Ember doesn’t think it’s a big deal, then I agree with her,Gage added, still not wanting to listen to Ryker.

---