Page 120 of Shaped By Darkness

“Uhh,” I think back through my rambling, trying to remember what the hell I just said. “Oh, do you think there’s a cure?”

I’m not sure why, but before I can ask, Ryker’s gone, jumping off the wall, his wings catching him only feet from the ground as he flies back toward the castle.

Shit!

I look back at the fight, Serena, the guys, the guards. I can’t leave them, but… I look back toward Ryker as he continues toward the castle.

I want Serena to be right. I’ve seen the good in Ryker over the last few months and fought next to him multiple times now. He’s been nothing but helpful in trying to help us find a way to save Lyle and plans to kill his father.

So why is my heart racing like this?

What if we’re wrong? The castle is a safe haven right now. Anyone who can’t defend themselves is there; it’s my job to protect them.

“Damn it.” I throw one more glance back toward the fight, drinking Serena in. Praying to the gods, she will be okay while I’m gone.

Do not leave our mate!My wyvern cries, and I want to, but I have a duty to my kingdom. They are defenseless; Serena is far from it.

Before I can think about it anymore, I fling myself off the wall the same way Ryker did, beating my wings as fast as I can. I won’t be able to catch up with his head start, but I won’t be far behind.

I hope that’s enough.

Garrett’s question plays on repeat in my mind.

A cure.

I hadn’t ever really thought about it; my father is evil, not the type who would want to be able to undo the bad he does. But the thought of curing the chimeras makes me think of that damn book.

I don’t sleep, so I find myself with extra time at night. Serena is aware and has been leaving me books to read. Some are about the history of the realm, the kingdom, shifters in general, while others are simply stories to enjoy. I could probably get through most of them in just a day or two, but I’ve been savoring them. Getting books has always been difficult. When I was younger, Father used to yell at me for wasting my time trying to steal them from the villages. They’re often burned or destroyed by the time I get to them.

The book I’m reading now is a romance, and it’s taking me forever to read it. The things that happen in it often leave me achingly hard. Not something I enjoy while being in a room with Serena and her mates; I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.

I’m almost at the castle now, and I know I only have moments. I really shouldn’t have left them to fight alone, but I need to go over what it said. This might be exactly what we need, but I have to be sure.

Dropping down in the garden, I let my beast take over even before my feet hit the ground, knowing he’s faster. I’d much rather fly the whole way, but even with how big the castle is, my wings are too big; they would only slow me down.

Guards stand around, the final defense should we all fail. Hopefully that won’t happen; with any luck, it will be the opposite.

My claws scratch across the polished stone of the castle halls as I take a turn too fast and skid. I find traction and take off up the stairs, hardly registering the startled face of the Queen as I run past her.

I’m used to that look. I know what I am.

Right now I’m just happy my beast is listening. Usually when I shift, it’s as if I’m completely giving up control. I fall into darkness until eventually he sleeps and I can shove him back in his cage. Unfortunately, he can go days, sometimes even weeks, before he sleeps. I’d hoped he would behave this time because of his feelings for Serena, but I’m not sure I really believed it possible.

We crash into Garrett’s room, wings scraping on the doorway, but that’s a problem for later.

The book is still sitting on the window’s edge where I sit every night to read, totally not watching her sleep like a creep…

My beast is better at staying on track. He grabs the book between sharp teeth before turning to head back out of the room just as fast as we got here. His tail hits the glass, and I worry it might shatter from the hard exoskeleton, but by some miracle, it doesn’t.

All thoughts of the window are forgotten as we move back through the castle, and my beast jumps from the top of the stairs all the way to the ground. It’s not terribly high, but there are innocents around. Should someone have walked by at the right time, we would have crushed them.

Not that he cares at all. The only thing on his mind right now is the tiny blue-haired girl who calls to him and his darkness.

Switch back.I tell him as we reach the garden. I don’t need him to answer to know he has no intention of doing so as he unfurls his wings, ready to take off.

“Ryker?”

A growl rips from somewhere deep inside me as my beast whirls on Garrett. He might like Serena, but everyone else, even the prince, is the enemy in his eyes.

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