Page 54 of Cursed
“No, she has not forgiven me, Zayne, because I asked her not to. I did, however, ask her if we could start over, and she has agreed to that, thankfully.”
A slow smile creeps over his face as he recalls their intimate conversation in his bed. “We are getting to knowone another and trying to be honest with each other. I may not be able to accept or reject this Bond because of the curse, but I fully intend to Claim her as soon as I return, if she consents.”
“You didn’t deserve this curse, Ry,” Zayne says quietly. “My only concern is for you. If you think she’s the one, then I hope, for your sake, that fate or the Moon Goddess brought her here for that reason.”
“Thanks, Zayne. I hope so, too. Now, really, get some sleep.”
Thenext morning, four of the town’s Guards join Ryland’s forces. The group grabs a quick breakfast and rides east to search the surrounding forest. Having done this many times, the Enforcers are experts at tracking down Rogues.
They conduct a grid search, each man covering his designated sector, meticulously scanning the area for signs of Rogues. The men sniff the air for the stench of death and rot. They search for deep claw marks gouged into trees and the soil, which are some of the unusual behaviors Rogues exhibit. Of course, they look for massive footprints.
When a large group of Rogues gathers in one place, the beasts will construct strange, chaotic dens. The Enforcers are also looking for land where the underbrush has been unnaturally stripped away.
Finding no evidence of the Rogues to the east, they ride back to the Inn for a quick lunch. Next, they head north and conduct the same grid search for several more hours. As dusk settles, Ryland lets out a roar of frustration, finding no sign of their prey. Zayne gives him a look, and Ryland calls an end to the search.
Riding back to the Inn for dinner, Zayne rides up next to his brother. “You’re losing it, man. You know it can take a couple of days to find these monsters.” Ryland just gives him an exasperated sigh.
They stop at the stables to drop off their horses, and Ryland once again has to tend to his unruly animal, who has decided he hates all the stablehands. He smiles wryly, thinking they are both in a mood tonight.
Ryland is the last one to make it back to the Inn. He’s immediately annoyed by the boisterous conversations and laughter from the crowd because all he can think of is that today is day four. Even if they find the Rogues tomorrow, there’s an investigation and a cleanup process to go through. He’s going to be two days later than he told Nori.
Once he’s seated with his food, Ryland tells the men again to be ready to ride at dawn. Frustrated and on edge, he eats quickly and heads upstairs. He is definitely not good company tonight.
He didn’t realize being away from her would make him this agitated. Listening to everyone else have a good timegives him a powerful urge to rip someone’s head off. Ryland decides to take a shower and go to bed before he yells at one of the men or his brother for no reason.
After the shower, Bade tries to lighten his mood. “I’m sure we’ll get to kill a bunch of Rogues tomorrow!”
“Whatever!” Ryland snaps at his wolf, then lies down to try and get some sleep.
chapter thirty-four
Zayne leads the men west of town after breakfast. Finding no evidence of Rogues by midday, Ryland is about to call a halt to the search to break for lunch. Suddenly, Zayne raises his sword to quietly indicate to the others that this is the right direction. Ryland rolls his eyes in relief; finally, they are on the right track.
Spread about twenty feet apart, the men pick up their pace and continue riding west until they catch the scent of the Rogues. Galloping toward the stench, a large male Rogue lunges out from his hiding place toward Chief Enforcer Kane.
Sword in hand, Kane slices through its shoulder. For such a large male, he’s extremely agile. He quickly slides off his horse to engage the Rogue on the ground. It takes only a moment for Kane’s sword to remove its head. Leaping back on his horse, the Enforcer hurries to catch up with the rest of the riders.
Zayne glances left to watch Ryland’s sword run through a Rogue’s heart. When movement catches his eye from behind, he flips around on his horse, riding backward. Using his crossbow filled with silver-tipped arrows, Zayne eliminates the Rogue barreling toward him.
The Enforcers and Guards meet up with the rest of the Rogue Pack, twenty strong. The Rogues are grouped together, bracing for battle, having easily heard the horses’ hooves pounding the ground toward them.
As one, the Rogues spring through the air toward the riders. The Enforcers divide themselves evenly; half using swords, and the other half use crossbows and guns. The town Guards are holding their own with their swords.
Zayne and Ryland are undeniably the best fighters. Both of them jump from their horses and destroy the Rogues in their sector.
Ryland is the ultimate predator. His sword is an extension of his body as he carves through any Rogue that comes near him. He moves like the wind, slashing through flesh and bone with deadly efficiency. A Rogue lunges at himfrom his right. He pivots, sidesteps, and drives his sword through its chest, twisting the blade before ripping it free.
Zayne is equally deadly as he swings low, severing the legs of a Rogue running toward him from his left. He mercilessly delivers a strike to its throat before grappling with the next snarling beast.
The slaughter is over in minutes. Lifeless bodies litter the clearing; the scent of blood and the stench of Rogue hang thick in the air. Before lowering their weapons, the warriors turn in every direction, searching for the next threat. When there are no more attacks, they raise their swords and cheer, celebrating their win.
Two Enforcers walk through the Rogues’ makeshift den, looking for any clues that could identify where they came from. Five Enforcers check the Rogues on the ground, slicing off the heads of any beasts that are still alive.
Ryland is in conversation with Kane and one of the town Guards across the field. Zayne sheaths his sword and moves to check on the Silver Pine Guards nearest him.
As Zayne takes his first step, a giant, snarling Rogue sails through the air, slamming into him. He falls to the ground, momentarily stunned that the Rogue got the drop on him. Zayne grabs the animal around the throat, trying to keep its mouth off him while he punches it in the face. Within seconds, the two Enforcers closest to Zayne run over to help, knocking it off Zayne and removing its head.
Ryland rushes across the field to his brother, reaching out a hand to help him up. “Hey, are you alright?”
