Page 25 of Renegade Queen

I could see what she was doing. She was trying to lighten the situation, and it was weirdly working. It never would have before. It would have annoyed me that she was trying to manage me. But that ball of energy inside me was practically rolling around because she was trying to do something for us.

And that was the moment I figured out how to control the beast I had raging inside me.

It was her.

I could do it because failing meant not being there to protect her, which was utterly unacceptable to me and whatever else it was I shared my body with right now.

“Let’s do this then,” I said firmly, jumping out of bed, taking a moment to at least appreciate that I still had my pants on. “I got this. It’s going to be fine.”

Alyssa didn’t look convinced, and she looked at Ryder for confirmation that we were actually going to do this. It should have annoyed me, but instead, I felt a sense of peace that no matter what happened to me, she’d have my brothers at her side.

Ryder just nodded, ever the optimist.

“Well, okay then.” Alyssa shrugged, moving away from the door and opening it to reveal the rest of the RV behind her.

It was pretty nice, actually, which was strangely relieving. Because Alyssa and Tank had travelled a long way, if they’d driven us to Alaska, at least they’d had some level of comfort while doing it.

That being said, this wasn’t exactly a big place, and there was no sight of Maddox or Tank inside the RV.

Alyssa disappeared, and I heard another door open as she exited the RV. Ryder’s hand patted my shoulder, and when I glanced behind me, I found his reassuring face smiling at me.

“You’ve got this,” he told me firmly.

Everything was easier when there was someone you could trust at your back, and if there was one thing I knew without a doubt about Ryder, it was that he’d always have my back no matter what.

The light outside was blinding for a second, and I squinted as I tried to blink and clear my vision. It struck me then how everything about the world felt different now. The breeze seemed crisper, and the ground beneath my feet almost vibrated with life. I could hear more than just the birds; I could hear the insects moving through the grass, and something stalking through the undergrowth off to the left.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Alyssa standing before me. Tank and Maddox were behind her, watching me curiously to see what I would do.

It was like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for me to explode—just an ordinary day then.

“Are you fucking crazy, woman?” I suddenly snapped. “You were expecting either me or the bear to fly into a rage, and the best place you thought to be during that was between us.”

“He does have a point,” Maddox mumbled.

Alyssa looked at me with wide eyes, then tipped back her head and laughed a full-on belly laugh. The way Tank shook his head and chuckled let me know I’d definitely missed something.

“Awww, Dean. I knew you cared. But I’m slightly insulted you don’t think I can take two shifters,” she looked at me like I’d lost my mind, and it occurred to me that I didn’t really know what Alyssa could do, but that wasn’t what we were here to do right now.

Glancing over Alyssa’s shoulder, I looked at Tank. I wasn’t trying to intimidate him, but I also wasn’t going to roll over and let him think he was winning something here.

“I can play nice for her. Can you?” I asked.

Tank squinted at me, but then he nodded. “For Alyssa.”

“If one of you pees on me right now, just know a swift kick to the balls will be coming your way,” Alyssa griped, moving out of the way and heading back to the RV. “We should eat while we go through the supplies. If we want to go through the portal today, we need to leave in the next hour or so. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for first light tomorrow.”

None of us were willing to wait another day to get to Damon. He’d already been gone far too long. Surprisingly, it was Tank that rushed for the RV first. He must have realised we’d have questions, and he looked back at us over his shoulder as he climbed inside.

“Trust me, you do not want Alyssa making your food.”

It was enough to have all of us speeding towards the RV.

Chapter 12

Alyssa

It had been a long time since I’d worn this outfit and had a sword strapped to my hip. It had been even longer since I’d stood in front of a portal like this one. I might not have been running for my life this time, but I still felt like I was going to throw up as I desperately tried not to let the others see how much I was shitting myself.

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