Page 18 of Reign of the Beast

The fact that either of us were able to find any semblance of peace given the situation surrounding us was a true testament to our relationship.

It had taken Draco only three days to recover from Cornelius' assault during the Maven Coven battle. And hisire at facing temporary defeat at the hands of his enemy had been fierce, something he had taken out on the supernatural world.

It had only worsened over the last few months. He’d overrun and decimated many supernatural strongholds, targeting all species indiscriminately. If that wasn’t enough, he’d turned hundreds of supernatural beings, recruiting them to his side on the false promises of power, wealth and glory. As a result, we weren’t only battling him and his endless devastation, we were forced to fight against our own people.

A couple of weeks ago, he’d dealt a brutal blow to the Guardian Movement, one that we still had yet to recover from.

We were overwhelmed and unprepared, forced to respond reactively and defensively, which made it impossible for us to gain any traction in this war.

As the most powerful magic-wielder, with Mia in exile, a great deal of the burden had been placed on Ryker’s shoulders. Despite his denial, I knew he was close to burning out.

His relentless search for Mia really hadn’t helped matters either.

He’d put everything into finding her. Not only his magic, but his hopes also, believing her to be the key to winning this war and stopping Draco. He’d assumed she’d just needed a reprieve and that she would be ready to rejoin the fight when he’d found her.

Unfortunately, he’d been proven wrong.

She was so very far from ready.

I would allow her some time and then I would go to her, employ my powers of persuasion to bring her home.

Even at his most agitated, Ryker was soft with her. He treated her like she was precious, with kid gloves as thoughshe were something breakable. While his intentions were noble and admirable, it also meant that he would not push her past her comfort zone.

Ididn’t see her that way, believing instead that she needed to experience a heavy, dominant hand. It was exactly what I would employ to ensure she returned to the fold.

Unfortunately, the state of her that Ryker had described meant that would only be the beginning. It would take a great deal to ready her for the threat we now faced.

She was afraid. The power I’d seen her unleash that day had been dark and she had not been ready to taste it, nor to accept that part of her. Like Ryker had been before we’d come together, she was repressed. Most magic-wielders were. They were afraid of losing control over any aspect of their lives, afraid it would allow the potential for darkness to swallow them whole.

I had also seen Ryker touch another level of power that he’d never accessed before. That green lightning he’d sparked to life in an attempt to stop Cornelius from pulling us into thatphantasmalplane. But it hadn’t scaredhim. It was because he’d accepted the dark as well as the light within him a long time ago. And that had occurred decades ago when he’d been forced to face off with his father.

I couldn’t help thinking that things would not be so dire right now if Cornelius had gone about making his vision of the Covenant a reality in a different manner.

Instead of being transparent, he’d deceived us all, even his own daughter. He’d also alienated, threatened, and even attacked, his urgency getting the best of him when he was questioned. Had he really expected all of us to go along with something so profound, life-changing andirreversible, without time to think it over and discuss it? He’d clearly lost his mind and his ability for rational thought as soon as Draco had resurfaced. And now we were all paying the price.

A grating buzzing cut through my maudlin thoughts and I turned my head to see Ryker's phone flashing on his bedside table.

I tensed automatically when I saw the caller ID.

Jaxon Silver.

The wild card of our yet-to-be-solidified Covenant.

Just what we didn’t need.

Not to mention, I was sure the history between him and I would make things that much more complicated and our task that more difficult to accomplish.

Alas, Ryker and I had determined that he was most definitely to be a part of it, so we’d both have to get over it. Other things mattered a great deal more than old grudges.

The fate of the entire supernatural world rested upon our shoulders.

I watched Ryker stir as the buzzing graduated to a ringing.

I smiled with amusement as I recognized the ringtone.Hungry Like the Wolfby Duran Duran. He had a wonderful sense of humor.

“Ryker,” I called, giving him a couple of gentle nudges when he failed to wake fully. He was a heavy sleeper in general, but a lot more so lately.

He opened his eyes with a disgruntled groan. “What’s wrong?” he rasped.

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