Page 43 of Reign of the Beast

“It makes sense, Ry. I touched a dark power that day, remember?”

“Everybody has a darkness in them, sweetness. We just learn not to let it rule us. You freaked out because you’re too cautious, you never push yourself beyond your comfort zone. You can control it. You’re stronger than you think. You’re the barrier to the dark, not a part of it.”

I saw her taking my words in. “You really believe that, don’t you? After everything that’s happened between us?”

“No matter what, I’ll always believe in you. Iknowyou.I know you better than anyone. I know your power and I know your heart.”

She reached up and stroked my face. “You’re the heart of us all, you know that?”

I grasped her hand on my face. “You sound like Lucian.”

“Good. Then he realizes how lucky he is to have you as his.”

We stared at one another in comfortable silence, both of us taken in by the sweet, honest moment between us. It had been a long time since we’d managed such a thing.

After a while, I pulled away and assumed a fighting stance, summoning my magic.

“Let’s get you back to your badass self, shall we?” I smirked at her. “Kick my ass, sweetness.Ifyou can.”

9

~Lucian~

I was pulled from my reverie of much-needed rest, my eyes snapping open at the sound of the bedroom door creaking open.

And the overpowering stench that accompanied it.

Alpha wolf.

Jaxon strode on in and kicked the door shut behind him.

I tensed when he went one step further and locked it.

The most concerning thing about his unprecedented visit, however, was the stake clutched in a death grip in his right hand.

Thestake. The Ancient killer.

“Well, this has been a long time coming,” I spoke, adjusting my weight as much as I could, given the hefty resistance from the chains binding me to the bed. “I can’t say that I’m surprised.”

“Then you’re about to be.”

I watched as he pulled a steel box from the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He placed the stakewithin—a perfect fit indicating that it had been specifically made for it—then sealed it closed.

Striding to the bedside table closest to me, he opened the top drawer and slid it inside. “Now it’s yours.”

I frowned deeply. It was quite the gesture he was making. “Why?”

He perched on the bedside table and settled in, folding his arms across his broad, muscular chest. “Other things matter more than getting my vengeance.”

“I’m listening.”

He drew in a breath, then forged ahead, telling me, “The way I understand it, this Covenant concept isn’t going to work if any of us are at odds.”

“True.”

“Then you and me need to find a way to get past all the bad blood between us.”

“Ah, so you handing over the one weapon that can kill me is a step down that road?”

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