Page 7 of Reign of the Beast

He was wrong.

He was wrong about all of it.

Besides, if the Guardians were really in trouble and really needed my level of assistance, my father would have contacted me.

Ryker was either overreacting, or coming to find me had been more personal than business.

Blowing out a breath, I took in my surroundings properly for the first time since I’d been unceremoniously awoken.

I strode toward the farmhouse, glad I’d fixed it up andfurnished it to my likingbeforeI’d retreated to thatphantasmal planeand sworn off magic.

I tried to push down everything Ryker had said in an attempt to get under my skin and influence me to putting an end to my exile.

I was done being everyone’s go-to.

They didn’t understand right now, but I was doing them a favor, sparing them.

Like I’d tried to explain to Ryker, I’d opened a door to darkness.

I was dangerous to everyone. That was why I’d left in the first place.

And it would stay that way.

I was retired.

End of story.

3

~Ryker~

I took another gulp of my cocktail.

My usual. A Pink Lemonade Margarita spelled to give an extra kick that supernatural beings needed in order to feel a buzz.

And, hell, I really needed to take the edge off after my epic failure earlier.

Mia Snow was the most infuriatingly stubborn woman I’d ever known.

When she made a decision, she just wouldnotentertain any other points of view, or even facts, that stood in opposition to it. Unfortunately for her, her continued retirement and infuriating exile couldn’t continue and being left alone to her own devices wasn’t an option. Shehadto come back in.

While she clearly wasn’t up for listening tome, I knew someone who had mad persuasion skills, someone who wouldn’t be so easy for her to dismiss, someone who wouldn’t allow her to simply dismiss him.

Just the thought of him had me smiling like a lovesick fool.

I glanced aroundPolaris, tracking the path from my current position to the staircase in the distance leading up to his office.

I’d walked in over half an hour ago, yet there was still no sign of him.

Over the last three months, the blood bond between us had grown even stronger. There was no way he could’ve missed the fact that I was here. He could sense me anywhere now, at any distance.

I sank against the booth's luxurious white leather and polished off the rest of my drink. Pushing my glass aside, I heaved a heavy sigh.

I found myself becoming more agitated with every second that ticked on by when he still failed to show.

I knew, in my head, that it was an overly-sensitive reaction brought on by the shit show with Mia earlier and all the bull it had brought up for me, all the pain she’d put me through by running away twice now when things had gotten tough with this whole Covenant thing that Cornelius had concocted. First walking away from our relationship and now from everything and everyone who needed her.

ButknowingI was overreacting wasn’t enough for me to simply quash those emotions.

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