Page 69 of Wicked Fate

Ryker’s attention flashed to the witch, and he closed his eyes and shook his head. Immediately his irises turned to normal, and our bond returned to its usual temperature, which somehow heated up my blood even more and not in a sexual-tension kind of way.

He’d tried to cloak his soul again aftereverything.And here I’d thought he wanted to fight for all of us and not cut himself off from being an alpha who wasn’t in tune with his pack members' needs.

“Something’s wrong.” Cassi dropped to her knees and leaned over the older witch. “The vampires may have a way to drain her more of her power.”

I glared at Ryker. It wasn’t the vampires who were causing that problem.

The witch’s breathing returned to a steady rhythm, and Cassi relaxed marginally.

“At least they’ve stopped for now.” Cassi tugged at the ends of her hair. “Why are the vampires doing any of this?”

That was the huge question. I was dying to know the answer. Power was the primary motivation, but the way they were slaughtering shifters seemed personal.

“Think about it though.” Briar twirled her pointer finger. “Our packs haven’t lost any magic… we haven’t weakened a bit, and everyone has been freaking out, expecting to feel the impact immediately. If the royals are alive—”

“No,” Ryker shouted. “We need to stop having this conversation. They’re dead. Pretending like they might not be won’t change anything.” His shame and pain slammed into me, showing me just how broken he really was.

The pain combined with my own and had me bending over from the sudden intensity. Ryker always seemed so confident and put together, and I’d felt his heartbreak, but nothing had prepared me for the raw feeling that exploded from him.

No wonder he’d wanted his soul cloaked. The guilt was heavier than anyone could carry.

He cleared his throat and reeled some of the emotion back in. “Besides, what would be the point of keeping them alive?”

Something screamed at me, making me think even more that this was personal to the vampire queen. But why?

I took in Xander’s, Kendric’s, and Gage’s expressions, twisted into regret and pain. They had to be feeling similarly to Ryker. They all believed they’d failed the royals and their pack.

“We need rest.” I straightened. Trying to figure something out when we were all tired, sad, and braindead wasn’t going to do any good. “We’re all full, and the witch is unconscious again. Let’s get some sleep and figure out the next step when our brains aren’t fried.”

No one argued.

Instead, Kendric grabbed one of the throw pillows off the loveseat and sank down to the floor, exhaling like he’d been holding in his breath for hours. Gage handed him a blanket without a word.

Briar walked toward her room without hesitation. She paused in the doorway and looked back at me. “Wake me if something changes.”

“I will,” I promised.

Cassi hadn't moved from the chair by the witch. She looked too hollow, too quiet.

“Cassi, if you’re tired—” I started.

But she shook her head. “I’m fine. I want to keep watch. If she wakes, I want her to know a fellow sister is here.”

Ryker tentatively reached for my hand, almost like he was unsure if I’d take it. My fingers laced through his as I led him toward our room. But even as the door shut behind us and the soft light filtered in from the window, his emotions didn’t settle. If anything, they twisted tighter. Coiled like a wire wound too far.

I didn’t say anything, thinking he needed a minute. He needed to process his feelings instead of keeping them locked away. Ignoring emotions just made them intensify until they burst out, and I suspected Ryker might have hit that point.

I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The water thundered to life, and steam quickly filled the room. I stripped down and stepped beneath the stream, letting the water wash away the day. But I could still feel him on the other side of the door.

Tense.

Pacing.

I dried my hair and then wrapped the towel around me. When I stepped back into the bedroom, I found my mate sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands clenched on his knees. The moment his eyes lifted to meet mine, he linked,How mad are you at me?

I paused mid-step and clutched the towel a little tighter.

You think I’m mad?I replayed everything I’d done, trying to see what made him think I was angry. Maybe that was why he hadn’t joined me in the shower.

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