“It’s going to happen for you,” Peyton recognizes Ryder’s breaking point. He’s never seen him so close to losing it, “You just have to be ready for it.”
Ryder blows out a frustrated breath, balling his fists at his side, “I’ve resolved myself to living and being alone. I like it that way, besides, it’s not like my mate is going to just fall from the sky.”
A thud from behind them draws their attention. Ryder turns around and looks on in awe at what he sees. He takes two steps forward, reaching to touch her cheek, “Kitty.”
“Whoa, what the hell?” Peyton jumps back in surprise.
She stands in front him, eyes wide and she’s ready to bolt. She takes three steps backward before bumping in the tree.
“Don’t go,” Ryder pleads with her, feeling a sense of urgency and pain at the thought of being away from her.
Riley shakes her head, “I can’t--”
Both of them are held in place by an invisible force. A small crowd is drawn to the commotion.
“Well there you have it.” Barbara chuckles.
“Riley?” Jake is taken aback, seeing her standing there naked. This is the last place he’d expect to see her.
Ryder and Riley don’t see or hear those around them, they only feel the shift coming on fast. Quicker than ever before, they both shift. Ryder to his wolf and Riley to her panther.
The crowd gasps. “Holy shit,” Jake says with a laugh.
“Isn’t that the bartender?” Peyton turns to Jake.
“Yup, it sure is.” Jake nods with a half smile cut into his cheek.
They are no strangers to one another after last night’s chance meeting in the woods.
Ryder wonders if this is another hallucination, but he doesn’t care. He wants to wrap himself around her and never let go.
He glances toward the crowd for a moment then ticks his head away from them.
Riley understands and takes off running with Ryder close behind. Joy, excitement and sheer exhilaration courses through Ryder’s veins at finding that his panther is real. He’s afraid to blink for fear that she’ll disappear again. They run until they are a fair distance away from the festivities.
He nips at her neck playfully and they slow down.
Riley shifts to her human form, she’s shaking. She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her.
Ryder shifts and approaches her slowly, “You’re real.”
“Of course I’m real,” Riley says, torn between running to or away from him.
“No one knows about you, where did you come from?” Ryder’s eyes glisten in the moonlight.
“It doesn’t matter, I can’t stay.” Riley matches his movements backward.
“What?” Confusion riddles his tone, “The fates have spoken, you’re my fated mate.”
“I can’t be mated to anyone.” Her tone is heavy with sorrow, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not up to you.” Ryder huffs a laugh.
“What do you mean, it’s not up to me? Of course it’s my decision,” she snaps at him.
Ryder carefully takes her hands in his, “I mean, this is fate. We’re meant to be together forever.”
“We’re not even the same--”
Ryder puts his finger on her lips, “It doesn’t matter, this is what the fates wanted. When we shifted, that was our animals accepting one another.” He watches her expression for understanding. “Is it safe to say that your panther has accepted my wolf?”
Riley wants to look away to hide her embarrassment. Her panther has been trying to take control to find him since she caught the first whiff of his scent.
“She has.” Ryder answers for her with confidence.
“So what if she has, she’s not in charge of my whole life. There’s more to me than just my panther,” Riley snaps back.
“True, but can you be happy if your panther isn’t?” he asks, closing the distance between them.
“I can’t stay here. I have to go,” she insists.
“We don’t have to stay here,” Ryder smiles. “We can go wherever you want. I just don’t want to spend one more minute away from you. I want you to claim me and I you. I want you as my mate. Will you accept?” he asks brushing his lips against her ear. “I want to be yours.”
Riley’s knees go weak, her panther paces wildly in her mind, trying to take over so she doesn’t screw this up. Her panther doesn’t understand the danger involved, only her primal need to be with her fated mate. If Davis finds them, he will kill them both. She wants to keep Ryder safe from her past.
“I can’t.” Rylie’s fingers slip from his hands and she turns away to hide the tears threatening to spill over.
“This isn’t how this is supposed to go. We find each other, mark one another and we’re mated for life. We live happily ever after. I don’t understand what the problem is here.” Ryder holds his arms out expectantly.
“There are things at play you don’t understand, things about me you don’t understand.” Riley paces back and forth.
“Of course there are, but that’s all part of the excitement.” Ryder can feel the conflict battling inside her, “Being mated for life means we face all of those challenges together, it means not being alone to face our demons.”
Riley’s eyes snap to his, he hit a nerve. “What do you know of demons?”
“I know plenty, and I’m ready to face whatever you’ve got.” He rests his hands gently on her shoulders and grumbles close to her ear, “Bring it. We’ll deal with it together.”
Riley melts, she wants to be with him. The pull to him is stronger than anything she’s felt, including her will to survive. She turns pressing her lips against his, taking charge and allowing herself to let go and be free with him before she has to move on. One last time is all she can allow.
She’s kicking herself for not leaving last night, this morning, this afternoon. But she couldn’t make herself leave, the thought made her physically ill and now she knows why.
Ryder tangles his hands through her long silky hair, pressing his body against hers. She can feel his hard cock brush against her belly, unbridled heat spirals down her spine until reaches her core. The air is thick with her arousal, creating an undeniable need for him to fill her.
Ryder’s tongue lashes inside her mouth with a mind blowing kiss that turns her resolve to mush. She has no defenses against him. The scent of his wolf removes all ability for her to reason or rationalize what’s best, what’s right and what’s about to happen right now.
He tugs at her, sliding his cock between her legs and rubbing against her slick opening. “Your eyes are glowing and I can see your beast. She’s fucking beautiful, like you.”
Riley shakes her head, stepping away from him, “But what about tomorrow?”
“Fuck tomorrow, right now is what matters, we’ll face tomorrow together.” He closes the distance between them. He loops his hand behind her neck and pulls her close to his lips, “If you want me, show me.”
She lurches forward pressing her lips against his. He and his beast take over, he fights the urge to be inside her, feeling her walls around his cock again. He wants to please her in every way, “Do you want me?”
“God yes,” she pants, scraping her nails down his back, pushing him backward.
Ryder lifts her up and positions his erection on her wet opening. Riley bites her lower lip in anticipation of her pussy being stretched open by his huge cock. She wants to feel every inch of him claiming her inside and out.
Her panther spirals out of control. Riley pushes him back on the ground and straddles him. She rubs herself along the length of him and drags her nails down his muscular chest, every twitch of his muscle delighting her.
With painfully slow measure she rests her pussy against the tip of his erection. She quirks her hips slightly and slowly lowers herself onto him. His cock parts her open and she moves carefully to adjust to his size. Her walls spasm and grip his steely length while she grinds against his hard body, her swollen clit pooling
heat against his skin.
Ryder reaches for her hips, guiding her motions. He trails his fingers along the curves of her waist up to her nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger.
Her pussy clenches around him in response, wild passion running through her, bringing them both to the pinnacle of climax.
She rides him like a prize pony at the fair and has every intention of putting him away wet. A long growl emits from his core as he spills his cum inside her, splashing against the spasming walls of her pussy.
She slows, pushing against the loss of control of her own motions. Her breath catches in her throat and when she can breathe again, she grinds out his name, “Ryder.”
Chapter Nine
Riley holds onto the feeling of euphoria like her life depends on it, but she knows she has to go, before he marks her. She wants him to be able to move on and not be bound to her for life. She can’t stand the thought of anything happening to him. She watches him sleeping soundly and wants to know everything about him, but feels like she already does.
She inhales a deep breath before wrapping her hands around the amulet to transport herself away without waking him.
As she casts the spell to leave him, she’s startled when his hand wraps around hers and he’s transported across the field with her.
Ryder slides his hand around to the small of her back pulling her in close, “Fool me once…” He cocks his head to the side.
“Very slick, Ryder,” Rylie says, pulling herself away from him.
“I’m not letting you get away this time. It’s not what you want. If it were, I would let you walk away,” he says with a sincerity she’s never heard before.
“I don’t need your permission to leave,” she snaps back, offended.
“I’m not saying you do, but we are fated to be together. Our happiness depends on it and I won’t have my mate running off on her own to save me.” He laughs, “Don’t you think I can protect both of us?”
“I can protect myself.” She clicks her tongue, “I don’t need you getting in my way.”
“Riley, we have the entire pack behind us, you’re one of us now. We protect our own.” He slides his hands up her arms.
“But why are we going to put them in the position to do that?” She shakes her head and turns away, “This pack is full of assholes, no doubt, but I would feel terrible if something happened to any of them because of me.”
“These guys can take care of themselves.” He laughs, “We are the big bad wolves.”
“You don’t know what you’re up against,” she says.
“You’re right, so tell me,” he says simply.
“My Pride is very different from this pack, or any other wolf pack for that matter. Silent Strike doesn’t mess around, since my father…” She trails off, trying to staunch the pain from the memory of his death.
Ryder nestles her head in his chest, “I’m sorry you’ve been through so much pain, but I’m here for you.”
“My father was good and kind. We used to help the surrounding villages. My mother would heal the sick. It made my Uncle Davis jealous, which I never understood because my father took care of him. No one in our Pride or the community surrounding our Pride ever went without. There were years of peace in our territory between panthers, humans and witches.” She pulls her lips in a tight line, “Then my Uncle Davis found a witch doctor that could drain the magic from witches and funnel it into himself and his group.”
“Your uncle had his own Pride?” Ryder asks, trying to understand the basis of her pain and fear.
“No, he was what you call a rogue. We call them Gato Demoníaco.” The words taste like rancid meat in her mouth.
“Spanish for devil cat?” he asks.
“Portuguese.” She crooks a judgmental brow, “And it translates to demon cat, so close.”
“Ah, okay. But he was able to defeat your father?” he asks, thinking how it would be near to impossible for a rogue to defeat Fisk, his Alpha.
“Davis was insidious, no one knew what he was doing, except for my mother,” she recalls. “He set everything in motion. His carefully executed plan came to a head the day he captured my mother and drained the magic from her in front of our entire Pride without them knowing what he was doing. He blamed her for all that was happening. The crops he had infested with pests, the water sources he contaminated, he blamed my mother and the witches.” She pulls back from him, feeling her own anger growing.
“What happened?” He presses her for more information, not letting her put much distance between them.
“It became a witch hunt. My father, of course, wouldn’t allow it, but his spirit had been broken when my mother died. He lost the will to live.” Tears stream down her cheeks.
“They were fated mates.” He squeezes her hand.
“Yes, and that’s why I can’t allow us to complete the mating ritual, it’s the only way to keep you safe,” she argues.
“It’s too late for me, Riley, I love you. Whether I mark you as my mate or not, you are already part of me. I’ve never been so certain of anything my life before. This is all I want.” He tries to convince her. He cups her cheek in his large hand, “You are my world and I will protect you.”
Riley blows out an exasperated breath, “This is all very romantic and I’ve told you, I can protect myself from Davis, but I worry that I won’t be able to protect you.”
Ryder laughs, “Yeah, don’t you worry about me.”
Riley shakes her head, “You don’t get it, do you?”
She steps away from him and flicks her hand toward him. Ryder is frozen in place, unable to move. “Protect yourself,” she demands.
“I can’t move. What did you do to me?” he asks, only able to move his eyes from side to side, watching her pace in front of him.
“What if I had a sword?” A cutlass appears in her hand, “And I wanted to run you through. How would you defend yourself?” She makes a thrusting motion toward his belly.
Ryder squeezes his eyes shut, preparing for the impact. He opens them when it doesn’t come. “That’s not cool.”
“Yeah? It’s less cool when I’m not the one casting the magic.” She waves her hand, the sword disappears and Ryder can move again.
“So your uncle can do that, too? And his rogues?” Ryder asks.
“It’s possible,” she says. “When he drains the life from a witch, it’s as though he’s charged his own magic battery. But just like a battery, the power eventually runs out.”
“What happens to the witch?” Ryder asks.
“She dies.” Riley’s gaze falls to the ground.
“I’m sorry you’ve been through so much.” He wraps his strong arms around her, “We can run or we can stay and fight. I wasn’t planning on sticking around here anyway. If you want to leave, let’s go.”
“Right now? You’ll leave your family?” she asks.
“This minute.” He smiles the affirmation.
“Without saying goodbye? Just like that?” She thinks about her parents and how she would’ve given anything to have been able to hug them one last time.
“If it pleases you, yes,” he says, “I will leave. But if you want to stay, I promise you’ll be protected.”
“Not from this kind of evil,” she says, snarling her lip.
“We have a few tricks up our own sleeve, we just rarely have to use them,” Ryder admits. “We’ve lived in peace for years.”
Riley closes her eyes, remembering the peaceful life she had before Davis took everything from her.
Ryder feels her sorrow and wants to take it from her. He pulls her close and begins to hum a calming tune and sway her back and forth.
The despair and fear leave Riley’s being, a feeling of peace overwhelming her, the same as when they were making love. As though nothing in the world can hurt her ever again.
“How did you do that?” she asks, tilting her head upward to see his soulful brown eyes.
“I told you, we have a few tricks up
our own sleeve.”
Chapter Ten
Ryder’s wolf is teeming with rage at what Riley’s uncle has done. He’s put his mate through untold pain and taken so many lives for the benefit of his own power. He wants to crush his fucking throat, watch the life drain from his eyes as he takes his last breath.
They come through the trees into the clearing where the scenting ceremony took place. The area is empty, all the bonfires completely extinguished.
“Where are they?” Riley asks, perplexed that they seemed to have vanished.
“The ceremony was over hours ago. It’s nearly daybreak, I imagine they’ve all gone home,” Ryder says looping his arms around her waist.
“Were we gone that long?” she says, turning around to face him.
“Yes, my love.” He gazes into her eyes, “Time stands still when I’m with you, part of me wonders if it’s been days.”
She swats at his chest, “It has not been days.”
“Are you sure?” he questions playfully.
She rolls her eyes, “If it’s been days, I’d love to get a shower. Can we run by the bar and get my things?”
“Of course,” Ryder says, preparing for the shift. “Shift and run?”
“Try to keep up, Fido.” Riley blows him a kiss and shifts faster than he can.
She takes off toward the bar. Ryder keeps up with her and they enjoy the feeling of freedom.
Ryder can’t help but think that Riley might enjoy spending a few years on the road with him. Traveling the world, learning new things about other cultures. It might also put her mind to rest about being found by her uncle. That would give Ryder the time he needed to devise a plan to go to Brazil with an army and take back Riley’s Pride. It’s her birthright, they are her people and he would be honored to be part of that with her.
He doesn’t care if they live in a tent for the rest of their lives, as long as they’re together.
They reach Jake’s and shift into human form. Riley eyes the door nervously and seems to be counting the cars in the parking lot.
“What’s wrong?” Ryder asks.
Sassy Ever After: Sass Got Your Tongue (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5
