Walk on the Striped Side

by Jessie Lane

  I turned the other way, and started down the stairs as the Enforcers closed in and escorted me from the building. I’d come here to report to Alden that people were being hurt—Guild members were being hurt! What the hell had happened in the week that I’d taken off to mourn my best friend? Had the entire world gone crazy?

  I had expected to get the cold shoulder from the Guild, but not from Alden. Something was up, and it seemed like he just wanted me away from the Guild. Mix that with what had been going down with Ryder and his men, and you had a shit soup being stirred. It wouldn’t be served cold, either.

  I’d walked home, oblivious to anything around me. I was so lost in thought that I almost missed my house. I shook off the dark images of what I’d witnessed at Ryder’s hands, and walked up the sidewalk that made a path over the dead grass in my yard.

  I'd gotten my key into the lock and was pushing the door open when I felt his presence. That tingly electrical feeling like there was a downed power line nearby. I pushed the door all the way open, and stepped over the threshold, hoping the wards would prevent him from entering. “Ryder,” I whispered as the memory of him worshiping my body flashed through my mind.

  “You ran from me again, Pet,” he growled as he stepped from around a large rose bush. He was still wearing his cloak. His eyes flashed golden fire as they raked down the length of my body.

  “Yeah, I saw what you were doing and wasn’t sure if I’d be next. The Guild gets a bit upset when their own are abused, so, unless you want to tell me why you were torturing a room full of Guild Warlocks and those other guys, go away.” Sometimes I really needed a filter for my mouth.

  “What I was doing inside my property isn’t any of your concern. You’ve been through enough lately.”

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the Guild and report this hmm?” I bluffed, crossing my arms and meeting him head on without showing a lick of fear. He strode forward and stopped inches from the door frame. I backed up, far enough that I was pretty sure he couldn’t touch me, or force me from the house. I smiled and cocked my head at him.

  “I could make you come outside,” he grinned, and tilted his head to mimic mine, which caused his inky black hair to fall gently over his face. He was distracting me, and I wanted to know what he’d been doing in his mansion.

  “Try,” I growled.

  “I think you like it when I force your decisions.”

  “Think again,” I snapped and narrowed my eyes on him.

  “How does it feel to have my brand on you, Pet?” I was going to get whiplash one day from his topic changes. His smile was cold, but somehow, still managed to be beautiful. He gave me a smug little look as he folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned his shoulder against the door frame. “I know that’s why you came to the mansion. I could feel it as it was etching itself into your beautiful flesh.”

  “I told you I couldn’t be owned. You had no right to put it on me in the first place,” I replied coldly.

  “You are mine, Syn. Make no mistake of thinking otherwise. I own you until after your Transition.” His lips kicked up into a wicked grin and his eyes slid down my body slowly. His voice was soft, tempting, and beguiling.

  “I agreed to it, yes, but not a single moment after it.”

  He snorted, and shook his head. “Who says I want more?”

  Ouch. I actually flinched at his words. “Is there an actual reason you’re here, Ryder? Or, did you just come to gloat, because you branded your fucking pet?”

  “I came to tell you that you have two days. I want you close to me when your time comes. I want to be the one that sees you through Transition. You didn't argue it in the contract you signed. I'm holding up my end and taking care of Adam while he Transitions. Yours is coming very soon, Syn. I can smell it on you. Soon, every fucking Fae in Spokane will as well. Hence, the reason for the brand. It was designed to show at the first hint of your Transition. I won't share you with them. Two days, Pet, and then I plan to bury my cock inside of you. Repeatedly.”

  “Contract or no, you have no right to order me around, and I plan on getting this damn thing taken off. Do I need to spell it out for you?” I shouted, and retreated as he moved forward.

  His lips pulled up in the corners as his eyes flashed with anger. “It can't be removed by anyone but me, Pet.” His eyes scanned the walls and his smile grew darker. “You can't hide inside this house forever.”

  I smiled back at him. “What's the matter, Ryder; afraid to get knocked on your ass again?”

  He shook his head. “You never learn, do you? There is nowhere in this fucking world, where you can hide from me now. Anywhere you go, I'll find you. I'm faster, smarter, and you are mine.”

  “But you can't come inside my house.” I smiled in victory. It was childish, but it felt good.

  “You think I wouldn’t come inside to get you?” he challenged.

  I swallowed and shook my head. The wards my parents had placed on the walls inside the house had already taken Ryder down once; it was the only time I’d ever seen anything affect him. “No, actually—” Before I could finish my sentence, I was yanked from the house by invisible hands and pressed against the exterior of the house by Ryder’s massive body.

  “Like I said, you can't hide from me. Ever.” His eyes heated with liquid gold. Heat seared between us, instantly. “If you try to hide from me, Pet, I will tie you to my bed, and fuck you until you not only acknowledge my ownership, you will beg me for it.”

  I licked my lips to reply to his taunt, but his mouth lowered and claimed mine. His kiss was more than just a kiss, though—he was claiming ownership. I brought my hands up against his chest to push him away, but the moment they landed on him, I forgot everything else but Ryder. Once again my mind was his, instantly becoming a tool of my own seduction and caving to his need. It was as if he took control of my mind and my body, with the slightest effort. I moaned against him, feeling his erection press against my stomach as his hands landed against the clapboard siding of the house, trapping me between them.

  My body flamed with need. Liquid fire began to race through my veins. He deepened the kiss, and groaned as his hands went down to pick me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as my arms went around his neck. My hands fisted his hair, holding him against my mouth. When he finally managed to pull away from me, I was shaking with need. I hated that I still responded to him, even after seeing what he had done. My body wept for his touch, demanded it, even.

  He chuckled, his eyes searching my face as I leaned back against the house. “You're closer than I thought you were.” His lips drifted down my neck, and stopped on my carotid, his tongue flicking out to taste my heartbeat. “You smell good, Pet, so fucking sweet. You’re already wet for me.”

  “Tell me why you were hurting those Warlocks,” I whispered as I ground my body against the massive erection that I could feel through his cloak. Something about Ryder left me helpless to refuse him. It left me confused and upset, which was an unstable combination.

  “It's none of your concern, Syn,” he growled.

  I shook my head with that wake-up call and pushed him away, dropping back to the ground, and righting myself on my feet. “Not my concern? I was part of that Guild until last week.”

  “You're not anymore, remember? Right now, you need to keep out of this, because you won’t like what you find.” His voice turned hard and intense, as he drove the meaning home.

  “Go away, Ryder, now.”

  His lips pulled up into a dangerous smile. One I'd seen many times before. I quickly stepped backwards as he stepped towards me. I glared at him. “Soon, very fucking soon, Syn,” he said softly.

  “Only for Transition, then we are done, Ryder. You’re too much—this is all too much. The contract only stated that I was yours until a time of mutual choosing. I'm choosing now, the minute I'm done with Transition, we are done.”