RYLEN (The Tangled Web Book 1)

by Morgan Wylie

  She blanched and cringed. “That won’t be easy.”

  “No, but it’s what it will take to train you properly.”

  “My father will disown me,” she said sadly.

  “Probably. But if what you are afraid of comes to pass, what will happen?” he inquired rhetorically.

  “He’ll kill me,” she replied honestly.

  Rylen scrunched his face in confusion, but didn’t press her this time. “I’ll help you, but you will have to find ways to spend time away from the compound.”

  “I’ll find ways… I always do,” she smirked at him as she turned back to her drink.

  Just as Rylen swung his legs back to face the bar, the door at the entrance groaned open letting a stream of light filter through particles of dust flitting about. Rylen’s nostrils flared and his shoulders stiffened, but he kept his head forward focusing on his drink.

  “What are you doing in a place like this, Princess?” the man standing slightly behind Rylen asked with disgust.

  Princess? Rylen slammed his drink back and guzzled what was left in his glass.

  Alana had turned sharply to face the man who confronted her. “I just needed to get out to think for a little bit.” She shrugged her shoulder as if it was no big deal and she did it all the time, which she did but apparently no one else at the compound knew of it.

  “You ditched your guard so they called me,” he informed her.

  “I wouldn’t have to ditch them, if you didn’t make them follow me,” she ground out with near silent frustration.

  “What did you say?” the man bit out.

  “Well, you found me, slumming it with the locals,” Alana retorted sarcastically.

  “Let’s go. I’m here to take you home. Now.”

  “I haven’t finished my drink yet, Eli,” she waved her drink in his face.

  Eli Fairfax.

  “Yes, you have.” The man behind her reached forward as if to grab Alana’s arm, but Rylen swung around to meet who was obviously not only a member of the Fairfax Alliance, but the supposed front-man himself. He was flanked by two beefy looking bodyguards, although, he appeared as if he could hold his own in a fight. He would’ve been able to tell by the mere stink of him and the tattoo they all wore peeking out from the edge of his T-shirt, had he not been there for Alana. The man’s eyes grew wide when he saw who she had been sitting near.

  “I don’t think the lady wants to go with you yet. Why don’t you let her finish her drink? In fact, I’ll buy you one if you’d like to wait for her,” Rylen casually spoke as if he had no reason to fear the person before him, which he truthfully didn’t. He couldn’t stand not interfering and missing out on the opportunity to see who one of his higher-up enemies was.

  The man, Eli, stared at Rylen confounded at the two sitting practically next to each other, in a bar no less. He whipped his head toward Alana with seething hatred in his eyes. “You know who this is.” It wasn’t a question. “What are you doing sitting next to him, let alone being in the same bar?”

  Rylen stood up so the other man wouldn’t have any advantage over him. Although Eli still stood a head taller, Rylen didn’t count that as an advantage. He flicked his eyes to the flunkies doing their best to appear intimidating. “She didn’t know I was here,” he lied, “it was pure coincidence. There’s no trouble needed here.” He didn’t want a brawl here in the bar, he wanted to be able to show his face in here again. There weren’t enough good bars he felt comfortable in near the Lair, which now made him irritated with Alana for bringing this trouble to his neck of the woods.

  “No trouble, huh? With your kind there is nothing but trouble,” Eli spat out his words and sneered at Rylen when he mentioned his kind. Eli nodded to one of his goons who then pulled out a small, but lethal looking gun from behind his back. Alana gasped, but he pointed it directly at Rylen who was inching away from where Alana stood. Leave it to the pretty boy to not want to get his hands dirty.

  “Eli!” Alana tried to grab at his arm to no avail. “There are people here,” she whispered harshly, looking around at the few early afternoon patrons scattered about the bar. Everyone was watching the show, some had quietly moved to the back of the room if they weren’t able to get out the front door, hoping not to draw attention from the crazy madman with the gun.

  “I don’t care what this is about, but you can’t do that in here. Take it outside,” the bartender shouted as he reached for the phone.

  “Stop right there,” Eli barked. His henchman came up alongside Eli and waved the gun toward the barkeep. “No cops. I’ll take care of my business then be on my way.” The gunman shooed the bartender over toward the back where others stood using the gun as a director.

  “Have you gone mad, Eli? Get ahold of your man. What are you doing?” Alana questioned.

  “Me? You are asking me if I’ve gone mad, when you are sitting here with our number one enemy… your father’s number one enemy?” Eli’s outburst was dressed with an expression of absurdity.

  “There’s no way in hell I’m going to marry you now!” The confession came out of nowhere, but the timing of it was her big mistake. Several things happened in what seemed like slow motion. Eli threw Alana from the arm she was gripping, knocking her against the bar. She slid down to the ground, not unconscious but holding her arm protectively as she went down. Rylen took the tiniest step forward about to reach for her against his will. Eli whipped his head around, and signaled the gunman. He swung his gun to point directly at Rylen’s chest, and took the shot without hesitation.

  Utter silence fell heavy after the shot discharged, ringing out loud in the bar. The bullet moved toward Rylen for a direct and what would be fatal hit to a human. But Rylen was anything but human. He raised his hand in the air and caught the bullet mid-air twelve inches from his chest while simultaneously freezing the entire room except for Eli, the two stooges, and Alana without breaking a sweat. His magic was just as strong as it was before he died the night before, if not stronger. Rylen felt exhilarated and in complete control. His eyes glowed as he turned them on Eli, slowly, predatorily, taking him all in. He could smell the sweat as the trembling man’s body betrayed the fear he now felt; it began to pour out of Eli’s skin. His heart rate accelerated to the point of combustion. Rylen’s beast was stirred—he wanted to hunt and this man would be the perfect prey: weak-minded, but willing to fight. He didn’t even bother with the gunman, it was Eli who ran the show. Rylen saw Alana creep into his peripheral and he tamed the beast… for now. Still with his hand outstretched, clutching the silver bullet that the idiot apparently thought would kill Rylen, he snarled at them. “Thanks to you, I have a mess to clean up and memories to wipe. You’re going to leave here nice and peaceful, and I’m going to let you lovebirds be on your way.” He turned to Eli specifically, “Don’t for one minute think I’m letting you off the hook for this. I will be coming for you, watch your back.” Eli appeared frozen with uncertainty. “Get out of here now.” Rylen let a sound similar to a growl erupt from his chest. Alana pushed Eli toward the door without another word. The two bodyguards followed. Alana looked back at Rylen just before she exited the bar, her eyes questioning where she stood with him, but all Rylen could do at the moment was give her a slight shake. He was furious, she had brought this to his front door. Even though he was beyond attracted to her, their worlds didn’t belong together and he needed her to keep on walking. But he had a feeling their paths would cross again, and when they did, he wasn’t sure how he would respond.

  Rylen went about using his magic on each of the patrons in the bar, altering their memory so they didn’t remember exactly what the fight was about and they definitely didn’t see a gun. They would remember those involved went on their way with no trouble caused. If only he could alter his own memories sometimes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Where you been man?” Enock asked as Rylen came into the Lair.

  “Oh, you know, grabbed a drink with a pretty girl, jealous boyfriend pull
ed a gun on me, had to freeze the room then wipe memories. Things like that,” Rylen responded sarcastically as he sat by his friend on one of the couches in the Den.

  “You really do have all the fun, don’t you?” Enock winked at him then immediately turned serious. “The call from Vegas just came in about fifteen minutes ago. I called you, but I guess if you froze the room, your phone was on the fritz too.”

  “Shit. Phones and magic do not seem to work well together. What’s the vibe?” Rylen could tell when he had first given the order not to go assist, uneasy feelings circulated around the Lair. The PAC’s loyalty would follow him to their own graves if necessary, but they’d rather not go against the Black Widow either if it wasn’t vital. And assisting other chapters of the Web was part of what they were supposed to do. Plus, he was sure when he had made the order to hesitate when Vegas asked the rest of the team were going to question his motives. They were on his side, but he didn’t completely trust everyone in the Lair, that was why he had his inner circle.

  “Nobody likes Vegas. The feelings were mixed overall, but they seemed to be happy to let Vegas try to deal with their own issues.” Enock relaxed back into the couch with his hands behind his head. “Besides, no one comes to help us when we deal with shit.”

  “True, but let’s hope that’s not always the case. I have a feeling we might need others before this is all said and done. It think all that’s happening—dealing with Fairfax this time—is much bigger than we previously thought.” Rylen ran his hand through his hair and scratched at his scalp. He jumped up from the couch. “I need to take a shower. Make the call and get the team back here, we’ll leave at nightfall.”

  “Good idea, you smell like Alana. No wonder the guy pulled a gun on you,” Enock chuckled out loud.

  “I didn’t even touch her. Plus she found me, what was I to do?” Rylen asked sarcastically.

  “I’m sure you made it real hard for her to find you, didn’t you?” Enock responded in kind.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Watch your back Ry,” Enock added.

  With that Rylen left the room, but could still hear Enock down the hall saying, “Oh boy, we’re all in trouble now.”

  ~~~~~

  Rylen was waiting to get in the private elevator from his top floor apartment above the hotel and head down to the Lair. A muted ding sounded and the doors slid open, revealing an ashen-faced and frazzled-looking Gracie and a very uptight looking Lucius gripping her elbow.

  “What’s wrong?” Rylen bit out.

  “She had a vision. This one messed her up, she’s been gibbering non-stop the way up here. I can’t make much of it,” Lucius said.

  Rylen helped lead Gracie to the couch and sat her down. “Gracie, can you hear me?” he asked quietly. Her eyes weren’t spinning like they usually do when she was in the middle of a vision, but he wasn’t sure she was actually present with him there. But to his relief, she nodded.

  “Ok, good. Now, what’s going on? Can you tell me?”

  “I-I-I can’t quite see it. It’s all jumbled together like it isn’t determined yet, but something’s not right. Something bad is going to happen.” Gracie took a deep breath and seemed to calm down the more she talked with Rylen about it. Rylen looked to Lucius to see what he was picking up on, but he shook his head.

  “Okay, can you try to be a little more specific? Is it with one of our team? Is it in Vegas? Is it with the Fairfax group?” Rylen was guessing, but her shoulder’s flinched when he mentioned Vegas. “So something is going to happen in Vegas?”

  She shook her head frantically. “Yes, no, maybe. That’s the problem. Something is related to Vegas, but I can’t tell what it is… stupid visions. Why are they not the same all the time? What good is this gift if I can’t rely on it?”

  “I’m afraid with nothing more definitive, we will still go to Vegas as planned, but will be on extra alert,” he looked to Lucius who nodded his agreement. “Gracie, I’m going to leave Lola here with you along with one of the other teams.” He looked back to Gracie who had now calmed down. “If you get anything, and I mean anything else for us to go on, you call me or have Lola do it, all right?”

  “Okay. I don’t think you should go though. I think whatever happens has something to do with the fact that you went,” Gracie pouted.

  Rylen paused, thinking deeply as he stared out the large back wall of windows. He shook his head, having come to some decision. “We have to go. If we don’t show up even at all Black Widow will be all over my ass… and not in any good way,” Rylen added to shock Gracie out of her funk. If the openmouthed expression was anything for him to go on, he succeeded. Lucius actually laughed a little bit at Rylen’s joke or maybe more at her expression, but either way, it elevated their mood.

  They stood to move toward the elevator. Rylen softly gripped her elbow and looked down at her soft, feminine face with the affection of an older brother. “We’ll be okay.” Gracie scowled at him and bit her lip. “We’ll be careful and attentive, how’s that?”

  Gracie nodded shortly. “It’s as good as I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

  “For now, yes. But signs of trouble that we can’t handle, we’ll jet out of there.”

  “Lucius shouldn’t go either,” she mumbled beside them, knowing it wouldn’t make any difference. But Lucius did take stock of her words and frowned, wondering what his part to play might be.

  They heard the elevator ding before they even reached for it. The doors slid slowly open to each side, revealing a very scantily clad Lacy seductively propped for the best view of her when the doors opened. Gracie’s eyes went wide but Lucius gripped her elbow and steered her straight into the elevator. Lacy barely spared them a glance. Her eyes were fixed on Rylen and she moved straight toward him.

  “Lacy, we were just headed down,” Rylen said, knowing full well what her intentions in his apartment were.

  “I’m sure they can meet you downstairs, Rylen,” she purred as her hands gripped each of his forearms and tugged gently leading him back toward his space. At his slight resistance, she lifted on her tippy toes and leaned into his ears to whisper. “Don’t brush me off, Rylen. You need me right now just as much as I need you.” Something akin to magic simmered under the surface where her fingers touched the skin of his arms. But he had forbidden the use of magic on fellow members without their consent, and she wouldn’t cross that line. So he thought nothing more of it.

  Rylen looked to the elevator Gracie was holding open to him with a frown and disapproval in her eyes. “We’ll meet you down there in just a few minutes.” Lucius nodded and pushed the close button, earning him a scowl from the protective little Oracle.

  After the elevator doors closed, Lacy tugged Rylen toward his bedroom, shedding her barely-there-top on her way, revealing a flesh colored bra with a white lace overlay. She was provocatively enticing and Rylen found himself giving in to her seduction—after all, it wouldn’t be the first time they had hooked up simply for pleasure, no strings attached.

  ~~~~~

  Lacy had been with the PAC for only the last year and was still considered relatively new to the group—basically she was considered probationary until proven trustworthy. She lived on site at the Lair, having no family or friends to speak of that would tolerate her witchyness—with both the letter “W” and “B.” Lacy worked on kitchen duty much of the time to earn her keep with the PAC, but she didn’t mind. She found enjoyment in working with her hands and with food. Rylen had become her main objective since arriving, perhaps if she belonged with the leader she would be accepted. She still had no friends at the Lair, but at least she didn’t have to hide her inhumanness amongst the other supernaturals.

  Rylen allowed Lacy to push him onto his bed. She climbed up the bed and straddled his waist while working at the buttons of his shirt. Kissing his neck she made her way to his earlobes. Rylen relaxed into the softness of the bed. He did need this. Alana left him reeling at the bar. He was sure of h
is body’s reaction to her, but to find out she was engaged to the supposed front-man of the Fairfax Alliance was a new form of torture.

  Lacy worked her hands down to the button of his pants. “Rylen, you’re distracted. Where are you?”

  Rylen jarringly flipped them over with a growl, putting himself on top between Lacy’s legs. Her short skirt left nothing to the imagination as his hands skimmed up the outside of her thighs. He saw that petite blonde vixen in his mind, the vulnerability of shame he hated seeing in her eyes when she spoke of her inexperience at life and the certainty she knew her father would try to kill her if she consorted with the enemy. He ran his hands through her long flowing hair, only to realize his hands stopped short near her jaw line. Lacy. What was wrong with him? He’d been envisioning Alana while kissing Lacy. He shook his head. A fog clouded his thoughts.

  “Rylen?” Lacy’s voice integrated with the fog. But hers wasn’t the voice he longed to hear. Struggling to keep him focused on her, Lacy ran her hands through his hair, pulling him closer to her, and wrapped her legs around his waist. He gave in and let Lacy blend with the cobwebs in his mind—sometimes it was better to simply feel rather than to fight. “That’s it baby, I want all of you.”

  Rylen felt the pull to her. He wanted to be with her, to be one with her, to join their souls together… Wait. What? I don’t want that with Lacy. Something is wrong. Rylen couldn’t understand what was happening. He had never felt confused like this with a woman before. Rylen could feel his beast pacing, clawing to get to the forefront of his mind. He called on his beast. Instantly all the chaos of his mind cleared. He thought of Alana. He remembered dancing with her for that brief moment at The Black Hole, when her body was flush up against his.

  Frustrated, Rylen jumped away from Lacy and his bed. He would need to remember to ask the hotel for new bedding. Suddenly, all sexual feelings for Lacy were sucked out of his body and his mind. He was finished.