33. Ryder

We craved her. Being so close to her, having her body pressed against mine was the sweetest torture. She was a slice of heaven I wasn't sure I deserved. If it wasn't for that grumpy cat, I would have done something that I don't think I was ready for.

My whole body vibrated with need as I left the room. My wolf was pissed off at me, he needed her like he needed air to breathe and while he was ready to go all in, my heart… my heart still belonged to Serena.

Just thinking about her sent my emotions haywire, but the bond with Oria made me feel even more confused. It felt like a betrayal to Serena, but also made me feel like an asshole to Oria. She didn't deserve my hostility, but she came into our lives at the worst time.

Finding your mate was supposed to be a blessing.

My wolf was feeling extremely protective of her, and logically, I knew he had every right to be. Our mate bonds were created by the moon goddess herself, but it was usually between wolves. Having a mate outside of your race was unheard of and I definitely knew she wasn't a wolf. Hell, I had no idea what she was, and it made me wonder what else the goddess had in store for me.

My faith in the gods and goddesses had been slipping as the years had passed. We were made from them, given life by them and they left us here on earth to do what? Fight against each other? Kill each other and try to decimate entire races? To take our loved ones?

The last fifty years felt like one slow climb to complete war with everyone. It was tiresome, and waiting for the last shoe to drop was exhausting. I exhaled harshly, wishing I could turn my brain off for a moment.

"Hello, gorgeous. It"s been a while since I've seen you." Breast Friends stood in front of me laying a hand on my chest.

We had one night together a few months ago and I had deeply regretted it since then. Sadly, all I remember is drinking with her and waking up in a room with her by my side.

"Hello," I murmured. "Excuse me, I have to get going."

"Oh, come on baby, I haven't stopped thinking about you since the last time," she purred.

She was a gorgeous woman, probably every man"s fantasy come true with her curves, her large breasts and those baby blues. But she wasn't Serena or Oria.

"I'm sorry that won't happen again," I said, wishing she would just leave me alone.

"Come on wolfy, we had?—"

"No!" I snapped.

I was clenching my fists, to stop the urge I had to manhandle her out of my way.

"Hey, how about you go handle the men at table four, sweetheart." Cora, the owner, came over and made her leave.

Cora had been a close friend of mine; she was a succubus that had made a name for herself with her ladies and her small hotel. It helped that as a succubus, her talent was seduction. Once, I had seen her take a whole room of straight men and well, let's just say they all found out they enjoyed the company of men.

She sighed before leaving Cora and I.

"Thank you," I said, relieved she had left.

"If I didn't know better, I would have thought you doused her in a love spell," she smirked at me.

"Goddess, no," I scowled. "It was a moment of weakness, and I don't even remember taking her into a room much less meeting her. Thank you."

"Anytime. I know she can be a little pushy," she said, smiling at a few patrons.

"A little?" I raised my brow.

She laughed. "I know she's a pain sometimes, but most of the men like her. Do you need anything?"

"Not right now," I sighed. "Actually, do you have a charger for a phone?"

I held up my dead phone.

"Yeah, come to my office," she said, walking towards the back of the place where we had come in.

It was a simple office that had the usual office things, except in the corner. Cora had a supply of various magical items, potions and artifacts. While she ran this place, she also hired us from time to time to retrieve things for her.

"Any word on Oria on the streets?" she asked as she closed the door.

"None, we tried getting it from a magic shop, but were unsuccessful," I replied. I knew people were getting desperate for the vials that kept everyone alive who could afford it.

If Tay was correct, we were looking at a really bad situation with Oria, but we had her identity under wraps. How long, though, would it be until someone recognized her or her mother came after her? My wolf felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Has the supply dried up?" She sat down, giving me a power bank that I hooked my phone up to.

"I don't know. Maybe the talks of it being a fountain were true and we've wrung the well dry," I said, hoping maybe I could start a rumor to push away attention from finding a girl.

"For years I heard it was a girl responsible for the magic, but I guess what you"re saying might be more believable." She leaned back on her chair, clapping her hands together over her lap. "I still can't believe people like you haven"t found it."

"Not for the lack of trying, but how do you find something that doesn't want to be found?" My phone screen lit up as it turned on. "I imagine people will start hiring us to find it soon, and I can't wait to start raking in the money."

She smirked. "I imagine you will be busy soon, but if you find the source are you going to share?"

"If someone pays me." I shrugged. "You know you can pay me to find anything."

My phone vibrated with an array of messages coming through. I recognized one as the woman who wanted us to kidnap a woman for her. I looked at the date and it was the day before Beltane.

Shit.

I didn't know how time had escaped me, but if I didn't do it before tonight, that large sum of money would be passed onto the next person.

"I gotta take this," I said, getting up. "Do you mind if I use this and bring it back before I leave?"

"Of course," she said, getting up too. "Please keep me in mind if you do find Oria. I have some clients who are chomping at the bit to get their hands on it."

"Of course," I said, nodding before I left her office.

I walked out the back door, immediately dialing the woman's number.

"If you can't complete a job, the least you could do is let me know." Her cool tone sent shivers down my spine.

"There was an issue with our current job, and I have just now been able to use my phone," I replied, trying to be vague.

"Well, good thing for you I need to push back the date; it seems I"ve run into a hiccup and I will need you in a week," she said, with an annoyed tone. "Will I be able to count on you or shall I ask your competitors?"

"You can count on me," I said, hoping I wasn't making a mistake.

We didn't exactly need the cash, but if this thing with Oria became too much for us to handle, we might have to hide her and that in itself was going to be expensive.

"I'll talk to you soon." She hung up the phone and I was left staring at it.

"Are you really going to take that job?" Soren asked with a scowl, as he walked up to me.

"It's good money if things go south with her." I nodded up to the building. "We are going to need all the money we can get. We're going to have to find some place where we can either buy her some glamor or somewhere we can have her stay for the time being, while we take care of things."

Soren's face softened. "You care."

I clenched my jaw looking away.

"I-I…"

My throat grew hoarse. I didn't know what I was feeling, but whether I liked it or not, she was our mate, and I couldn't stand by while she was hunted.

"I know you loved Serena?—"

"Don't, Soren." I glared at him. "I'm not ready. Her death is still too fresh."

I looked at him, pleading for him not to push me.

"It's nothing bad," he said hesitantly. "I know you loved Serena, but sometimes life gives us more than one love. Not every love is forever and the goddess knew you would need her now more than ever."

I knew he was just trying to make me see that Oria was a good thing, but it made me resent the moon goddess even more. She could have given me more time or made Serena my mate.

Or maybe Serena and time isn't what you needed.

I scoffed at my wolf, hating that he was choosing now to be vocal.

The goddess has a plan for all of us. Even if you don't see it, believe.

A single tear fell down my cheek. Soren's face fell before he pulled me into a hug. As a wolf I craved closeness with my pack and while the twins weren't technically my pack, my wolf saw them as his own family.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

The sincerity in his voice spurred on more tears and he held me tighter.

Meow.

Loki pushed himself against my calf. That damn cat was always around, but we had somehow formed a weird bond. He felt like a kindred spirit, almost as if he was also a shifter.

I pulled away from Soren's embrace to look down at the grumpy cat. He stretched up to my thigh and I rolled my eyes, bending down to pick him up.

"Never thought I would see the day when a wolf shifter and a cat became friends," Soren chuckled.

Loki hissed at Soren before rubbing against my beard.

"I think he's just pissed that I'm with his owner." Soren growled back at him.

Loki growled back at him.

I laughed. "I think he hates you just because you are you."

Soren rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, hate me because I'm banging your owner."

Loki hissed again before launching himself at Soren.

I laughed seeing Soren struggle to get the cat off of him. Then, I don't know what happened, but Soren went completely still, staring out into the distance. Loki jumped off him, looking up from the ground, batting at his leg. Soren groaned before a look of complete euphoria crossed his face.

"He did it," he whispered.

"What the fuck is going on?" I knew it wasn't bad, but I needed to know what the hell was going on.

"Gray just completed the bond with Blondie," he said with an enormous smile.

It was easy to ignore the bond when only one of them had mated with her, but now that the twins were hers, I felt alone and it made my decision to stay away that much harder.

I spent the night alone—wellthe stupid cat was with me— grateful I had the foresight to get two rooms except I should have demanded to have them further apart. That might have solved my problem of hearing them, but being next door to them was not ideal.

I was painfully hard most of the night and when I did attempt to take care of myself, my guilt hit me full force and I ended up falling asleep with the most painful boner of my life. It didn't help that Loki was stuck to me like glue, and it probably cemented our bond even more. That damn cat made me feel less lonely, like he knew my pain.

I sighed when I realized I had woken up way too damn early. Sleep evaded me so I decided I better get the day started. Today was Beltane and I had made a promise to go back to the castle. A sense of foreboding pricked my skin as I made a plan to go back to our home and stock up on a few things before heading over there.

I took a hot shower when echoes of Oria's moans filtered through my brain. My body immediately reacted, feeling the need to bury myself inside of her. Just once, I needed to take the edge off, and I could go back to thinking everything was alright.

I used the soap to stroke myself, already hard from the memories of her moans. I leaned one hand against the tile, letting my head hang while my brain conjured up a realistic vision of her and I. It didn't take long before the tingles of my orgasm crept up my spine and I whispered her name as I shot my load on the tile.

The creak of the floor had me looking up at a wide-eyed blonde goddess. Her round, hazel eyes were focused on my cock, and I lazily stroked myself again to get a reaction from her.

I couldn't help but smirk at her as she forced her gaping jaw shut, her cheeks turning pink. The smell of her arousal made my mouth water.

"I-I'm so sorry," she squeaked.

"Are you?" I smirked, not waiting for a response as I ducked under the water to rinse myself off.

I didn't expect her to be in my room when I exited the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I should have known from the potency of her scent that she was still here. She was petting Loki on my bed, but she kept her eyes down.

Her discomfort made me smile.

"Did you need something?" I looked through my bag for underwear, pants and a shirt.

"Soren and Gray went out for supplies and told me to come in here with you," she said, still not looking up. "I was going to go back into our room, but I heard people in the hallway, and I didn't want to risk being seen."

The twins were trying to leave us alone together, and I didn't know if I hated them or loved them for it. I put on a pair of boxer briefs, and walked to her, wanting her to look at me. When she didn't, I tilted her chin up to look at me.

"You did good," I said, keeping my voice low.

She nodded, licking her lips, enticing me with her pout.

I should have been satiated. The yearning for her should have been mild, but having her in my room, her scent everywhere, made my hunger for her grow exponentially.

A knock at the door made us both flinch.

I growled, getting some pants on and opening the door.

"What?" I snarled.

Cora smirked at me. "Maybe I should have let one of the girls relieve some of your stress."

"No, thanks," I grumbled, seeing Loki walk out of the room.

"I didn't expect you to be a cat man," she said, watching Loki go down the hall.

"It"s a friend's," I snapped.

She laughed, looking me up and down. Arousal shot through me, along with the heady scent of Oria and I groaned.

"I was wondering if we could talk," Cora purred, touching my chest.

Her touch lit a fire in me that felt like only she could put out.

"What do you need?" A jolt of pleasure coursed through me, deepening my voice.

"I know you said you didn't know about the whereabouts of Oria, but I think you do, and I need some." She pressed her chest against mine.

The mention of Oria cleared the fog of lust a little. She was using her power against me. I wanted to lash out, but I played the game to get what I needed from her.

"I don't know much," I groaned, when she kissed my neck.

My body revolted at her touch, but I kept going.

"All I heard was it was being manufactured in a forest." I dug my fingers into her hips pulling her more against me.

"A forest? By whom?" She ran her fingers through my hair, pulling me down.

I had to will myself not to jerk back, trying to stay natural.

"I don't know, I need you," I growled, nipping at her jaw.

"What forest are we talking about?" She threw her power at me, and it was potent enough to banish all my coherent thoughts.

"Come inside," I said, pulling her into the room, needing release.

A hand touched the middle of my back wrenching me from her magic. My mind took a moment to figure out what was going on. Oria's hand on my back was keeping me grounded.

"I need to know the forest," she moaned.

"After I taste you," I snarled, pissed off she was using me, and I had had enough.

I yanked her into the room, hoping Oria made herself scarce. Slamming the door shut, I pushed her up against it, hoping I still looked interested and not pissed off.

"You can taste me after you?—"

Pounding on the door silenced her.

"Open up. I have breakfast," Soren yelled.

I grabbed her by the neck, squeezing enough that she panicked a bit before I opened the door to Soren.

The twins walked in, not looking surprised.

"Ah the little succubus has come to fuck with Ryder," Gray cooed.

"Let me go," she snarled, scratching my arm.

"You think I'd let you go after that stunt you just pulled," I said, pushing her against the wall just high enough that her toes barely touched the ground.

"I need Oria, we all do. The market is drying up," she gasped. "A lot of people are getting desperate."

"So, you thought you could force Ryder"s hand?" Soren walked around us, inconspicuously looking for Oria.

"I'm desperate," she whispered.

"So desperate you have a death wish," I snarled.

Her eyes were fluttering close when I eased up on her air supply. She gasped, taking a deep breath.

"P-please, I need it for my sister," she cried.

I stilled, wondering if she was lying because this was the first time I had heard she had a sister.

"How do I know you aren't lying," I snapped.

"My phone, I… I have pictures of her," she said, her gaze bouncing from the three of us. "Please, she's sick and nothing works except Oria."

Tears streamed down her face as Gray fished out her phone.

"I don't know how much longer she has, I swear Ryder." She hiccupped and I believed her without the photos.

She looked worried and not her normal confident self.

"She has a sick sister, it's Kark," Gray said in a somber tone.

My heart stopped.

Kark was like a form of cancer that was hitting paranormals. We didn't normally get sick from things like colds, or cancer, but this had been spreading in the last fifty years. The only way they counteracted the disease was with Oria, but it didn't cure them, it just stopped it from spreading.

"Ryder, I'm sorry but we've been micro-dosing and her supply ends in a week," her face was red from crying.

"I have two vials, but if I give them to you, I need you to do something for us." Soren stepped forward as I let her go.

"Anything, I promise." She wiped her face. "I…I can't let her die."

"I need you to keep an ear out for anyone looking for Oria. Even if it"s insignificant," he said, holding out his hand. "I want to know everything and if I find out you're fucking us over, I'll personally visit your sister and make sure she doesn't live another day, Oria be damned."

Gray stepped up to the other side of me, crossing his arms. She nodded, looking at us with apprehension in her eyes.

"I will feed you any information I find out, I promise." She looked and sounded sincere.

Soren opened his hand showing two vials sitting in his palm.

Her eyes watered again.

"Oh my goddess, thank you." She launched herself at Soren.

She kept saying thank you as they hugged.

"Don't mistake our kindness for weakness. We won't hesitate in returning for some retribution," I said, as she nodded, leaving the room quietly.

Once the door was closed, we all took a collective breath. This was just the beginning of the ramifications of pulling Oria from the market, and things were about to get so much worse.