7. Ryder

7

RYDER

T his was going to be torture, not only was she going to slow me down, but being so close to her without a buffer? She was going to test my willpower, and I didn't know how much fight I had left in me.

We left Duckleberry Fin in the car I stole earlier. The radio played as we drove, but her scent was getting to me. She smelled so good. The longer I was near her, the more I wondered why I was staying away in the first place. Our bond was settling and the longer I went without mating her, the more annoyed with the world I got. The harder it was to resist her, the more I forgot about Serena, and I hated myself for it.

"I'm going to roll down the windows a bit," I said, seeing her nod.

I pushed both buttons letting a little bit of fresh air in, when her window kept going down after I released the button. Glancing over to see her pushing the button, looking at the window in fascination as it went down. I couldn't help the twinge in my heart from how adorable she was.

She looked over at me blushing fiercely, taking her hand off the button. The wind was blowing the tendrils around her face and I smiled.

"Sorry," she laughed. "Uh, how do you make it go back up?"

"Pull up on the button," I said, showing her on my side.

She pulled up the button and her eyes widened when the window went back up.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to today's technology," she said, looking at the dashboard. "Now you can light up entire cities, listen to music and watch movies on phones. I am in awe of what has been accomplished in two hundred years."

Her face lit up as she spoke, giving me another reason to admire her and fall for her.

"It's only been the last fifty years that humans have really made some impressive strides," I said, clearing my throat.

"I think it's absolutely amazing," she said, taking a closer look at the radio. "Is this what controls the music?"

"It's called a radio," I said, pushing the number 4 that played country music, but it wasn't clear.

Her eyes grew as she hit number five and classical music came on.

"Wow," she whispered, hitting the number six.

A pop song started to play as her eyes grew even bigger.

"I know this song!" she clapped her hands. "I'll tell you what I want. What I really, really want. So, tell me what you want. What you really, really want."

Oria's singing surprised the hell out of me.

"How do you know this song?"

"Tay, brought me an iPod a few years ago." Her smile went away. "It only had a hundred songs, but this one was on the device."

Fuck, I really hated Taylin.

"An iPod? That must have been nice to have and listen to," I said, trying to get her to smile again.

"I love that little music box," she sighed. "It brought me so much comfort and made me less lonely. The last few decades have been hard."

"Just the last few decades?"

She was quiet for so long that I thought that she wasn't going to answer me.

"After I was almost taken, mother never let me leave," she said, looking out the window. "Before that, I was only allowed to venture to the local village for a day every few months, but that ended because of my safety"

"That sounds awful," I said, wanting to grab her hand to give her comfort.

She gave a forced laugh. "Things got better when Taylin arrived, but now that I think about it. I was so starved for attention, for human touch, that I would have been fine if an old wrinkly man had come and talked to me."

"Did you only ever interact with Laima?"

"Yeah, she was my only source of human interaction every day or well, most days," she said, looking over at me. "She was never overly affectionate, and I guess it was because I wasn't her daughter."

A tear rolled down her face and I could feel her sadness. It killed me to see her like this. As a wolf, I craved people, I needed to be around people, and brush up against them. My wolf needed a pack.

Gray and Soren had gotten used to me being close to them because in a pack, that's how we bonded and how we showed affection, and I needed it. Being alone would have made me go insane. If she hadn't had Max, what would have happened to her?

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," I said, reaching for her hand and threading our fingers together.

The moment our hands touched, it felt so right, but my fucking guilt crashed down on me. She pulled her hand away from me quickly, like our touch had burned her, looking out the window like nothing had happened.

The rest of the car ride was uncomfortable as I tried to figure out what I had done wrong. She looked out the window the entire time and when I parked the car, she didn't move or look at me.

"My contact says they will be here in about thirty minutes," I said, willing her to look at me. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Well, I'm hungry and I don't know when we are going to get another chance to eat so we should eat now," I said, opening my door. "I'll get your door."

She opened the door without waiting for me, shutting it quickly.

"I was going to get that?—"

My words trailed off when she wouldn't look at me. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, get her to talk to me, but a part of me thought this might be for the better. If she hated me, it might be easier for both of us.

"There's a great seafood place that has a delicious clam chowder," I said, putting my hand on her lower back to direct her where we were going.

She quickly walked away from my hand rushing forward, until I had to grab her elbow and direct her a different way. I let her go immediately, thinking she didn't want me to touch her and that bothered me.

God Ryder, get your shit together.

I was annoyed with myself, if I was feeling the whiplash of my feelings, I couldn't imagine what she was feeling.

She thinks you're an asshole.

If she didn't hate me before, she certainly hated me now.

We arrived at the small seafood place getting a table on their patio that overlooked the lake we were by. Oria sat down, but her eyes were glued to the water. I noticed her face was slightly red and so were her eyes.

Fuck, I think I made her cry.

There were no signs she had been crying. I didn't even hear her sniffle. Guilt hit me now that I had hurt her, but I didn't know what the hell I had done.

"Is…. is that the ocean?" Her voice was a little gravelly.

"No, it's a lake," I said, watching her.

"Oh, I didn't think they had restaurants by lakes, I guess that makes sense," she said looking away.

Her earlier awe was gone.

"Have you seen the ocean before?" I picked up the menu trying to give myself something to do so I wasn't just staring at her.

"No," she said, picking up her own menu.

"When this is over, I'll take you one day," I said, kicking myself because what the fuck was wrong with me?

Thankfully, the waiter came by to get our drinks and food order. She didn't know what anything was, so she settled for the soup and a salad. I was starving so it was fried catfish with fries, some gumbo and some crawfish. Once he left, she stared out at the water. The silence was deafening and her demeanor felt like a stab to the chest.

"Ryder?"

My body tensed when I registered that voice.

"Jordan," I said, looking over at him, but he was looking right at Oria.

I immediately was on edge because he was a shady friend of Soren's, but he also was a vampire who had no moral code. He was looking at her like she was his next meal.

"And who is this lovely lady right here?" He practically purred.

She looked at him with a bored expression. "Jennifer."

She didn't miss a beat, acting a lot more natural than I was.

"Jennifer," he said, licking his lips.

"Alright, here is your food." Our waiter had impeccable timing, moving Jordan out of the way.

"You guys need anything?"

I shook my head at the waiter, hyper-aware that Jordan was still looking at Oria like a fucking meal. I was ready to punch him when he glanced over at me.

"So, Jennifer, care to join me after you finish your dinner?" Jordan leaned on the table with one hand and put another on the back of her chair.

"Not a chance," she said, tasting her soup, humming her approval.

"Come on?—"

"Nope, you won't change my mind, so take the no and leave," she said, eating a spoonful of her soup.

"Jennifer," he purred.

"No." She looked up at him with fury in her eyes. "You want it in Spanish? No. You want it in French? No. I'm pretty sure it is the same in all languages, so it must not be a language barrier and you're just stupid."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. Jordan glared at me like I was the asshole.

"She said no, so fuck off, Jordan," I said, taking a bite of a fry.

I could feel his anger and I knew this wouldn't be the end.

"Fuck you, Ryder," he spewed. "You too."

He looked at Oria who wasn't even giving him the time of day.

"Have a good night," I said, as he stomped away.

Oria immediately relaxed. She shivered, releasing a breath. That's when I smelled her fear. Thank the goddess she didn't let it get to her or else he would have been entranced with her fear.

"Let's eat quickly before we run into another not-so-great person," I said, digging in. She didn't say anything but continued eating.

I paid the bill, guiding us to the front door when I saw Jordan waiting for us. Dammit, this fucker was persistent. I grabbed Oria's hand, steering her to the kitchen, apologizing to our waiter and tossing him another tip. We exited the restaurant, easing some of my fears, but I knew we had to get what we came for or we'd probably run into another shady guy.

I took Oria by the hand to lead her to the shop we needed to go to. This woman was a friend of Addie's, whom she trusts. It took me a moment to find her shop and the entire time I felt like we were being watched.

We entered the magic shop, and I immediately felt something was wrong. The magic was strong, and I hated feeling like a fish in a shark tank. I pulled Oria closer to me. She didn't put up a fight, holding on a little tighter, like she felt the danger too.

"Ryder."

The familiar voice put me at ease.

"Addie," I said, walking to her.

"Ah, is this your mate?" Addie looked at Oria with interest as she tensed next to me. "You're beautiful and quite a match."

Addie's comment was like a throat punch.

"Don't let him fool you, darling." She smiled. "He can't hold out for long and the wait will be worth it."

"How?" Oria looked confused.

"I'm a seer darling and a fellow alchemist, but you..." She paused, studying Oria. "You are so much more, I see."

"You make potions too?"

"I do, but that portal potion you made is quite the potion and the necklace too," she said.

"Oh, the necklace wasn't me, that—" Oria stopped herself before she could say more.

"It's ok, keep your secrets," Addie said, glancing at me. "We all have them."

I felt tense, like that comment was meant for me and when she looked directly at me, I knew it was.

"Can we get our locator spell?" I tried not to sound annoyed, but it was useless.

"Of course, but Gray is fine," she said, looking at Oria. "He's just doing a few things before he comes back to you that will benefit all of you."

Oria sagged against me as a rush of relief washed over me.

"Are you sure?" she murmured.

"Yes, I promise he will come back to you," Addie said, motioning for us to follow her.

"You should be able to speak with him, but I think your bond might be too fragile. Time away is no good for your bond," she said, showing us into a room.

"It feels like a piece of me is far away; I'm constantly feeling like I'm anxious," Oria said, standing near the shelves of items by the door.

"It's because you are," Addie said, getting behind a table that had a map on it. "You are missing a big part of you, but always know when you are together, you are stronger and each of you is an integral piece of the bond."

Oria nodded, biting on her bottom lip, glancing at me with a tear in her beautiful hazel eyes. My wolf bristled at her emotions and for once we were on the same page concerning Oria. We wanted to take her pain away, we couldn't stand to see her sad.

"Well, let's get Gray back so you can feel better," I said, walking to the table with Addie.

"That isn't the only bond that is hurting her," Addie said, arranging a few things on the table.

Oria scoffed as I caught her rolling her eyes.

Addie looked between us, and I knew she was wanting to say something to me. Addie had always been a meddler. She was like your ornery grandmother looking to push you in the right direction, but failing at being sneaky about it.

"Ok, let's find your mate," Addie said, pulling out a knife. "Your hand."

She motioned for Oria to give her hand.

"No," I growled, not liking that she was asking for her blood.

"Ryder," Oria said, annoyed.

"No, why do you need her blood?"

My wolf was feeling extremely protective and what if she found out who she was?

"Ryder, we need to find him," Oria snapped at me.

"No, we?—"

"Fine, give me your hand," Addie said, looking bored. "It won't be as strong as hers, but it might work. You do have a bond with him, he's part of your pack."

"No, use mine," Oria said quickly.

"Let's try this and if we need it, we can use your blood," I said, trying to compromise, but over my dead fucking body would I let her use her blood with Addie.

I'd like to believe she was on my side, but I was starting to realize the only people I could trust were my inner circle and maybe that grumpy cat Maxton.

Oria looked like she wanted to protest, but Addie sliced my hand, saying an incantation that made the room hot with magic. A drop of my blood fell on the map and it started to move. At first it started to move in sporadic bursts of movement until it started rolling to the area where the safe house was.

I released the breath I didn't know I was holding in, when it stopped directly in the area where our safe house was.

"So, is that where he is?" Oria asked, looking between Addie and I.

"Yeah, give or take a few miles," Addie responded.

"That's the safe house," I said, hoping I wouldn't have to say more.

Her eyes widened.

"We have to leave, we have?—"

"He knows where to go next," I interrupted.

"No, he might need help," she said, the panic in her voice was evident. "Come on."

She moved to grab my hand, all but dragging me out of the room.

"Wait," I said, feeling her panic in my chest.

"No, we have—" Her voice grew louder, babbling something until I pulled her close to me.

"Hey… Hey. I need you to calm down," I said, holding her close.

"He could get hurt or captured, there were those people, and I don't know what could happen to him," she said, quickly.

She burrowed her face into my chest, talking, holding my shirt in her fist.

"I need you to listen to me," I said, pulling away so I could see her face. She had tears coming down her cheeks and a red nose that made her look adorable even though she was crying. "He's smart. Have faith in your mate."

Her lip trembled, her fear was suffocating, making me think it was my own fear. I couldn't think about it. I cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes that looked like beautiful sunrises wrapped in green. She took in a shaky breath before I pressed my lips against hers.

It was just supposed to be a kiss to get her mind away from the bad thoughts she was having. The kiss was just supposed to be a kiss. But dammit, it felt like so much more. Her lips felt like deliverance, pulling me from the darkness of my life. She was the light that I had always wanted, but could never have. She was the flame I needed to lead me in this life, that had started to feel like a burden without a mate. She was my slice of heaven on this earth, banishing years of loneliness and heartache that I wanted to feel guilty for, but instead made me feel relief.

MINE.

I wanted to prolong the kiss, but if I did, Addie would get an eyeful and I wouldn't be able to stop. Giving her one last nip of my teeth, I pulled away seeing her vulnerability, which made me feel guilty.

I was an asshole.

"We will get through this," I said, against her lips.

"I can't take this anymore," she whispered.

"You are stronger than this, Oria," Addie said, coming close to us.

I stiffened when she said her name, knowing it was stupid to think she didn't know who Oria was. Addie knew almost everything.

"I don't think I am," Oria admitted, pulling away from me.

She took a step back, her cheeks grew pink and the loss of her closeness almost made me whine. My wolf urged me towards her, but she wanted space so that's what she would get.

"She made you fear for your life because if you knew how incredible you are, she wouldn't stand a chance against you," Addie said. "You are more than this power. Your own power could rival her own, but not because you are more powerful, it's the light that is in you that is going to be the end of her."

"I feel helpless," she whispered.

"You are anything but helpless, especially with your mates by you," Addie said. "Not that you need them, but they make you stronger while you make them stronger than they could have ever imagined."

Oria nodded.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Addie, who looked startled.

"No need to thank me," Addie said, hugging her back. "Go change the world and if you need anything, you just call for me."

"Like on the phone?" Oria pulled back.

"Just say my name on the wind, I'll find you," she said. "Now go before Jordan alerts the people that are looking for you that you are here. I would also stay low because Laima is ready to issue a bounty on you, and if she finds out who you are, she will also issue one for you too, Ryder."

I nodded, pulling Oria to me.

"Thank you, Addie," I said, as I walked out of the room.

"Don't forget about that vial, Ryder," she said as we walked away.

"Come on, Heaven, let's go get the others and let's go get your mate," I said, feeling impending doom settle in.

I had a feeling that it was going to get worse before it got better, and my wolf was impatient to make her his before things got worse.