Pursued: Silver Falls University 4, page 4
“Thank you, mon ange.”
My angel. That was what that meant—that was how he viewed me. I couldn’t even begin to explain how insane that was to me, that someone as beautiful and untouchable as Caedmon viewed me as an angel.
“Always,” I murmured.
“You should have come to us, Tore, that’s all I’m saying.” Tore’s father’s voice had me turning in Caedmon’s arms as he stepped back from his son, disappointment painted across his face. “You have an entire pack for support.”
“I do,” Tore agreed, motioning to the group of us. “I have an entire pack right here. When I left home, you knew I wasn’t coming back.”
Tore’s father swallowed as sadness filled his gaze. I walked over to Tore and leaned against his side as his father moved his attention from the floor back to his son. “We all miss you. Your mom misses you.”
Tore’s jaw tightened. “You haven’t come here once, not until you heard I had a mate, so it’s hard for me to believe that.”
“You know it’s hard with the pack—”
“And the pack comes before your own children,” Tore bit out. “I know.”
His father’s face filled with remorse as he shook his head. “I didn’t disagree with your actions—”
“Right.” Tore chuckled before shaking his head, frustration clear on his face. “Listen, I don’t want to talk about this, especially not with Effie right here. Hopefully you can understand that.”
“Of course,” he said, then met my gaze. “Effie Harlow, it’s good to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Same,” I stated softly, although I wasn’t positive that was the case.
“Just consider visiting, Tore,” he said a final time before turning to walk out. Tore exhaled and shook his head, making me feel a stab of sadness for him as we were left in silence. Hastain was the only one left, unconscious on the floor.
No one had picked him up. It showed me that even if people would have agreed with him tonight, it would have been out of fear rather than loyalty.
Or maybe my mates hadn’t let anyone help him.
“We need to talk,” Ryder said. “Decide what to do.”
“We need to leave here,” Caedmon added immediately. “Soon.”
I nibbled my lip. “If we planned on going forward with what she said…” I paused, not wanting to give too many details since Hastain was still in the room. “Where would we need to go first?”
“Where the true magic was lost,” Ryder hissed. “My home.”
4
RYDER BOSU
Normally I considered myself a collected and rational man, but not at this moment.
I was burning alive with fury, my kitsune magic and instincts rolling under my skin, demanding that we do something to fix this. All of this. Everything that threatened our mate. From seeing the man that had hung onto my life like a dark shadow, waiting in the wings ready to infect everything, to the true danger that my mate was now in. More than she probably even realized.
From Hastain.
From everyone who placed perceived ‘breeding’ value on her.
From our families—fuck, especially my family. I had seen the look in my grandfather’s eyes, how pleased he’d been to know I’d found my mate and what it would mean for our family line. It was so fucked up.
I was just thankful that he hadn’t seen the mark on her arm.
A mark that would tell him so much more than I was comfortable with him knowing. Although, if we were going to go back ‘home’ even for a small moment, then there would still be plenty of opportunities for him to see it. Which was only one reason to keep her away.
I didn’t want to go back there to begin with, and I didn’t want Effie stepping foot in that damn palace, let alone the country. Which is why I had some semblance of a plan on how we could avoid him. It wasn’t perfect, but it would at least prevent my grandfather and uncle from being in the country with us the entire time.
“Ryder,” Effie said as she packed a small bag of belongings for our trip—including a miniature snow globe, wrapped in not nearly enough clothing, at least in my mind. Then again, I always felt an uncontrollable urge to ensure that Effie had everything she could desire; even the smallest need felt like a compulsion to me.
I wasn’t as bad as Caedmon, though…probably.
“Yes, kitten?” I asked, my voice rough as she stepped away from her bag and approached where I was sitting in her desk chair. The minute she was within reach, I tugged her forward between my legs and examined her gorgeous face. Her muscles were tense as I ran my hands along her frame, and I knew tonight had affected her far more than she even realized or would admit to.
“You seem tense,” she whispered, making me nearly smile at our similar thought process. Her fingers ran through my hair, hesitantly at first, until I leaned into her touch. Then she dug her fingers deeper, making my chest produce a deep rumble. I fucking loved her touch.
“We don’t have to go,” I said, wrapping my hand gently around the back of her neck and grazing my thumb over the column of her throat. She let out a small breathy sound at the touch, and my cock took way too much notice of the needy sound, already impossibly hard as she moved forward and brushed her lips against mine.
I loved how she responded to my touch, and even more so, I loved that she had started to trust me more, to give me more of her. A groan nearly left my throat thinking about her on that desk as I’d teased her, talking about knocking her up before she marked me. This woman was going to kill me.
“We do.” She hesitated, her desire dampening as sadness invaded her features. “Think about what she said, about all of the women in trouble.”
The worst part was that I didn’t disagree at all.
I not only believed that there was a threat to women at the hands of men like Hastain, and there most likely had been for years, but it was clear that Mona—whether she was Effie’s mom or not—was extremely powerful.
Powerful enough to scare my grandfather, which had been more than gratifying in its own right. Powerful enough that I had no doubt she understood and had more information than we did on what was going on right now. Powerful enough to make my magic react so negatively that it almost seemed impossible she would be Effie’s mother—but I couldn’t deny that they did look similar in some ways.
Her magic also had a familiar feel—different from Effie’s, but it gave off the same aura.
“I know what she said…” I drew out, examining her dipped brow and clouded gaze.
“You don’t think she’s lying, right? I mean, she wouldn’t have me run around to unlock powers that didn’t actually exist, right?” Effie asked. “I don’t want to put any of you in danger… I don’t know, all of this seems so silly to even consider. I mean, she can’t actually be my mom, right? That would mean I have divine powers. That I’m from the divine realm. Crap, Ryder, maybe this is a bad idea, but if unlocking my power and then opening the gate is what will save these women and cement our bond, I—”
Interrupting her anxious ramble, I kissed her hard, tightening my hold on her neck and gently tugging her down onto my lap. I groaned as she nibbled my bottom lip and dug her hands into my hair, eagerly meeting my kiss. I ran a hand over her ass and gripped it, loving how fucking perfectly she fit in my hands. Like she was made for me.
Effie was made for me.
Finally breaking away, nearly causing me to scowl, she flushed at the way I was looking at her, my expression no doubt betraying my need. “If we keep kissing, I’m never going to pack, and we need to go.”
“I like the idea of continuing to kiss you,” I argued, digging my fingers into her hip.
“Ryder,” she whispered.
“Kiss me again. Give me your lips, kitten.”
Her lips pressed to mine softly, and I groaned as she ran her tongue over my bottom lip, causing my cock to jerk against her center. At that moment, I had to fight the urge to lay her out and take her right on her dorm floor, and when I finally pulled back, my magic tightened around us with a roar of possessiveness, wanting to keep this woman in my grasp forever.
“Alright,” I rumbled, frustrated with my lack of control. “Finish packing, kitten.”
“Okay,” she said breathlessly while standing.
I stood after a long moment of trying to collect myself, walking towards the door before looking back at her once more. I had to admit, the dorm room had easily become a perfect space for her. The light from the shelves for the snow globes fell onto her perfect form, and while I knew we couldn’t stay here, I hated the idea of changing Effie’s home once again. She felt safe here, and she was happy; it felt wrong to have to fucking leave.
I continued to stare, loving the way that her oversized sweater, which she had swapped for the dress she had been wearing earlier, hugged her hips and drew my attention to her ass. Her hair fell almost to her waist, making me want to wrap it around my fist while I bent her over—
“Ryder. What’s the plan?”
I turned sharply to find Dakota and the others sitting in the living room of the triangle-shaped dorm. The luxurious living space, featuring a view of Lake Michigan, seemed to exist outside of the school, like it was floating above it. It was no wonder it was reserved for the blood-bonded packs and the wealthiest students at the school.
“The plan?” I leaned against the wall outside of her room. “We don’t know if Mona is being honest. I can tell you that she isn’t lying about the divine realm and that I believe her about the women being in danger, but as for Effie’s heritage and their connection? Or if she has true magic? I can’t confirm.
“We know Effie is lykos, possibly even more. And the pendant she has…well, it would make sense if she came from the divine realm, having that in her possession. Mona has nothing to gain from Effie traveling to unlock these powers unless she tries to open the gate, so until Effie makes a decision on that element, it can’t hurt, in my mind. More so, if Mona is right about cementing our bond so no one can break it apart, then I would damn near say it’s essential we go.”
“Plus,” Dakota pointed out, “I know Effie won’t want to risk the women’s safety if she has a chance to help them, so you’re right, Ryder. I say we go.
“Effie wants to go—she’s hellbent on it,” I added.
“So we go to your home, which is dangerous for Effie?” Tore rumbled, looking pissed.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Which is why we’re leaving as soon as possible. We need to take my grandfather’s jet before he can—he’ll find his way back on his own, but we’ll have a head start. I’m hoping it’ll give us enough time to do what we need to without running into him; we’ll just need to figure out a way out of the country after. We can’t risk him realizing Effie is lykos, and the more time we spend around him, the more likely that is to happen.”
The four of them thought on my words, and Caedmon finally nodded. “Okay, fine. Do we know where the jet is? Closest airport?”
“Yeah, private.”
“It’s probably better we leave as it is—even if we weren’t traveling overseas,” Dakota admitted.
“I don’t want her on this damn campus anymore,” Julian agreed, his eyes moving to the door. “I think we need to consider withdrawing from the university before summer—I don’t want to take this away from Effie, but I also can’t handle the idea of her being in danger every day. Us marking her isn’t going to make a difference to Hastain, even if it should—in his mind, everything is bendable to his will.”
I didn’t disagree in the least, and as much as I hated running, I hated the idea of her being in danger far, far more. I would do anything to keep my mate safe. And if there was a chance that this pathway would cement our bond to the point that it couldn’t be forcibly broken? Well, there was no question in my mind of our pathway forward.
“Let’s see how this goes, and then we can start looking at other options,” Dakota suggested. “Ryder, I assume you know some other schools that would work for her interests?”
“Yeah,” I mused softly, the list ever expanding as I got to know her more and more—there were so many places in this world that Effie would love. “I have more than a few ideas.”
Ones that would take us across the country, if not international. I loved the idea of starting fresh somewhere—maybe my sister and her mates would move as well. My grandfather had hit the nail on the head, threatening my sister.
Of course, nothing would ever come before my mate, but Aanya was the only part of my family that I maintained a genuine connection to. I would never leave her here—it wasn’t safe enough. It wasn’t safe for anyone with that bastard in charge.
Effie walked to the door and offered all of us a small smile, her bag slung over her shoulder. “I’m good to go.”
“No, you need a coat,” Tore rumbled. She nodded in agreement, her smile growing at his words. I had a feeling that Effie more than enjoyed how protective we were over her, which was good because it would absolutely never stop.
After she was bundled up in a coat, Dakota, Caedmon, and Tore having gone downstairs to pack up the SUV and warm it up, Julian and I took her towards the elevator. The normally outgoing man was quiet, and I had a feeling it was because of his wolf. I still didn’t fully understand the details of his relationship with Coffin, but I could tell it wasn’t something he wasn’t completely in control of.
Just the concept of that was enough to drive me mad, so I had sympathy for him.
“Julian,” Effie said softly. “Are you okay with leaving? I feel like I didn’t get to ask what you guys wanted.” Her brow dipped. “In fact, I don’t know how any of you feel about leaving.”
“We want what you want,” I said, even though my chest felt tight at the thought of returning to the place where I’d grown up.
“I don’t mind leaving,” Julian drew out, “but what I do mind is that Hastain’s body is unconscious on the floor and not fucking obliterated.”
Effie flinched at his tone, and I let out a low rumble, causing his gaze to dart to her and soften in apology. “Sorry, preciosa.”
“It’s fine…I don’t mind that idea,” she whispered, then clarified, “About not having him around.”
I arched my brow in curiosity. I had known Effie was getting more in touch with her wolf, I just hadn’t seen it expressed in quite this way yet, her not having much of a problem with the idea of violence. It made me feel like less of a bastard for wanting to destroy every fucker who thought they could take her from us.
“That can be arranged,” Julian said easily. I smirked, loving that idea.
I blinked in realization that maybe Julian wasn’t wrong—maybe Effie truly was unraveling me. In fact, I knew she was.
When the elevator opened, Tore opened the main door of the building and the cold breeze blasted in. I narrowed my eyes at the snow coming down and realized we really needed to get out of here before a storm came to play and grounded our flight. Effie’s wolf made a pleased noise in her throat at the change in weather, even as my mate’s nose twitched uncomfortably. The contrast of what her wolf wanted and what she wanted was so damn adorable.
“Up you go,” I instructed, lifting her into the front seat of the car and pulling the seatbelt over her chest. She flushed at the action, and I kissed her hard on the lips before rounding the car. It was my SUV, so I would drive, something that made me feel like I had a modicum of control over the world even though I actually had very little right now.
The car was silent as I pulled away from campus, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be a good idea to ever come back here, or if somewhere else would be better.
As I drove towards the private airport, one hand on the wheel and my other wrapped around her small leg, my thoughts moved to the last time I was home, before I left for university. It had been a long time since my grandfather or uncle had physically hurt me, especially once I grew larger than them, but that hadn’t stopped the emotional and mental abuse, the pressure and toll they had placed on me. It had been fucking exhausting.
I hated the idea of Effie being tainted by any of it.
“This is the airport?” Effie asked, leaning forward as we drove through the metal gates. “Why…why did I think they were larger?”
“Have you never been to an airport?” I asked, my brow dipping. I knew she’d been sheltered, but it surprised me that she’d never even seen one.
“Never,” she admitted. “Never even drove past one. There is an airport closer to the city, so I would see planes overhead, but yeah, never been.”
“They are usually larger,” I explained easily, the others quiet as they listened. “This is a private airport, mainly for jets like my grandfather’s.”
“I can’t believe your family owns a plane,” she murmured before looking back at the others. “I’ve never flown before…it’s not that scary, right? So many people do it.”
I hoped she wouldn’t be scared, and I could hear the hope in her own voice. If she was…well, I would just have to do my best to distract her in any way that I could manage.
“Not bad at all,” Caedmon assured her. She nodded, seeming content with that answer.
The dark jet was stark against the white and gray snowy airport landscape. Lights dotted the area and the sky around us, small planes parked in the hangars nearby. Describing it as ‘a small rural airport’ was generous. I pulled to a stop in front of the jet as the captain walked down the steps to greet us, one of the attendants coming to take our bags.
“Your grandfather is aware of the plans?” he asked, confused. He hadn’t seen me in years, so it wasn’t surprising.
“He’s the one who suggested it,” I lied. I didn’t care if he knew—either way he got paid—but I figured it would ease his conscience if he didn’t think he was leaving someone behind.
“Alright.” He nodded and motioned for us to go up the stairs. “Please make yourself comfortable—we have a long flight ahead of us.”
