RYKER’S P.O.V


    L had written one word in the sand. I tried to imagine how much pain she was in and what it took out


    of her to use her own blood to write in the sand. I had no idea what it meant but at this point, I was


    ready to take anything. It was one simple word written so sloppily that you needed a special skill to be


    able to read it- hill. I wasn’t sure if it was a clue as to where Reina was keeping Cami or a clue into


    the


    future, whatever it was, I was searching the hills first.


    I rushed into the pce ignoring the others behind me as I rushed to search for the weapon we had


    hidden. If I was to find Reina then I needed to do it fast. I didn’t know what she had nned for Cami


    but I knew that it couldn’t possibly be good. Once I found it, I stashed it with my other weapons d


    that it easily blended with them. I was on my way out when Christine positioned herself in my doorway.


    “Wait, you need to see something,” she told me and it took everything in me not to lose my cool.


    “I have immense respect for you as Cami’s cousin and as family,” I began slowly, “but if you do not


    get


    out of my way, I will make you and we both do not want that.”


    I made to side step her but once again she stepped into my path. “I just need you to listen to me for five


    seconds. You don’t even know where you are going and I might have the answer to that.”


    I crossed my arms over my chest. “Can you suddenly see the future now? You better have something


    good or this will not be a pleasant experience.”


    “Kevin was found in the woods and he doesn’t look good. I think he might have had an experience with


    Reina. He looks the same as the others, like he was touched by death’s hand.”


    Of all the things I expected her to say, that wasn’t one of them. I hadpletely forgotten that I had


    instructed Kevin to watch over Cami. I muttered a curse under my breath before taking off towards


    the front of the pce where Kevin was fighting furiously against the hold of the other guards. I couldn’t


    make out much of their conversation but I could tell that he was trying his hardest to ensure that he was


    not taken to the physician’s quarters.


    街


    “My duty is to the queen,” he spat fighting against the numerous hands holding him down. “If we leave


    now then we can get her, we can find the witch and put an end to it.”


    “Leave him,” I ordered. I didn’t yell or speak louder than I normally would but somehow, they all heard


    my words and took slow steps away from him. Kevin turned to me and breathed a sigh of relief.


    He truly looked terrible. His skin was pale, ky and withered. He looked worse than any of the other


    men we hade across. It was like her magic was bing worse with each person that she


    touched and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. His body shook with each step that he took, as if it were


    straining his entire body. Before he got to where I stood, he stumbled and a guard had to rush to steady


    him.


    “What happened?” I asked. I didn’t care for much except the whereabouts of my mate. I wanted to


    know how possible it was that she went missing under his watch and no one in the entire pce was


    able to notice.


    “She wanted to see you and she told me that I could either go with her or go alone,” he whispered


    softly and I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose.


    Cami had always been stubborn but this was another level entirely, even for her. There was no


    reason for her to demand to see me when I was alreadying home. It was something she could do


    and when I found her, I was going to tie her to the bed and make sure she understood the importance


    of her personal safety. It was almost as if she preferred to disregard it in favor of everyone else.


    “What happened next?” I managed out through gritted teeth. “Where did Le in? Where the fuck


    is my mate and where avej


    Deen?”


    He swallowed. “We were on our


    by when L came in yelling that we shouldn’t leave. The Queen


    wanted to return but she appeared. It all happened so fast, one second we were there and the next,


    L was bleeding on the ground. I tried to run out with the Queen but she cast some spell on me and


    when I woke up I was like this. I did everything that I could and I ept full responsibility for this.”


    He bowed his head in shame and some illogical and irrational part of me wanted to me him for


    everything, wanted to make him pay but he had nothing to do with it. My issue was with Reina and I


    was going to make sure that she suffered for everything that she had done. I sped his shoulder and


    gave him a firm nod to let him know that I didn’t me him.


    I turned to Christine. “Get the guards ready, no one sleeps, eats or drinks anything until Cami is back


    in this pce. I don’t give a shit how long it takes. I want half the guards here guarding and the other


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    halfbing the forest, am I clear?”


    She nodded and rushed off immediately I finished my sentence. I turned to Kevin. “You need to rest so


    get Steven and have him watch my daughters. I don’t care who walks into that room to see them, kill


    first and ask questionster.”


    He nodded in understanding and I turned to Juan who was already waiting for me. I knew nothing I


    would say would change his mind so I didn’t bother. Within minutes, we were on our horses and


    rushing towards the forest. There were at least five different hills that I knew of. L’s message was


    cryptic at best and while having everyone in one ce would have been ideal, it meant we would be


    slower so I split us up.


    I hated every second of doing it but it was necessary that we found Cami as soon as possible. The


    n was to mind link the others if we happened to find Cami but I knew I wasn’t going to do that.


    Reina was powerful, I wasn’t sure about exactly how powerful she was but I knew that she could wipe


    us all out if she wanted. There was a reason she took Cami alone and I wanted to know why.


    Webed through the woods in silence. I didn’t want to risk alerting Reina to our presence. The best


    thing we had was the element of surprise. She didn’t know that we had an idea where she was. Hell,


    we truly didn’t have an idea, this was a hunch and I prayed that it was a good one or else we would


    have wasted hours of our timebing through empty woods.


    I had to ditch the horses the closer we got to the hills and follow up on foot. I tried to ignore the gnawing


    feeling in my chest telling me that it waste and I was wasting my time. I prayed for even a hint of her


    scent or something to tell me I was going the right way. I was so close to the edge when I got a whiff of


    something. it wasn’t Cami’s scent but I immediately knew it would lead me to her because it smelled


    like pure death.


    “Stay behind me,” I instructed the guards as I followed it.


    The closer I got to it, the more the trees looked withered and the stronger it got. I couldn’t make out


    anything but that scent. It was horribly suffocating and I had to pull my shirt over my nose just to be


    able to stand it.


    The scent led me to the opposite edge of the same cliff and that was when I saw her- Reina. She was


    just as surprised to see me as I was her. I looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of Cami but I


    couldn’t see her so I quickly sent a mind link to the others.


    “I found Reina, Cami will be nearby. Search for her and tell the others.”


    I knew it would take a while for the others toe and I secretly hoped I would be done with it all by


    the time they arrived. I wanted to say more but I quickly realized that I couldn’t ess my mind link


    anymore. Reina smiled cruelly at me and I knew she was the reason.


    I pulled out a dagger but she flicked her hand and it was like every bone in my body was on fire. The


    dagger slipped free and with another flick, vines reached out to wrap around me.


    “You should know better than to bring weapons to this kind of fight,” she clicked her tongue before


    stepping back and that was when I saw Cami, she was bound with the same vines in front of what


    looked like an altar. “We just have


    some party guests that we are waiting for. They should be here soon.”


    “My guards will be here first,” I warned. “You’re done, Reina.”


    She cocked her brow. “Well then, I think it would be best if we kept them a little bit busy. Did you know


    that there was once a great battle here?”


    “What does that have to do with this?”


    Sheughed. “You silly man, it has everything to do with this. You wolves have never been able to see


    past your own noses, have you? It will be the death of you.”


    Before I could ask what she meant, she closed her eyes and stretched her hand out. She exhaled


    deeply and I watched as the ground began to rumble and a skeletal hand shot through.