RYKER''S POV


    I knew I was dreaming. I wasn’t sure how I knew, I just did.


    It waspletely dark, I couldn''t even see my hands in front of me. I had never felt darkness like this in my life but


    what makes it worse was that it was alive. I could almost feel the darkness breathing, I could feel it moving around


    me. Fear gripped my chest and panic wed at my throat. The emotions were not mine but they also were at the


    same time. It was almost as if someone was force feeding it to me.


    “What the hell is this?” I called out but I got no response. “I don’t have time for this. Just tell me what the f**k you


    want.”


    There was a soft hissing sound so close to my ear that I turned sharply but there was nothing. I was alone but I


    wasn''t. It felt like I was losing my mind. The sound was suddenly on the other side of me and I was whipping around


    trying to find the source to no avail. My skin prickled with annoyance because the sound only intensified.


    “What do you want?” I called out into the darkness and I could have sworn that I heard augh in response. “I didn''t


    ask for this. I don’t want her magic. I never asked for it”


    “She offered it to you,” I heard an answering hiss and I stilled. I wasn''t expecting a response, I was just speaking out


    loud.


    “Who are you?”


    “I''m you, I am inside of you, I am around you, I am yours,” the words were punctuated with a cackle that


    reverberated. It was at that moment that I realized the sounds weren''ting from beside me, it was happening


    inside my own head. I pped my hands over my ears hoping it would block out the sounds but it didn''t, it only got


    worse.


    “Get out of my head!” I screamed but all I received was augh. “I don’t want her offering”


    “It doesn’t work like that, Ryker,” the voice sounded amused. “We are one, and so we will be, forever.”


    I felt something ice cold grab me by my arms and I was thrown forward. I woke with a gasp and it took me a second


    to gather my bearings. Somehow, Cami hadn''t woken up and I felt relieved because I wasn’t prepared to answer


    her questions. I ran my hands through my hair and slowly dragged myself out of bed to ssh some water on my


    face. I couldn''t shake that eerie feeling no matter how much I tried. I stood in the cold bathroom for five minutes


    trying to shake it off.


    When I returned to the room, Cami was still sleeping. Shey on her stomach with her hair pooling around her like


    a halo. I couldn''t resist reaching out to tuck a strand away from her face and shoulders. She mumbled something


    under her breath as I kissed her shoulder softly. I just needed to remind myself that she was real and I wasn''t


    dreaming anymore. At the touch of her skin and the inhaling of her scent, I felt some of the tension leave my


    shoulders.


    “What time is it?” she mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.


    “I have no idea,” I admitted looking out of the window at the still dark sky. “You should go back to sleep.”


    “I will, what are you doing awake?” she asked and I shrugged. That seemed to be the wrong response because she


    frowned and sat up straight. The only thing keeping her covered were the sheets that she clutched close to her chest


    “Ryker, are you alright?”


    “I''m fine, baby,” I kissed her forehead to try and distract her from the fact that I lied. “I''m always up early, you know


    that, I didn’t mean to bother you.”


    She still didn’t look convinced but thankfully, she didn’t push much. Instead, she pushed my shoulders back until I


    was lying in bed and shey on top of me. I didn''t hesitate before wrapping my arms around her. She was soft where


    I was hard and fit perfectly against me. I ran my fingers up her spine and she shivered.


    “Go to sleep,” she instructed and I hummed. I knew there was no more sleep for me but if I had to pretend for her


    then I was willing to do it. “I mean it”


    I smiled softly. “I know you do.”


    “I''m going to stay awake until you-" her words were cut off by a yawn and I had to bite the inside of my mouth to sto


    myself fromughing. “I just need to-" she yawned again as I moved my other hand into her hair to massage her


    scalp. “You''re not ying fair”


    “Sleep, baby, I''m right behind you.”


    It didn''t take long before she fell asleep. Once I was sure she was sleeping, I sighed deeply and stared out the


    window. The moon stood in the sky staring back at me. Something had happened with Reina and I was determined t


    find out exactly what it was because it was driving me mad.


    Once the sun started to rise, I managed to pull myself out of bed. I had one n for the day and I needed a way to


    execute it without seeming suspicious meaning Cami couldn''te with me. I knew exactly who to ask and waitec


    until Juan came down for our morning run.


    “How long have you been waiting here?” he drawled as he made his way towards me. “You look like you didn’t sleep


    wink.”


    “Maybe because I didn''t,” I shot back and his brows furrowed. “Rx, I''m fine. I was kidding.”


    “You do look like shit though,” he mumbled as he took off running and I rolled my eyes.


    I caught up to him easily and started speaking. “I need a favor”


    His steps faltered slightly. “What do you need?”


    “I need you toe with me to the spot where we killed Reina. I need to figure out something. It has been eating at


    me for a while”


    “Are you going to tell me what it is?”


    “I just want to know why she chose that spot,” he seemed confused so I borated. “The horses wouldn''t move past


    that spot. It seemed like something was stopping them. She chose that spot and I want to know why.”


    This time he stopped running and turned to me. “Are you sure that you are alright? If something is wrong then you


    can tell me.”


    I made a show of scoffing and pping his shoulders. “Careful, Juan or I might think that you actually like me.”Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    “I''m serious.”


    I sighed. “I know you are and so am I. I just need to know why.”


    It was clear he didn’t believe me but he didn’t push, he just nodded. “Fine, what time do you want to leave?”


    We prepared to leave within the hour. The hard part was trying to exin to Cami. She was with the girls when I


    walked in. I thought it best to just rip the band aid off and although she didn’t push much, it was clear that she was


    worried about me. She just stared at me for what I felt was a few seconds too long before nodding. As I was about to


    leave, she threw her arms around me and asked me to be careful. I knew then that she suspected something but she


    didn’t say a word.


    Juan and I had mounted our horses when Riley came running out. “Ryker, I need to talk to you."


    “I can''t right now, Riley,” it wasn''t that I didn’t want to talk to my sister- I did. But I didn’t have the time to start


    mending bridges right now. There were more important things.


    “I know you''re upset-" she began but I cut her off.


    “When I''m back, Riley,” I didn’t mean for my voice toe out as harshly as it did. “I''ll be back in a few hours. You


    cane and talk to me then.”


    She pursed her lips in frustration and if it were any other day, I would have tried to stay and cate her but I


    couldn''t be bothered right now, not when there was much more at stake. I turned to Juan and nodded and with that,


    we were off. He followed behind me as I retraced the exact path we took. It felt like reliving the memories all over


    again but I kept my eyes fixed on the road in front of me.


    “What exactly are you hoping to find?” Juan asked after a minute of riding in silence and I hesitated before


    responding. “I need to know what to help you look for and why you took me instead of Cami.”


    “I don''t know,” I said in response to everything before focusing on his first question. “I just know that when I see it, I


    will know. If you see anything suspicious, let me know.”


    He still seemed confused but he nodded.


    We got to the spot with ease and everything seemed normal. I had buried the body before we left so unless you were


    with Cami and I, you would have never known that something happened. The horses stopped just like they did the


    first time. It didn’t matter how much we pushed or pulled, they wouldn''t move.


    “That is weird,” Juan mumbled and I gave him a look as if to say that I knew. “I''ll look around and call out for you if I


    see something.


    We started looking in opposite directions and for the first half hour, there was nothing. I was beginning to think that


    had imagined it all when I heard Juan call out to me. There was a level of panic in his voice that had me rushing over


    to him. He was standing a bit of a distance away from where we had killed Reina.


    “What did you find?” I asked immediately and he gestured towards the bush that he stood in front of.


    He stepped aside for me and I saw a single doll lying there. I hadn''t noticed it before. I picked it up slowly and I felt


    rush go into me and an image shed before my eyes. It was of Reina seated in front of a me as she knitted the


    doll slowly. She slipped a few strands of hair into it as she did and once she was done, she tossed it into the fire. The


    image vanished after that and I was left gasping for breath.


    Juan was by my side asking a few questions but I couldn''t hear him. My ears were ringing a single thought filled my


    head. I couldn''t tell how I knew, I just knew that it was my hair in that vision and the doll was mine. Whatever


    happened wasn’t idental, Reina nned it long before she died.