Page 116 of Taming the Kraken

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

“They won’t let me go look for him!” Raine cried, hysterical. “He needs me.” Chelsie wrapped her arms around her daughter and cooed to her gently, trying to calm her down. She held her daughter’s head to her chest and looked up at Brody with tears in her eyes. They hated seeing their daughter in so much pain.

“What happened?” Alexa’s eyes watered up as she looked at her grief-stricken cousin. She couldn’t imagine the pain she was feeling right now. Being parted from your mate was already hard enough without there being an unknown factor added to it. Ken wrapped his arm around her waist, offering her his support. They knew what it was like to be separated, and that pain was bad enough.

“After you guys left, he vanished. Raine went back to their room and he was gone. We haven’t been able to find him. Your father and I have been looking for him. We can’t risk the whole family going out. Raine said he had been getting strange flashbacks of memories and it was bothering him. She thinks he went to find answers.” Reiya frowned and looked over at Brody, who had been very quiet the last couple of days. He was having a hard time seeing his daughter in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it.

“I can go out searching.” Jasper glanced at Derrick and Lucie. He was one of the best trackers in the Vampire Kingdom. It was what he did. However, Ryker was a dragon. So it would depend on if he left a trail on the ground.

“Please Jasper. Do everything you can,” Lucie whispered quietly as Derrick nodded his head in agreement.

“I’ll go with you.” Terra noticed the small smile on Jasper’s lips as he nodded his head. She looked back at Ken, who also nodded for her to go ahead. She still looked at him for permission, even though he told her it wasn’t necessary.

“What about Brian? Have you contacted him?” Alexa asked. Reiya frowned slightly. “What is it?”

“We’re not sure about Ryker’s past, Alexa. He might have been a traitor to the West Dragon Kingdom. You know how they handle traitors,” Reiya whispered.

“Ryker is Brian’s right-hand man. He already pardoned Ryker’s past. And Ryker has promised his life on his flame to Brian. You should have already told him.” Alexa watched her uncle Brody shake his head.

“Xander will need to know the conditions of what happened. It isn’t as easy as just forgiving, especially depending on what we’re talking about.” Brody pursed his lips tightly as he stared at his daughter. He would do anything to take the pain away if he could.

“Dad, what do you think?” Alexa looked at her father who, as the dragon deity, should have some clout in the situation.

“Lex, you know I don’t interfere in their affairs. However, I’m not convinced that Ryker is a traitor. We don’t know what his visions mean yet. There are other scenarios that could come into play …”

Alexa nodded her head at her father, and she already knew what she planned to do. Of course Ken knew as well through their connection. “I’m getting Brian. He needs to know about this. And I trust him. After we find Ryker, we have Ken here to assist with bringing him back. No matter what resistance we might encounter. Right, dear?”

Ken chuckled. “I’ll try to only leave a couple of bumps.”

Reiya looked over her daughter and Ken and smiled. “You two have marked each other.” She thought back briefly to when she was first marked. At the time, she wasn’t even sure that was what had happened. That was a crazy moment in her life. She had no clue who her mate was, but her heart had chosen her Lee.

“Yes, and I now control the earth element.” Alexa smiled but wasn’t as excited to share her news, given the situation. How could she talk about her new mate relationship while Raine was hurting for hers?

Levi looked at Ken. “Now you really will be able to protect her better than me. You’ll be able to find her through your connection. Having said that … Alexa, given the circumstances don’t you think you should stay here? We know that you’re Erebus’ primary focus.”

Ken squeezed Alexa’s waist as he listened to her immediate mental protest. “Don’t worry. She’s safe with me.” He smiled at an unconvinced Levi.

“We will go back out looking for a trail. He didn’t just disappear.” Reiya looked up at Brody, who had Chasen by his side now. “We’re going to find him and find out what’s going on.” She nodded at her brothers with a small smile. Harley also had his men searching for Ryker. Surely they would find him soon. Ryker was probably confused and looking for answers. He just needed guidance. When they found him, they would bring him back. After all, Raine was his mate. He couldn’t want to be away from her … right?

Ryker knelt beside a stream and splashed cool water on his face. He’d been wandering through the rough terrain almost aimlessly. The visions were scrambled in his head, and he was having a hard time understanding them. He wasn’t even sure of the timeline. He just knew he needed to go somewhere. Something was driving him in a certain direction. He hated to leave Raine without an explanation, but he knew she would insist on coming with him. He didn’t know where he was going or what he was walking into, so he had to leave her behind for her own safety. He now wished he would have left her a note telling her not to worry and that he would be back. He couldn’t be away from her for long, though. He missed her terribly already.

Ryker looked to the sky, the sun barely peeking over the treeline. He needed to head south. He would follow the next stream he came to. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something ingrained in him to do this. Like he’d been programmed.

Ryker packed his gear and left the stream. His pace quickened without him deciding it, and soon he was running. He didn’t know why. He only knew he had to find a dual stream, and that he was already late. He ran until his body gave out, his clothes soaked through, and he dropped to his knees in the dirt.

The world blurred. When it sharpened again, a large rock stood in front of him, and it was wet with blood. Two streams ran side by side past it, red threading through the water and pooling where the current slowed. The smell reached him last. His head split open with thunder.

His breath wouldn’t come. His chest heaved, his heart slammed, and the images strobed behind his eyes. Stream. Rock. Blood. Stream. Rock. Blood. Black spots crowded in at the edges of his vision.

Then Raine’s face surfaced through it. He grabbed onto her and held on, and the world came back one piece at a time. “Follow the streams,” he said, and the pounding in his skull eased into a dull ache. He blinked. The blood was gone. The rock and the streams were gone. He let out a slow breath and pushed himself up.

He forced his feet forward and into the thick terrain. He was being driven by a strong pull beckoning and pleading for him to follow. He pushed through several bushes and listened as the sound of running water began to trickle in the distance. He followed the sound and through the trees saw two streams that ran parallel to each other.

He looked the stream up and down before following it southward. The pull felt stronger now as his steps began to quicken. This was familiar. This was … like home? The streams led through two thick trees that disappeared behind vines that revealed a hidden cavern. He stopped in front of the cave and stared into it. That was when he saw someone approaching from inside the cave.

A woman with golden brown hair in a high ponytail stepped closer, and her eyes relaxed when she saw him. “You’ve finally come home.”

Ryker swayed, his vision blurry, and he collapsed face first into the dirt.