Page 117 of Taming the Kraken

Brian was sitting upstairs with Bella in Levi’s private family wing. He’d told them they could use his place while they were away, since they were still keeping their relationship private from the kingdom. They didn’t want it to appear as a scandal for Alexa to disappear right when he took another woman as his mate. They would wait for everything to calm down so they could address the kingdom together.

Bella and Brian looked up as Ken, Alexa, and Mikah appeared in the room.

“Alexa!” Brian jumped up and wrapped his arms around her. “Your father told us that everything was fine with you, but I needed to see it for myself.” He stepped back and looked into her blue eyes. “What’s happened?”

“Sorry, Brian. I should have stopped by here. I wasn’t thinking after everything. But yes, there is something else going on now. It’s Ryker. He disappeared. He started getting flashbacks of his memories and then he just … left. No one wanted to say anything to you because they’re afraid he might have been a traitor. But we know that isn’t who he is now. You most of all⁠—”

“How long ago?” Brian asked, his brows furrowed.

“It’s been a few days. Brian, if he was a traitor—” Alexa started but Brian cut her off.

“Lex, Ryker is my right-hand man. I don’t care who he was before. As long as he stays loyal to me now and in the future, which I know he will be. He must be a wreck right now, to have left Raine like that.” Brian couldn’t imagine the desperation Ryker was feeling. It would practically kill him to be parted from Bella. “I’m sure he’s just looking for answers. I’ll help you look for him. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?” Brian chuckled as Bella walked up next to him. Alexa was one of his best friends, and he often knew what she wanted before she even spoke.

“Will this be a problem for your father?” Mikah asked and Brian pursed his lips.

“I guess that will depend on what Ryker has done. But in either case, I will protect him. I chose Ryker for a reason. We have a connection. And in the end, my father will respect my decision. He isn’t an unreasonable dragon.” Brian rubbed his head and groaned in frustration. “That damn idiot, though. Ryker should have come and talked to me. How could he go off on his own like that? We need to find him before he ends up in trouble.”

“Jasper is trying to follow the tracks. And my parents are also searching for him.” Alexa felt Ken rubbing her shoulders and caressing her through the mate bond, trying to comfort her, knowing she was distressed.

“Let’s find Jasper and see what leads he might have.” Brian saw Alexa and Mikah both nod their heads.

“That’s the best place to start. He should be able to point us in the right direction, even if Ryker did take to the skies.” Mikah walked over and grabbed a bag of chips from the table. They all looked at him as he held it up. “Thinking food.”

“We will fly so we can scout on the way there,” Brian looked over at Bella, who nodded her head in agreement.

“We can fly with you,” Alexa added and listened to Ken’s snort. “Afraid of heights?” She grinned, teasing him. You’ll get to ride me this time …

Don’t get me worked up, Ken growled as he wrapped his arms around her. A small smirk rested on his lips as he pressed his nose into her hair.

Mikah stuffed more food in a bag and then grabbed an apple off the table. “Alright, let’s go!” he said, taking a big bite of the fruit.

“You’re going to get crumbs on Lex’s back,” Brian chuckled as Mikah grinned with a small shrug.

“Naw, I’m getting crumbs on your back.” Mikah took another bite of his apple, letting the juices squirt around his mouth. And, with a mouth full of food, he mumbled, “Giddy up, Toothless.”

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

It had now been over a week of searching day and night. But they still had not found Ryker. Darkness was on the move, unraveling and drawing closer. Ken and Levi sensed this and were both on edge. Ryker was their friend, and they would keep searching. They weren’t going to give up on him.

Jasper had been tracking Ryker and managed to get to an area with connecting streams. That was where he’d lost the trail. The streams seemed to have magical abilities that removed the scent of anyone who stepped in them. There was more to these streams, and someone or something didn’t want to be found.

Mikah at times found himself thinking about Brandy and wondering if she was still waiting for him to return. He had sent a messenger fairy to her so she would know why he was delayed. In the message, he told her to continue staying there if she wanted. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt better knowing she was away from the other druids. He tried to convince himself that it was for Brandy’s benefit, but he knew that wasn’t it. He just wanted her away from other male prospects. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he wanted her. On a level he didn’t quite understand, he felt like he was connected to her. But that didn’t make sense. Werebears didn’t have fated mates. So, what was the connection he was feeling? It was more than just sexual.

“Raine wasn’t looking too well,” Alexa breathed out as she stared blankly into the woods. “I can’t imagine how painful this is for her, especially after being marked.” She reached up, rubbing her neck as two strong arms pulled her against his chest.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find him. We’re close.” Ken kissed the top of her head and buried his nose in her hair, taking in hits of her scent.

Ken.

Levi’s voice entered Ken’s mind. Levi, did you find something?

Shiva has found both Gaia and Kali. We’re going to meet with them now. This should give us the answers we need about Mikah.

Alright. We’ll keep looking for Ryker. If you need Mikah, let me know. Ken looked at Alexa, who already knew everything from their connection. They both decided to keep the news quiet for now and keep the focus on looking for Ryker.

Two large shadows swooped down from the skies. Brian and Bella both shifted into their human selves as soon as they hit the ground. Brian interlaced his fingers with Bella’s and walked with her toward everyone else. They’d been searching from the skies again, hoping to find a new lead. They hadn’t seen anything but managed to spot the search party below them.

“He’s close. I can feel it. If Raine was here, she could lead us right to him.” Brian swept a hand around the area. “It’s like he vanished from here. There’s something about this spot.”