I DARTED THROUGH A pool of air that smelled like blueberries. Marina. Was she responsible for this disaster? Was it possible that strange warmth while swimming with Ryder was a pack bond building between us? Could Marina have used that tenuous connection to manipulate the burly shifter into doing her will?
Or maybe Ryder really was an asshole. Either way, I needed to focus, not on the past, but on the present. Time to fix what could be fixed.
I’d dropped my own weapon in my initial shock, but Ryder’s was there on the grass waiting for me. My mind was unbelievably clear now. I scooped up the discarded sword, letting my momentum carry me into a slide between Ryder’s legs.
I was aiming for a literal low blow, but he deserved it...and Butch got there first.
I hadn’t even realized the elega
