You're in for a surprise, Dear Readers ...

Xyrra POV

I felt the connection being interrupted for a split second before it truly was severed. It was either because something had happened to Ryker or Tiffany not being able to retain the linkage. Whichever it was, both Tiffany's and Ryker's minds were no longer linked therefore she was no longer able to see things through his eyes. "Hey, are you here with me?" I asked her once I had pulled all my magic from her and was no longer touching her temple. 

Tiffany blinked a few times and when she finally looked directly at me, I knew that she was here with me and no longer seeing through Ryker's eyes. Her petite oval face paled, and her silver eyes widened in complete terror. It made me curiously wonder what she had seen. For the past two years I'd checked in on Ryker, he'd been in the woods which technically meant that I'd seen things through Khrysaor's eyes, and there wasn't anything remotely odd or terrifying. Perhaps we had caught Ryker and Khrysaor at a bad timing and they were eating raw meat or something. Yet a part of me doubted that it was the case. 

"Tiff, are you alright?" I asked even though judging by her current state and the expression on her face, I knew she was far from being okay. Still, I had to ask because I needed to know what she saw. The downside of this spell was that only one person could see through their target's eyes. Deidre had once warned me by saying that should two persons or more were looking through the target's eyes, it could mess with the target's mind thus why by letting Tiffany link to Ryker's mind, I couldn't see what she'd seen for myself. 

Tiffany shook her head, her lips were trembling. "You need to help her, Xy. He's in really bad shape. That disease is making him do the unspeakable things."

"Like, what?" 

She didn't answer my question. Her hand reached for the spot below her neck and she started rubbing it as if trying to calm herself down. Still not answering my question, she reiterated her words once again. "He really needs you. He really needs your help." 

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't possibly help him if I don't even know what's going on." I could try tapping into Tiffany's mind, there must be a memory of what she'd seen, and yet at the same time, I didn't want to do it because she was my friend. I wouldn't do that to a friend unless she let me. Right now with her looking as if she'd seen the worst, I knew it wasn't a good time to ask for her permission. 

Tiffany closed her eyes. I watched her take multiple deep breaths. A few minutes passed before her eyelids fluttered open and she regarded me with a much-controlled expression. "He was drinking blood. Human's blood." 

With a voice that I didn't recognize as my own, I heard myself asking, "Would that be so wrong?" Unless my mind wasn't playing a trick on me, Ryker had drunk my blood in that bathroom during my graduation ceremony two years ago. I knew that when wolf marked their mate, they could drink a bit of their mate's blood so I wasn't sure whether this would be considered taboo or not. 

"It's wrong when it's human. When it's not their mate. Moreover, werewolves aren't vampires. We're no bloodsuckers." A single tear slipped out of one corner of her eye. "That disease made him do that. It made him crave blood. He—" She shook her head, tears started streaming down her cheeks. "He doesn't behave like my little brother when he sucked that man dry." 

My heart nearly stopped. The thought of Ryker who always tried to protect everyone sucking the blood out of a man was making my heart sink. "Did he kill him?" 

"I don't know." She shook her head and wiped her tears away. 

"I'm going to find out," I said determinedly as I pulled the Book of the Damned closer to me and started reading the spell. 

Tiffany caught my wrist and stopped me. "Wait. I thought you said that it'd take a lot of your energy. That you can only do it once." 

She was absolutely right. This kind of magic, linking two minds into one took a lot of energy. The first time I'd done it, I had slept the entire day the next morning and eaten three times more than my usual portion. Yet right now, knowing what was going on with Ryker, I couldn't sit tight and pretend that I could wait another month before seeing him. "I'll be okay." I gave Tiffany a reassuring smile, one that made her let my hand go.

I continued muttering the Latin and Greek words. Once I'd said the last word, I closed my eyes and concentrated on linking my mind with Ryker. I held the keychain that he'd once given me tightly in my hand. I felt my own magic touch my mind and expanded. It touched the keychain too as if trying to find any possible way to start the connection. 

Cold sweats started dripping from my forehead and I felt my neck being wet too. With my last strand of energy, I managed to persevere and push through. All of a sudden all the darkness was shed away and at last, I could see a dark alley. Ryker looked down and I saw the man looking every bit lifeless on the ground. 

"Look what you've done. You nearly killed that man," said a female voice that I vaguely recognized. 

I heard Ryker try to suppress a growl when he replied, "I suppose I should thank you for stopping me just in time. Who are you? No witch usually dares to mess with wolves. They use to turn a blind eye whenever they cross paths with us."

As if watching the half-dead man on the ground pained him, he finally looked up again. When his eyes landed on the female figure standing a few feet away from him, I nearly lost my focus. It was that receptionist. The one in Blair Balfour's building. 

She tilted her head to one side and smiled. "Well then, you should know that I'm no ordinary witch." She took a step closer to Ryker, seemingly didn't find him frightening at all. "At last we met. Blair Balfour at your service, Alpha Ryker."

"How'd you know who I am?" asked Ryker in a voice that mixed with a growl which made me wonder if Khrysaor was still there with him. 

Blair laughed, her eyes glinting mysteriously. "Your sister came to see me today. I believe her name is Tiffany Summers?"

His voice was tight and filled with threats when he said, "What did you do?" 

"Nothing." She shrugged then with a smirk added, "Yet." 

"If you dare to mess with my family, I will be sure to—" 

Before Ryker could finish his sentence, Blair cut him off. "To what? You're a sick, dying man. With even one glance at you, I know that you have the infamous disease. One that is feared by many wolves." 

"And I heard you can cure it," said Ryker as he started pacing the alley.

At first, I wondered why he was acting agitated but then I realized that it was because of the smell of the blood. Every time I heard him taking a breath, his body swayed toward the man's body on his left but then he willed himself to walk away. Even with the disease trying to gain control, polluting his mind, and infecting his senses, he still tried to fight it. 

I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. This was the Ryker that I knew, the one I fell in love with. The one who wouldn't want to hurt others. 

"Yes," Blair drawled. "Yes, I can. But that does not necessarily mean that I will help you cure yours."

Ryker narrowed her eyes, I could tell from the way his vision became slightly constricted. "You want something in return."

"Of course," Blair answered immediately. "You don't think I'm silly enough to do something for free, do you?" 

Khrysaor growled, clearly he wasn't happy with this. I tried to exert more power so I'd be able to read Ryker's mind too and not just see things through his eyes. "What's your price? Tell me how much and consider it done." 

Surprisingly enough, Blair's shoulders started shaking and she let out a peal of laughter. "You think I want your money?" She inched her way closer to Ryker, nearly closing all the gaps left between their body until she stood right in front of him. The front of her coat almost grazed his chest. "I have all the money that is enough for a lifetime. You can't give me what I want, Alpha Ryker." 

She lifted her hand and I could hear Khrysaor warning Ryker to back away or to attack. Yet Ryker did neither, he simply studied the witch. Then she touched the tip of her fingers to his temple. "But she can." Our eyes met and it was so real, almost as if I was truly there. As if I wasn't staring at her through Ryker's eyes. And I could tell that who she was locking eyes with was me and not Ryker. "Hello there, Fleur Delvaux. I heard you're looking for me."

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