still open from when Jordan had come home, so Stryx nodded to me, then took off. Once he was gone, I let the laughter out. “What is up with you?”
“Do you not understand who he is?” she gaped.
“Uh, he’s an owl who is old, smart, and powerful,” I replied with a shrug.
Her eyes rolled. “He’s also kind of famous in our world. He was there in the Dark War. He was the bonded animal to Queen Taliah. Most importantly, he’s not just any bonded animal, he’s the leader of them all.”
Huh, Stryx was keeping more secrets than I thought, but I also understood. He probably knew I would have been more closed-off to him if I had known all of that. Instead, he’d come to me as a friend with a smartass attitude who didn’t take no for an answer. He was exactly what I needed when I needed it.
“Well, I don’t think he wants to be treated special, so feel free to be your psycho self when you’re around him like you are with me. He’s in my head twenty-four-seven, so he already knows you.”
She grinned. “True. Let’s go do as he suggested. Have you been able to port on your own yet?”
I nodded. “Twice.”
“Good, head outside and we’ll make it a third.”
“Why do we have to go outside?” I asked.
“Because you can’t port in or out of any building. That and not leaving worlds are the only two restrictions to the perk,” Jordan answered.
That wasn’t actually a bad thing. At least nobody could just appear in my bedroom if they wanted.
We went outside and Jordan disappeared right after telling me she’d meet me by the fountain. Not worried at all, I pictured the area and disappeared. Though it definitely took more effort than it had when Stryx was with me, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as when I’d tried to do so that morning.
When I arrived, Jordan was watching some kids play in the street with some scooter-bicycle hybrids. One of the boys was on the smaller side and kept my attention as he wobbled a lot more than the others. The poor kid, who was maybe five or six, could barely even see over the handlebars.
My skin began to tingle, and I lost sight of the boy for a few seconds while my attention was diverted. At a quick glance, I saw Ryland walking down the side of the street, also paying close attention to the kids with a soft smile on his face.
Suddenly, there was a crash followed by the sound of crying. My eyes frantically searched for the boy I’d been watching, but by the time I found him, Ryland was already standing over him and untangling his small body from the boxes he’d crashed into.
“See, he’s not so bad,” Jordan whispered from next to me, but I ignored her as I continued to watch.
Ryland wiped the boy’s tears and whispered something to him that had the child grinning from ear to ear. Ryland then helped him back onto the scooter-bicycle before showing him what I assumed were a few tips on how to maneuver through the cobbled streets.
When the boy pushed away, Ryland stood, and his gaze landed on me. Even though he had caught me staring, I didn’t look away. I couldn’t even if I tried. He held me captive, and I seemed to be doing the same thing to him.
Maybe there was a bit of hope for us after all. Even if I didn’t find my happily-ever-after with Ryland, if we could join forces long enough to save my life and that of others, then it would have to be enough. Or so I kept telling myself.
Chapter Twelve
Surprise came over me when I realized Ryland wasn’t going to make attempts at payback for almost killing him once he saw me. It shocked the hell out of me, considering how angry he’d been when I’d left him in the training center. Instead, he did something much worse.
Once our eye contact had been broken, he’d turned away and kept walking, completely ignoring me. I wasn’t sure what to think about it or how I felt about his actions. Sure, he had infuriated me before, but we were supposed to be partners.
After speaking with Stryx, I’d mistakenly let my heart consider the idea of having a real soulmate, but had I already ruined the chance? Jordan knew more, and she needed to tell me something, so that I would know how to proceed. I needed