[ BOOK THREE ]
Ryan Mikaelson has spent his entire life hearing stories about his family and their past. The infamous Original family. The villains of the supernatural world. His world. But now, it's his turn to make his own mark.
Now a student at...
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CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Life Was So Much Easier When I Only Cared About Myself
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THE CRESCENT moon glowed in the blackness of the night sky. Hundreds, if not thousands, of stars dotted the infinite space that surrounded the planet. A cold breeze blew through the darkened landscape, lifting and swirling the tree branches as it curved between the evergreen trunks.
Soft, rapid thuds sounded with the firm stride of a russet colored wolf. The same wolf that appeared when Ryan Mikaelson shifted into his other form.
The teenage tribrid sprinted away from the Salvatore School, plunging deeper into the foliage of the campus's back acres. Despite his speed, Ryan's paws were light on the packed earth. If one did not know of his presence, they would never know he was there.
That night felt different than others when Ryan took to his wolf form. Something odd. Cold. And while it was technically winter, his reddish brown fur keep him fairly warm. The strange coolness bore deep within his body. It seemed familiar. Too familiar. And not in a good way.
Ryan weaved through a section of trees that grew closer than others. His pace slowed as the space around him disappeared. He continued forward to where the Old Mill sat abandoned in the forest. The hollowed out building was dark, not that he expected it to hold any source of light at that late hour. Or because of recent events.
After Josie broke out of her cell and set the front of the school ablaze, she appeared to have vanished into thin air. There was no sign of her anywhere. Not even a locator spell could pinpoint her location. And if they could not find her, they could forget about locking her up.
Ryan tried to push all mention of Josie from his mind. He didn't want to have her consume his thoughts in his wolf form. That was when he ran out all of his frustrations and left everything about his life behind. And, as of late, Josie's disappearing act was the biggest frustration of all.
Ryan trotted toward the Old Mill until a cold darkness fell over him. Something he felt in the presence of Dark Josie. Ryan spun on his paws and froze when a figure materialized before him.
Dark Josie smiled in a manner that caused his stomach to tighten. "I don't think I've ever seen you as a wolf before. You look almost – cute." Ryan's lips curled as a growl rumbled up from his throat. "Ooh, feisty."
Ryan would have shifted back into his human form, but the last thing he wanted to do was end up standing in front of the girl naked. He did not have enough self-esteem for that.
