Ryan wasn’t sure why his stance was so curious.Had he come in here thinking they’d deny him to the cops?
Ryan could forgive him the mistake.
Neither El nor Shawn seemed to understand the mate bond.
They didn’t understand that though he was ahugeinconvenience and though they didn’t have a fucking clue what to do with him, that didn’t take away the link.
Before he could question whether it was wise to call on his powers when he was so weak, he closed his eyes, then flared them wide and let his magick seep through him.
Where the magick found its source, he couldn’t say.The Mother had gifted him with that well, and it was magick that made him strong enough to rule one of the US’s most powerful and largest Prides.
It was magick that enabled him to show the links he had with every single member of his collective.But, more importantly, when focused, it showed the bonds between people.
“Oh my God,” Bailey whispered, and Ryan understood the officer’s surprise—Alpha’s didn’t have this kind of ability.They could communicate telepathically with their Pack, but that was their version of their own brand of magick.
This was Pride magick.
“I heard the rumors, but never thought they were true.”
“Oh, they’re true,” Marc said wryly, and they all fell silent as the gold striations in Ryan’s eyes took on forms that were almost corporeal.
The rays of light split from the orbs, shooting out and firing in all cylinders into tiny strands that connected him to all the men and women in his care.
But, with Marc, El, and Trip, the bonds were thick.As thick as his wrist.They were so heavy and dense with light, there was no mistaking the union.
Then, there was the off shooting link between El and Shawn, a sight which had Bailey gasping again.
But what had Marc biting off a curse and striding toward them was the new bond.
Ryan saw it himself.
It was the three ties Shawn was now emanating.Three of them, gauzy and wispy and weak, almost silver in coloring and most definitely human, that connected him to Marc, Ryan, and if the one angled up into the air was anything to go by, Trip.Who was upstairs on another floor.
He blinked back the power, then sucked in a sharp breath as dizziness hit him.There were never normally any side effects to him using the magick, so it was proof positive that though he was healed, he was most definitely still under the weather.
Grimacing, he pulled his hand away from El’s head and used both of them to rub at his temples where an ache had gathered.
“What the hell, Ryan?”Marc demanded, sounding as stunned as he was.
But before he could say a damn thing, the door slammed open and a Lioness’ raw echoed around the office.
He heaved out a sigh.
Great.Just what he needed.
A visit from his mommy.
As Leilani strodeinto the room, Marc hid a grimace.The last thing he wanted to be dealing with was the player that was his mother-in-law.
She was a politician, through and through.But how she decided to play the game was down to her.Sometimes, she could be meaner than a horse with a burr under its saddle, or meek and demure enough to make Grace Kelly proud.
From the roar, Marc figured it was the former, not the latter.And considering what had just happened, he couldn’t really blame her for being scared on her son’s behalf.
The instant she caught sight of Ryan, she blew out a deep breath.“You’re okay.”
Relief throbbed through her voice, and Marc was surprisingly touched.Lionesses made for odd mothers.They’d kill for their cubs, but they were mostly disinterested in what those cubs did with their lives, almost to the point of abandonment.
That was why no male was particularly sad when they had to mate with humans.Why anyone would want a Lioness to mother their cubs, Marc had no idea.
