Chapter 164

** Ryder’s POV ** Warmth. That’s the first thing I feel. It rolls through my chest like a slow tide, heavy and consuming. For a second, I don’t even remember what pain feels like. Then air rushes into my lungs in a violent gasp. The sound tears through the silence, followed by a cough, and the sharp taste of blood that shouldn’t be there. My heart hammers in my chest. I’m alive. But I shouldn’t be. The last thing I remember is Remy’s body going limp beneath my hands, then her… my mate, standing a few feet away, haloed in moonlight and fury. The air around her shimmered, alive with threads of gold and silver light that spread across her skin like fire desperate to be set free. Her eyes locked on mine, and for one impossible heartbeat, everything stopped. I saw it; the storm gathering inside her, power vast enough to burn the world clean. She wasn’t afraid. She was glowing with fury, our very own avenging angel. Then came the crack of gunfire, and the burn that tore straight through my c