Four years later …“Morning Simon,” I said as I sat down at the kitchen table.“Morning Mr. Ryder, Miss Abby’s castle is coming along nicely,” Simon said.“I still can’t believe you’re building her a castle for her birthday,” I said.“She’s a special little girl, not much I wouldn’t do for her,” he said.“Not much … she’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” Mary-Joe said as Simon smiled sheepishly.“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” I asked.“Not for her, a princess deserves a castle,” Simon said.“What’s her sixteenth going to look like?” I asked.“She’ll probably want a convertible,” Mary-Joe said.Wynter and Milo had turned ten and Abigail was almost five. Mary-Joe had met a nice lone dragonkin man and they’d gotten married two years ago. They both lived in the cottage next to the house and now Simon acted as our caretaker. We now had chickens and a vegetable garden in one corner of the farm and we now also sported about five horses and about thirty sheep that he took care o
Friday evening Lindy arrived full of cheers and smiles with a big, wrapped present for Abigail. She air kissed Mary-Joe who gave her a look of disdain and I had to hide my smile.“Hello boys,” Lindy said as she bent down to look at them.“Hi,” Wynter and Milo said simultaneously.“Be a sweetheart and take my bag up,” she said and shoved her bag into Simon’s hands.“I’ve got it,” I said and took the bag. “Simon lives here.”“Oh, he looks like a butler,” she said and clicked her way to the kitchen counter as Mary-Joe glared daggers into her back.After dinner, which was awkward as hell because Lindy didn’t eat red meat or potatoes and the vegetables had too much sugar in it, I put the kids to bed after reading them two stories and finally made it to my room at eight thirty pm.“That took you like forever,” Lindy said as she sat on the bed with a very see-through negligee on.“Lindy, I’m pretty sure I put your bag in the guest room,” I said.“Exactly, what’s up with that?” she asked.“My
“Get your hands off that boy!” Nova said angrily.“Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to tell me what to do!” Lindy said angrily.“Let go of his arm or I swear I’ll slap you so hard you’ll need a new nose job,” Nova said.I could hear them arguing in my bedroom and I threw the door open to find Lindy holding onto Wynter’s arm tightly with Nova trying to come in between them. “What the hell is going on in here?”“Daddy,” Wynter said.“Let go of my son and get the hell out of my house,” I said as I glared at Lindy.“He was trying to take my ring,” Lindy whined as she let go of his arm.“Come on Wynter, let’s go downstairs,” Nova said and placed her arm around his shoulder as she led him out of the room.“I don’t care, you don’t put your hands on my children,” I said and my eye caught the ring on her finger.“How can you be so …”“Take that fucking ring off now! You went through my safe?” I asked seeing red instantly.“You were acting all weird so yeah I went through yo
My new friendship with Nova was going really well. Abigail and Alexis became inseparable, best friends and sometimes maybe even twins. We did a lot of things together and I learnt more about Nova. She could paint, sketch, make pottery, jewelry and decorate. She was infinitely positive and cheery and had a sense of humour.We’d spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together and celebrated the new year together with the kids all sleeping in the living room in front of the fireplace and Nova and I talking until the wee hours of the morning.“Are you planning anything special for Valentine’s day?” Mary-Joe asked me.It was the first week of February, the weather was cold but getting better and some snow was predicted. I insisted on picking Alexis up for school even though they lived within walking distance, I didn’t want them to walk when it snowed.“Why would I?” I asked her.“Because it’s Nova’s birthday,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.“On Valentine’s?” I asked her.“Uh huh,” she repli
“Wow …” was all I could get out when Nova opened her front door.It was the first time I’d seen her with make-up on, she had left her hair loose in soft curls and the make-up only accentuated her true beauty. She opened her coat and the dress fit her perfectly. I had to fight Abeloth for control because if my eyes turned yellow, she’d run.“I guess I look okay then,” she said with a smile.“More than okay, you look beautiful,” I said.She smiled awkwardly at me when I opened the car door for her and she fidgeted with her hands as I drove away from her house. My heart was beating faster and faster and I’d never felt as nervous before as I was in that moment.“Where are we going?” she asked me.“It’s a surprise,” I said and opened the middle console. “Put this on.” I handed her the mask and she looked at me with a frown.“I’m not sure if I trust you this much,” she said.“Of course you do, just put it on,” I said and laughed at the look on her face.I drove in circles for about ten minu
Five years later …Nova and I had gotten married a month later on the farm, our close friends and family present. It was a small, intimate wedding and we’d gone to the Bahamas for two weeks afterwards. Lucas and Rylee had stayed at the farm with Mary-Joe and Simon to watch the kids.Lucas and Rylee loved Nova and in return she loved them as well. The kids were happy with our union and Alexis and Abigail were now truly sisters. Nine months after our honeymoon, Shae was born. She had a full head of black hair and the most beautiful pair of blue eyes that reminded you of the sky.We lived our lives in peace, albeit sometimes boring but always loving. We were happy and Nova was a great mom to our five children. The boys were fifteen and the girls were turning ten with Shae at almost five. Shae ruled over her brothers and sisters with a strong mindset, a strong will of her own and she had me wrapped around her finger.“It seems you’re happy to see me,” Nova said as I turned towards her and
The days passed without incident as the girls got accustomed to their dragons. Scylla and Chusi were different shades of silver and I laughed heartily when I realized that Chusi was exactly like Shae, bossy and care-free.“What’s going on with you?” I asked Wynter one evening as I found him standing on the porch, looking out onto the lake.“I don’t know Dad, something feels off,” he said.“What does Echo say?” I asked him.“Not much but he feels it too. It’s weird, I feel like something’s going to happen,” he said.“Like what? We’re lone dragons, nobody knows about your sisters,” I said.“If I knew don’t you think I’d tell you?” His voice was laced with irritation.“Easy tiger, I’m trying to help you,” I said.“I’m sorry, it’s just frustrating as hell,” he replied.“Wynter, things in life aren’t always what they seem. You have a destiny, we all do, you’ll find yours,” I said.“Where? Like you said, we’re lone dragons, nothing ever happens here in this shit hole,” he said.“Watch your
Nova drove in front with the girls and I followed with Wynter and Milo. We kept up a steady pace and stopped twice, once for gas and once to eat. We reached Aurora by nine pm and I overtook Nova as she followed me to the house.The front door opened and I saw Rev as I parked the car and climbed out. “It’s good to see you Ryder,” he said as he slapped me on the back as we hugged.“I want to know everything you know,” I said as the kids climbed out.“Hi, I’m Nova,” Nova introduced herself and shook hands with Rev.“Rev,” he grunted out and looked at my family.“Ryder?” I turned and looked at Hannah as she came down the steps.“I’m so sorry Hannah,” I said as she hugged me tightly and I felt her tears against my neck.“Look at them all so grown up,” Hannah said once she had released me. “Come inside, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”“There’s a folder on Chase’s desk,” Rev said as I threw the keys to Wynter to unload the bags.I left Nova and the kids with Hannah and followed Re
The door of my bedroom opened after two knocks and a young girl with a shy smile peeked inside the room. She looked down when I turned around where I’d been standing in front of the windows and she reminded me of Ally, innocent, with an aura of hidden magic.“There are clothes of your size in the cupboard Sir. Mr. Reese has asked that you freshen up and he will escort you to meet with the King in half an hour,” she said with her head still lowered.“Thank you, I’ll be ready,” I said and she smiled again and closed the door.The suit in the cupboard fit me perfectly and I looked at myself in the mirror. Abeloth was strangely quiet, he wanted us to fight our way out, die a warrior’s death if it came to that. It was the first time in our lives that we disagreed about something so important.“We can take them,” he had hissed on the plane.“No more bloodshed Abeloth,” I said and blocked him off.Another knock came at the door and Mr Reese, I presumed, opened the door and nodded. I followed
We had left Aurora two days later and driven back to Hartwell. We arrived late at night but Mary-Joe had cooked for us and she and Simon had waited up. Their were hugs and some tears, especially from Mary-Joe and Nova, as we stepped back into our house.“It’s good to be back,” I said as Simon and I shook hands.“It’s been too long Mr Ryder,” Simon said.“We’re not leaving again any time soon,” Nova said.After a very late dinner we all retreated to our bedrooms and I knew that nobody would be up early the next day. The air smelled different in Georgia and I felt a sense of calm when I drove into Hartwell. We were home.I was up early the next morning, my internal clock always woke me up before five am. It was summer holidays and I left the house at seven am after a jog and a shower. I was going to surprise everyone with breakfast from the bakery. A little family celebration that was well deserved.I also planned on talking to the boys about their future during this breakfast. They’d b
“Morning,” I said to Nova as I walked into the kitchen two days later.“You okay? You’re usually up a lot earlier,” she said with a smile as I kissed her cheek.“Late night,” I said and sat down as she started making more coffee.“Have you talked to Luca?” she asked me.“He’ll be here at lunch time,” I said and she smiled even more. “Might take a few days to hand everything over.”“We’re finally going home,” she said with a dreamy look in her eyes.“Listen …” I stopped talking as Nova gasped and I stood up as I saw her put down the newspaper on the counter, her hands shaking.“He’s dead, I can’t believe it,” she said almost breathlessly.“Who’s dead?” I asked her and grabbed the newspaper.“International French businessman, Marshall Covington, found dead in his room in Illinois.”I scanned through the article and it described how they found his body in his bed and his head in a nearby dumpster. Police had no leads, there had been no forced entry into his room, no fingerprints and no d
Nova and I sat in the audience as Wynter and Milo graduated from high school. They would turn eighteen in a few months and we couldn’t be prouder. They had both grown up tremendously in the past two years.They might as well have been twins even though they didn’t really look alike. Milo had Ava’s brown eyes, Felix’s dark brown hair and he wasn’t really pale like Basil and Elio were but lightly tanned from being outside so much.Wynter’s hair was a shade lighter than mine, almost as if Megan’s blond hair had mixed with my dark hair and produced his. He had my green eyes and his skin was darker than Milo’s. They were both tall, well-built and cheeky as hell.Abigail favoured Megan down to a tee, from her golden blonde hair to her blue eyes and Megan’s smile. She was a beautiful girl and I knew she would be stunning as the years turned her from girl to woman, something I wasn’t quite ready for.Alexis was ethereal with a fairy like beauty, her brown hair had a glow to it that made it se
I stood in a back room with Rev as the top floor of The Drake filled up with lair members. Most of them didn’t know me, the younger generation had never met me and everyone else had forgotten the real me. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me and I wouldn’t instantly have their trust or respect.Rev and I walked through the lair members to the raised dais where the Elders were already seated. Nobody made way for me and they nodded their heads at Rev whilst completely ignoring me. I reached the podium and looked at my people. They were all talking among themselves and Rev stepped forward but I stopped him with a look.“Dragonkin of the Grey lair,” I said and switched my aura on. It flowed from me over them, silence greeted me as they all bowed their heads under the pressure. I was so much more powerful than them that even the Elders bowed their heads.“I realize that you don’t know me, that you are worried about the future of this lair and I won’t try to convince you of what I’m
Three days later we held their funeral ceremonies. I kept it short because I knew that at any moment I would break down and I couldn’t, not in front of their lair. I still didn’t think of them as mine and I’d yet to have that conversation with Nova.I broke later when everyone was asleep and I sat in the dark room looking out of the windows, letting the tears fall silently. I’d never fully understood Lucas mourning his parents for so many years, but I got it now, I really got it now.“We need to talk,” I said to Nova the following morning as I sat on the couch that faced the windows.“What about?” she asked me.“Staying in Aurora, doing the right thing,” I said.“Being their Sire …” she replied softly.“There is no one else,” I said.“Look at what happened, even before saying you’d take over as Sire,” she said with worry in her eyes.“That was one man, thinking he could take this town,” I said.“Yes and who comes looking for him?” she asked me.“Nova, don’t make this harder than it is
Nova drove in front with the girls and I followed with Wynter and Milo. We kept up a steady pace and stopped twice, once for gas and once to eat. We reached Aurora by nine pm and I overtook Nova as she followed me to the house.The front door opened and I saw Rev as I parked the car and climbed out. “It’s good to see you Ryder,” he said as he slapped me on the back as we hugged.“I want to know everything you know,” I said as the kids climbed out.“Hi, I’m Nova,” Nova introduced herself and shook hands with Rev.“Rev,” he grunted out and looked at my family.“Ryder?” I turned and looked at Hannah as she came down the steps.“I’m so sorry Hannah,” I said as she hugged me tightly and I felt her tears against my neck.“Look at them all so grown up,” Hannah said once she had released me. “Come inside, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”“There’s a folder on Chase’s desk,” Rev said as I threw the keys to Wynter to unload the bags.I left Nova and the kids with Hannah and followed Re
The days passed without incident as the girls got accustomed to their dragons. Scylla and Chusi were different shades of silver and I laughed heartily when I realized that Chusi was exactly like Shae, bossy and care-free.“What’s going on with you?” I asked Wynter one evening as I found him standing on the porch, looking out onto the lake.“I don’t know Dad, something feels off,” he said.“What does Echo say?” I asked him.“Not much but he feels it too. It’s weird, I feel like something’s going to happen,” he said.“Like what? We’re lone dragons, nobody knows about your sisters,” I said.“If I knew don’t you think I’d tell you?” His voice was laced with irritation.“Easy tiger, I’m trying to help you,” I said.“I’m sorry, it’s just frustrating as hell,” he replied.“Wynter, things in life aren’t always what they seem. You have a destiny, we all do, you’ll find yours,” I said.“Where? Like you said, we’re lone dragons, nothing ever happens here in this shit hole,” he said.“Watch your
Five years later …Nova and I had gotten married a month later on the farm, our close friends and family present. It was a small, intimate wedding and we’d gone to the Bahamas for two weeks afterwards. Lucas and Rylee had stayed at the farm with Mary-Joe and Simon to watch the kids.Lucas and Rylee loved Nova and in return she loved them as well. The kids were happy with our union and Alexis and Abigail were now truly sisters. Nine months after our honeymoon, Shae was born. She had a full head of black hair and the most beautiful pair of blue eyes that reminded you of the sky.We lived our lives in peace, albeit sometimes boring but always loving. We were happy and Nova was a great mom to our five children. The boys were fifteen and the girls were turning ten with Shae at almost five. Shae ruled over her brothers and sisters with a strong mindset, a strong will of her own and she had me wrapped around her finger.“It seems you’re happy to see me,” Nova said as I turned towards her and