“Gentlemen, I must say I’m surprised that you’re all here,” I said.“Sire Ryder, you did claim that there will be no bonding session between yourself and Miss Ava,” Elder Cliff said.“Which is total bullshit,” Anthony said.“Ryder’s right, there can be no bonding session,” Felix said.I had told him everything that had happened, he was my brother after all and we used to share everything. Even Abeloth was calmer and his bloodlust wasn’t as active since we’d found Felix.“Who the hell is he? This is a private matter,” Anthony said.“This is Felix Sherwood,” I introduced him.“That still doesn’t explain his presence,” Anthony said rudely.“I studied supernatural law,” Felix said and sat down on a chair making himself comfortable.“As I was saying, the bonding can’t proceed because Ava’s human, a fact you omitted from the Elders,” I said to Anthony.“Is this true?” Elder Victor asked him.“What does that matter? He impregnated her, she’s carrying his heir,” Anthony said.“This isn’t real
“Lord Typhon,” I said and bowed my head as I stood in the dank cave.“Sire Ryder,” Typhon said, his voice echoing off the walls.“You summoned?” I asked as Abeloth separated and bowed his head as well.“This woman’s turning ceremony will not be permitted,” Typhon said.“Why not?” I asked him.“Because she is not worthy of your mark, when the time comes you will be glad that she doesn’t bear your mark,” Typhon said.“Forgive my insolence Typhon, but she carries my heir,” I said.“She carries your child, not your heir,” he said.“I don’t understand,” I said to him.“You will, this girl has only half dragonkin blood, she will not be fit to rule in your stead, she will not be as mighty as your true heir,” he said.“You wish for me to not claim this child?” I asked him.“Yes,” he hissed.“You don’t approve of me with Ava?” I asked him.“You have needs halfling, fulfill them at your own risk, but your heir will be borne by another woman,” he said.“What?” I asked him.“It is not the time fo
“You know that legally you can have sex with your wife,” Abeloth said.“Piss off.”“Sex is sex halfling, you heard what Typhon said, fulfill your needs,” he said with a laughI ignored Abeloth as I parked the SUV across the street from the warehouse. It looked deserted but I knew better. Inside people would be training, Wentworth would be in his office, working on gathering intelligence for whatever assignment they were busy with.“Time for the big reveal,” Felix said as we climbed out.We took the back entrance and I punched in my code as Felix just grinned. I could hear the grunts from the training floor and the yelling of their new trainer. I hadn’t met him yet but I knew Wentworth wouldn’t just choose anyone.“Come in,” Wentworth said when I knocked on his office door.“You look old Wentworth,” I said and stopped in front of his desk.“And you look flabby,” he said without looking up.“I brought you a gift,” I said and he looked up.“How?” he asked as his chair fell over backwards
I woke up to the incessant ringing of my phone and I groaned as I opened my eyes to the blinding sunlight shining through the open curtains. I could hear my phone but I couldn’t find it. I was still wearing my jeans but I had no idea where my shirt was.“Grey,” I answered the phone I’d found under the pillow on the couch.“Where the hell have you been?” Ava yelled over the phone.“What time is it?” I asked her.“It’s past eight,” she said and that sobered me up instantly.“Shit, sorry,” I said.“Where are you?” she asked me.“Chicago with Felix,” I said as the bedroom door opened and a naked woman walked out as another woman started giggling in the background.“Is that a woman?” Ava asked angrily.“It’s not what you think,” I said.“Hi Ryder,” the woman said as she started picking up her clothes and Ava put the phone down in my ear.“This is just fucking great,” I murmured.“Aah Felix,” the woman moaned from the bedroom.“Felix! We need to go!” I yelled as I stood up from the couch an
The next two weeks had us frustrated as hell. I tried to be nicer to Ava and the harder I tried the more pissed off Felix seemed to be, but I put it down to us not really getting anywhere with the case. There weren’t many missing people from lairs, covens and packs.We had contacted the high Council and they granted us permission to access all files from packs, lairs and covens. We were actively working the case and Felix’s account of his own abduction and torture had sealed the deal for us.We all ate lunch together every afternoon and I went with her to doctor’s appointments and Felix drank more, during training he went after me harder, more ferociously and a few times we hurt each other badly.“Remember what I told you about Johnathan’s case?” I asked him.“Yeah, they thought she’d left,” Felix said.“So … maybe we shouldn’t be looking at missing members, but members that left,” I said.“Do you have any idea how many people leave and transfer?” he asked me.“I know, but … we can cr
After another eight days we had two names left on our list. Two people that nobody knew where they were. I got Tank on missing persons reports, prison systems and people that had changed their names. Nothing came up and then Tank came up with a brilliant idea.Between him and Timothy they wrote a hacking program and with that they scoured every camera owned by the government, traffic cameras and facial recognition software. It took another thirteen days before we had a lead on one of the names.Her name was Chelsea Connors, dragonkin daughter to a warrior, she had a troubled past and nobody really worried when she skipped town. They all thought that she had ran away so Felix and I packed a go bag and started making plans.Tank had found her in Columbia Falls, Montana. A traffic camera had picked her up speeding just outside of the town borders. He had then hacked the sheriff’s department and her drivers license identified her as Maggie O’Neal.“Grey.” I answered my ringing phone.“Sir
Felix helped Maggie into her car and I followed him in the truck. Maggie had been coherent enough to give him her address and I looked at the single story house in the quiet neighbourhood. Felix rummaged in her handbag for her keys while I picked Chloe up.Upstairs were two bedrooms and I put Chloe down on the bed in the plain room. The other one was obviously Maggie’s room. I heard soft murmurs as Felix put her to bed and I headed back downstairs.“What are you doing?” Felix asked me.“Perfect opportunity to find out whatever we can,” I said.“Good thinking,” he said as I went through her mail.She had a laptop on the coffee table and the screen came alive when Felix moved the mouse. Her social media accounts were in Maggie’s name, all her friends seemed to be from Montana in general and there were loads of photos of herself with various friends.“If you’re hiding you don’t advertise your life on social media,” I said as Felix sighed.Her email and Instagram was the same thing. There
We’d been driving for almost six hours when Felix slowed down and took the exit for Malta. I glanced at him and he gave me a lopsided smile. “I’m hungry.”“Make it quick, we’ve still got about twenty hours ahead of us,” I said.He pulled into a gas station and filled the SUV’s tank up. I stood outside and stretched my arms above my head as he spoke to a woman at the other pump. She was pointing him in another direction as he nodded his head.“There’s a convenience store back that way,” Felix said.“For what?” I asked him.“Snacks for the road, listening to you snore isn’t as compelling as you think,” he said as I smiled.“Please, you probably stare at me while I sleep and drool a little,” I said.“Asshole.”“Let’s just eat first, I need real food,” I said.We stopped at an American restaurant and ate our fill. We’d barely been there an hour before we headed to the grocery store. Inside the store Felix grabbed a trolley and headed directly to the snacks aisle.I froze in my tracks as F
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