Chapter Six

There were ten more successful bondings that took place before it was our turn and I extended my arm again for Tia as we waited to be announced.

“And now for our final couple, Tia Malone and Ryder Grey,” Elder Cliff said and applause broke out. Chase and Melissa were now seated close together at our table and I swear Chase was clapping the loudest.

We made our way onto the stage and Tia beamed as everyone looked at us. I felt slightly nervous and Abeloth was restless to be let out but I couldn’t do it yet. He had to be patient until we eventually got home before he could separate from me.

“Do you Tia Malone accept Ryder Grey as your bonded half? Do you vow to remain faithful to him and to your bond? Do you accept the placing of his mark on your neck tonight?” Elder Michael asked her.

“I, Tia, accept you Ryder as my bonded half and I vow to remain honest and faithful and I accept your mark on my neck,” Tia said.

“Do you Ryder Grey accept Tia Malone as your bonded half? Do you vow to remain faithful to her and your bond? Do you accept to place your mark on her neck tonight?” Elder Cliff asked me.

“I, Ryder Grey, reject you Tia Malone and I reject this bond with you. I take responsibility in the realm of the dragons to face the consequences of this rejection,” I said loudly and Tia blinked her eyes in confusion a few times. The whole ballroom was silent as everyone watched me in astonishment.

“What?” she asked me looking confused.

“I fucking reject you!” Abeloth sneered through me as my eyes glowed yellow and we leapt off the stage and walked towards the doors.

“Ryder!” my father yelled my name but I ignored him as I walked out of the ballroom and I could hear chaos erupt as the door swung closed behind me.

He gave me back control just before we reached the foyer and I walked outside to the parking lot. Abeloth separated from me and I climbed in my car. My phone started ringing but I ignored it and switched it off as Abeloth pushed off from the ground and I started driving.

I didn’t really know where I was going but I followed Abeloth as he flew slightly in front of the car and I could hear him roar with rage. He wasn’t mad at me, he was furious with Tia and rejecting the bond had been his idea. He was with me no matter what choice I made but the further I drove the more I felt that I had made the right one.

I soon realized where Abeloth was taking me and I smiled suddenly. He was flying towards the lake house and I sped up and overtook him as soon as I knew where he wanted to go. There it would be quiet and peaceful and nobody would look for us there immediately.

I pulled up to the lake house three hours later and switched the lights on as I walked inside. I checked the board and switched the geyser on. It would take a while before I could shower and I opened the freezer. We had been here three months ago just before our birthday and Mom had left some meat.

I placed it in water to defrost and headed upstairs. We always kept spare clothes here and I changed out of the tuxedo and made coffee for myself downstairs and switched the television on. Abeloth had landed and I could hear him in the lake.

He would let me know when he was ready to merge again and I wanted to also give him his time to deal with everything that had happened. Rejecting the bond in our culture was major and even my mom and dad had failed when they tried it.

I didn’t want Tia as my bonded half and I would never accept her no matter who said what. Abeloth and I were both ready to face whatever consequences they wanted to throw our way. He wasn’t worried so neither was I, but I would still have to face my father.

I could imagine Tia’s parents’ rage at my rejection and I smiled when I thought how humiliated she was right now. My parents would be furious and Chase would be confused. Emily and Megan would probably be happy and I wondered why I had suddenly thought of Megan.

Two hours later Abeloth woke me as he scratched on the door and I stood up to let him merge with me again. He was still dripping with water and I locked the door behind me as I walked to the kitchen. I prepared the two steaks that had defrosted and I ate in font of the television as we watched an action movie.

I showered before going to bed and we literally slept like the dead. When I woke up the following morning Abeloth was lying on his back snoring loudly and I blocked him out otherwise I’d have a headache soon. I felt refreshed after yet another shower and I took the box of cereal with me to the living room since there was no milk and I ate directly from the box.

“What’s your plan halfling?” Abeloth asked me an hour later when he finally woke up.

“Stay the weekend then go home I guess,” I said to him.

“Bazzoit has been trying to communicate with me but so far I’ve blocked him out, he’s quite mad,” Abeloth said grinning.

“Just let him know we’re okay but don’t tell him where we are and don’t give him access to trace us,” I said to him.

“You’re a smart one halfling,” he said and I smiled.

“Of course I am, I got you,” I said and he looked shy for a moment.

“You do realize they’re going to try and force this bond on us,” Abeloth said.

“I know but it doesn’t matter, the bond can’t be formed if one of the two rejects it,” I said to him.

“True,” he said, “you’re stronger than I thought in the beginning.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t go through with it?” I asked him.

“I did wonder but I’m glad you did we’d never have been truly happy with her, not after what we saw,” he said.

“It’s not even a real bond, so there’s nothing they can do about it,” I said.

“We’ll face the music when we go home but right now, let’s go fishing,” he said to me excitedly.

“That sounds like a plan, I’ll lie in the hammock and you can fish for us,” I said knowing that he wanted out and wanted to play in the lake again.

“Deal halfling,” he said and grinned at me.

We spent the afternoon fishing and Abeloth suddenly merged with me. Five minutes later I heard the truck as it bounced up the road towards the house. I turned to look at it and smiled. It was one of the landowners that lived on the other side about a mile away from the lake.

“I thought I saw lights on here last night,” he said as he climbed out and I stood up from the hammock.

“Hey Billy,” I said as he gave me a fist bump.

“You alone here?” he asked me.

“Needed to clear my head a bit,” I said and he nodded as if he understood. They were all human and knew nothing about our kind.

“I’m hosting a party tonight, come on over when you need your head muddled with booze and girls ready to party,” he said as he walked back to his truck.

“Yeah I’m sure I’ll be seeing you tonight,” I said with a smile.

An hour later I drove into town and ate dinner at the diner and then I made my way back but took the road leading to Billy’s parents’ house. There were a lot of cars and the music was blaring from speakers. I could see some of the humans were already half way drunk and I smiled.

“Just what we need, distraction,” Abeloth said and I had to agree.

“You made it!” Billy yelled from the porch as I climbed out of my car.

“For once yeah,” I replied.

“Okay, great man, let me introduce you to a few people and get you a drink,” he said as he swung his arm over my shoulder and we walked inside. He yelled loudly that my name was Ryder and that everyone should introduce themselves to me.

Three hours later we were laughing at jokes as we drank and played beer pong with vodka because the beer was finished and I had already made the acquaintance of quite a few people whose names I couldn’t really recall.

“You look like you might be lonely tonight,” a girl said as she leaned against me where I sat on the barstool.

“What makes you say that?” I asked her.

“You’re hot and you’re obviously single,” she said to me.

“I live right across the lake actually,” I said to her and she picked up her handbag.

“So what are we waiting for?” she asked me and I laughed.

“Let’s go then,” I said as she grabbed my hand and I led her outside to my car.

She was half naked and all over me by the time I parked the car in front of the house and she leaned against the car as she climbed out. She grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her and my hands were on the back of her thighs as I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around me.

We were kissing as I struggled to unlock the front door and kicked it closed behind us. We made it safely up the stairs and into my room where I slammed her back against the wall and unzipped my pants.

“Wait,” she said breathlessly.

“What?” I asked her.

“Condom,” she whispered and pulled one out of her purse. Good thing she was thinking because I wasn’t. I pulled it on with one hand and she gripped me tightly and guided me inside her. It was rough and exhilarating and I knew by the time we were done her back would hurt. I didn’t really care at that moment and it seemed neither did she.

She climaxed and I could feel that I was close so I moved us over to the bed and I pushed into her roughly and reached my own climax. Her eyes were half closed as I pulled out and she started laughing.

“That was fun, we should do it again,” she said and I laughed.

We fell asleep naked, tired, and sweating and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. My head pounded slightly the next morning as I heard the front door open and I sat upright instantly. I pulled my jeans on and headed to the stairs as I smelled Chase.

“Thank the gods I found you,” he said as I walked down the stairs and he grabbed me into a hug.

“Morning,” I said and he looked at me.

“You smell like liquor and sex,” he said and grinned at me.

“How mad is Dad?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“He’s furious with you, he might just kill you this time,” Chase said.

“Shit,” I said.

“Why’d you do it? You’re the one always spouting all that bond nonsense at me and here you go and reject yours, what the fuck Ry?” he asked me.

“She’s not the one for me,” I said to him as we heard movement on the stairs.

“Who’s this?” Chase asked.

“Oh wow, there’s two of you, did I do both of you last night?” she asked and Chase laughed.

“Nice brother, real classy,” he whispered as I lowered my head. I didn’t even know her name.

“I guess I should leave right,” she said as she looked at us.

“You got that right,” Chase said and turned his back on her.