99

It was two am and I still couldn’t sleep. I had been rolling around for some time now, the images of Joe’s torture still haunting me. I’d never liked doing it but this time I had to. The betrayal I had felt when he said that name out loud filled me with so much anger that I wanted him to hurt, in that moment I hadn’t felt sorry for using the drill on him, but now, I could hear his screams again and smell his blood.

I got up and slowly walked to Megan’s room. Link was still out and Elio was on the floor below us in the guest room. The house was quiet as I opened her bedroom door, the moonlight filtered through her open curtains and I could see her peacefully asleep on her side.

I closed the door behind me and climbed in slowly behind her. I moved closer and put my arm around her as I closed my eyes and felt more at peace as I inhaled her scent. Her peaceful heartbeat was calming me.

“You’re breaking the rules,” she whispered to me and I smiled with my eyes still closed.

“I can’t sleep,” I said softly.

“What happened today that’s troubling you so much?” she asked as she turned around to face me.

“I’m not sure you want to know,” I said to her as my eyes opened again.

“You can always tell me anything, I’ll share your burden with you,” she said to me.

“I tortured a man to death today, but I got a name,” I said and looked for the judgement in her eyes.

“Sometimes you have to do the dirty work to get to the good at the bottom of the mess,” she said to me.

“How do you always just accept everything I tell you, no matter how bad it is?” I asked her.

“Because I can feel what you feel Ryder, we are bonded halves and even though some things you tell me are terrible, I’ll always support you because I know you as well. You’re a good person, you’re not evil and if he hadn’t been involved with causing Felix’s death I know you would’ve never touched him,” she said and I could see the truth in her eyes as she spoke.

“I love you, Megan,” I said as I lowered my head and kissed her.

She was so perfect for me in every single way. She accepted everything about me, the good, the bad, especially the bad and that made me feel complete. She was kissing me back and started pulling my shirt off. My hands made their way underneath her shirt and I felt her react to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked her as she pulled her own shirt over her head.

She didn’t answer me, just pulled my head closer to hers and kissed me again as my hands lingered at the edge of her pajama shorts. I pushed them down over her legs and kicked them away under the covers and then I got rid of mine, my mouth never leaving hers.

I moved on top of her and she opened her legs to accommodate me. I looked down at her and I could see that she loved me too. My heart was beating a crescendo in my chest as I realized that she had finally accepted me as her bonded half too and I had to block Abeloth out with all the things he suggested we do to her tonight.

When I finally pushed inside her I had to stop otherwise I might have exploded right then at the sensation. I could see her eyes widen slightly as she felt the foreign feeling of my piercing but I kissed her before she could say anything and started to move slowly.

Having sex with your bonded half is nothing like you’ve ever experienced before. Nothing has ever felt so good, so satisfying and I knew I was lost the moment I had entered her. She was made for me like I was made for her. Every touch, every kiss and every thrust was nothing short of just amazing. I’d had good sex before but nothing compared to what I was experiencing right now.

My biggest fear was that I wasn’t giving her the same amount of pleasure that she was giving me and that threw me, I’d never been worried about that before, but my fear washed away when I felt her climaxing triggering my own and I was left breathless.

She lay with her head on my chest both of us breathing hard and our hearts beating wildly. I stroked her hair with my one hand while the other one was holding on to her tightly. I never wanted to let go of her and I couldn’t be happier at having her accept me.

“I love you too,” she whispered as I smiled and fell asleep with her in my arms.

I woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than I ever had in my life. My hand stretched out but it was met with only the empty mattrass. I opened my eyes and saw that Megan wasn’t in bed with me. I could still smell her though, so she had either just left or she was either in the bathroom or in her closet.

“Megan?” I called out and her head popped out of her closet.

“Morning,” she said with a shy smile as I stood up and pulled my sweat pants on.

“Why are you up so early?” I asked her.

“We have an inspection at work today, I have to be there earlier than normal,” she said as she walked out fully dressed.

“Oh, you should’ve woken me,” I said to her.

“Why?” she asked me with a sly smile, “so you could gush like a girl again?”

“Dangerous ground Megan,” I said as I walked towards her. She had backed up until her back met with the wall and she looked up at me looking all innocent.

“What are you going to do Ryder? Punish me?” she asked as she laughed.

“Hmm that might be an idea,” I said as I pressed myself against her.

“You better keep that thing in your pants, I got a good look at it this morning,” she said and I almost blushed.

“You better make sure you’re stuff’s in our room by tonight, or else,” I whispered in her ear as I turned around and opened her bedroom door to find Link there about to knock.

“Oh, you’re up,” he said to me.

“Have a good day at work Megan,” I said and walked to my room with Link trailing me. He was grinning from ear to ear as he closed the door behind us. I could hear Megan muttering something about my head and a baseball bat as I sat down on the couch.

“So…” he said and let his voice trail off.

“What Link? Why are you up so early?” I asked him.

“Oh right, I just got home and there’s this huge ass guy waiting in the living room for you,” he said to me.

“A huge ass guy?” I asked him.

“He didn’t want to give his name, just told me to get your skinny ass down there before he came to find you himself, he looks kind of scary man, who’d you piss off now?” he asked me.

“Taller than me, bulging muscles, scar on his face?” I asked him with a smile.

“Yeah do you know him?” he asked and I laughed.

“Come on,” I said and got up again.

Link followed me downstairs and I took the stairs two at a time and smiled as I walked into the living room. He was standing in front of the television his arms folded across his broad chest. I cleared my throat and he turned around to look at me.

“Who are you calling skinny?” I asked and his face broke out in a smile.

“Little Ryder,” he said as he picked me up in a hug and attempted to break my ribs.

“Put me down you big bastard,” I said as he placed his hands on either side of my face and kissed both of my cheeks.

“Cheating already?” Megan asked as she stood in the doorway as Link just looked at us with wide eyes.

“This is Tank,” I said and Megan smiled as he loomed over her and picked her up in a hug too.

“You smell like Little Ryder here, you must be the one,” he said as he put her down again and kissed both of her cheeks as well.

“Where are my kisses?” Elio asked as Tank’s head snapped up and he beamed at him.

“Little Elio! Come here!” Tank’s voice reverberated through the room as he picked Elio up as well and peppered his face with kisses as Elio made gagging noises.

“Fuck sakes Tank, why do you always have to kiss everyone?” Elio asked as Tank released him.

“I really need to leave,” Megan said and I walked her to her car kissing her again before she left.

“Aww,” they all said in unison as they stood on the porch and watched me.

“Assholes,” I said with a smile as they all burst out into laughter.

After I’d showered and dressed we all sat in the dining room having breakfast as Elio sipped on his blood bag through a straw. Tank polished off three helpings and Link just gaped at him. I felt that familiar electricity in the air and I smiled as I looked up.

“Hello Marlo,” I said and I could hear her laughter as she appeared in a seat next to Tank.

“Marlo!” he yelled as he picked her up, almost upending the table in his excitement. She got the same treatment that Elio had gotten as she giggled and hugged him tightly.

“You really have some weird friends,” Link said to me under his breath.

“I heard that,” Elio said as he patiently waited for Tank to release Marlo.

“Still a broody Brit eh,” Marlo retorted as she walked towards Elio. He smiled as he hugged her and then she made her way to me. We hugged for a moment and I introduced her to Link. She smiled at him and I could see that he was at a loss for words.

Marlo was different. She dyed her hair electric blue and it hung almost to her waist. She had a petite frame and she was on the short side. She didn’t even reach Link’s shoulder and she really was a tiny thing, a fierce tiny thing.

We were an odd bunch with me as a dragon, Elio as a vampire, Marlo as a witch and Tank as a wolf, but we were one heck of a team. We had met under different circumstances but we all became friends instantly the night we met.

Felix and I had walked into a bar after a successful mission and all we wanted was to have a few drinks and then head to a motel to sleep. We were exhausted and thrilled at the same time. Elio had joined us on that mission and that was the night I realized that he was even more ruthless than Felix.

We were minding our own business just relaxing and talking when this group of vampires surrounded our booth sneering at me. They were baiting us, telling Felix and Elio what traitors they were to their own kind by mingling with a dragon. A fight had broken out and before we knew it Tank had torn the heads off of two vampires and Marlo had frozen them in their spots.

I had no idea why they helped us that night as we were outnumbered one to eight and it would’ve been a bloody fight on our side. Tank and Marlo sat down at the booth after the other vampires had left and we spent the night drinking and talking.

Since that night we had met up plenty of times, sometimes they helped us on our missions and other times we partied together. Tank was like the older brother of the group, he loved everyone and he showed his emotions all the time. Marlo was bubbly and funny, always happy and she was a crafty witch. We all bonded for life that night as my dragon accepted them and vice versa.

“I assume you called us together because you found something?” Marlo asked when she was finally seated as well.

“Carlson McIntyre Hall,” I said the name as they all looked at me.

The next few days would be busy as we started making plans and called in every favour we had into tracing this guy and trying to find out everything about him. I felt an odd sensation similar to peace as we plotted his demise.