112

I felt angry and betrayed as I walked up the stairs to my bedroom. I didn’t need this bullshit from anyone. I did what I believed was right and if I could change anything of what happened, I wouldn’t, if I hadn’t been taken I wouldn’t have found Carlson, that much I was sure of. Everything in life happens as it should, you just have to get over the pain and play your cards right.

Megan’s scent hit me as I opened the bedroom door and my eyes found her where she was sitting on the couch looking out of the window. Abeloth stirred in my mind and my eyes flashed yellow as he looked at her as well.

“Traitor,” he hissed in my mind and I was surprised at the anger in his voice.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her as she turned around to look at me.

“To talk,” she said and stood up.

“I’m tired Megan,” I said to her.

“Go take a shower and I’ll bring you coffee, you don’t have to say anything, you can just listen,” she said to me.

Megan left the room and after a few minutes I headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower. My mind was reeling with Lucas’s anger, Link’s sense of betrayal, Abeloth’s feeling of injustice and even though not all of it was directed towards me, I still felt guilty and I felt drained.

I had just pulled sweatpants on in the dressing room when I heard Megan open the bedroom door. I grabbed a t-shirt and walked into the room. She stood looking at me and I knew it was the wounds that were still healing that she was looking at. The poison had effectively slowed down my healing and I pulled the t-shirt over my head self-consciously.

She walked over to me and threw her arms around my waist as she started crying. Abeloth was mad as hell and he physically recoiled at her touch. He was blowing out smoke from his nostrils and I stood with my arms at my side while she hugged me.

I untangled Megan’s arms from around my waist and walked to the couch where my coffee stood on the table. I picked the cup up and stood looking out of the window. I blocked Abeloth’s ranting out to try and clear my head.

“I’m sorry,” she said from behind me.

“Everything happens for a reason,” I said and turned away from the window and sat down on the couch.

“I can see you’re angry and I’m sorry I didn’t listen and let you talk that day you called me,” she said.

“What do you want Megan?” I asked her.

“I want everything to go back to the way it was, I want us to be okay,” she said.

“Why are you here now when you didn’t even want to talk to me three days ago?” I asked her.

“Cameron sent me the video of your meeting,” she said.

“I see and now that you know the truth you think everything will just go back to how it was?” I asked her.

“Everybody fights Ryder and everyone makes mistakes, but they talk it out and they work through it,” she said.

“Yeah, I tried that remember and you blew me off just like that,” I said to her.

“I’m sorry I did that, I was hurt too, I waited for you at that diner and that text I received broke me,” she said emotionally.

“Abeloth,” she whispered as he pushed through and my eyes changed to yellow. I didn’t even fight him for control because I was just tired of everything.

“I don’t like you woman, you hurt my halfling with your betrayal,” he said.

“I didn’t betray him,” Megan said firmly.

“He gave you everything, did everything you asked of him. He was honest about everything, he never lied to you and he kept at it to win your trust. He asked you for one thing only, and that was to trust him, and you couldn’t even do that, he loved you more than he loved himself, how do you expect me to grant you favour with him again?”

“I made a mistake Abeloth,” she said to him.

“Yes and still you didn’t give him the trust he deserved. He took your father’s insulting words, he went through hell while you easily packed your stuff and left him while he was being tortured, if you had just given him the one thing he asked of you, you could’ve saved him from that, but you were selfish and you so easily believed those words that he would just leave you,” he said.

“What else was I supposed to think? He always kept putting the introduction off, he made no effort to even tell me why, those words cut me so deep because that’s what my father said he’d do to me,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks now.

“Marlo saw you getting taken and brutalized to the point where you would take your own life if he introduced you as his bonded half, everything he ever did was for you, what have you done for him?” he asked her.

“Get off your pedestal Abeloth. I love him and I know he loves me too, I don’t care what you say, I’m not going to give up on him. Yes, I made mistakes but I’m here now and I’ll fight for him until he rejects me or accepts me,” she said and stood up.

“Good luck woman,” Abeloth said as he gave control back to me.

“I meant what I said Ryder, I love you and I’m sorry. I was insecure and I was being influenced when I shouldn’t have been. Abeloth doesn’t scare me and I’m not giving up on us,” she said as she walked to the door and turned slightly towards me.

“Go to bed, I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said and left.

“You’re an asshole,” I said to Abeloth.

“I never denied that besides I wanted to see what she was made of,” he said to me.

“It doesn’t really matter Abeloth, we’re only here for another week,” I said to him.

“Maybe,” he said to me.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked him.

“Go to sleep halfwit, I’m tired now,” he said and turned his back on me.

It took me a while to go to sleep as I processed all the new information and tried to make sense of everything that’s happened. I truly believed that Link would be a better Sire for this lair and I truly believed that my place in this world was as a hunter. There was no room for Megan in that world no matter how much I loved her.

She deserved to be someone’s Drakaina, she was so much stronger than anyone thought her to be. She deserved someone that would settle down with her and not run off to save whoever needed saving, she wanted a family and I wasn’t sure if I wanted that anymore.

I knew the truth that I hadn’t said out loud. I liked being a hunter and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it but driving from New Mexico to Broadview had given me plenty of time to think. I relished that feeling of saving innocent lives and taking the guilty ones. Even if for some reason I stayed here as a Sire I would still go running if Wentworth called me.

The following morning I felt better physically but mentally I was frustrated and oddly sad. It was already nine am and I’d slept longer than I thought I would. I made my way downstairs after I’d gotten dressed and I heard voices outside, a lot of voices.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I opened the front door and found Link and Linda standing in front of most of the lair members as they gathered in front of the house.

“Sire Ryder,” the lair members said and they went down on one knee as Linda turned to face me and stepped forward.

“You’re wrong about so many things Ryder,” she said as she looked at me.

“You are a great Sire to this lair,” Link said as I shook my head.

“When I came to you about my daughter, you didn’t think twice, you set out to find her and you did, because she was part of your lair, even though she was missing. You took action when nobody else did. The first thing you did was to lower taxes so that members could lead a better life, you didn’t even take income for yourself, and I know you didn’t because I checked the books after you hired me. You made investments and put every cent back into this town and this lair. You helped members that struggled to find work and you made everyone’s lives better,” Linda said.

“Linda, I just did what I thought was right,” I said.

“Even though you said that the meeting has no vote, we did vote last night and nobody wants you to leave. Every single member of this lair voted to keep you as their Sire,” Link said as he looked at me.

“Guys…” I said as I stepped off the porch.

“No Ryder, your place is here as our Sire,” Link said as he stepped in front of me.

Abeloth separated from me as loud thunder clapped overhead and the sky brightened as lightning hit the spot between me and the lair members. An audible gasp went through them as a shadow loomed over us and the pitch black dragon folded his wings behind his back.

“Master Typhon,” Abeloth said as he lowered himself to the ground and everyone’s heads bowed in his presence.

“Sire Ryder…” Typhon hissed out my name and I looked up at him.

I was struck speechless as Typhon stood in front of me, this was unheard of, to be granted the sight of the master dragon in our realm has never been done before and I wondered if he was here to take Abeloth from me.

“My word is law and I’ve already spoken to your Elders. What I say will happen in this realm as well as the dragon realm. I am always aware of everything that occurs and I’ve been keeping a close eye on you Ryder Grey,” he said to me.

“Please Typhon, I’ll endure any punishment as long as you don’t take Abeloth from me,” I said to him and he puffed out smoke from his nostrils.

“I have not come here to separate man and dragon,” he said to me.

“Thank you,” I said to him.

“I have also not given you Abeloth for you to spend your time as a hunter,” he said to me and I frowned slightly.

“I don’t understand, it’s what we do best,” I said to him.

“Yes, you are a true hunter but you were always meant to be the Sire of this lair,” he said to me.

“If you remain a hunter you will spend your life alone as a hunter should and that is not what fate has planned for you, your heir will be greater than you just like you are greater than your father, making the wrong choices for your life will alter the fates and I cannot have that,” he said.

“I’m not the best candidate to be the Sire for them,” I said to him and he roared softly.

“You are the true Sire of this lair and that is what I command, whomever you choose as your Drakaina will stand by your side and fulfill your life. The life you lead here will be a good life and you will feel contentment because there will always be someone to hunt as well,” he said to me.

“Rise Sire Ryder Grey and know that you have always been a true Sire, enemies will always rise and as Sire it will be your duty to rid the world of them as well as leading your lair,” he said to me.

“Yes Typhon,” I said not having any other choice as his commands couldn’t be dismissed no matter what.

“Merge with your host Abeloth and know that I give my blessings upon you two in this place in front of all these witnesses,” Typhon said as lightning struck the ground again and he was gone from our sight.