113

After the shock of Typhon’s presence wore off the lair members had erupted into wild cheers as Typhon announced me their true Sire and I had no choice but to stay now. Abeloth chuckled in my mind when I asked him if he knew about this but he didn’t answer me.

After the crowd had dispersed, satisfied with the outcome they had set out to get I went to the office with Linda and Link and I started checking on everything lair related. Megan had arrived two hours later at lunch time and I told Link that I was too busy to see her. I knew she hadn’t left because her scent stayed in the house.

“That was some freaky shit,” Link said to me as Linda got us more coffee.

“I don’t think that’s ever happened before,” I said to him as I rubbed my hand over my face.

“Now you have no choice but to lead us,” he said with a smile.

“I’m sure you’re very happy about it too,” I said and he laughed.

“Of course, we all got what we wanted,” he said as I leaned back in the chair.

“Okay fill me in, what’s going on with the housing project,” I asked Link.

“Jeff did try to run, later than we thought he would, but I had the Chief filled in and they arrested him as he tried to leave Princeton’s borders,” he said.

“So he’s in jail?” I asked him.

“He’s already been in front of a judge and convicted of fraud, he’s serving time in Chicago,” Link said.

“And the project?” I asked him.

“I hired a new project manager and he’s managed to make up the lost time from Jeff’s fucking around, he’s right on schedule and he’s not skimming from the account,,” Link said.

“That’s good, see why I wanted to make you Sire,” I said to him.

“Whatever man,” he said with a shy smile.

After another few hours Link retired for the night as I went through the accounts for the last month and checked all the emails that Linda had categorized. I clicked on the email from the Elders that were sent that same day and started reading.

“Dear Sire Grey,

We hereby regret to inform you that your resignation as Sire from the Princeton lair has not been accepted as the dragon realms denied this request most vehemently. We are sure you understand that we cannot go against Typhon’s wishes and wish you a fruitful future. We also wish to inform you that no trial will be held, we are satisfied with your explanation and the outcome of it.

Regards,

The Illinois Elders.”

It was one am when I finally shut the laptop down and I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. There was a sticky note on the microwave, ‘Ryder, you can just heat up your dinner.’ It was Megan’s handwriting and I pressed the on button to heat the food up.

I ate the pasta and washed my dish and utensils and I had to smile when I put the kettle on. There was a cup with another sticky note that had my name on it and it was ready for me to just add water. I drank my coffee in the kitchen before making my way upstairs.

“She said she’d come back and she did,” Abeloth said.

“What are you saying Abeloth?” I asked him.

“I know you love her and it’s going to be exactly two minutes before you cave and forgive her but I don’t think you should,” he said.

“You don’t want me to forgive her?” I asked him.

“Halfling what do you want?” he asked me.

“I don’t know, honestly I’m hurt that she could just leave like that, I feel betrayed and it’s messing with my mind, how do I just pretend that nothing happened and everything’s just fine. If she loved me as much as I loved her she wouldn’t have left me so easily,” I said to him.

“I think she should prove it to you just like you had to prove everything to her,” Abeloth said as I opened the bedroom door.

“Maybe,” I said as I headed straight for the bathroom and climbed into the shower.

I took my time showering and saw that my wounds had closed up and the skin now only held the faint line of a scar which would be gone by morning. I dried off and froze in my step as I looked at Megan’s clothes which now filled her half of the dressing room again.

I knew she was in the bed the moment I walked into the room but I ignored it because I was curious to see what she was going to do and how far she was going to take it. I climbed into bed and turned on my side, away from her and closed my eyes.

“Did you eat?” she asked me softly as she moved up right behind me and put her arm around my waist.

“Yes, thank you,” I said.

“I meant what I said yesterday, I’m not giving up,” she said.

“We wouldn’t be here if you had trusted me enough,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she pressed herself against my back and tightened her hold on me. I didn’t know what to say to that so I just kept quiet.

“Goodnight Ryder,” she whispered after a while.

I didn’t say anything back as I felt myself drift off to sleep. I was tired in so many ways, tired of feeling guilty over Felix, tired of wanting things I couldn’t have and I was tired of feeling hurt. Abeloth wasn’t really of any help as his asshole manners shone through with the advice he was giving me.

The bond really was a bitch as I woke up the following morning with Megan lying half on top of me and both of my arms firmly around her. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the bond would strengthen more and we would be ripping our clothes off.

I untangled myself from her and she sighed slightly in her sleep. It was still early as I went downstairs to make coffee. To my surprise I found a woman in the kitchen already making coffee. She was wearing an overly large t-shirt as she hummed to herself.

I stood in the doorway as Link entered the kitchen from the side door and he halted in his step as he looked at me and then looked at the woman. She smelled familiar but I couldn’t place her scent and I gave a silent prayer that I hadn’t slept with her before.

“I didn’t think you’d be up this early,” Link said and the woman turned around in surprise.

“Ryder?” she said in surprise.

“Shit Link, you do get around,” I said as I took a cup from the cabinet and placed it in front of the kettle.

“I heard you and Megan broke up,” she said as she looked up at me.

“So you thought you’d worm your way in here?” Megan asked from the doorway and I almost smiled at her directness.

“I’m not worming my way in anywhere,” she said drily.

“Okay easy now girls, can we first have coffee, I didn’t know you all knew each other,” Link said as he looked at both women.

“The whole of Illinois knows Tori,” Megan said.

“Why are you being such a bitch? We used to be friends,” Tori said.

“We were never really friends,” she said as she walked into the washing room and handed me a t-shirt.

I smiled as I pulled the t-shirt over my head as I felt Megan’s jealousy. She grabbed the cup from Tori and made my coffee herself as Link just stood back with a smile on his face. I shook my head at him as we both left the kitchen.

“What the hell is up with that?” he asked me as we sat down in the living room.

“Tori went to school with us, she’s easier than Leana,” I said to him.

“Shit, Megan’s going to cock block me isn’t she?” he asked as I laughed.

“What if your bonded half is this really nice girl and she hears all these stories about you?” I asked him.

“I’m not so sure she’s out there Ryder, I go out all the time in search of her but still nothing,” he said.

“She’s out there, maybe she just doesn’t hang out in bars,” I said to him.

We both looked towards the foyer as someone started knocking on the front door. Link stood up with a frown as he walked towards it and opened the front door and I closed my eyes as I heard Chase’s voice.

“Where’s that idiot brother of mine?” he asked and I heard his footsteps.

“It’s like six am Chase,” I said to him as I remained seated on the couch with my feet on the coffee table.

“So? Is there a better time for an intervention?” he asked me.

“What the hell are you on about?” I asked him.

“Morning assholes,” Brady said as he flopped down on the couch followed by Truman and Jason.

“What the hell is this?” I asked as I looked at them.

“You might want to go check on those two by the front door,” Brady said as I stood up.

Link and Emily stood staring at each other and I recognized that glazed look and I started laughing as Emily finally tore her eyes away from him and looked at me.

“This is going to be an interesting day,” I said as I turned around and walked back to the living room.

“What’s going on there?” Truman asked me.

“Seems like Link and Emily are bonded halves,” I said and Chase started laughing too.

“Oh man, I don’t know which one is scarier, Aunt Hannah or Rev,” he said and Truman started laughing too as he realized Link’s predicament.

I could hear Megan’s voice coming from the kitchen as Emily finally walked into the living room followed by Link who looked like a lost puppy that had finally found his human. Everyone stopped talking as Tori rushed into the living room and hid behind Link as Megan followed closely behind.

“And to think I wasn’t going to come today,” Brady said as he leaned back in the seat.

“I told you to pack your shit and leave my house,” Megan said loudly.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Emily asked stiffly.

“No,” Link said as he tried to untangle himself from Tori.

“Link!” Tori shouted.

“She spent the night and now she thinks that’s a free ticket to hang around,” Megan said as Emily’s eyes found Link’s and she glared at him.

“It’s not what you think,” Link said and I started laughing again.

“It’s exactly what I think, you’re just like all of them, a man-whore!” Emily said angrily.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Megan asked.

“Link’s dragon recognized the bond with Emily,” I said as Megan’s eyes widened.

“You said you weren’t bonded!” Tori retorted.

“He wasn’t last night, he is now, put on your skanky ass clothes and get out of my cousin’s house,” Emily said.

“What she said,” Link said as he stepped away from her.