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To say Shelley was freaked out was putting it mildly. She had left the dinner table soon after Johnathan's revelation and I took him up to his room, which coincidentally was right next to hers. He looked somewhat dejected when she left the dining room earlier.
“Maybe just give her some time,” I said to him.
“I understand that she’s freaking out right now, I have a beast explaining all this to me, I mean here I am a strange man seeking her attention while she’s recovering from an assault,” he said and shook his head.
“Let’s see how things go tomorrow at breakfast,” I said and slapped him on the back lightly as I opened his bedroom door for him.
“Thank you Ryder,” he said as I nodded and left him.
I went upstairs and sank down on the bed fully clothed. It had been a busy day and I got the feeling that I’d be seeing more of Johnathan Thomas. I felt bad for the guy but he was trying to do it right for this new lair he’d taken over.
“No shoes on the bed,” Megan said as I felt her sit down.
I opened my eyes and turned my head sideways as I looked at her. She had just gotten out of the shower and her hair was pinned up on her head. I sat up straight and kicked my shoes off and undressed. I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes again.
“What do you think will happen with Johnathan and Shelley?” she asked me as she put her head down on my chest and my eyes flew open as her wet hair touched me.
“I hope she doesn’t act like an idiot and gives the guy a chance, it’s not every day you get second chances like this,” I said as I pushed her off me.
“Did you just push me off you?” she asked.
“Your hair’s still wet,” I said as I turned on my side.
“Megan!” I yelled out as she rubbed her hair over my back and laughed.
“Okay fine I’m sorry,” she said as I glared at her.
I settled back down and closed my eyes as I felt Megan settle down on the other side of the bed and I turned around and pulled her closer as she laughed softly. Sleep came swiftly and thankfully no dreams haunted my sleep.
The following morning I woke up early and showered and got dressed as Megan lay sleeping in the bed and I smiled as I looked down at her. I went back to the bathroom and filled the toothbrush glass with water and stood next to Megan.
I emptied the glass over her face as she stifled a scream and sat up straight in bed. Her look told me everything and I turned and ran out of the room.
“You are so dead Ryder!” she yelled from the top of the stairs as I stopped running and laughed to myself.
I bumped into Shelley and Johnathan as they descended the stairs and I pushed past them with a quick apology as I heard Megan’s footsteps behind me.
“She’s going to kill me,” I said as I hurried down the stairs.
“You can run but at some point you have to come back asshole!” she yelled as I closed my office door behind me.
“What did you do now?” Link asked me as he stood up from behind the laptop.
“I woke her up with a glass of water over her head,” I said and he shook his head.
“You only have about forty more minutes to hide before breakfast,” he said as he left the office with a laugh.
I answered some emails and carefully made my way out of the office, stopping every now and then to listen, I poked my head into the dining room where Megan sat where she usually sat and I felt stupid for tip toeing around.
“Morning everyone,” I said as I made my way to my chair.
“Morning.”
“Lovely day isn’t it,” I said.
“Yes, isn’t it just,” Megan said as she looked at me.
“How did you sleep Johnathan?” I asked him as he now sat next to Shelley and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good thanks,” he said and Shelley smiled.
“He slept on the floor in front of my bed and I nearly had a heart attack this morning when I tripped over him,” she said with a slight blush.
“That’s so sweet,” Emily said and then glared at Link, “you never slept on the floor in front of my bed.”
“It’s not a rule like you not dishing up for me,” he said smugly.
“Megan, I’m sorry,” I said softly as Sophie walked in and started putting dishes on the table.
“You will be,” she said to me as she stood up and dished up for herself and left my plate empty.
“Really?” I said as I looked at her and I could see everyone was trying not to laugh.
“There’s nothing wrong with your hands,” she said as she sat down and indicated to the rest that they should dish up and eat.
“Emily?” I said as I looked at her and then at my plate.
“Emily if you touch his plate we’re going to have a problem,” Megan said without looking up as she started to eat.
“Sorry cousin, you’re on your own,” she said as Johnathan dished up for Shelley and then for himself.
I didn’t say anything else and dished up for myself as Megan ignored me right through breakfast. Megan and Emily cleared the table and she walked back in with coffee and I smiled as she placed my cup in front of me.
“Thanks Megan,” I said cockily as I took a sip and started coughing.
“You okay there sweetheart?” Megan asked looking at me innocently.
“Just great,” I said and took another sip of the salty coffee.
“Are they always like this?” Johnathan asked Link as he laughed.
“Welcome to my life man,” he said.
“Johnathan you should join me in the office, the Elders will be here at nine,” I said to him as I stood up, “Link please ask Sophie to bring us coffee when they arrive, I wouldn’t want Megan to exert herself.”
“Sure thing boss,” Link said with a smile as Megan kept on ignoring me.
Johnathan and I headed to the office and sat down in the couch area again as I picked up a few files from the coffee table.
“I prepared these for you, it’ll give you an idea of the businesses we're involved in and how we run things here,” I said to him and handed him the folders.
“Thanks, I really appreciate everything you’ve done so far, I really didn’t think you’d be this cool,” he said to me and I laughed.
“Just remember that not everything you hear is the truth,” I said to him.
“The Elders said you had a temper and that you’d probably laugh in my face when I mentioned the word alliance,” he said as he chuckled.
“Yeah I can’t really explain it but our beasts seems to have connected with each other, if he trusts your beast then I trust you,” I said to him.
“Ryder, the Elders are here,” Link said as he popped his head through the open door and I nodded as he brought in the tray with the coffee.
“Good morning Elders,” I said as I shook hands with the three men and showed them to the couches where Johnathan was also standing.
“Morning Sires,” they said and sat down.
“Okay let’s cut the bullshit, why are you here?” I asked them and Elder Michael smiled at me.
“Always straight to the point just like your father,” Elder Victor said.
“Elders, thank you for referring me to Sire Grey, we’ve had quite an interesting meeting,” Johnathan said.
“We’re very glad if it helped,” Elder Cliff said and turned towards me.
“Now Sire Ryder, we’re extending you an invitation to the execution of Sire Albert and Carlson Hall, which will be held on the next Friday of the new moon,” Elder Cliff continued.
“That’s in a week,” I said to him.
“Is there a problem?” he asked me.
“Not at all, I would like to request the presence of my team at the execution,” I said.
“Of course, we approve your request,” Elder Michael said.
“I’m sure you’ve been contacted by my mother about the acceptance ceremonies,” I said as I looked at them.
“Yes, your mother mentioned that there will be three bonding ceremonies at the next Sire meeting,” Elder Victor said.
“Maybe four,” Johnathan said and I smiled as the Elders looked at him.
“Congratulations Sire Johnathan,” the Elders said with big smiles.
“If that’s all Elders, I have a busy day ahead of me,” I said as I stood up.
“Of course, we’ll see you at our lair in one week,” Elder Cliff said as we shook hands again.
I walked the Elders to the front door and watched them leave as I sent a text to my team about the coming execution. I knew they all wanted to be there and I couldn’t wait to see them lose their heads.
“Are you always like that with the Elders?” Johnathan asked me.
“I get away with it because I saved their lives when I killed the Sire of this lair,” I said with a smile.
“I’m glad I got on your good side then,” he said as we sat down again.
“You know when my father was a young Sire he killed the three previous Sires’ dragons,” I said to him.
“What?” he asked in disbelief.
“It’s true, my father is a bad ass and he takes no bullshit from anyone and the one thing he taught me was to never let people walk over you, if another Sire perceives you as weak your alliance with him will be weak, so being an asshole from the start makes them respect you and fear you a little, but you’re off to a good start because I believe we now have an alliance between our two lairs,” I said to him.
“How many alliances do you have?” he asked me.
“I’m very careful when agreeing to alliances but basically I have an alliance with my father’s lair, the O’Connell lair in Chicago and the Johnson lair in Wisconsin, I get about five alliance requests a day, because of my reputation but I don’t accept them, if you can make alliances with those three lairs you’ll be fine, but that’s up to you,” I said to him.
“I think I’ll stick with the Grey method here, seems to work for you,” he said as we concluded our business and headed out of the office.
We rounded the corner and Megan appeared holding a shot gun and I heard the slight pop pop pop as she shot me in the stomach and ran away laughing. "Megan!"
Johnathan was laughing so much that his face was turning red and I looked down at my ruined shirt, the paint was blue and I shook my head as I heard Link laugh at me too.
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