152
“Motherfucker!” I yelled and slammed the laptop closed.
I was alone in my office and I had just received an email from the Elders with regards to Sire Anthony Jacobs’ retribution claim. He was escalating the matter to the High Council. He was enraged to say the least.
“Does your father know you call him that?” Felix asked me.
“Not now Felix,” I said.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to appear in front of the High Council,” I said.
“On what charges?” he asked me.
“Failure to uphold the Sire’s vow.”
“For divorcing Ava?” he asked.
“Oh he doesn’t even know that part yet, this is for marking Megan,” I said.
“He’s pissed off about the alliance,” Felix said.
“So what am I looking at Felix? Financial penalty, loss of my lair?”
“It depends on what he’s asking for but yes financial penalty is an option, absorption of your lair or he can demand that the bond be broken and reestablished between you and Ava,” he said.
“That’s what he wants,” I said.
“I agree,” Felix said.
“What I’m about to do is going to piss off plenty of people, are you with me or are you going back home?” I asked him.
“What kind of idiotic question is that? I’m always with you,” Felix said.
“Have you spoken to Ava?” I asked him.
“She’s avoiding me,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him.
“Don’t be, you didn’t do any of this on purpose, besides, we’ve got much bigger problems to sort out now,” he said.
“I have to speak to Megan first,” I said to him and opened the office door.
“You go do that, I’m calling my brother,” he said and sat down on my chair.
I found Megan in the infirmary with Peter. They were going through our inventory and Megan made lists of items that needed to be replaced or stocked up on. Emily had her own list that she was working through and they were both using Link to move boxes.
“Hey,” Megan said with a smile when she saw me.
“We need to talk,” I said.
“Uh oh, did you call him a girl again?” Link asked.
“Asshole,” I said as Link laughed.
“I didn’t,” Megan said giving Link a look. “He’s so sensitive about that.”
“Maybe it’s not that kind of talk,” Link said winking at Megan.
“Come on,” I said and took Megan’s hand. “And don’t be an idiot Link. I don’t need to use code for anything.”
I walked around the back of the house with Megan and both Abeloth and Kaida separated from us and started rubbing against one another. I kept walking into the woods and sat down on the ground in a clearing.
“What’s wrong?” Megan asked as she sat between my legs and rested her back against my chest.
“I got an email from the Elders. I’m being charged to appear in front of the High Council,” I said.
“Because of our bond?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Then we fight it,” she said.
“You have options, Megan,” I said.
“I don’t want options, Ryder. I go where you go,” she said.
“I have a plan but that plan means you won’t be Drakaina,” I said.
“You’re giving the lair to Link, aren’t you?” she asked me.
“It’s the best option for the lair. Ava’s father is going to ask for our bond to be severed and then for the Council to force the bond with Ava. He wants the status and the financial gain that goes with it,” I said.
“But if you’re not the Sire then there is nothing for him to gain,” she said.
“Exactly.”
“What do you want Ryder?” she asked me.
“I have everything I want. I have you.”
“So where are we going?”
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
“We can’t stay in Princeton once you give the lair to Link. People will still see you as the Sire and that’ll prevent Link from doing his job effectively. He’s more than capable to lead them and the best way for him to do it is for us to leave,” she said.
“Pick a place,” I said.
“Is Felix coming with us?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“What about Ava?” she asked.
“I don’t know, she’s avoiding everybody,” I said.
“I don’t care about being the Drakaina of a lair. It’s just a title, we’re strong enough to start over. We can go somewhere else, claim another territory and build it up,” Megan said.
“Are you sure?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
“I love you, Megan,” I said and kissed the top of her head.
“Of course you do,” she said with a smile.
Dinner was a rather quiet affair. Ava had come down from her room for the first time in a week after Hope’s funeral ceremony. She avoided conversation unless you asked her a direct question and all eye contact and I wished it wasn’t so uncomfortable for everyone.
“Have you spoken to your father yet Ava?” I asked her.
“He keeps calling but I haven’t answered yet,” she said not looking at me.
“He filed for retribution,” I said.
“Good.”
“Good?” Felix asked.
“He made a promise and he broke it,” she said.
“Ava, I’m sorry for all your pain but what happened to all of us was terrible. We’re all victims in this,” Megan said.
“That’s easy for you to say,” she said.
“Hope’s death wasn’t Ryder’s fault, just like it wasn’t your fault,” Megan said gently.
“I know it wasn’t anybody’s fault, yet I’m the only one walking out alone out of all this,” she said.
“You’re not alone,” Felix said.
“I might as well be,” she said.
“Then get the damn rejection over with!” Felix said angrily as he pushed his chair away from the table and left the dining room.
“You know Ava, one of these days you’re going to realize that losing Felix was the biggest mistake of your life, trust me when I tell you that if you reject him you’ll regret it forever,” Megan said as she stood up and walked out of the room as well.
“I’ll sign the divorce papers,” Ava said softly as I reached the door of the dining room.
“Thank you,” I said.
I found Link in the office and closed the door behind me. He looked up from the desk when he heard the door and then carried on typing on the laptop. I watched him for a few minutes and it only confirmed that my choice was the right one.
“Link,” I said as he looked up again.
“Yeah?”
“Trust me okay,” I said as my eyes changed colour and I could feel Abeloth taking control of Link’s dragon.
We stood in the cave and Link took a step backwards as Typhon emerged from the shadows. This time Abeloth didn’t separate from me and I bowed my head in respect to the old dragon. He made a soft rumbling noise and I saw Link bowing his head as well.
“Yes Sire, it will be done,” Typhon said.
“Thank you, Typhon,” I said and pulled the knife from the holster in my boot.
I took Link’s hand and cut his palm open, repeating the process with my own hand. I pressed our hands together and Link tried to pull his hand away.
“Lincoln Houseman, you are now recognized as the Sire of the Princeton Lair. Emily Harris Houseman is accepted as your true Drakaina. I have no need to ask you to repeat the oath, I know that you will uphold it,” Typhon said.
“Wait, why?” Link asked me.
“It’s your time to lead, Link,” I said.
His aura was changing and I could feel the power rising in him as Typhon blew his breath into Link’s face. He would feel the connection with the lair very soon as all those bonds snapped into place. I could also feel them unsnapping from me and it hurt, like they all died, one after the other.
When I opened my eyes back in the office, Link lay on the floor and I didn’t feel the lair’s connection anymore. I was still a Sire though, I’d always be a Sire, it was in my blood, I just wasn’t anybody’s Sire anymore.
“What the hell did you do?” Link asked me the moment his eyes opened up.
“Be a good Sire, Link, look after your people,” I said and walked out of the office.
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