186
We had left Aurora two days later and driven back to Hartwell. We arrived late at night but Mary-Joe had cooked for us and she and Simon had waited up. There were hugs and some tears, especially from Mary-Joe and Nova, as we stepped back into our house.
“It’s good to be back,” I said as Simon and I shook hands.
“It’s been too long Mr Ryder,” Simon said.
“We’re not leaving again any time soon,” Nova said.
After a very late dinner we all retreated to our bedrooms and I knew that nobody would be up early the next day. The air smelled different in Georgia and I felt a sense of calm when I drove into Hartwell. We were home.
I was up early the next morning, my internal clock always woke me up before five am. It was summer holidays and I left the house at seven am after a jog and a shower. I was going to surprise everyone with breakfast from the bakery. A little family celebration that was well deserved.
I also planned on talking to the boys about their future during this breakfast. They’d be eighteen soon and they needed to make a choice about their futures. They would definitely not be spending it at home doing nothing.
I stopped in front of the bakery and took my time ordering everything I wanted. It looked enough to feed a small army, but between me and the two boys, we didn’t joke when it came to eating. I drove back to the house, deep in thought.
“Dad brought food!” Milo yelled up the stairs as Wynter started unpacking the bags, a bowl of cereal on the kitchen table.
Mary-Joe and Simon joined us for breakfast and we all ate our fill, amidst joking and laughter and just a sense of relief at being home. After breakfast I had Wynter and Milo follow me down to the docks where we sat on camping chairs looking out at the water.
“This feels serious,” Milo said and I looked at them with a smile.
“You two are almost eighteen. What are your plans for the future?” I asked.
“Kicking us out already?” Wynter asked with a cheeky smile.
“I won’t be around forever and I might also be gone sooner than any of us think,” I said.
“Is this to do with the night you came home with blood on your face?” Wynter asked me.
“I killed Ally’s biological father, brother of the Fae King,” I said.
“Why?” Milo asked me.
“Because he threatened to take her when she turned seventeen,” Wynter said.
“You never told me that,” Milo said as he glared at Wynter.
“He was in Illinois, I’d been keeping tabs on him and I saw my chance,” I said.
“He’s dead, so what’s the problem?” Milo asked.
“Nova says that when you kill a fairy their last breath sticks to you for life and fae trackers can track it,” I said.
“Then we wait for them, kill whoever comes after you,” Wynter said.
“No. This was all me and I’ll face whatever I have to with peace knowing that Ally’s safe,” I said.
“Shit Dad,” Milo and Wynter said simultaneously.
“So whatever happens will happen only to me. Nova and your sisters will be fine although checking in and visiting them will keep your family bond alive,” I said.
“You know we will but I still say we stay together and fight whatever comes our way,” Wynter said.
“It’s good to be loyal but there’s no need to make enemies so early in your life,” I said.
“Do you know when they’ll come?” Milo asked.
“No and they might never come for me, so what are your plans?” I asked.
“We’ve been talking about that a lot and we have no plans on doing whatever we decide on separately,” Wynter said first.
“What options have you discussed?” I asked.
“We got accepted to Berkeley,” Milo said.
“That’s good but I sense that it’s not really what you want to do,” I said and Wynter smiled at me.
“We want to join the Unit,” Wynter said.
“The Elite Hunter Unit,” Milo added.
“Acceptance age is twenty,” I said.
“You got in when you were seventeen, we can too,” Wynter said.
“Is this really what you want?” I asked.
“You said the Unit made you a man, taught you skills that you never would’ve had otherwise. We come from men that were hunters, it’s only logical that we’d follow that legacy,” Wynter said.
“Milo?”
“It’s an obvious choice, Dad. We both feel the itch to do more, train more, to be better, maybe even better than you and my father were,” he said and I smiled.
“Good luck then, the Unit isn’t a vacation. You’ll get the shit beaten out of you, train harder than you’ve ever trained before, undergo torture training, but once you step out of that building, you’ll be men and nobody will ever be able to mess with you.”
“We’ll leave at the end of the week,” Wynter said.
“If I can give you one piece of advice. Listen to Echo, I didn’t listen to Abeloth and it almost cost me my life and got Felix kidnapped for a year, bravery isn’t always the one who runs in first. Use your heads, you’re smart boys, listen to your instincts and call me when you can,” I said.
“Your blessing really means a lot Dad,” Milo said and I hugged both of them.
We were all in the living room watching movies as Shae lay on my chest, fast asleep. Abby and Ally were on their bean bags and Nova’s head was on my shoulder. Wynter and Milo were talking in low voices, not watching the movie at all.
“I can’t remember the last time we all just relaxed like this,” Nova said as she yawned.
“We should do it more,” I agreed.
“We have three months with the girls at home, I doubt the boys will spend their summer vacation here,” she said with a smile as the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Milo said and in a flash I heard the front door open.
Low voices spoke to him and I handed Shae to Nova. “Stay here,” I said to her. I’d had a nagging feeling that the fae warriors would come sooner than any of us expected and I wasn’t planning on fighting them.
“Ryder Grey?” a man asked me.
“Yes,” I said as I glanced at Milo.
“You will need to come with us Sir,” he said.
“Only me right?” I asked him.
“Yes Sir, only you,” he said.
“You know what to do,” I said to Milo and he nodded his head.
“Dad …” Wynter said.
“Stay here, look after your sisters. I love you guys, don’t do anything stupid. The blood spill ends with me,” I said as I looked at both of them.
I pulled the front door closed behind me and climbed into the dark tinted SUV, flanked by two warriors. I had always known that I’d die the way I had lived. I wasn’t angry or in denial. I was accepting my fate. I wasn’t sorry for killing Marshall Covington and I never would be.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” the man that had knocked at the door said.
“Enough people have died,” I said.
“We would appreciate your further cooperation as we drive onto the tarmac and board the jet,” he said.
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
“New York, the King will see you at his country estate,” the man said.
He wasn’t at all what I expected a fae warrior to look like. He had a shaved head, strong jawline and he was a head shorter than me but with a strong build. His aura was also one of peaceful calmness, something that made me a little nervous.
They drove the two hours to Atlanta in silence and I followed them onto the jet. I hadn’t been handcuffed and I was led inside to a comfortable chair. Everything they did seemed odd since I had killed a member of the royal family. I was offered drinks and snacks and one of them even smiled at my hesitance.
“There’s no point in poisoning you before you see the King,” he said in amusement.
“True,” I said and accepted the glass of brandy.
We landed in New York two hours later but instead of climbing into another SUV, I was led to a helicopter. The two men squeezed in on either side of me and without another word, the chopper was airborne and we headed out.
The estate was breathtaking, surrounded by man-made lakes and a vast stretch of wooded trees at the back. ‘I could live like this,’ I thought to myself. The helicopter landed on the helipad and three more men waited for us as we climbed out.
“I’ll show you to a room to freshen up before your meeting with the King,” another man clad in a suit said to me.
“Thank you,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say. I hadn’t expected this kind of behaviour and I was surprised that I was being treated so well.
I took out my phone that they hadn’t taken from me and I dialed Nova’s number. “Ryder?” she breathed.
“I’m in New York and I’ve yet to meet your King,” I said to her as she started to cry.
“Ryder, if you run, we’ll meet you wherever you go. We’ll always follow you,” she said.
“I don’t run Nova, ever. I did this and it’s time for the cycle to end. No revenge, no looking back,” I said.
“I don’t want to move forward without you,” she said softly.
“You’re free Nova. Tell my girls I love them and after a week or so of me not coming back … tell them I died in an accident or something. I don’t ever want Ally to know the real reason, she should never feel guilty because I’m still not sorry,” I said.
“What about Wynter and Milo?” she asked me.
“They know the truth, I already spoke to them … listen … I love you Nova, just know that this was the last thing I could do to protect you.”
“I love you, Ryder Grey, more than you know,” she said and I could hear her crying again.
“You can do this Nova, you will succeed,” I said and ended the call before all the emotions took over.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
