18
I knocked on the door right across from my suite and looked into Colin's face as he opened the door. He smiled briefly at me before his face became questioning since my expression was serious.
"Sire Lucas, what brings you to my door?" he asked.
"Cut the bullshit Colin, I need to speak to Rylee," I said to him. Rylee appeared next to him still looking like shit.
"I need you to accompany me to the conference room to meet with the Elders," I said to her.
"I'll accompany Rylee," Colin said and he stepped forward but I moved in front of him as Rylee stepped into the hallway and blocked his view.
"You're not invited," I said to him.
I turned and nudged Rylee with a hand on her shoulder towards the elevator. She didn't say a word and I was glad. I couldn't talk to her right now, I was still too angry at her confession. There was probably nothing wrong with Colin except that she loved him.
"Lucas, can we talk please?" she asked me when the doors closed and we started going down.
"There's no point in us having any type of conversation," I said to her.
The elevator doors opened and I led her to the conference room. The Elders were waiting for us and we were five minutes early. They looked at Rylee and I could see that Elder James already knew what I wanted and he didn't look too pleased.
"Thank you Elders, let's get started," I said as I closed the door behind me, "this is Rylee Christianson."
They introduced themselves and I saw Rylee's confusion. Elder Peter made a crude circle from the chairs so that we could all face each other. I had chosen this conference room for a reason and it was practically empty of other furniture, it was also one of two rooms that were soundproof.
"I want you to sever this bond between us," I said and Rylee's head snapped towards mine.
"This is your bonded half?" Elder Gareth asked.
"Yes and I want the bond gone," I said.
"You took an oath Lucas to never reject your bond," Elder Peter said.
"She wants this as much as I do," I said.
"Why?" Elder James asked as he looked at us, "she bears your mark you know this is almost impossible."
"The marking was accidental, we don't love each other and we've been estranged for six years, now fucking break it," I said angrily as my eyes flashed yellow and Baz was fighting me to come out.
"Sire Lucas, control your beast!" Elder James said with wide eyes.
I could feel myself losing this battle with him and he separated from me. He crashed into a nearby table, breaking it as he opened his wings and roared at me. He didn't want me to reject this bond, mainly because it was his belief that nobody else would fit with us like she would.
"Baz!" I said angrily as I looked at him. The Elders stood in front of Rylee in a corner of the room as they watched Baz carefully.
"I told you halfling, we never reject the bond," he said and smoke rose from one nostril.
"This bond was never supposed to happen!" I yelled at him as he circled me.
"Every bond is sacred," he said and I watched his movements. He was going to attack me.
I dodged the first flap of his wing but the second one hit me square in the stomach and sent me flying into the opposite wall. I stood up as I looked at him and the Elders watched us in awe. One does not fight with a dragon, unless you're me. I fought with Baz all the time, physically, that's how we trained.
"You want a fight lizard? I'll give you a fight," I said as I ran towards him.
I used his paw as a stepladder and turned in the air grabbing his horn and using my momentum to swing him to the side. He crashed to the floor as the claw of his wing scraped across my mid riff and I smelled my own blood.
My hand found the weak spot on his neck and I slipped my hand underneath his scales. His eyes widened as he looked at me and I stood up as I ripped the scale off. He roared in pain and stood up again. I could see he was pissed off now and smoke was rising from both nostrils.
"Don't make me do it," I said to him and he grunted.
"Next time halfling," he said and flung himself back into me. This time it burned more because of his anger and humiliation and I knew that once we were back home he'd kick my ass for doing this.
"Now gentleman, Baz is under control and you can continue to break this bond," I said and looked at them.
"Sire Lucas, it's not as easy as just breaking the bond. We can try but I can't promise anything," Elder Gareth said as he watched me warily.
"Do it," I said.
"Please sit," Elder Peter said and we all took our seats again.
I sat facing Rylee and I couldn't make out what was going through her head. Her emotions that I could feel ranged from fear to guilt and I tried blocking them. I was tired of everything and I needed my freedom too. Last night when she said she loved him, it broke everything in me and for the first time I wanted this bond gone.
"Rylee Christianson have you been unfaithful to the bond?" Elder Gareth asked her.
"No," she answered and he turned to me.
"Sire Lucas have you been unfaithful to the bond?" he asked.
"Did you expect me to remain celibate for six years?" I asked him and Rylee looked down.
"Close your eyes and give in to the pull," Elder James said.
I closed my eyes and I could feel my eyelids growing heavy, like sleep creeping forward and taking over my senses. My eyelids felt heavy as I tried to open them and it felt like a few seconds that they'd been closed.
"You may now formally reject each other and see if the mark disappears," Elder Peter said.
"I, Lucas Grey, reject this bond with Rylee Christianson," I said and she looked at me with hurt in her eyes.
"I, Rylee Christianson, accept this rejection," she said in a small voice.
I didn't feel anything and I looked at the mark on her neck. It seemed to glow for a bit and then it subsided but didn't disappear. It remained on her neck stubbornly.
"What does this mean?" I asked Elder Peter.
"It means the rejection failed," he said.
"There is another way," Elder James said with a sigh.
"Which is?" I asked him.
"I would suggest that you live together for six months and see if the bond takes, perhaps you can come to some sort of agreement of living in peace with one another," Elder Gareth interrupted.
"You expect me to live my life without a bonded half and sire no heir?" I asked him.
"You have a bonded mate, that is sacred and you were warned before the time that it might not work. If after six months both of you still feel that this bond was a mistake, we will perform the rejection ceremony," Elder James said.
"Why can't you do it now?" I asked him.
"Because it's extremely dangerous, both of you could die from the rejection and it's painful beyond words, most people don't survive the pain of it," he said.
"If this is all true what difference would six months of living together make?" I asked him.
"You are both extremely emotional right now, six months is long enough to either hate each other completely or to bond," he said.
"This is ludicrous," I said as I folded my arms.
"This is our determination and our word is final, within the realm of the dragons, neither of you were emotionally ready to let go of the other one, that is why the rejection failed and I'm positive that if you are forced to live together that your bond will stick," he said.
"Fine, see you in six months," I said and stood up.
"Good luck Miss Christianson, you're going to need it with him," Elder Peter said and I glared at him.
"You will have thirty days to return to Sire Lucas and live with him as a bonded mate or the Elder Council will take further steps into refusal to obey our orders," Elder Gareth said.
I left the conference room and went up to the suite. Jasper was calling out to me but I ignored him. This was not what I wanted and now I would have to spend six months with Rylee. Torture, this would be pure torture because I already knew what was going to happen. We'd fight and then have sex which strengthens the bond and then we'd fight again.
"Where you have been?" Hannah asked me the moment I stepped into the living room of the suite.
"Meeting with the Elders," I said and sat down on the couch.
"Why?" she asked me narrowing her eyes.
"To break the bond with Rylee," I said.
"Why would you do that?" she asked me.
"Because I'm tired Hannah, tired of feeling her fear and pain, waking up from her nightmares, it's bullshit, why do I have to suffer when she's the one that left me?" I said angrily.
"You feel all her emotions?" she asked me.
"Don't look so surprised, isn't that part of the bond?" I asked her.
"Yes and no, it means your bond is stronger than you think, even apart you could feel her, that's not the bond, the bond usually weakens when you're apart like that or secretly you both love each other," she said and sat down next to me.
"She loves Colin Maxwell," I said.
"Did she tell you that or is that just what you think?" she asked me.
"She told me," I said.
"So what happened because you look ready to kill someone," she murmured.
"They concluded that Rylee has to live with me for six months and if we still want to go ahead then they'll do the rejection ceremony," I said to her.
"So Rylee's coming home with us?" she asked.
"She has thirty days," I said and wiped a hand over my face.
"Lucas why don't you just actually try to be nice to her?" she asked.
"And screw up my reputation?" I asked her and laughed.
"Don't be an asshole, you can be nice if you tried. She has many conflicting emotions about you, a prominent one is guilt, but I don't think it's guilt about another man. It's guilt about you," Hannah said.
"I felt guilt from her too," I said.
"At least dance with her tonight," she said and winked at me.
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