31
“You son of a bitch!” JD yelled as I told Preston to take him into custody and Carson waited out of sight until JD had been taken away.
The Elders were waiting for Rylee in the meeting room and the other Sires were also taking their leave. We all had a lot of work to do and taking time out of your schedule for an impromptu meeting like this had consequences.
“Thank you for having my back, I guess now I owe you all one,” I said amidst a few that laughed.
“Having Lucas Grey owe you one was definitely worth this meeting,” Remy said.
I went upstairs and found Rylee on the sofa with a notebook taking notes as Hannah spoke non-stop. She smiled when she saw me and if Hannah wasn’t in the room, well yeah, I won’t go into details about that.
“Hannah give us a moment,” I said.
“Is something wrong?” Rylee asked me her hands slightly shaking. I waited for Hannah to leave and sat down next to her.
“The Elders want to speak to you, I made Carson confess part of their crimes and JD’s being held downstairs in the basement for punishment. Nobody’s making you leave,” I said to her as she took a few deep breaths.
“Why do they want to talk to me?” she asked.
“About the ceremony, for some reason my word isn’t good enough,” I said and she laughed nervously.
“Carson left?” she asked and I nodded, “okay let’s get this over with.”
I led Rylee downstairs to the meeting room where Martha had put fresh coffee down and the Elders were busy helping themselves. Rylee shook her head when I motioned to the coffee and I pulled a chair out for her next to mine.
“Good afternoon Miss Christianson,” Elder Gareth said.
“Good afternoon Elders,” she said and sat down.
“I’m sure Sire Lucas has filled you in on the key points of the events that has transpired,” Elder James stated.
“Yes, he has,” she said.
“We apologize for the insensitive manner in which this has been handled,” Elder Peter said.
“I should hope so,” Rylee said and I laughed as they scowled at her.
“Get on with it, we don’t have all day,” I said to them.
“Yes, well, we need to verbally confirm that you are indeed holding the Drakaina ceremony by choice,” Elder Gareth said.
“Because you’d like nothing more than to have a jab at Lucas here, hoping to redeem yourselves,” Rylee said and Elder James actually gasped at her words.
“As you can see I’m not forcing her into this,” I said and leaned back.
“I’m willingly doing the ceremony, isn’t that what you all wanted? Lucas and I have grown closer over the past few weeks and we are both willing to live as bonded halves with each other,” she said.
“There you have it Elders, now scram please,” I said and stood up.
“One day Lucas, this lack of respect will be your downfall,” Elder James said as they stood up as well.
“Perhaps, but I can guarantee that I’ll survive whatever you throw my way,” I said to them.
“We’ll need proof of death for our records once you’ve finished with JD,” Elder Peter said.
“Of course,” I said as Rylee shuddered.
Preston stood in the hallway outside the meeting room and showed the Elders to the front door. We walked slightly behind them and I watched them leave through the living room window. I could visibly feel Rylee relax as they left.
“Why does it feel like they have their knife in for you?” Rylee asked.
“They do sometimes, they hate that Baz is so strong. They can never make me submit and I’ve threatened to disband them a few times,” I said and Rylee looked at me in shock.
“You can’t threaten the Elders that way!” she said loudly and Preston laughed.
“Nobody tells Lucas what to do, not even the Elders,” he said.
“What are you going to do with JD?” she asked me.
“I’m not sure yet, but whatever it is, it’s going to hurt as hell,” I said as she averted her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Rylee said as she took my hand in hers.
“For what?” I asked her.
“Putting you all in this position,” she said softly.
“Stop, we’ve had a feud with them for years now, I’m just sorry that I couldn’t get Carson as well,” I said.
“His time will come,” Rev said from the doorway.
“Stop wallowing, we have a ceremony to prepare for, we only have two days left,” Hannah said where she stood in front of Rev, his arms around her.
“Shit, you guys don’t waste any time,” I said and Rylee laughed a little.
“As Hannah also explained, once the ceremony’s done, nobody has a claim on me,” she said.
“That’s true, but it was always your choice to do this,” I said to her.
The top floor of The Drake had always been where we held our inner ceremonies. It was designed to serve as a ballroom and could be altered depending on the ceremony. One end of the top floor had glass sliding doors that could be opened up fully revealed an open air deck with a bonfire area as we always used fire.
Every family in my lair had a representative at the ceremony including my closest Sire friends and the Elders. Unfortunately, we had to invite them even though I would love nothing more than to rub salt into their wounds by ignoring them.
The hall had been decorated in grey and subtle hints of light pink. I guess I now knew Rylee’s favourite colour. It looked like a wedding reception with round tables in the back by the bar. All the guests were seated at their tables and a long straight aisle was left in the middle for Rylee.
At the back of the tables were the dance floor and in the front was a raised dais where the official ceremony would take place. We had altered the ceremony over the years to include a legal marriage as well so that only one ceremony needed to be held.
The lights dimmed and my eyes flashed yellow as Baz pushed forward. Soft music filled the hall and a hush fell over everyone as the doors opened up and Rylee stepped into view. The three Elders stood in front of me on the dais and Baz roared in my head at them.
She was wearing the same shade of soft pink and the dress was tight around her breasts and then flared out slightly. The sleeves and back of the dress was of a sheer material with tiny pearls embroidered on the back.
She reached me at the stage and I stepped halfway down and offered my hand to help her up the steps. We didn’t have a best man and maid of honour like with a human wedding and we stood alone in front of the Elders.
“Blessed is the Sire that graces our presence, blessed is the Drakaina that joins his side,” Elder James started the ceremony as hundreds of candles flickered around the room.
“Do you Rylee Christianson take Lucas Grey as your bonded half and Sire?” Elder Gareth asked.
“I do,” Rylee answered.
“Do you solemnly vow to uphold the laws of his lair?” Elder Peter asked.
“I do,” she said.
“Do you solemnly vow to always put the needs of the lair before your own?” Elder James asked.
“I do,” she said.
“Do you swear to remain honest and faithful to your Sire, bonded half and lair?” Elder Gareth asked.
“I do,” she said.
“Sire Lucas Grey, do you take this woman as your lair’s Drakaina, swear to remain honest and faithful to her and to treat her with the respect that her position deserves?” Elder Peter asked me.
“I do,” I answered.
“You may now exchange rings as per human custom to signify the legality of this ceremony,” Elder James said.
I took the ring from my pocket and slid it onto her ring finger. I saw her look at it and I almost laughed as she looked at the dark stone. It definitely wasn’t the traditional diamond ring, even though I generally stuck to traditions but this felt right to me. She slid the ring on my finger and I could see Hannah had helped her. It matched the ring I had bought her and I smiled as I looked at it.
“By the power granted to us we declare Rylee Grey the Drakaina of the Grey Lair and true fated bonded half of Sire Lucas Grey forevermore,” Elder Peter said.
I felt the pull towards the realm of the dragons and when I opened my eyes, Rylee and I stood in a cave, similar to the one where I found Baz. There was a soft humming sound and a large black dragon appeared in front of us. I instinctively knew what to do and held my hand out to him where he made a cut on my palm and repeated the process with Rylee. I took her hand and our blood mingled once again.
“You are now one, this bond can never be broken and if you reject it, you’ll both suffer the consequences,” he said. I blinked, we were back in the main hall of The Drake, and it felt like it never happened.
“Congratulations,” I heard from almost every one as we made our way to our family table where Jax, Chris, Rev, Hannah, Preston, Jennifer, Jesse and Jasper waited for us.
“Your father would be proud Lucas,” Jesse said as he hugged me.
“Thanks,” I said trying not to think about my parents.
“Try not to upset the Elders so much,” Jesse said.
“It’s not like I do this on purpose, but they were out of line,” I said.
“I don’t disagree with you, but keep in mind they’re the Elders for a reason,” he said as he slapped me on the back.
“Are you trying to ruin my wedding night by making me think of the Elders?” I asked him as he laughed.
“Yeah yeah, because you’re all pure and virginy right,” he said as I laughed.
“Hah! I can tell you though that the counters in the hall bathroom are just the right height,” I said as Jesse laughed loudly.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said and walked away to get another drink.
“What was that all about?” Rylee asked as she put her arm around my waist.
“Nothing much just talking about you on a certain bathroom counter,” I said as she gasped and slapped my arm.
“You really are an asshole,” she said.
“I never denied that,” I said and grabbed her hand.
“Wipe the counter when you’re done!” Jesse yelled as Rylee blushed a bright red.
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