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Megan and I drove in silence and she fiddled with the radio and I tried not to look at her. She looked completely different tonight and for some strange reason I hadn’t liked the idea of her seeing someone. Abeloth was laughing at me and being of no help at all. Why was I jealous? Nothing had ever happened between us and we’d been living together for a few months now.
“Megan,” I said and looked over at her.
“Ryder,” she said mimicking me as I smiled.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
“For?” she asked me and frowned.
“Everything basically, being my friend, helping me with that body, coming with me tonight,” I said and she smiled.
“You’re welcome Ryder,” she said.
“Are you serious about this guy?” I asked her.
“Alex? I don’t know, we’re still getting to know each other and I want to be sure before I rush into anything,” she said.
“That’s good, keep a level head,” I said to her.
“What about you?” she asked.
“What about me?” I asked her.
“Are you keeping a level head?” she asked me and I laughed.
“I don’t know. I should probably stop messing around,” I said.
“You’ll find the one,” she said to me.
“I think Tia fucked that up for me already, taking a chosen mate can literally blow up in my face,” I said to her.
“True but I think you’ll know when you meet her,” she said.
“Is that how you feel about Alex?” I asked her.
“I don’t know what I feel for Alex, sometimes I feel odd when I’m with him and other times he’s as sweet as can be. Maybe I’m just nervous, like you said, a chosen mate is something you have to be very careful with, it is forever,” she said.
“Listen to your gut Megan, you have good instincts and you know you can always lean on me,” I said to her.
“I know, you’re my best friend Ryder,” she said.
We drove the rest of the way in silence and thirty minutes later I parked in the underground parking lot of the hotel where the ceremony was taking place. I opened Megan’s door for her and she took my arm as we walked to the elevator.
“Oh one thing I forgot to mention, my family’s going to bombard you with questions,” I said to her.
“Why?” she asked me.
“Well between my little stunt at that diner and Leana’s big mouth and my dad that morning in the kitchen… I’ve told them we’re just friends,” I said to her.
“You so owe me for tonight,” she said.
“It’s not my fault,” I said to her.
“Stop acting all coy with me, I know you better than that, you use me as an excuse to keep women away from you,” she said.
“Just Leana,” I said to her.
“Some friend you are,” she said and laughed as the elevators opened and we headed to the ballroom.
We walked into the ballroom and I spotted Lucas immediately where he was standing at the bar with Jasper laughing really loudly. They were being assholes again, I just knew it.
“Uncle Jasper, Dad,” I said as they both turned towards us.
“Ryder, just the man we were talking about. You look lovely tonight Megan,” Lucas said as he gave me a look.
“Well hello there young lady,” Jasper said and kissed her hand.
“Hands off Uncle Jasper, where’s your wife by the way?” I asked him.
“I was just being friendly, no need to involve Haley,” he said and I laughed at the expression on his face.
“Are you joining us at our table?” Lucas asked me.
“Of course, where else would we sit?” I asked him.
“Smart ass,” he said as he took Megan’s arm and led her to the table where I saw Aunt Haley, Aunt Kimberley and my mother already seated and whispering as they laughed. I kissed them all hello on the cheek as Lucas pulled out a chair for Megan and I sat down next to her.
“Mom, you remember Megan, that’s Aunt Haley, Jasper’s wife, and that’s Aunt Kimberley, Brandon’s wife. He’s a Sire from Wisconsin,” I introduced everyone and my mother dragged Megan into their little circle and soon she was laughing with them.
“She’s a nice catch,” Brandon said as we walked to the bar to get drinks for everyone.
“We’re just friends,” I said to him.
“Uh huh I’ve never looked at any of my friends the way you look at her,” he said to me.
“And then there was that time she was yelling at you about being not naked in your bed,” Lucas said.
“Ryder you slick thing, never thought you were just like your dad,” Jasper said.
“It’s completely different if you tell the story the right way Dad,” I said to him.
“Damn you might need some lessons there boy, I’ve never had a girl shout at me because she wasn’t naked in my bed,” Jasper said and they all laughed at me.
“You guys are the worst,” I said and walked back to the table alone as they all laughed at me.
We all settled down at the table once again as the lights dimmed and the Elders made their way to the stage and I placed my arm on the back of Megan’s chair as Brandon and Jasper gave me thumbs up signs and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Annual Sire Gala,” Elder Michael said.
“Tonight we celebrate a special occasion as we introduce a new Sire to you all. He’s young by our standards but he’s proven to be formidable already. In the short space of two months he’s lowered the taxing on his lair, funded multiple housing projects for his new people, invested in several businesses and lowered unemployment by forty percent already. He’s already changed many of the outdated laws the lair was held under and his lair income has quadrupled already,” Elder Victor said.
“That’s my boy,” Lucas said as he looked at me with pride.
“We would like to present to you Ryder Grey who has taken the position as Sire of Princeton and the surrounding areas by defeating the previous Sire in a claim fight. He also saved our lives on that fateful day when we were attacked by two vampires on friendly territory, please stand Sire Ryder so that all the Sires of our area can get a good look at you,” Elder Cliff said.
I stood up amid the applause and then Lucas, Jasper and Brandon also stood up as they cheered me on. I made my way towards the stage where the ceremony would take place and I would be accepted as the new Sire in the dragon realm as well, if Typhon found me worthy.
The Elders cut my palm open and my blood was dripped into a silver cup. They mixed their three vials with my blood and I emptied the cup in one go. Abeloth was murmuring in my head to keep my eyes open and when I blinked I stood in the dank cave with Abeloth next to me.
“Who enters my lair?” I heard Typhon’s deep voice.
“Ryder Grey, host of Abeloth,” I said as I bowed my head. I knew he was looking at me from just beyond the shadows.
“What do you seek halfling?” he asked me.
“Your approval and guidance, I seek to take the seat as Sire of my lair,” I said to him.
“A lair you were not born into?” he asked me.
“Yes Typhon, I took the seat in a claim fight,” I said to him.
“I approve your claim as Sire, may your dragon lead you further into success,” Typhon said.
“Thank you Typhon,” I said my head still bowed down.
“Go now and claim what is yours,” he said and I could feel his breath on my forehead.
I realized that I had left the dragon realm as everyone was standing and clapping their hands as the Elders announced that my claim had been approved and I was now officially recognized as the Sire of Princeton which meant that other Sires would now seek me out.
“Congratulations Sire Ryder,” Elder Victor said as he shook my hand.
The doors of the ballroom flew open and the room turned to look at the man standing there. Pure rage filled his face as he looked at me and I recognized him instantly. He was the master I had offended by killing one of his underlings.
“You have no business here vampire,” Elder Cliff said harshly.
“I have come for my retribution,” he said loudly.
“What retribution?” Elder Victor said.
“It’s me you want vampire,” I said to him and stepped in front of the Elders.
“Yes, I recognize your stench,” he said to me.
“Come and get me asshole,” I said to him as I moved slightly forward.
Lucas, Jasper and Brandon were on their feet as they moved towards us but I kept my focus on the vampire as he moved quickly across the ballroom. I jumped off the stage and ran straight towards him as I pressed the release buttons on my wrists and two knives slid down my wrists and into my palms.
I brought my arms up from my sides in a swooping motion at the last second and stuck the two knives deep in his lower abdomen as I went down on one knee and used his speed as momentum to flip him over my head.
As he landed behind me I straddled his body pulling the two knives out of him and stuck them deep in his neck and pulled them sideways across his aorta as his blood spurted around him and stained my white shirt. My foot went under his chin as I pulled the knife out that had hit his spine and his head separated from his body as I pulled the knife loose.
He had swiped his sharp fingernails across my face when I had plunged the knives into him the first time and Lucas reached me first as I stood up with both knives in my hands. The hall had grown quiet and everyone was watching me as my eyes flashed yellow.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked as he turned my head from side to side to look at the damage.
“I’m fine,” I said to him.
“That was something else,” Lucas said as he looked from me to the vampire.
“What the fuck was that?” Jasper yelled as he stood a few feet from me and looked at the dead vampire.
“That’s how you kill a vampire,” I said.
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