95
I had arrived back in Princeton just after midnight but I was too worked up to sleep. I was in the gym working my frustrations out on the boxing bag with my bare fists. I had only pulled my shirt off as I started laying into that bag. I hadn’t even noticed the tears that were running freely down my face as Felix’s image kept intruding on my thoughts.
“Fucking bastards,” I said in anger as I kept punching that bag.
“Who?” Megan asked behind me. I stopped punching the bag but I didn’t turn around to look at her.
“People,” I said softly.
She walked right up to me and hugged me from behind, pressing herself against my sweaty back as her arms encircled me. I rested my head against the boxing bag as I tried to clear my mind from all the overwhelming emotions.
“Talk to me,” she said as her arms loosened their grip and she came to stand in front of me.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” I asked her instead.
“Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll bring you some coffee and then you can tell me all about these bastards that has you so angry,” she said and pushed me towards the door.
“Are you always this bossy?” I asked her and she smiled at me.
“Yes, now go,” she said.
I went upstairs and took a shower and dressed in pajamas. I was done before Megan returned and I sat down on the bed with my own turmoil wreaking havoc in my mind and in my heart. Abeloth wanted to rip them all apart and he wasn’t keen on waiting. He was one very pissed off dragon.
“Here you go,” Megan said and I looked up to see her standing right in front of me.
“Thanks,” I said and took the cup from her.
She watched me as I drank the coffee and took the cup from me again and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. She opened the covers of the bed and looked at me until I climbed on the bed.
“Lie back and start talking, Ry,” she said and I smiled as she used Chase’s nickname for me.
She slid into the bed next to me and made herself comfortable as she put her head down on my chest and her arm went around my waist.
“Did your meeting with Basil not go well?” she asked me.
“Basil is my friend actually, the meeting just opened my eyes I guess,” I said.
“How so?” she asked.
“Basil is Felix’s older brother and this whole time he’s been busy with his own investigation into that night that Felix died,” I said.
“It’s bigger than I thought it was and I’ve already told Basil that I’ll have his back when he wants to go after these people,” I continued.
“Of course you will, it’s the right thing to do,” she said and I looked at her in surprise.
“That whole assignment was an ambush, Felix and I rampaged through a few states, killing rogue packs of all kinds, they lured us in and I should’ve died that night too,” I said to her.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she said softly.
“Sire Albert from Springfield is involved somehow and Abeloth is urging me to go rip his head off, but I want them all. I want every single person that was involved with that ambush dead. Basil said that this runs deeper than he thought, vampires, dragons, wolves and humans,” I said.
“You got your assignments from someone right,” she said.
“From Wentworth,” I confirmed.
“How did he know where to send you?” she asked me.
“We received intelligence reports of a rogue pack in California, that was our first assignment together. Felix and I would go in, keep a high ranking member alive and question him and move on to the next pack. That kept us busy for nine months,” I said to her.
“So the last address that you went to, you got that information from the previous pack you killed?” she asked me.
“No, that location was sent to us by Joe,” I said as my words slowed.
“So why don’t you start with Joe?” she asked me.
“How could I have been so stupid?” I asked mainly to myself.
“You’re not stupid, Ry, you went through a horrific trauma, you barely survived yourself. Being filled with guilt and remorse and then everything that happened after that, of course you didn’t connect the dots right away. Sometimes it just takes another perspective but in the end you still would’ve found him,” she said.
“I need to call Basil,” I said to her.
“No, you need to rest. You can call him the moment you wake up, otherwise what good will you be to avenge Felix’s murder,” she said to me.
“When did you became so outspoken and bossy?” I asked her.
“I’ve always been like this, you just never noticed before,” she said.
“Will you stay here tonight?” I asked her.
“Just try and kick me out,” she said with a smile as I turned on my side and pulled her closer to me.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep with a smile on my face as her hand intertwined with mine and I swear it was the best sleep I’d gotten in my life. Her hair was all over my face when I woke up the next morning and I was still curled around her.
I left her to sleep and walked downstairs to my office to call Basil. We needed to figure this out once and for all, without me tying into it directly. I couldn’t tell the Elders about this because they would lodge an investigation and everything Basil’s done up to now would have been for nothing.
I couldn’t tell Lucas either, I didn’t want him involved in this mess and that went for my brother and all of my friends as well. If this backfired, it would be me and Basil. It was easier this way, nobody else would get hurt over this.
“Ryder, it’s six am,” he said with a sigh.
“Did I catch you on your napping day?” I asked him.
“Piss off, chameleon,” he said to me.
“Is your glittering disabled?” I asked him.
“Oh getting personal now are we, you know we don’t fucking glitter,” he said and I laughed.
“I’ve had a sort of revelation,” I said.
“About Felix?” he asked me.
“That last location we were sent to, the ambush, Joe sent us that address,” I said to him.
“Joe McFarlane?” he asked.
“Yes, I was talking to Megan about it last night,” I said.
“Who’s Megan? Is she hot?” he asked me.
“Fuck off, Basil, she’s my bonded half,” I said as he laughed in the background.
“I think I should come meet this Megan myself, since you’re clearly so sensitive,” he said.
“When are you kidnapping Joe?” I asked him.
“How about I stop by this afternoon on my to Chicago?” he asked.
“Now you expect dinner too?” I asked him as he laughed again.
“You know I prefer some sweet talk before getting screwed,” he said as I smiled.
“How are you getting screwed here?” I asked him.
“Are you dense, Ryder? I’m planning to kidnap the second in command of the Elite Unit, you don’t think there’s going to be an uproar when he goes missing?” he asked.
“Are you dense, Basil? I’m sure you can kidnap one dragon without being caught,” I said to him.
“Sure I can, what will you do if Wentworth is in on this?” he asked me.
“I don’t think he is. His reaction was too real when I said it was an ambush. His emotions over Felix was real and his concern for my recovery too. My father had to threaten him with exile to not lure me back into the Unit,” I said to him.
“Just humour me,” he said.
“I’d kill him, I’d kill anyone who was involved with this,” I said to him.
“And that, my dear Ryder, is exactly why we are friends,” he said with a chuckle.
“Last time you said we’re not friends, dinner’s usually at seven,” I said.
“See you tonight then acquaintance,” he said with a laugh and ended the phone call.
I went back upstairs to my room to shower and get dressed for the day. Megan was still asleep and I got undressed as I walked to the bathroom, not closing the door behind me. I knew she’d wake up from the shower and I was still playing her little game. I walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around me when Megan sat upright in the bed rubbing her eyes.
“Morning, babe,” I said with a smile and planted a kiss on her lips as she looked warily at me.
“You’re very cheerful this morning,” she said.
“Well after last night how can’t I be? I never knew you were that flexible,” I said in a low voice as she blushed.
“What?” she asked me.
“Don’t you remember? The wine and you following me upstairs, how else do you explain waking up in my bed?” I asked her.
“There was no wine last night,” she said looking at me with confusion.
“Oh, baby, I can’t believe you don’t remember the wildest night of my life!” I said loudly.
“Did we? No way, you’re just messing with me,” she said as she looked at me.
“Now I’m glad I recorded it, I’ll show you after breakfast, after last night I think I’m ruined for anyone else so now you have to bond with me,” I said as she blushed again.
“You recorded it!” she yelled as I looked sweetly at her.
“Maybe I should just refresh your memory right now,” I said as I crawled over her and pinned her down beneath me.
“You are such a liar Ryder,” she whispered in my ear as I started to laugh.
“Yes, I am,” I admitted as she punched me on the shoulder.
“Payback’s a bitch, remember that,” she said as she pushed me off of her.
“I can’t wait, because if you ever do that whole pajama thing again, I won’t be held responsible for my actions,” I said seriously.
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