“I present to you Mr Grey, Chief of the Grey Tribe, from Florida in the United States of America,” the man announced me.“Please Mr Grey, take a seat,” King Florin said as the man left me standing in the doorway of the grand dining room.“My King, my condolences on the passing of your father,” I said and bowed my head.“Thank you, he was a good man,” Florin said.There were new faces around the table, faces I didn’t recognize, younger men in the positions previously held by his father’s men. Now I was convinced that Rex didn’t die naturally, that his death had somehow been orchestrated.“Mr Grey, we meet again,” Alexandra said where she sat on Florin’s left side.“Princess,” I said and bowed my head without looking at her.“Let’s eat shall we, we can talk business later,” Florin said as servers walked in and placed plates down in front of us.I ate and listened to the conversation around me, only answering when someone spoke directly to me. Alexandra kept giving me looks which I tried
I could smell fire and I started running as Abeloth circled overhead and landed on the far side of the pond. There were bodies littered in the forest and on the footpath as I ran screaming Megan’s name. I stopped for a second as someone grabbed my leg.“I’m sorry little Ryder,” Tank said and closed his eyes as he died.“Tank,” I said and shook his shoulders. His head rolled from side to side and the anger bubbled to the surface.I pulled my gun out and took the gun that lay next to Tank as well and I started creeping forwards. I heard the roar of dragons and more screaming as men died. I shut my mind off and ran straight into the midst of fire, smoke and blood as I shot anything that moved.“Megan!” I yelled.I had killed over ten men and Abeloth had taken care of the ones that had tried to escape by air. The cabins had been burnt to the ground and I could smell the putrid scent of burnt flesh. I found Ava five minutes later, her dead eyes staring up into the night.“Rest in peace Ava
We had burned all the bodies on the island and Lucas and Rylee had arrived a few hours later. I had called Chase too but I told him not to come, he had his own lair to protect and I didn’t know if anyone else could be a target.“Rex left me this,” I said and showed Lucas the memory stick.“Let’s see what’s on it,” he said.We were in Elio’s office and we both sat down on the sofa with the laptop on my knees as a video of Rex popped open. His skin was pale and his eyes were sunken in. He looked halfway dead in the video.“Ryder, I don’t have much time. I’m being poisoned by someone close to me and the Florida Elders have reported your wife and son’s dragons. I’m sorry for what will happen to you because they will come for them.A friend of mine wrote this spell for you, any witch can perform it, the people present in the room will remember you but everyone else will forget your history. Your life will be erased and so will your accomplishments but that will also set you free.The first
Hartwell was only a seven hour drive away and the land that I’d bought was almost forty acres of pure nature and bliss. It was large enough for our dragons, concealed from the neighbours by large wooded trees and the house was far enough from the road to give us privacy.The house had six bedrooms of which two would be for guests and each room had their own bathroom with a half bathroom downstairs for visitors. It was a large house but space was one thing I needed right now. The cabin had been significantly smaller than our house in Princeton but it was okay because we were building a future on the island.I tried not to think about the island because that made me think about Megan and how she’d died. This was a fresh start for all of us. I wasn’t sure how much Wynter and Milo understood about death but I steeled myself for when they’d ask.Lucas and Rylee followed behind me and we stopped to eat after five hours. It was near dinner time and Abby had just started crying for a change a
We’d been living in Hartwell for six months now and Mary-Joe was a miracle from above. The kids loved her, she was great with Abigail and she always had a hot meal ready with a side plate of cookies or some dessert she’d whipped up.I had a cottage built for her a few yards from the house, exactly the way she wanted it, so she wouldn’t have to travel from town. It worked out better for all of us. She said what she thought and meant, she didn’t lie and she took no nonsense from the boys.“Mary-Joe can you watch the kids tonight?” I asked her one afternoon.“Sure, are you going on a date?” she asked me.“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said.“Nothing wrong with going out and meeting new people,” she said.“I meet people all the time,” I said.“I’m not talking about the cashier at the grocery store,” she said.“You forgot about the nurse that sells me blood bags for Milo and Mr. Nickerton at the post office …”“Fine, grow old and die alone,” she said as I laughed.“I won’t be alone, you’ll be he
Four years later …“Morning Simon,” I said as I sat down at the kitchen table.“Morning Mr. Ryder, Miss Abby’s castle is coming along nicely,” Simon said.“I still can’t believe you’re building her a castle for her birthday,” I said.“She’s a special little girl, not much I wouldn’t do for her,” he said.“Not much … she’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” Mary-Joe said as Simon smiled sheepishly.“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” I asked.“Not for her, a princess deserves a castle,” Simon said.“What’s her sixteenth going to look like?” I asked.“She’ll probably want a convertible,” Mary-Joe said.Wynter and Milo had turned ten and Abigail was almost five. Mary-Joe had met a nice lone dragonkin man and they’d gotten married two years ago. They both lived in the cottage next to the house and now Simon acted as our caretaker. We now had chickens and a vegetable garden in one corner of the farm and we now also sported about five horses and about thirty sheep that he took care o
Friday evening Lindy arrived full of cheers and smiles with a big, wrapped present for Abigail. She air kissed Mary-Joe who gave her a look of disdain and I had to hide my smile.“Hello boys,” Lindy said as she bent down to look at them.“Hi,” Wynter and Milo said simultaneously.“Be a sweetheart and take my bag up,” she said and shoved her bag into Simon’s hands.“I’ve got it,” I said and took the bag. “Simon lives here.”“Oh, he looks like a butler,” she said and clicked her way to the kitchen counter as Mary-Joe glared daggers into her back.After dinner, which was awkward as hell because Lindy didn’t eat red meat or potatoes and the vegetables had too much sugar in it, I put the kids to bed after reading them two stories and finally made it to my room at eight thirty pm.“That took you like forever,” Lindy said as she sat on the bed with a very see-through negligee on.“Lindy, I’m pretty sure I put your bag in the guest room,” I said.“Exactly, what’s up with that?” she asked.“My
“Get your hands off that boy!” Nova said angrily.“Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to tell me what to do!” Lindy said angrily.“Let go of his arm or I swear I’ll slap you so hard you’ll need a new nose job,” Nova said.I could hear them arguing in my bedroom and I threw the door open to find Lindy holding onto Wynter’s arm tightly with Nova trying to come in between them. “What the hell is going on in here?”“Daddy,” Wynter said.“Let go of my son and get the hell out of my house,” I said as I glared at Lindy.“He was trying to take my ring,” Lindy whined as she let go of his arm.“Come on Wynter, let’s go downstairs,” Nova said and placed her arm around his shoulder as she led him out of the room.“I don’t care, you don’t put your hands on my children,” I said and my eye caught the ring on her finger.“How can you be so …”“Take that fucking ring off now! You went through my safe?” I asked seeing red instantly.“You were acting all weird so yeah I went through yo