I woke up to the incessant ringing of my phone and I groaned as I opened my eyes to the blinding sunlight shining through the open curtains. I could hear my phone but I couldn’t find it. I was still wearing my jeans but I had no idea where my shirt was.“Grey,” I answered the phone I’d found under the pillow on the couch.“Where the hell have you been?” Ava yelled over the phone.“What time is it?” I asked her.“It’s past eight,” she said and that sobered me up instantly.“Shit, sorry,” I said.“Where are you?” she asked me.“Chicago with Felix,” I said as the bedroom door opened and a naked woman walked out as another woman started giggling in the background.“Is that a woman?” Ava asked angrily.“It’s not what you think,” I said.“Hi Ryder,” the woman said as she started picking up her clothes and Ava put the phone down in my ear.“This is just fucking great,” I murmured.“Aah Felix,” the woman moaned from the bedroom.“Felix! We need to go!” I yelled as I stood up from the couch an

After another eight days we had two names left on our list. Two people that nobody knew where they were. I got Tank on missing persons reports, prison systems and people that had changed their names. Nothing came up and then Tank came up with a brilliant idea.Between him and Timothy they wrote a hacking program and with that they scoured every camera owned by the government, traffic cameras and facial recognition software. It took another thirteen days before we had a lead on one of the names.Her name was Chelsea Connors, dragonkin daughter to a warrior, she had a troubled past and nobody really worried when she skipped town. They all thought that she had ran away so Felix and I packed a go bag and started making plans.Tank had found her in Columbia Falls, Montana. A traffic camera had picked her up speeding just outside of the town borders. He had then hacked the sheriff’s department and her drivers license identified her as Maggie O’Neal.“Grey.” I answered my ringing phone.“Sir

We’d been driving for almost six hours when Felix slowed down and took the exit for Malta. I glanced at him and he gave me a lopsided smile. “I’m hungry.”“Make it quick, we’ve still got about twenty hours ahead of us,” I said.He pulled into a gas station and filled the SUV’s tank up. I stood outside and stretched my arms above my head as he spoke to a woman at the other pump. She was pointing him in another direction as he nodded his head.“There’s a convenience store back that way,” Felix said.“For what?” I asked him.“Snacks for the road, listening to you snore isn’t as compelling as you think,” he said as I smiled.“Please, you probably stare at me while I sleep and drool a little,” I said.“Asshole.”“Let’s just eat first, I need real food,” I said.We stopped at an American restaurant and ate our fill. We’d barely been there an hour before we headed to the grocery store. Inside the store Felix grabbed a trolley and headed directly to the snacks aisle.I froze in my tracks as F

Megan hadn’t said a word to me for the past three hours after Felix’s revelation about Ava. If he wasn’t driving the car I would’ve beaten him to within an inch of his life. None of us had said a word for the last two hours. Megan was ignoring me and Felix couldn’t even look at me.“You’re an asshole,” I said to Felix.“I know mate, I’m sorry. She has a right to know though,” he said.“Tell me everything,” Megan said softly.“I didn’t plan it. It happened and I did the next best thing, I married her because it was better than being forced to bond with her,” I said.“Do you love her?” she asked me.“No.”“I’m not mad at you Ryder, I want to be, but I’m not,” Megan said.“You’re letting him off the hook just like that?” Felix asked her.“Yes.”“You do realize that he doesn’t really deserve you,” Felix said. “Me, on the other hand, would worship the ground you walked on.”“Felix …”“I don’t have the piercing, mind you, but I’m quite skilled without one,” Felix continued as Megan laughed.

“Link!” Megan yelled as she opened the back door.“Megan? Megan!” Link yelled as he ran towards her and caught her in the air as they both cried and hugged.Link had been waiting for us on the porch. I didn’t stop to greet him as I raced behind Felix to the infirmary where I found Emily pacing up and down in the hall in front of the examination room.“Any news?” Felix asked Emily.“Not yet, they’ve been in there for a while now,” Emily said as she hugged me and looked at Felix frowning as she did.“He’s her bonded half Ems,” I said and her eyes widened slightly.“Wow, you two really do share everything,” she remarked.The door opened and Peter stepped outside looking grim and I could hear Ava crying inside. I smelled blood, a lot of it and it disappeared faintly as he closed the door behind him.“I’m so sorry Sire, I tried everything I could but she was already in premature labour by the time I got here,” Peter said.“Is she okay?” Felix asked.“Physically yes,” Peter said.“She doesn