Page 5

Evander

W e are up and following Sully out of the bar and down to the office in seconds, making Sully shake his head again at our eagerness. I don’t think any of us really care though.

Before Sully opens the door to let us in the office, he looks back at us, “I should warn you, this room is full of some of the most powerful supes that are earthside, and they all have a soft spot for Neith. You cannot talk to them the way that she does. Hell, I can’t talk to them the way that she does.”

Doc’s eyes widen, “Seriously?”

Sully nods, “Yeah, seriously.”

“Okay, understood,” I reply for all of us.

He gives us all one last look before he pushes the door open, and we all head inside. I try really hard to stop my jaw from dropping open and revealing my shock. I don’t think I succeed.

I don’t know why I’m shocked, she told us that she plays poker with really strong supes. Sully literally just warned us that there were some very prominent supernaturals in this room, and yet for some reason I am still shocked.

“Hey guys,” Neith grins, sitting in between the leader of the mages and the fucking clan leader of the dragons.

She is completely at ease, there is no sign of tension or worry in her body language at all. It’s fascinating, it also sort of explains why she was so at ease around the guys, she is used to being surrounded by massive power.

“Hey, did you win?” River grins, bounding over and taking a seat.

He seems much more at ease than the rest of us, but then again, his entire focus is on Neith, and he is taking his cues from her. The rest of us share a look before we all take seats. The poker table is still set up in the middle of the room, but there is also a big area with comfy chairs and couches that I don’t remember being there before, and that’s where we all sit.

Neith’s smile is huge, and I can’t help smiling in response as she replies, “Yep. I wiped the floor with them.” She continues while the rest of us are smiling, and the supes she played against are grumbling good-naturedly. “I guess I should introduce you guys. This is Evander, Raiden, Reed, Griff, Doc, River, and Ransom.” We all smile, and I hope I don’t look as nervous as I feel. She then adds unnecessarily, “Guys, this is Draith, Murray, and Ahren.”

“We are aware,” Reed replies with a slight smile.

After introductions are over, the conversation once again picks back up, and we start to talk about Neith and her winning. I have to admit that it is strange to me that we are sitting having such a casual conversation with these leaders. It’s not something that I thought that I would be doing any time soon.

It just proves to me that there is a lot that I don’t know about the years that Neith and I were apart. Hell, I still don’t understand why she disappeared off the face of the planet, although I am starting to think that it has something to do with Dimitri. We need to have a conversation about it, but I won’t push her to talk before she’s ready. That won’t end well and will ensure that she shuts down for even longer. At least that doesn’t seem to have changed.

It's for that reason, as well, that I haven’t brought up visiting my parents. I am going to have to soon though, because they know that I have found her, and they know that we know that they knew Neith’s parents. They are bugging me at least once a day to talk to her, they have missed her almost as much as I have. I’m not sure how much longer I can put them off before they just turn up at the house, not that they know where it is, but I wouldn’t put it past them to somehow find out.

Pushing it out of my mind for the moment, I tune back into the conversation as they are all still talking about how easily Neith wins.

“You cheated,” Ahren growls as he reaches out and pushes Neith’s arm playfully. It’s obvious to me that they have a familial relationship.

A deafening and terrifying growl echoes throughout the room as soon as his hand comes into contact with Neith, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

My eyes move to River.

Shit.

His body language is relaxed, but his power is pulsing throughout the room. He did not like that this other shifter pushed Neith, even though it was playful and not meant to cause harm.

The room is silent, and Neith’s eyes are wide as she glances between River and Ahren.

What is more concerning is that the alpha himself looks shocked. He holds River’s gaze. River should have backed down by now. While Ahren starts to look tense, River stays completely relaxed, and the rest of us just stare in shock. There is nothing that we can do. If we intervene, it will definitely end in a fight, which none of us want, and by us not intervening, there is at least a slight chance that it won’t end up in one.

Ahren looks at Sully in shock, and Sully nods once, although I have no idea what that means. I think that we have just about gotten away with it, but before any of us can relax, River growls short and sharp, and Ahren’s gaze immediately returns to River.

“Fucking hell,” Draith mutters, and I realize that there is something more happening here than I am aware of.

It becomes clear when Ahren’s eyes drop, after only a few moments, and he tips his head to the side exposing his neck to River and conceding that he is the stronger alpha.

River settles immediately, and I don’t know whether it’s instinct or knowledge, but Neith moves away from Ahren and comes to sit next to River instead. River’s hands clench on his thighs, and I know that he is struggling with his own instincts, which are telling him to pull her closer.

He barely manages to control them and not pull her onto his lap.

Silence reigns for only a few minutes more before Sully clears his throat and gains everyone’s attention.

“What just happened does not leave the people in this room,” he demands.

He waits until everyone in the room verbally agrees, and then a burst of magic releases, and I realize that he has swiftly and effortlessly bound us in a verbal magical contract that won’t be able to be broken.

It means that we won’t be able to discuss what just happened with anyone outside of the people in here.

Sully grins, “Alright, let's have a drink.”

He then launches into a tale from the old days, as he calls them, and the tension in the room slowly drops, although everyone carries on looking at River curiously.

After a while, we manage to all gather in one of the corners of the room, and Ransom throws up a quick and discreet shield to stop us from being overheard while everyone else is fully enthralled in a conversation with Sully. Sully catches my gaze and winks at me.

I smile. Sully is distracting them so that we can talk.

“Okay, we can talk now,” Ransom says.

“That was as big of a deal as I thought it was, right?” Neith asks, looking at all of us.

Reed nods, “Yes.”

“I shouldn’t have been able to get the alpha of all the shifters in this territory to submit. I have met him several times before, and I have never felt the need to make him submit. In fact, I never even questioned that he was a stronger alpha than me,” River explains. He continues for Neith’s benefit since it isn’t common knowledge with the humans, “He isn’t just a really strong shifter, and therefore an alpha, there is a special ceremony, and he pretty much holds a portion of power from all the shifters that live in his territory. It’s how they have always made sure that rogues can be dealt with and that no massive issues arise between the packs because even though the individual packs have their own alphas they are all ruled by the true alpha which is Ahren.”

Neith’s eyes widen as she realizes just what a big idea this really is.

“Wow. As soon as you growled, I could sense it. If I’m being honest, it really shocked me. I have obviously felt your power when you’ve gone all alpha,” Neith starts seriously and then adds, completely throwing everyone off, “which was super hot, by the way.” She then continues seriously again while the rest of us have to try and get over the whiplash her words are giving us, “But, even then I wouldn’t have said that you were stronger. Close, but not stronger than Ahren, just then you were definitely stronger by quite a lot.”

“He didn’t concede because he wanted to keep the peace, did he?” Doc asks.

River shakes his head, “No, he didn’t. Shifters don’t do that. Well, shifters aren’t supposed to do that. I have repressed my power and done it before, but I shouldn’t be able to do that.”

“This is going to cause issues, isn’t it?” Raiden asks, worry clouding his features as he looks at River.

River scrubs a hand through his hair and shrugs, “Normally, I would say yes. I basically just challenged the true alpha and won. Technically, I can now take over the packs. I don’t want to, I honestly can’t think of anything worse, and I think Ahren knows that, but his wolf may have a problem with me being stronger and not submitting to him.”

“Shit,” Reed curses. He eyes River, “Can you submit to him even though you are the stronger alpha?”

A growl bubbles in River’s chest, and I become increasingly glad that Ransom has sound blocked and no one else can hear us.

River shakes my head, “I have done that before. This time though, it feels so incredibly wrong, and I can’t make myself do it. Thinking about submitting makes my hackles rise.”

I take a deep breath, “Okay. What will happen if Ahren’s wolf has a problem?”

“He would challenge me. I would win,” River says bluntly.

“A challenge between shifters is to the death, isn’t it?” Neith asks with a deep frown pulling her eyebrows down.

River nods, “Yes.”

“Okay, so what happens after that?” Griff asks.

“I would take over as the true alpha of the packs,” River explains. “I don’t want that. Not only do I have no desire at all to take on that much responsibility, but I like what I do. I am not suited to something like that, and I want to be able to see you guys as much as I do now, which I won’t be able to do if I become the true alpha of the packs because of the duties that come with being alpha.”

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Doc replies.

“I think we have probably exhausted how long I can keep this up before the others notice and tensions rise again,” Ransom mutters.

“Alright, we can talk about this more when we get home,” I say, and everyone nods in agreement.

Ransom takes down the ward, and we all move back to where the others are, sitting down and rejoining the conversation. I really don’t want there to be an issue, so I am grateful when Ahren makes an effort to talk to River and that any remaining tension seems to dissolve. I just hope that it stays that way.

For River, but also because Neith is obviously very close to these people. If River has to fight Ahren, then it will destroy him to do so knowing that it’s going to upset Neith, who he is obviously extremely protective of.

I want to go home, but I know that leaving so soon after that event probably isn’t a good idea and might raise tensions again.

So, we stay, and we hang out. Eventually, any lingering tension is completely gone, and everyone is just enjoying each other’s company and laughing at Sully and Ernie’s antics.

Neith

E veryone is finally getting along as I hoped they would, although I don’t blame River or anything ridiculous like that for what happened at the beginning of the evening. He genuinely couldn’t help it. His reaction toward Ahren was purely instinctual, and there was nothing that anyone could have done to prevent it from happening. At some point in the evening, Ahren would have messed about with me like he always does, and River would have had a problem with it. It was just a matter of when not if.

I don’t think that River’s response was entirely about me. I think that he is far too strong of an alpha and that even if it hadn’t happened tonight, and I wasn’t involved at all, he would have ended up in a similar situation with Ahren. I just really hope that the camaraderie of the rest of the evenings sticks around because I believe River, and I instinctively know that if there was going to be a fight to the death between River and Ahren, that Ahren wouldn’t win, and I don’t want to lose him, he is like a brother to me, and has been there for me through a lot of shit.

I do understand that if it comes down to that though, I have fuck all say in the matter, it’s the way things are done in the supernatural world, and that’s final.

I silently plead, please, please don’t let them end up having to fight.

The voices mutter loudly with my plea, and I have no idea if that’s a good thing or not. I mean, technically speaking, they could be mocking me and my plea, or maybe they know something I don’t. Perhaps they are simply reacting to the stress that the thought causes and don’t actually know anything at all. One day I will know exactly what they are, and what the variations in volume and tone actually mean. I briefly consider speaking to Sully or the guys about it, and although I don’t think it would be a terrible idea, not now that we are pretty sure that I am a supernatural, I don’t think that I can bring myself to do it now. I need a little bit of time to build up to telling them. Who knows, maybe it will help to identify what I am.

I make a promise to myself that the next time that we are all here together, I will ask Sully about the voices and what they mean.

As I say goodbye to Ahren, Ernie, and Murray, Draith hangs back and pulls me to the side out of earshot of the others, who are now quite drunk and still speaking loudly with the guys and Sully.

“I wanted you to know that if you need me or the dragons for anything, you have our allegiance and friendship,” he tells me seriously.

I frown, slightly confused by the use of the word allegiance, but I nod, “I know, Drai. I really appreciate it.”

“I mean it, Neith. If something comes from the display of power that your new,” he struggles to find the right word for what River is before deciding, “friend, put out earlier, you call me. We have your back, and that means those of your friends as well.”

My eyes widen, Draith has known Ahren for centuries longer than he has known me, he knew him when they both lived in Trieneliea. The fact that he would offer me what he is, well that’s huge. I have a feeling that the implications of that offer are even more monumental that I am aware of.

I smile, giving him a hug and saying, “Thank you. I hope that it doesn’t come to that.”

“Me too,” he mutters as he returns my hug and then steps back. All seriousness gone as he says, “Until next time, Neith. I will win back that jewel.”

“Jewel?” Reed asks curiously as he walks over to us.

Draith rolls his eyes, “Yes, me, in all hubris, gambled a dragon’s blood ruby in one of my first games with Neith. She won. Fortunately for me, she is as honorable as a dragon, and so although she won it fair and square and could have easily used it to her advantage, she has instead kept it safe for me, although she will not return it until it is won back.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I reply. “It’s safer with me.”

Draith smirks, “Ah yes, that too.”

“That is not what I expected you to say,” Reed replies, giving me a look that I’m not entirely sure how to interpret.

“I think you will quickly find that Neith is nothing like you expect,” Drai replies, smiling fondly at me.

“That I can agree with,” Reed replies with a knowing smile.

Draith returns it and then adds, “Your magic gives off quite a kick. I imagine that you find it difficult to be around other supes with the control you have now?”

Reed seems slightly stunned by the conversation change but answers honestly, “Yes.”

Draith grins, “Well if you ever fancy not having to do that, you’re welcome to come to the keep, my dragons will be able to withstand it after exposure to it for an hour or two, just like your team. It doesn’t work for most supes, but dragons and demons have long had a warrior relationship. In Trieneliea you would have been taught to fight from the backs of one of us.”

My eyes widen, “That is so fucking cool.”

“I never knew that,” Reed mutters, his mind clearly trying to absorb everything that has been told, and I get the feeling he’s referring to more than one thing that he has been told.

“Think about it, man,” Draith says as he claps his hand on Reed’s shoulder, “Dragons are a rowdy bunch, but you won’t have to keep a lock on your magic, and any friend of Neith’s is a friend of mine.”

“Thanks, man,” Reed replies.

He just sort of watches as Draith follows the others out and we are just left with Sully.

“Are you okay?” I ask Reed quietly.

I nod, “Yeah, he just said a couple of things that I hadn’t even realized were possible. I need to talk to everyone when we get back home.”

“Okay,” I reply with a smile.

I hope that he takes Draith up on his offer, I think he would be surprised about how freeing it is to have his magic free. Plus, the keep is fucking awesome, I love it there. I think it’s really interesting that demons and dragons used to be so closely linked, and I know that Draith called Reed a demon, but I feel like he’s probably a lot more than the standard demon. I’m not going to ask him that right now though. He has enough to think about right now, and I don’t want to add to it.