Chapter Six #3
It was probably a good thing. As far as Rex knew, Merrick had never killed anyone with his mind, but Rex wouldn’t put it past him to succeed with how hard he was trying.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Jacob asked, turning his attention to Harmon.
“If it felt like it was, we apologize,” Harmon told him. “We do believe that Eva would be a good clan leader considering what we know of her, but if you had someone else in mind, please, tell us. I’m also not sure how your clan usually does this. Is there a vote?”
“Martin wouldn’t have allowed that,” Eva said.
She glanced around the room like Jacob had done earlier, but the people watching her didn’t start whispering. Instead, they nodded and smiled at her. Rex was pretty sure that the clan had chosen their next leader. They just needed Jacob to accept that.
Eva turned her attention back to Harmon. “We didn’t have a choice when Martin became leader. Before then, well, a lot of us are too young to remember.”
“So how do you want to do this? A vote? Since most of the clan is here, everyone who agrees with this can raise their hands, and we can count how many supporters you have.” Harmon glanced at Jacob, who was still staring. “We can do the same for you, of course.”
“We need to talk about this more,” Jacob tried, but Harmon was already turning toward the dragons.
They were watching, and the tension in the room was high. Hopefully, Jacob wasn’t about to make a mess. Everyone knew how this would end, including him. He wasn’t going to be happy about it, but maybe losing the leader position would be enough to shut him up.
“Anyone in favor of Jacob becoming your clan leader, please raise a hand,” Harmon said.
To Rex’s surprise, some hands did raise.
An older couple didn’t hesitate to put their hands up, and the woman elbowed a younger man sitting next to her.
The man looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here, but he eventually raised his hand, too.
He looked a lot like Jacob, down to the grumpy expression on his face.
If Rex had to guess, they were related, maybe brothers.
A few more people also raised their hands. When Rex glanced at Jacob, he wasn’t surprised to see the man’s cheeks were red. Even though he’d gotten a few votes, it wasn’t enough for him to become clan leader.
The same might happen with Eva. They didn’t know what the clan would decide, but Rex prayed he’d be able to get out of here soon, hopefully at the end of the day. He wasn’t spending one more night here unless he absolutely had to. One had been more than enough.
Harmon cleared his throat delicately. “I see. Everyone in favor of Eva becoming your leader, please raise your hand.”
There were many more raised hands this time around.
In fact, there were so many that Rex was pretty sure they didn’t need to count to know that most of the clan wanted Eva as their clan leader.
A few people didn’t look happy about that, but they wouldn’t have a choice.
The majority had spoken, and they’d spoken loudly.
“I believe that settles it,” Harmon said. “Unless someone else wants to volunteer?” He paused, but no one answered, so he turned to Eva. “Congratulations.”
She didn’t look happy, but then, Rex wouldn’t be happy if he were in her place, either. In fact, he’d be running out the door, never to be seen again.
He wasn’t made to be a leader of anything or anyone.
The thought of so many responsibilities gave him the hives, and his reaction made him wonder how things would work with Harmon.
His boyfriend was a clan leader. It was something he was proud of, and, more importantly, something he seemed to be good at.
Being with him didn’t mean that Rex had to become an authority figure in the coven, especially since Harmon already had a second-in-command, but people would still look up at him.
That made him uncomfortable, but not so uncomfortable that he wasn’t willing to deal with it.
He was willing to deal with a lot when it came to Harmon, although he supposed that only time would tell how comfortable he’d be with all of it.
“You’ll be a great leader,” Merrick told Eva. “And now, I’m out of here.” He looked at their little group. “I’ll be out of this place in half an hour. If you’re not ready, I’m flying home.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He turned around and strode away, ignoring the way half the people in the room were gaping at him while the other half looked like they wanted to kill him.
He didn’t care what his old clan thought of him.
He just wanted to go home, and Rex respected that because he felt the same way.
They’d done what they’d come to do. They’d found a new clan leader, hopefully one who wouldn’t attack the pack and who would lead the clan in a more peaceful time. They’d even solved a bonus murder. It was time for them to leave.
He took Harmon’s hand. Harmon blinked at him, looking surprised. He smiled, though, and Rex smiled back. “Ready to leave?” he asked.
“Definitely.” He turned toward Eva, even though Rex wanted to drag him out of the room. “Please let us know if you need anything or if anyone gives you too much trouble,” Harmon said, glancing in Jacob’s direction.
“I can take care of myself and of him,” Eva said. She lowered her voice. “As for Sarah, you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Are you going to lock her up?” Rex asked because he was curious.
“Why should I? I can too easily imagine what would’ve happened if she hadn’t done what she did, and I have no intention of punishing her for protecting herself. You didn’t tell anyone here that she was responsible for Brian’s death, did you?”
Harmon shook his head. “Merrick just mentioned that we knew who it was.”
“I’ll decide if the coven needs to know, then. As far as I’m concerned, it’s none of their business.”
Rex already liked her, and he hoped she’d succeed as clan leader.
He was relieved they were already able to leave.
He’d expected this to take a while, maybe a week, maybe more, but instead, they’d only been here one night.
It had been enough for someone to try killing Harmon, but Rex was trying not to think about that.
Instead, as their group left the dining hall to give the dragons the chance to celebrate, he thought about what would come next for him and Harmon. They’d have time to talk now that this mess was over, and it was as exciting as it was terrifying.
Rex had never had a lot of hope for his future. He’d known he’d live a long time, but as he watched his siblings and his father find love, he’d expected to end up alone. For a while, he had been.
Not anymore. He had Harmon now. Maybe he should give himself time to think, but in the end, this was the easiest decision he’d ever made in his life.
He wasn’t willing to give Harmon up.
* * * *
HARMON WAS HAPPY THIS mess was over and even happier that they’d found a good leader for the dragons. Hopefully, that meant they wouldn’t bother anyone for a long while. They needed to get their shit together, and with Eva, they could.
“You think he’d really leave us here and fly home?” Mallory asked as their group walked down the hallway.
They had to return to their rooms to pack the few things they’d brought with them.
Harmon was surprised that they’d managed to do this in such a short time.
He’d expected it to take days, but Brian’s death had put things into motion, and Harmon was glad.
As much as he hated what Sarah had gone through, the world was a better place without Brian in it, and they wouldn’t have met Eva if this hadn’t happened.
They’d still be talking to Jacob and other people who might be good clan leaders.
Harmon snorted. “Oh, he definitely would. He didn’t want to come. The only reason he did was that Alpin threatened to, and Merrick didn’t want him to put himself in danger.”
“No one was in danger,” Mallory said.
“I beg to differ,” Rex said. “Harmon was attacked.”
“By a terrified teenager. He was never in real danger.”
“Sarah might be a teenager, but she’s a dragon shifter. She could’ve really hurt Harmon if she’d shifted.”
“I don’t think she ever wanted to hurt me,” Harmon said. He didn’t need the brothers to bicker over what happened. In fact, he wished that he and Rex could forget about it. There was no reason for them to continue thinking about what Sarah had done.
“I agree, but still, she attacked you,” Rex said.
“And I promise I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Rex’s expression was soft when he answered. “I think it’s too late for that.”
“For you not to worry about me?”
“That train has left the station. I think I’ll always worry about you.”
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Mallory said.
He pulled Arlen along as he hurried away, maybe to give Rex and Harmon some space. Harmon didn’t want to talk about their relationship in the middle of the hallway, though, so he was glad when Rex didn’t bring it up right away. They actually managed to get back to their rooms before Rex spoke.
“We have time to talk now,” he said.
“We do. What did you want to talk about?”
“Maybe how the stock market is going today?”
Harmon blinked at him, then laughed. “You think you’re funny, but you’re not.”
“Maybe not, but you chose me. You’re going to have to deal with my bad humor for as long as you want me to stick around.”
Harmon couldn’t have imagined that his trip to help Kieran and his pack would end like this. The thought of what it had given him was a bit overwhelming, but very welcome.
He made sure that the door was closed. He didn’t want anyone interrupting this, and he didn’t care if Merrick decided to fly home. He could do whatever he wanted.
“I do want you to stick around,” he told Rex. “I’m not sure how that’s going to work, considering I have to go back to the coven, but I’m sure we can find a way.”
Rex nodded. “How would you feel about having a new coven member?”
“Is that what you want?” Harmon remembered what Rex had told him about never having been part of a coven.
“I want to try, at least. I don’t know how I’ll do in one, but it’s the only way to be with you.”
“Or we could have a long-distance relationship while you stay with the pack. Another option would be for you to move closer, but not be a coven member. You don’t have to live with us if it makes you uncomfortable.
I realize that living with so many people isn’t for everyone, especially since we share one home. ”
“You live in a castle, Harmon. It might be your home, but it’s big enough for you not to live on top of each other,” Rex pointed out.
“It still doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable there.
I want to be with you, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to change your life to be with me.
If you really don’t want anything to do with the coven, you don’t have to deal with them.
Maybe I won’t even want to be coven leader in a few years. ”
Rex stared at Harmon for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re never going to leave them. You’ll be their leader for as long as they want you to be, and if they know what’s good for them, it’s going to be forever.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
“You don’t have enough faith in yourself. People know how lucky they are to have you, though. You’re the only one who can’t see it.”
Harmon didn’t want to become emotional. This wasn’t the place, even though they had privacy.
Besides, Merrick might have threatened to leave without them, but Harmon was sure he’d be knocking on their door sometime in the next five minutes if he didn’t see them outside.
He wouldn’t leave anyone behind, but especially not Harmon.
“How about we give this a try for a while?” Rex asked as he pulled Harmon into his arms. Harmon wrapped his arms around Rex’s waist without hesitation.
“I don’t think I’ll ever want to stay with the pack, even though my family lives there now.
It would’ve been hard for me to explain why I was leaving before meeting you, but now, they’ll understand when I tell them that I’m leaving for you. ”
“I wish you wouldn’t,” Harmon teased. “They’re going to blame me.”
“They won’t. They’ll understand why I want to stay with your coven. They’ll accept it more easily than if I didn’t have a tangible reason to leave.”
“Is that why you want to do this, then?” Harmon wouldn’t be offended. He and Rex hadn’t been together long enough for him to think that he was the center of Rex’s life. If, for now, the only thing was that he was a good excuse, that was fine with him.
“Well, no. I do want to spend more time with you, and I know that if things go well between us, I’m going to have to move in with your coven eventually. Maybe I can do that now and see how things go. If I feel like I can settle down there, we can talk again, but I really want this to work.”
“Whatever you want.”
Rex grinned. “You won’t say that for long if you truly mean it. I can be a bit much.”
“I don’t think you can be more than Alpin.”
“I don’t think anyone can be more than Alpin.”
Harmon squeezed Rex’s waist. “I’m not joking, though.
If you want to come and stay with my coven for a bit, you’re welcome to do so.
If you feel like you don’t belong there, either, and want out, I’ll let you go.
I don’t want to trap you, Rex. I don’t ever want you to regret being with me or agreeing to this.
I don’t think I’ll be able to step away from the coven for a long time, but if you need to, it’s fine. ”
“How am I supposed to step away from the coven when you’re there?” Rex asked, leaning over to kiss Harmon.
A loud banging on their door made both of them jump. Rex looked up to glare at it, but it was closed, so Merrick couldn’t see him. Even if he could, he wouldn’t have cared.
“I’m getting out of here,” Merrick declared, his voice slightly muffled. “And you’re coming with me because I’m not leaving Harmon here on his own.”
“Hey, I’m here too,” Rex complained. “He wouldn’t be on his own.”
“But I don’t trust you to protect him yet. Come on. We’re going home.”
They were. Rex’s home might be different from now on, but the pack would continue to be important. He might not feel like he belonged there, but as long as his family lived there, he would belong.
Just like he would belong with Harmon.