3. Ledger #2
He wanted it that way. He wanted me trapped but also unhappy, my dragon roaring underneath the surface for retribution but not forcing a shift because of how much it would hurt both of us.
“What did he do?” Anani asked. “We were at our party all day, how did I miss him?—”
“It was when he pulled me off to the side,” I whispered, not wanting to get into the details.
“How long did they say you wouldn’t be able to fly for?”
“About a month for there to be no pain, but I should heal sooner than that.” Tears were welling in my eyes, knowing that it meant a month of being home and not going to the nearby flight school. A month of dealing with my father and not having any escape.
So many kids I knew complained about school. I relished it. Relished the chance to escape my home.
“Once we are at the Academy, we won’t have to deal with this anymore,” my twin promised.
I just hoped he was right. I had a feeling my father wouldn’t give up his games that easily.
Of course, he hadn’t, but I was happy to say that period of my life was long over. We may have been in a difficult situation now, but it was nothing compared to the fear of a child being hurt by the person that was supposed to care for them. That was a true betrayal.
As we neared our Washington home, I realized that quite a bit of time had passed here on Earth.
I knew we had told Maya there would be a difference in time between the realms, nearly thirty times as fast as on Earth, but already Washington looked different.
The trees around our house were a gorgeous mix of brown, orange, and red, with the exception of the pines and the mist that surrounded the estate, leaving it with an almost eerie feel.
Or maybe that was just me imagining shit because last time we’d been here, Maya had been nearly taken by her father.
Which reminded me, it was going to be essential to contact Alpha Creed and figure out just how Pastor Malcolm had escaped from his pack.
A rumble left my throat as I landed in the back yard, wondering if Lorn had escaped as well.
Fuck. He better fucking hope that he didn’t, because if I found him…
No, I couldn’t go there right now. I needed to chill out. I didn’t want to freak Maya out.
At least, not any more than I probably already had.
Maya slid off me as I quickly shifted, her eyes running over me before a scowl slipped onto her face, clearly disappointed that I had shifted back without being naked.
Something my gorgeous mate seemed constantly frustrated with.
Honestly, she had no idea how fucking thrilled I was that she wanted to see me without clothes, especially since I would be more than happy any time to strip her and I both down.
Her frustration only lasted a minute, though, before she was looking around our back yard, her mouth opening in shock.
“What?” I asked, my voice coming out rougher than normal.
Anani was walking over as Atlas and Sai showed the boys into the house, all of them looking exhausted.
I had no idea where they were going to stay, but we would figure it out.
I didn’t want them at the mercy of the fucking Dreki realm’s justice system.
It was the same one that became aware of my father’s treatment when Marco got a restraining order against him, but continued to do nothing to enforce it.
“The trees!” she exclaimed, her eyes flashing with fire. “They are so pretty! When did they change?”
“We’ve been gone for about a month.” Anani smiled at her excitement as she blinked and looked around, a smile breaking onto her face.
“It’s gorgeous. They never looked like this in Louisiana! I have to paint it,” she insisted as Bella meowed in agreement.
“Let’s get you inside first and get you some food,” my brother suggested.
“What day is it even?” Maya asked curiously, practically bouncing on her toes as we walked towards the house.
“I don’t know, actually.” I ran a hand through my hair as I motioned for her to go through the door before me, my eyes on her ass before they flicked back up to take in our familiar home.
Everything was as comfortable and cozy as we’d left it, and Maya seemed in a far better mood as she headed upstairs.
I went to the kitchen to start some dinner, although I honestly had no idea what to make.
“I’m worried about her,” Anani admitted. “She hasn’t seen us like that, ever.”
“I think she will be fine,” I said quietly, trying to not consider the idea of our mate rejecting us because of our dragons’ protective natures.
No. It would be fine. She would be fine. I had to believe that.
“I hope so, because I have a feeling that we are going to have visitors once people receive word we are back in town. I don’t trust my dragon to keep his control.”
Anani grunted, nodding towards the television he’d just turned on, the channel turned to the news station. My eyes widened, realizing that it was a story about a missing woman… Maya. They thought she’d been kidnapped. Goddamnit.
I swore as I called for Atlas, my voice echoing through the house, knowing this was going to cause a ton of fucking problems.
“They camped out here for about fifteen days.” Atlas jogged down the steps, looking frustrated and already aware of our concern. “Fucking pests. I swear, the human media has always been insane, but this is something else. No doubt those fuckers from the FBI are going to be sniffing around again.”
“It does look bad,” Anani admitted begrudgingly. “What the hell are we going to tell them?”
“To fuck off,” Atlas bit out as I began boiling water, trying to consider how to handle this. A thought occurred to me, but it felt dangerous to give that much exposure to the bastard in question. Still, I put it out there.
“What if we told them she’d been kidnapped by Malcolm, who is now on the run, and that we managed to save her?” I asked quietly, causing both of them to look at me in surprise. “We may get a lead on where the hell the bastard is.”
My twin nodded, seeming to agree completely, and went back to watching the news.
“Let’s talk to Marco about that,” Atlas said. “It could work.”
I hoped it would, because we needed something to get the attention off Maya. Either way, I had a feeling our peaceful property wouldn’t remain that way for long. No doubt Atlas was going to want to increase security. I felt anger surge through me at people bothering?—
“Ledger.” Atlas had a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my haze. The kitchen counter under my grasp had a hairline crack in it. I retracted my hand, trying to shake myself and the clear lack of self-control I was exhibiting.
“Go shower,” Atlas demanded.
Shit. I was still covered in blood.
I traveled upstairs, running a hand down my bloodied face, feeling both exhausted and exhilarated. We needed a private island to move to. It was the only possible solution.
Outside of killing everyone that bothered us, of course.