“Then we keep them apart,” Salem agreed.
“Come, Principal, let us go interrogate a Drakhyn.” Marcus clasped his friend’s shoulder as he walked past him to the door.
“Well that’s a sentence I never thought I would hear,” Salem muttered as he followed the Lycan out of the room.
Cord paced his room, frustration building within him. It washimthat captured the Drakhyn and he had been dismissed from the Headquarters like he had done nothing. It was unacceptable. Just because he had Tegan with him… his fists clenched at the thought they would think he would let harm come to her. Cord let out a rueful huff, like Tegan would allowanythingto harm her. He did not need to protect her, he was very aware that the female Akrhyn could look after herself, she was fearless, and he did not doubt her ability. He had almost said as much to Salem, but he would not let them speculate it was this stupid bond that was clouding his judgement.
The bond. What was he going to do about it? He had gone to collect the skin cells, his magic easily detectable by her as he Cast the spell over her arm. He remembered her inquisitive deep blue eyes, almost indigo in colour he mused, staring up at him as he ran his finger over the soft skin of her arm. Seeing past his defences, past his easy mockery that he used so effortlessly. The skin cells had been useless, he had tested them with his and before his eyes they had simply merged and stayed that way, nothing he could do was able to force them apart. Cord was not ready to accept that he could not break this spell, a bond was a spell – nothing less. It had been Cast on them unwittingly, without consent, and he was not going to be party to any spell on his person that did not have his consent.No, I will break it, Cord thought to himself determinedly,I will break it and she would thank him.
A knock on his door snapped his attention to the Akrhyn outside, sensing it was Prime Castor Garrick. Cord suppressed his frown. Salem had told him he would report to his Prime – he just hadn’t been expecting him too. Salem was usually one of the better ones.
“Enter,” Cord snapped when the knock came again.
The door swung open and the Crimson Cast Prime entered the room, his cold stare for his Castor affected Cord not at all. “Principal Holt contacted me,” the Prime started, “he is not happy with you, Castor Ivanov.”
Cord glanced at his Prime, he was older than most Elders, his hair more white than brown now, a small trimmed beard hid his weak jaw and thin lips. A crooked nose hinted at a not so perfect past, his beady eyes missed nothing and always seemed to be judging who was in front of him. Cord was used to being judged, he lived in Cornelius’s house after all.
“Salem is rarely happy with me, Garrick, although he usually keeps his complaints to himself,” Cord crossed his arms as the Prime of the Cast regarded him unfalteringly.
“You have been reckless again.”
“I am rarely reckless,” Cord scoffed.
“Yet you put the Principal’s daughter in danger?”
“That female needs no help from me to put her in danger,” Cord’s easy reply made the Prime narrow his eyes. “You haven’t met her, Garrick, she attracts Drakhyn like a magnet.”
“You took her out of the grounds as bait?” Garrick asked him.
“Well, not exactly. Tegan was sure there were Drakhyn out there, I merely went with her to see if she was correct.”
“But you just said she attracts Drakhyn…”
“Yes, I knew that if therewereDrakhyn there, they would come,” Cord grinned.
“They would comeforher,” Garrick stressed.
“I was there Garrick,” Cord dismissed his Prime’s concern.
“I think you were as Principal Holt decreed, reckless,” Garrick surmised, frowning more as he ran his eyes over Cord’s attire, the black Sentinel fatigues causing his frown to deepen. “And where are your robes? You are a Castor now, Cord, not a Sentinel.”
“A Castor is merely a Sentinel with a different name,” Cord shrugged indifferently. “Vampyre, Lycan, Castor, Sentinel… we are all Akrhyns.”
“Your father does not think so,” Garrick mocked him gently.
“My father died,” Cord’s words snapped in the quiet room, Garrick failed to hide his surprise. “Cornelius is a lunatic. His discriminatory ways are abhorrent to most.”
“You should be careful, Cord,” Garrick’s words were soft and gentle in his admonishment “You better than anyone, know that you never know who is listening.”
“Prime,” Cord dipped his head in acknowledgement.
“So… they tell me you are mated?”
Cord couldn’t suppress his groan. “Who told you?”
“Well, you should have told me,” Garrick chastised, “but it was the Lycan.”
“Marcus,” Cord frowned as he gazed out of the window. “I thought he was on my side.”