“I know,” Cord smiled that smug grin of his as he turned to his Prime. “I am ready, you?”
“Sometimes, I think you forget I am the Prime and you are merely the Castor,” Garrick said good naturedly as he reached for Cord’s arm.
“What is your punishment?” Tegan blurted before he could portal.
“Three days teaching novices with powders,” Garrick answered as Cord grunted and then they were gone.
“He gets three days punishment?” Tegan turned to Salem in disbelief. “Threedays!”
“If you stomp your foot I will laugh,” Salem grinned as he walked past her.
“His punishment is pathetic.”
“I do feel that the novices will be punished more than Cord,” Salem said as he locked the door to the room. “He will not be a pleasant teacher when he has those ashes to test.”
“Three days…”
“Would you like me to talk to Commander Bryce?” Salem looked at her as he clasped his hands behind his back.
“No, of course not,” Tegan grumbled. “I can do my punishment for a month.”
“And be the better Sentinel for it,” Salem said as they began walking back up to the main floors. “Where has your cousin gone?”
“Food,” Tegan answered absentmindedly.
“Of course,” Salem looked at her sideways as they walked. “You contacted Leonid?”
“I sent a message, but father has not replied,” Tegan answered. “That is not unusual, I don’t think he answered the summons of his Council. He just accepted he had to go.”
“A male of few words,” Salem agreed. “Have you ever questioned a Drakhyn before?”
“No, never.” Tegan glanced at the Principal, “Did I do okay?”
“Yes, I think you got all you were going to get from it,” Salem nodded. “Yes, you did well Tegan.”
“Thank you, Principal.”
“I thought we decided you were going to call me Salem?”
“Thank you, Salem.”
“See, you didn’t choke,” Salem held the door open for her as they reached the study. “How do you feel about this bond you share with Cord?”
“The mate bond?” Tegan looked at Salem and then looked away again. “Is it possible…” she took a deep breath, “is it possible my mother would enter me into a binding betrothal like you were in with Mikayla?”
“You think it’s a binding bond?” Salem asked in surprise.
“I have never known or heard of Akrhyn to be bonded, unless it was Lycans.”
“Your mother would not do that to you, Tegan,” Salem sat down behind his desk. “She hated my binding ceremony almost as much as I did at the time. No, she would never take free will away from her child.”
“Oh,” Tegan looked at her feet.
“Besides, you were unborn when she passed, the ceremony has to be placed with the recipients present, it wouldn’t work in the womb.”
“I didn’t know that,” Tegan sighed as she looked out of the window into the woods. “You said ‘at the time’, you came to accept the ceremony?”
“I did,” Salem looked at his daughter and gestured her to sit. “I loved Celeste with everything I had, but I was a Sentinel and Heir. I had duties to my House and to Mikayla, I had been reckless and careless. I knew I was bound, and I knew I couldn’t get out of it.” Salem looked at his hands. “I tried anyway, I gave a blood offering to the Ancients to break the binding, they didn’t answer, and I would have bled out if Marcus hadn’t found me.” He stood and made his way to his drink’s cabinet. “When I regained consciousness, my father was so filled with rage. He forbade me to see Celeste again or lose my right to be Heir.”