The Rýkr Duet

by M. E. Clayton

  My sister looked at me. “Questions only those two jackasses can answer,” Neve pointed out.

  Never had done her best to ignore Easton during lunch, but I had felt her struggle. Apart from them being some kind of cosmic fate for us, Griffin and Easton Keenstone were gorgeous. Even without our so-called bonds, who wouldn’t be attracted to them? The only difference was that Griffin’s pull on me was stronger than Easton’s pull on Neve.

  “I wonder if your bond with Easton is weaker than mine is with Griffin and that’s why you’ve been able to date all this time,” I wondered aloud.

  Neve grimaced.

  “What?”

  “I’ve been faking it all this time, Avalon,” she admitted. “The kissing, holding hands, hugs…all that crap, it felt awful. I just wanted to be normal so badly that I forced myself to endure it all to prove a point.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know,” she grumbled.

  “Do you think you…I don’t know…damaged the bond because you did all that?”

  Neve shook her head. “I honestly don’t know.”

  I dropped back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. “We’re going to have to find a way to get our answers without…without folding like cheap cards.”

  “Do you want to read my letter?” she asked, and I put my hand out to trade letters.

  After reading Neve’s letter, they were basically the same thing, just personalized for us. Her letter didn’t tell her anything more than mine told me.

  I let out a deep breath. “Let’s go show them to Mom and Dad,” I said. “Maybe they can help us figure out what to do.” Neve didn’t comment, and when I sat back up and looked at her, she looked sad. “Neve?”

  “I don’t want to not have a choice, Avalon,” she confessed. “I don’t want anything to do with Easton Keenstone or Rýkr or any of it. I’m happy with the life we have now.”

  I scooted over and hugged my sister. “I know,” I whispered. “I’m happy, too.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to have to talk to them, Neve,” I replied. “As much as it sucks, they’re the only ones who can answer our questions.”

  “This fucking sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does.”

  Chapter 17

  Griffin~

  Between being able to see the future, move objects with my mind, and hear a mouse pissing on a bale of cotton, it wasn’t all that difficult to break into Avalon’s house.

  Earlier, I could see her father locking up the house and it had been child’s play to turn the latch on her window, so I could lift it open. They didn’t have a security system, and while a little unwise, it worked for me in this case. It was also handy as fuck that she had a huge oak tree just outside her window. Living on the outskirts of town, their property had a shitload of trees all over the place, and God had planted one right outside Avalon’s window for me. Well, maybe not specifically for me, but I appreciated it, nonetheless.

  My only hope was that I didn’t scare her or upset her enough that her powers went haywire, and she woke up the entire household. And while her parents’ room was on the other side of the house, her sister’s room was right next door, and I didn’t need that hellcat busting into Avalon’s room.

  Crawling through the window, I could make Avalon’s sleeping form on the bed. It was dark, but when I moved the curtain, the moonlight gave me just enough clarity to see what I was working with.

  Knowing I had to work fast, I left the window open for a quick getaway, and walked over to stand over her bed. Did that make me a creeper? Absolutely. Did I care? Not at all. After all, Avalon was mine. She has always been mine. I was just waiting for her to get onboard with this shit.

  Going for broke, I grabbed the edge of the blanket and slapped my hand over her mouth at the same time that I climbed over her.

  Her eyes shot open, and as soon as they started turning milky, I said, “It’s me, Griffin. Relax.” I felt her entire body deflate and I used that and her confusion to get comfortable between her thighs. While she was still in a state of unawareness, I wasn’t.

  I felt her lips moving against my palm. “Wmmff…hmm…re…mdmm…reer.”

  I pulled my hand off her mouth and braced my weight on my elbows. “What was that?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I missed you.”

  Annoyance flashed in her blue eyes. “Don’t think I won’t scream for my parents, you asshole, because I will.”

  “Christ, you’re beautiful,” I said, completely ignoring her threat.

  “What are you doing here, Griffin?” she asked. “And get the hell off me.”

  “Not on your life,” I said right before I bent my head down to place a kiss on her jaw. “You’ll have to scream for your parents.”

  I felt her chest rise with irritation, and as she let out another deep breath, she repeated her question. “What are you doing here?”

  I told her the truth. “I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  “Enough to tell me what the hell is going on?” she clipped out. “Because the more you hold back, the more resistant I am to you and…and whatever this is, Griffin.”

  I knew if I wanted to get anywhere with her, I’d have to give her something, so I relented a bit. “What do you want to know?”

  Her eyes started racing around as she thought of a question. She probably knew there’d be a limited number of questions she could ask, so she was searching for the best question to ask.

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  I pushed back a couple of strands of hair from her forehead. “I’ve always known where you were at.”

  Avalon started pushing at my chest. “Get off me, you bastard,” she hissed. “If you’re not going to answer my questions, then leave, because you know damn well what I’m asking.”

  We wrestled for a bit, and by the time we were done, we were both sitting up, my body wrapped around hers from behind. I had my arms wrapped around her body, my forearms right underneath her tits. I held her close, and it was pure torture as she was just wearing a tank top and panties, but I wasn’t about to let her go.

  No fucking way.

  “I was told about you when I was fourteen,” I finally answered. “I’ve known about your existence since I was fourteen.”

  “How? Why?”

  “What do I get if I tell you?” I bargained. Avalon whirled around in my arms and we were back to wrestling until I had her laid out underneath me again. “Christ, you’re violent.”

  “I wasn’t until you came around,” she panted, annoyed.

  “We were told about you when we were fourteen,” I repeated. “We were also told we had to wait until we were eighteen to come after you because that’s the maturity age for our people.”

  Avalon rolled her eyes. “That’s the maturity age for everyone,” she replied.

  “No,” I corrected. “That’s the legal age of adulthood for everyone in America, but legal age and maturity are not the same thing. There are still a lot of incredibly immature eighteen-year-olds that are doing quite a bit of stupid shit, Avalon.”

  “So, what does that mean? Maturity?”

  “Our powers rise to their full potential when we turn eighteen,” I explained. “Along with our bonds.”

  “What’s to be exacted after we turn eighteen?”

  “If you’d been raised in Rýkr, we’d be planning our wedding already,” I told her honestly. “But since you weren’t, this is all kind of new territory.”

  “If you’ve always known where I was, why not come for me before now?”

  “My father thought keeping us separated was a good way to test if our bonds were naturally derived or nurtured born.”

  “Griff-”

  “Shh, baby,” I said, my head bent again, my lips skimming her jaw. “I’ll answer all your questions later. Just let me in a little before I have to go.”

  “Oh, God,�
� she choked out. “Do you really think I’m going to let you distract me with sex?”

  I pulled back and looked down at her. “Trust me, Avalon. If I was here to fuck you, you’d be getting fucked.” I almost groan when I felt her hips shift. “I’m here because I missed you. Now that I know what it feels like to kiss and hold you, it’s getting harder for me to stay away.”

  “Griff-”

  “I’ve waited my entire life for you, Avalon,” I reminded her. “I’m not going to wait much longer.”

  “What happens on my birthday?”

  Supporting all my weight on my left arm, I reached down with my right, grabbed the back of her thigh, and opened her wider. Once my hard cock was nestled exactly where it always belonged, I ran my hand back up her body-making sure you grab a handful of tit-then braced my weight evenly again.

  Pushing up against her pussy, I said, “I make you mine.”

  “Is…is that a rule?” she asked breathlessly. “We have to wait until we’re eighteen?”

  I shook my head. “No. Had we grown up together, I would have fucked you a million times over by now.”

  “Quit saying it like that,” she hissed.

  I smirked. “Does the word ‘fuck’ offend you delicate sensibilities?”

  “No,” she denied. “It’s you who offends me.”

  I laughed. “Baby, the last thing I’m doing is offending you,” I countered. “I can smell your pussy, Avalon. There’s no way you’re not as turned on as I am. Your soul knows me, so your body can’t help but want me.”

  “Don’t do this,” she whispered softly. “I’ll hate you if you manipulate what I don’t understand to your advantage, Griffin.”

  I wasn’t sure what it was, but the way she said it felt like a kick to the chest. “Baby-”

  “I will hate you, Griffin,” she repeated. “Even if I’m bound to you, I will hate you for using my ignorance against me.”

  Well, fuck.

  I stared down at her with no choice but to take my ass home and formulate a Plan B.

  Without a word, I crawled off her body, walked to the window, then climbed out of her bedroom. On the way down, I was starting to appreciate Easton’s anger for our father a bit more. Astra really had fucked us when he had allowed this nonsense.

  I drove home and wondered what to do. The easy answer would be to answer all her questions, but if I told her the truth, I seriously doubted she’d be eager to return to Rýkr with me. After all, she’d be surrendering to the rule of an asshole who fucked her life up just as much as he did his own sons.

  So, what in the fuck was I going to do?

  Chapter 18

  Avalon~

  For almost two weeks, I’ve been a neurotic mess. While I’ve done my best to hide it in front of Gale and Bonnie, Neve could see it clear as day. Though, to be fair, I think the only reason Gale and Bonnie hadn’t noticed my neurosis was because Gale finally got his head out of his ass and had asked Bonnie out this past Saturday, and she had said yes. And since that fateful evening, they haven’t able to keep their hands off one another, so I think my mental breakdown was being upstaged by teenage hormones. Not that I was bitter, mind you. I was happy for my two best friends. In my eyes, they were the perfect couple.

  And speaking of couples…

  After Griffin left my room that night, he went to avoiding me. Well, not really avoiding, but since that night, he’s kept his distance with only a few acknowledgements. Easton’s been acting the same way with Neve, and I was beginning to feel like a goddamn gazelle out in the wild while the lions were circling.

  I also didn’t tell Neve about Griffin breaking into my bedroom that night. Neve’s answer would have been to kick his ass and I didn’t need her confusing me any more than I already was. Even with everything that I didn’t understand, I couldn’t ignore what I did understand, and what I understood was that I was very attracted to him. Whether from hormones or that supposed bond, there was no doubt that I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out.

  And today was my birthday.

  Last night, Neve and I had discussed skipping school because we had no idea what today would bring, but Neve had ended up going into some long-winded speech about how we weren’t cowards and fuck Griffin and Easton Keenstone. Granted, not in those exact words, but pretty close.

  The only problem was that I had woken up feeling almost like I was high or something. There was no longer that humming or buzzing sensation flowing through my veins. This was something different. While I’ve never been on drugs, I felt kind of invincible. I felt as if I could do anything. When I finally remembered that our powers would come into full bloom on our birthday, I had asked Neve if she felt high as a kite, too, and when she had admitted that she did, I had calmed down a bit. However, that still left me antsy about whatever Griffin might be up to.

  So far, I’ve gotten through three classes and one break without him harassing me, but I couldn’t lie and say being near him during first period hadn’t been extremely difficult. Whatever was between us was stronger today and it sucked because I was still clueless about it all. The ledger and letters hadn’t offered any actual help in dealing with what my body and mind were going through. Even the little that Griffin had told me hadn’t helped. Everything still felt chaotic, and I hated not being in control of my thoughts or emotions.

  There was also the fact that I was curious enough to want to take a trip to Rýkr and see the town for myself. Still, I had this horror-movie-fear that if I went to visit the town, I’d somehow get trapped there and never see my parents or Neve again. Granted, Neve would never let me go alone, but I still had this semi-irrational fear that if I stepped foot in Rýkr that I’d be trapped there forever.

  Luckily, my next class was gym and Fridays were lazy days. The coaches and gym teachers worked with the athletes on Friday since that was when we had all our sports games. Most students just sat around and gossiped, but I had dressed out with the intent to run track or something. I needed to burn off this extra energy I was feeling and clear my head. Now, granted, I wasn’t sure if I could burn off the energy since it was due to my powers maturing, but I needed to try something.

  Taking my time, I was one of the last girls to leave the locker room. Dressed in my standard uniform of a Clearwater t-shirt and gym shorts, I wasn’t too worried about sweating during my run. It was still a bit cool in temperature, plus I had lunch after this. I could take a decent shower after class and not have to rush to get to my next class.

  However, all that came to a blinding stop when I felt a hand grab my arm just as the locker room door shut behind me. Before I could figure out what was going on, I was being dragged back into the locker room, then tossed inside the linen closet that housed all the towels and extra uniforms.

  I was stunned, but when I heard the door locking, that’s when I snapped out of it. “What the hell?”

  His voice hit me like a ton of bricks. “I can’t do it anymore. I turned around fully just as Griffin flip on the light switch.

  Christ, why did he have to be so gorgeous?

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. I mean, was he feeling the same high I was and was wigging out?

  Wait.

  No.

  That didn’t sound right.

  Griffin stalked me until my back stopped against a shelf of towels. He put his hands on my hips as if he had every right, and said, “Staying away from you.”

  I looked into his storming blue eyes. “You feel it, too?”

  He shook his head. “No.” Then he quickly amended, “Well, not like you think.”

  “What do you mean?” His face softened and I wanted to slap him. I wasn’t sure if I was still mad, so I didn’t need kindness from him because then who could I be mad at if not him?

  “I turned eighteen a few months ago,” he told me. “I’ve been feeling strung out for months, Avalon. On my eighteenth birthday, I felt the same way you do now, but my…anxiety has developed into something different since I�
�ve been denying myself for so long.”

  The way he said it made it sound like he had choices with all this. “So, why did you deny yourself?” I asked. “Why-”

  His fingers tightened on my hips. “Because there’s only you,” he interrupted. “Even if I could be with someone else and not die from the experience, I didn’t and don’t want to.” His blue gaze dipped towards my lips. “Christ, there’s only you, baby.”

  “Griff-”

  Exactly like the first time, Griffin’s lips slammed down on mine, giving me no opportunity to argue or deny him. The kaleidoscope of heat that consumed my body in waves was nothing like before. When I thought our first kiss had been powerful enough to send me out of my mind, that was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. I truly felt drugged, and with every second that passed, I felt like I was becoming an addict off what he was making me feel.

  When Griffin broke off the kiss, I moaned when his lips found a home on the sensitive spot where my neck and shoulder met. My hands also got tangled in his shirt, desperate fists doing their best to hold on. And when Griffin’s hands went from my hips to wrapping his arms round me, my only thought was that this couldn’t be healthy. This kind of yearning could not be healthy. Desire this strong should not be allowed to exist. In Griffin’s arms, everything I was feeling was threatening everything I ever thought was my life and it definitely threatened whatever I thought my future was going to be.

  It didn’t help when I let out another slutty moan when Griffin grabbed two handfuls of my ass and squeezed, the contact placing his hard dick up against my stomach. “Oh, God…”

  Griffin didn’t say anything as he lifted me by my ass, then planted that same ass on at table I hadn’t noticed before. Folded uniforms scattered to the floor as Griffin made room for us, and there was no way I wasn’t losing my virginity in here. Now, was it the romantic love story I had hoped to share with my sister one day? No. Absolutely not. We’re talking getting screwed in the linen closet inside the girls’ locker room during gym class. There was nothing romantic about this.