He flipped his phone over, his brow wrinkled. “But Celine—she was already fragile. I think the separation was worse for her. And it didn’t help that your grandparents controlled her every move. She started to drink, take drugs, anything and everything to escape. And instead of supporting her or guiding her, they kept her like a prisoner.”
I thought about my grandfather, making me kneel and apologize. It was humiliating and horrible. Was that what Celine lived with every day?
“Is that why you came to the school? Used Elijah to get to me?”
Meeting my eye, he shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving a bit in a dangerous smirk. “Honestly?”
I nodded.
Evgeni raised an eyebrow. “No. As soon as I heard that Celine had a daughter, I knew you were mine.” He paused, his voice turning to steel, “Because no one takes something of mine and goes unpunished. I just needed proof to go against the Lamberts.”
“Something of yours?” I shook my head and breathed out an angry sniff.
He nodded, his lips pressed into a line. “Time with you. Time I will never get back.”
I stared at him with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.
Then he asked, “What about you and Ashe? I’ve heard rumors that you just met, but you must have known him before, no?”
This caught me by surprise. “No, we met just before my ritual.”
He smirked, “That must have been some meeting, huh?”
I frowned, not wanting to share that moment with him. “He showed me where the Main Hall was,” I breathed, gazing at my glass as beads of moisture slid down the surface. When I moved my cup across the table, the paper placemat stuck to the bottom and ripped away.
“Oh? That’s all…” he breathed out a laugh. “I’ve known Ashe since he was born. He’s smart and loyal, but that’s not important. What’s important is how you feel about him.”
How did I feel about Ashe?
Evgeni was a patient man. I knew he’d wait to hear what I had to say and allowed me to gather my thoughts.
Finally, I said, “I feel like I’ve known him my whole life… It feels like I’ve loved him my whole life.”
He nodded. “That’s how the bond goes. How can you not love someone who you know so intimately?”
“There’s more than that…”
“Yeah. If you work on it, you’ll be able to control those around you, sway people’s thoughts. Your grandfather does it all the time. It’s almost automatic for him.”
“I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about…”
“Oh!” He laughed, “I forgot about the other parts. Completing the bond. Most people only go a few days at most once the bond begins. The separation must be horrific. And the council still wanted you to wait?” Evgeni raised an eyebrow. They must want to see if you can make another match, a different one. Have you been around any other Primes? Any Orthodox Primes?”
I gazed heavenward. “Oh my god! What is it with this whole Elibera and Orthodox thing? We’re all Dragonborn! Why can’t we just be united instead of fighting and plotting?”
His shrewd eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curved up knowingly. “There is no working with the Orthodox Primes. They won’t budge. They won’t compromise. It’s their way or nothing. Instead of trying to help all Dragonborn—Primes and wyverns—raising everyone up, they’re greedy. They want to keep the wyverns subservient, keep them like sheep. Keep them doing the dirty work for Primes.”
“What? My friends are Orthodox. They made the Elibera out to be the extremists.”
“No. Elibera means freedom.” He shook his head and laughed. “At least you haven’t been indoctrinated by them. You have your own mind. You’re like me… and Celine. If you’re anything like us, then you’ll do what’s right, no matter what anyone says.”
Reaching across the laminate, he grabbed my hands and flattened them on the table. “Look, your fingernails are like mine. Curved.”
He splayed his own hands in front of me, his nails manicured and neatly trimmed.
The resemblance was there, except my nails were too long, uneven, and in need of a file.
Reluctantly, I pulled away and leaned back in the booth. “What other family do we have? Can I meet my brothers?”
Evgeni gazed out the windows into the empty highway and scratched his cheek. “That’s complicated.” Then sighing, he said, “We’ll see.”
“Oh,” I replied.
“But you’ll have my grandmother and her sister. They live in my house.”
“Oh?”
“But… neither speaks English very well.”
“That’s okay. I can use my translation app.”
He nodded, and a smile lifted his lips again. “You’ll love the Babushkas. They’re always baking and cooking cabbage, stinking up the whole house. And Katie will be glad to have someone on her side.”
His warmth and love for the Babushkas made me smile.
“Who says I’ll be on Katie’s side?” I asked mischievously.
Widening his eyes, he laughed a soft chuckle. “Between you and me—don’t get on the Babushkas bad side—they’re devious.”
That made me giggle just as the waitress set down our plates.
When she left, Evgeni exhaled and held my gaze when I peered up at him.
“I’ll never lie to you. Knowledge is power, you know?” He told me.
“That’s funny… that’s what George says to me.”
“That’s because he probably heard Celine say it so much,” Evgeni said absentmindedly.
I mulled that over as I ate my burger, and he cut up his steak.
19
Evgeni stayed true to his word and returned me to the school shortly after sundown.
I knew that I’d be bombarded with questions the moment I entered my room, so I detoured around to the back of Drake house.
Sitting on the terrace wall in the dark, I shivered as the breeze swept through the ravine. I liked to sit on the low stone wall that separated safety from instant death… okay, so there was a slight ledge below the wall, and then it dropped off steeply.
The wind whipped my hair around my face until I smoothed it all into a low messy ponytail.
“Hey,” came Logan’s voice, fighting against the wind and breaking into my solitude.
I spotted him out of the corner of my eye, hands in pockets, blond hair gelled into perfection, moving only slightly in the breeze.
Before I could say or do anything, he’d taken off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I sank into the warmth and smiled. The fleece smelled like him, comforting and confusing all at the same time.
Lifting one foot over the wall, he straddled it, staring at me.
“I felt a bunch of Primes here—including the PL.” Logan kept talking when I didn’t answer right away, and it made me think of Evgeni and how different they were. My bio-dad would wait for me to answer, but Logan was not as patient. “Olivia said you left lunch today. Are you okay?”
I pulled one bent leg onto the bench to turn and face the Drake Prime.
“It turns out that Evgeni Garin is my biological father, after all. All of them were here: him, and my grandparents, and a bunch of lawyers. They already went to court, but I think my grandparents thought they could stop it somehow. Then Evgeni took me out to dinner.”
I thought about all the things he’d told me—the revelations about Celine, my grandparents, and their bond.
Logan rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. “What? Seriously? Evgeni Garin is your real dad?”
I nodded slightly, my lips twisted. “It’s not that much of a stretch. I mean, he was my mother’s bondmate even though they weren’t always together. Besides, he did two DNA tests, and today I was swabbed for another by my grandparents… so I guess we’ll see.”
He blew out a breath, his brows raised. “Wow. Evgeni Garin. So, does that change anything?”
My mouth opened, and a laugh burst out. I breathed out, “Yeah. In
two days instead of going to live with the Lamberts, I’ll go live with Evgeni… and I think my great grandmother.” A smile tugged at my lips, thinking of having a grandmother. “Elise isn’t really like a real grandmother. She’s kind of cold even when we get along. Evgeni told me that his Babushka makes food all the time and... I know. I know that’s stupid, but I’m kind of looking forward to getting to know her.”
“I forgot that you’ve never really had family before… well, like relatives,” he said. Leaning forward, he picked something off the ground. When he unscrewed the top, I could smell that it was some kind of alcohol.
He held it out to me, but I waved it away. Unfazed, he put the bottle to his lips and took a long swallow.
Logan was usually a happy guy, but tonight, I could tell something was off. His usual smile and that sparkle in his eyes was gone. Instead, he had been biting the inside of his cheek, and his polo shirt was untucked.
“Why are you drinking tonight?” I plucked the bottle from its perch between us on the ledge. Lifting it, I sniffed and let out a cough. “What is this?”
His fingers brushed mine as he took it and sucked down another gulp. “Whiskey… I’m fucked. My thesis is fucked… I just ran across a last-minute source that ruins my entire paper… my grades are fucked. That paper was my entire grade for the semester.”
“Noooooo,” I strung the word out, tilting my head. “Shit! You’ve worked so hard on that paper. Are you sure?”
He nodded, “Positive.”
“Can you just pretend you never saw it? Maybe no one will know.” The bottle clanged the concrete as I picked it up and took a chug myself.
“Nope,” he said with a pop on the P.
“Where’d you get the booze?” I asked.
“Booze? Fuck Sydney, you’re so weird.” He met my gaze with a sad smile.
I frowned and took another long swallow. “Gee, thanks.”
He shook his head. “No, not weird bad, weird good. I love that about you. You’re not just some lemming.” His fingers slid over mine, and took the bottle back. Holding it up, he said, “This is from my end of the year party stash, but I figured I needed it more today… maybe you did too.” Taking another swallow, he met my eyes as he drank. “Fuck! Evgeni Garin is your dad! That’s so fucked up!”
“Why do you say it like that?” I asked, taking the bottle from him and drinking.
“He’s not on the council but has a lot of political sway. A lot of both Orthodox and Elibera owe him favors. I had no idea that Prime Leader Arthur Lambert was his father-in-law! Fuuuck!” Logan’s chest rose up and down in a silent laugh as he looked up into the dark sky. “I mean, Evgeni is known to be… well, let’s just say he’s morally ambiguous. I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole paternity thing was a scam.”
“What? He’s my mom’s bondmate.” I scoffed and took another gulp, this time coughing afterward.
Logan leaned forward, clapping me on the back, “Easy killer.”
“It’s not a scam. We have the same fingernails,” I said as proof.
He took another slug while raising his brows, an incredulous look in his eyes as they met mine.
Shivering, he rubbed his bare arms.
“Want your coat back?” I asked.
He shook his head, “Just turn around and lean against me—let me have some of your warmth.”
How many drinks had I taken from the bottle? I couldn’t remember—two, three? Maybe more. A warm haze had settled over me, making me not mind the cold so much.
I leaned back into Logan, closing my eyes as his arms wrapped around me.
“You smell good,” he told me, his cold face against my hair.
“It’s just my shampoo.”
“Do you want to go inside? We can stream that zombie movie,” he said, pushing strands of hair out of my face as I turned to gaze up at him.
Logan was staring back at me even though his eyes were shadowed in the dark of night. His breath smelled like the drink, spicy and warm.
My pulse began to pick up, and a fluttery sensation filled my chest.
“Sydney,” he whispered my name, touching the side of my face.
I licked my lips, unable to keep my eyes from flicking to his.
“Logan,” I said back to him in the same low tone.
He took my hand into his, then helped me sit and turn toward him, my leg bent between us.
It was just him and me—my mind was quiet for once.
“Can I kiss you?” He whispered.
I barely nodded, unsure, but wanting whatever he was offering. I craved it—I needed it. I’d been hollowed out and abandoned, but here was Logan—kind and warm and understanding, and he wanted me.
The Drake Prime didn’t wait for me to change my mind. Instead, he leaned toward me, his lips pressing softly against mine. Molten lava pooled inside me, making me suck in a shuddering breath.
Then he pulled away, his eyes flicking over my face. Whatever he saw there made him lean in again, his hands clasping my arms as his lips met mine again. This time his tongue forced its way between my lips, and I let him deepen the kiss.
My arms wound around his neck, and my fingers slid into his hair. I shifted, and Logan tugged my legs around him. Logan gripped my hips and pulled me against him. Waves of pleasure built in my body as we clung to each other. I wanted… I didn’t know what, but something more. His hands found their way beneath my shirt, and his fingers spanned my ribs, moving upward until touching the lace at the bottom of my bra.
“Mmmm…” I moaned at his touch.
But Logan stopped and covered my mouth with his hand, laughing and whispering, “Shhhhhh, someone could hear us.”
“I don’t care,” I told him, arching backward. Logan grabbed my hands and slowed my descent until I lay on the terrace wall, my legs still around him.
“Sydney, shit. How drunk are you?” He asked as he loomed over me in the dark.
His hands still held my own, pressing Ashe’s platinum ring into my finger.
That sensation was like a slap in my face reminding me who I was and what I was doing.
This was wrong.
Squeezing my eyes closed, my breath hitched.
I couldn’t even look at Logan. I was so disgusted with myself.
Aaraeth! I screamed into the abyss of my empty mind. Where was she?
Sitting up abruptly, I pulled away from Logan.
He still wore a bemused expression as I tugged off his jacket and shoved it into his lap, stumbling as I stood.
“Whoa… what’s… Syd? Hold up!” He called as I weaved my way over the flagstones.
What did I do?
I didn’t do anything. We were dressed, I told myself.
It was a stupid excuse. It didn’t matter. I’d led Logan on, and now, I was basically cheating on Ashe.
But Ashe won’t even touch you, my mind told me as another excuse.
It didn’t matter.
Once inside Drake, all the noises were amplified. A door slammed, making me jump.
Had someone seen us? Seen me?
I held my hand out against the wall to keep myself upright. The steps seemed to take forever to get up to the 3rd floor, and once in the hall, I ducked my chin, afraid I’d run into someone, and they’d know.
I felt like it was written on my face.
Slut, whore.
But it felt so good, and I just wanted… I wanted to feel loved.
I wanted to deserve love.
But I didn’t deserve anything, and maybe I never would.
I betrayed the one person I could completely trust—Ashe.
Once inside my room, tears were already streaming down my cheeks. I tried to avoid Becca’s eye, but she and Taya were immediately in my face.
They seemed to sway, and I stumbled.
“Are you drunk?” Taya asked. “What happened? You’re cold. Where were you? On the terrace? I thought you were with Prime Garin?”
Instead of answering, I puked in her direction. Taya w
eaved, jumping out of the line of fire as Becca held me upright.
“Oh, gross…” Taya spat before making a gagging noise.
When another spasm wracked my body, I bent forward and heaved another chunk laden cough.
Then my guard pressed a damp towel to my forehead. “Let’s move her to the bed,” she told Becca.
They led me to the bed, where I collapsed onto my side. The room spun around me, and my stomach heaved again, making me bolt up straight—or what I thought was straight.
I sat on the edge, breathing heavily as Taya pressed the empty trashcan into my hands.
“Logan! What did you do?” Demanded Becca.
I gazed up as the room swayed beneath me.
Logan stood in the doorway, his eyes wide as he looked inside.
“Nothing!” He replied defensively, closing the door behind him and kneeling to help clean things up.
I hurled again, at least this time making it into the bin. A blob landed on my duvet, but I had no time to care as I tried to keep the room from spinning.
Taya gave me a new towel, and I covered my face with it.
Her voice was sharp as she directed her contempt at Logan, “Seriously, Logan? I can smell your breath from here. You guys were drinking, and you tried something on her, didn’t you? She was crying! Dude, you’re a dick!”
“You’re such an idiot,” Becca chimed in.
Logan stood, his eyes meeting mine. “Tell them. You kissed me back! Tell them I didn’t do anything to you!” He turned to the two girls, “I asked her if I could kiss her.”
I held up a finger, closed my eyes, and swayed before begrudgingly opening them again. “He’s telling the truth.” I began to shake my head but stopped, regretting my attempt. “BUT, it shouldn’t have happened.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I let out a sob.
Logan’s gaze met mine, his mouth slightly open, before sagging against the door frame. Not because he was drunk, I don’t think he was drunk at all, but because of emotion.
He clenched his jaw. “No, Sydney.”
Becca shushed him, “Just go, Logan, before you make things worse.”
Instead of going, he stalked toward me, his voice firm, his face pale and severe. Standing in front of me, he growled, “I know you want me, as much as I want you.”
Over Easy (The Dragon Born Academy Book 2) Page 17