The Rýkr Duet

by M. E. Clayton

  Hopefully, it really was just something as simple as not having seen Neve yet and not something more detrimental.

  God, please don’t let it be more detrimental.

  Chapter 8

  Avalon~

  The look my parents shared wasn’t an encouraging one.

  After the nurse had excused us to go home, Neve and I had come straight home where we had demanded some answers. Thankfully, Dad was working from home today, so there hadn’t been an issue when we had demanded to talk to the both of them.

  And now we were all gathered in the living room, Neve and I obvious paranoid messes.

  “Look, we know we’re weird-”

  “You girls are not weird,” Dad automatically defended. “You’re special.”

  Neve waved away his unwavering support. “Okay. Fine. We’re special,” she replied, humoring him. “But this feels more special than what we normally consider special, and if we’re going to die, then you guys need to tell us.”

  Mom let out a choked laughed. “Neve, you girls are not going to die.”

  “Then what is this?” I asked. “I know you guys have to know. You guys read the journal.”

  “What’s two weeks?” Neve added. “Why do we have to wait until we’re eighteen to know what’s in that journal?”

  Dad put his hand on Mom’s knee and took a deep breath. I couldn’t imagine that living in a household with nothing but females was easy for a man, but that’s what he had signed up for, so the cross he was bearing had been placed on his back by his own two hands.

  “Dad?” I prompted.

  “Look, we don’t profess to know what all you girls are capable of,” he started out. “That journal was a guideline to help us get through the…strange times.” Mom let out a low chuckle. “There were three letters in that journal, and we read the one addressed to us. Your birth mother was very adamant that we keep that journal in safekeeping until you girls turned eighteen. Not a minute sooner.”

  “How do you know something…dangerous isn’t going to happen?” Neve asked. “Because I gotta tell you, Dad, I feel like I’m on the verge of having a heart attack.”

  This time, Mom let out a deep sigh, certain we were just being dramatic teenagers, but this was more than that. “We can’t give you the journal because we don’t know what that might affect, and we’re not willing to take the risks.” Neve and I were just about to argue, but she put her hand up to stop us. “However, we can tell what was in our letter if that’ll help.”

  I glanced over at my sister. “Anything’s better than nothing,” I grumbled.

  Neve did not look happy, but she agreed. “Fine,” she bit out.

  Dad leaned forward like he was about to tell us a bedtime story, all serious and focused. “Our letter explained that the journal is a…history book, of sorts,” he started to tell us. “It has everything you need to know about where you came from and why you girls possess the gifts you do.”

  “It also explained how you were going to come into those gifts and for us not to panic. However, we wouldn’t know what those gifts were until they began to show themselves,” Mom added.

  “So, we could have more abilities and not know it?” Neve asked.

  “Maybe that’s what this weird feeling is,” I remarked, thinking out loud. “Maybe we’re going to inherit more abilities when we turn eighteen.” I looked between my sister and parents. “It’s possible, right?”

  Mom nodded. “It’s possible. The section in the letter that made it clear to hold onto the journal until you turned eighteen said that eighteen would be a very significant turning point in your lives, and we were to let…”

  Neve and I leaned forward in our seats. “What?” Neve practically screeched. “What, Mom?”

  Mom let out another sigh. “There was a bit of a riddle to the instructions pertaining to your eighteenth birthday.”

  Dad grimaced a bit. “Yeah, it was…a vague reference to what is to come.”

  “What is to come?” I asked.

  “The letter just said that when you girls turned eighteen…” Dad rolled his eyes, something he only did when he was confused.

  “Look, I don’t want to have to violate your brain, but I’m panicked enough to do it,” Neve threatened. “Don’t make me be that asshole, Dad.”

  “What your language, young lady,” Mom automatically chastised, leveling her with a mom-look.

  “Sorry,” she grumbled.

  We all took a deep breath and did our best to simmer down. In my heart, I knew my parents weren’t trying to be difficult and I knew their concern for us was genuine, but they weren’t the ones experiencing these weird feelings of impending doom in their chest.

  Mom finally spoke. “The letter said, ‘At eighteen, destiny will appear to see if it’s a tethering that’s meant to be or if freedom is where the soul is fated to be’.”

  Yeah, because that didn’t sound ominous at freakin’ all.

  Neve looked over at me. “So…does…”

  I eyed her back. “Does???”

  She started gnawing on her bottom lip. “Maybe it’s a reference to adulthood,” Neve suggested. “We’re twins who have been together all our lives. And since we’re not like most twins-”

  “We’re not like any twins,” I remarked dryly.

  Neve huffed and rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she replied tartly. “Maybe it just means we’re going to struggle once we graduate and go on to lead separate lives.”

  It wasn’t a far-fetched theory. Not only were we not like other twins, but we weren’t like other people. Maybe there was something about what we were and where we came from that made separation anxiety a real thing. Like…like knowing that my sister was the only other person that I knew who understood what was like to be us, not having her readily available to me might cause me some issues down the line.

  “It’s very possible,” I replied, giving her theory some life.

  “It does sound plausible,” Dad said. “Like I said, the journal is more of a history book than anything else. While there is a lot of helpful information in the book, it doesn’t speak of anything significant happening when you girls turn eighteen, though the letters might.”

  “And you guys really believe that handing us the journal and letters a measly two weeks early will actually do some harm?” Neve asked. “It’s only two weeks, for Pete’s sake.”

  “Neve, we’re talking and dealing with the unknown,” Mom told her. “We could be doing irreversible damage by not following your mother’s instructions. Do you really want to risk that?”

  “What if we give you that journal and those letters and…it sets some really horrible events in motion? What if you lose your gifts or something because we went against the rules?” Dad theorized.

  Mom put on her best rally smile. “Why don’t we just play it by ear, hmm?” Neve and I just shared a look. “If you start feeling like you really can’t handle the…anxiousness, we can talk more about it this weekend.” She looked over at Dad. “Maybe one week won’t make a difference.”

  We all sat silent as we waited for Dad to make the final decision. While he didn’t rule his household as a dictatorship, he still had the final say in the decisions that affected our family. He was the man of the house, and though he always listened to us and took our feelings and viewpoints into consideration, he was still ultimately the final say.

  After a few torturous seconds, he said, “We can revisit this over the weekend.” But before Neve and I could celebrate, he added, “But only if you girls are still anxious or it gets worse. Not just because your curiosity can’t hold off for another week.” Neve grumbled, but I just laughed.

  He knew us well.

  “And no more ditching school, young ladies,” Mom added sternly.

  “It’s not like we ditched to go out and get drunk or freebase crack,” Neve replied haughtily.

  “Neve Lively!” Mom cried parentally, hiding her laughter unsuccessfully.

  “Well, we
didn’t,” Neve insisted stubbornly.

  Mom’s eyebrows shot upward. “I would hope not.”

  Dad just chuckled. “Well, since you girls are here, you can help me work in the garage today.” He stood up. “You’re not going to get off easy for ditching school.”

  “But we were fearing for our lives,” I pointed out.

  Dad cocked his head. “Neve might have been, but really, Avalon?”

  I grinned. “Okay,” I relented. “Maybe not fearing, exactly.” Neve snorted.

  “Go change and meet me out back,” he said before adjourning our little family meeting by walking out of the living room. Mom followed him, probably worried that Neve and I would start hounding her all over again.

  I looked over at my sister. “Feel better?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. You?”

  “Not even a little bit,” I answered honestly.

  Chapter 9

  Griffin~

  Today had to be the longest day of my life and that was saying something. Back home, our education hadn’t been limited to eight hours of structured learning. We had doubled up on learning about the world around us, but also about Rýkr and its history. So, we’ve often put in ten-to-twelve-hour days during our time in education, but today was, by far, the longest day of my life.

  Not only was I acutely aware that Avalon wasn’t nearby, but being the new kids at a new school, we’d been bombarded with enough attention to be exhausting. Even Easton hadn’t appreciated how a different girl was going up to him every ten minutes to get the scoop on us. And unless we invested in contacts for our eyes, we couldn’t even use our gifts to pave an easier way for us. We’d had to endure all the pitfalls of being the new kids at school.

  But we were finally home where Severus had been waiting patiently to grill us, and he’d been sorely disappointed with the lack of excitement he’d been expecting.

  “So…they just left?”

  During first break, I had met up with Easton and had told him about how I’d overheard the girls talking about going home sick. I had even explained the experience of seeing Avalon for the first time and how it had affected us both mentally, emotionally, and physically, and that’s how I knew Avalon was mine and not Neve. I had also told him how I could feel the immediate difference when she had left campus.

  He hadn’t liked that.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “They weren’t sure of what they were feeling, so they went home sick.”

  Severus rolled his lips in, his mind working as always. Finally, he said, “Well, that makes sense. While you boys have been educated on what to expect when you’re around your partner, they haven’t been. They have no explanation for the feelings they are experiencing.” He grimaced a bit. “I can see them…panicking a bit. Especially, if you had such a visceral reaction to seeing Avalon for the first time.”

  “So, should I expect the same thing?” Easton asked him. “Lightning bolts?”

  “No necessarily,” Severus replied. “Every bond is different, Easton. Just because Griffin and Avalon were impacted physically doesn’t mean that you will be.” Severus shrugged a shoulder. “Honestly, with you being the first to…” He trailed off, but we knew what he was getting at. “Uhm, being the first to be separated from your-”

  Easton snorted. “Is that what we’re calling it?”

  Severus shot him a look. “Unlike Griffin, you’ve done nothing but try to sever your bond since you first learned of it at fourteen, Easton. It’s quite possible you may have succeeded. Did you ever think of that? Your reaction to Neve may differ incredibly after all the stunts you’ve pulled over the years.”

  “If that was the case, I wouldn’t be here, Severus,” Easton retorted. “I can still feel her.”

  “Well, get ready for a hell of a punch if you are still bonded,” I told him. “It felt pretty…intense.”

  “And what do you feel now?” Severus asked.

  “I feel…like this low hum of energy is what’s keep me…I don’t know. Functioning, maybe?” I tried to explain. “However, I don’t feel displaced anymore. I don’t feel like pieces of me are missing.” I looked over at my brother. “It’s a little disconcerting.”

  “How so?”

  I turned back to face Severus. Though he was our guardian and has been for our entire life, he still worked for our father. I knew that he was reporting everything back to Astra. I knew the experiment wasn’t over. I knew there was a lot at stake here, and while I should probably still be angry at our father’s betrayal, over the years, I’ve lost the energy to give a shit.

  “I feel settled,” I explained. “I feel whole. And after feeling uncomfortable in my own skin for so many years, it feels rather addictive to finally feel at peace.” I shrugged. “Knowing what it feels like to be without her to knowing what it feels to be around her, I can’t say there isn’t much I won’t do to make sure I don’t ever feel that lost feeling again.”

  Severus leaned back on the couch and just stared at me. With me in one of the recliners on the other side of the room and Easton sitting on the other end of the couch with Severus, I was able to look at them both during this little heart-to-heart.

  “Are you going to approach her tomorrow?” Severus finally asked.

  I nodded. “That’s the plan.”

  Severus mulled that over a bit before looking over at Easton. “And what are your plans?”

  “I’ll approach Neve tomorrow, too.”

  “Perhaps you should wait until we see what transpires between Griffin and Avalon,” Severus suggested. “If things end up going south with Griffin, I can’t imagine your experience going any better.”

  Easton lifted his chin. “I’d appreciate it if you’d quit throwing my decisions back in my face,” he replied coolly, and whether he realized it or not, he sounded every bit as arrogant and regal as our parents. There was no mistaking the strength in his bloodline.

  Severus was unaffected, though. He reared us, so he was hardly intimidated by either of us. “I’m doing no such thing, Easton,” he denied. “I’m merely guiding you the best way I know how.”

  “There’s also the fact that we don’t know if her bond is still intact,” I threw in. “Just because you still feel her, that doesn’t mean she can feel you.”

  Easton leaned back on the couch. “You said that they were both feeling sick,” he pointed out. “Of course, she feels our bond.”

  “True,” I acknowledge. “But she could be feeling that from her sister or even me.” I shrugged. “Sympathy pains.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he bit out. “Sympathy pains? Really?”

  I shrugged again. “All I’m saying is that we have no idea what we’re dealing with,” I reminded him. “When Dad fucked us, he made sure to fuck us good.”

  “Griffin,” Severus chided.

  I looked over at him. “What? It’s true. It’s true and you know it.”

  “Rehashing what you believe to be your father’s ill-advised decision will not change what’s happened,” he reminded us. “It happened. It’s done. You’d do well to focus your energy on what is manageable.”

  I leaned forward and braced my elbows on the top of my thighs, my hands clasped together. “Let’s address what is manageable, shall be?” I asked condescendingly like a dick. “So, let’s say I approach her tomorrow and tell her everything she needs to know about herself, about me, and about us.” I jerked my head a bit. “And let’s say she believes me.”

  Severus gave me a terse nod. “Okay.”

  “What the fuck am I supposed to do if Avalon decides she wants nothing to do with me, even after she’s been told everything?” I asked. “What if she gets so pissed off that she wants nothing to do with Rýkr? Or what if she doesn’t care and likes her life the way it is? What am I supposed to do then, Severus?”

  “It is your job to make sure that’s not the case, Griffin,” he replied as if it were all so simple.

  “You didn’t answer the question, Severus.” I watched hi
m take a deep breath and I wondered if he was secretly cursing my father for saddling him with this fucked-up situation.

  Finally, he said, “If that is the case, then you’re going to have to force her or find a way to sever the bond, Griffin.”

  I straightened, and I was surprised at how angry his answer made me. “So, either she’s miserable for the rest of her life, or I am. Is that it?”

  “Hopefully, it doesn’t come down to that,” he said. “Your bond exists. It’s still intact. Make her acknowledge that same sense of wholeness you claim you feel now. Use the bond to steer her decision to return to Rýkr with you.”

  I arched a brow. “Seriously? You want me to seduce her?”

  His eyes narrowed in displeasure at my choice of words. “Avalon is not a one-night stand, Griffin. She is not something to be…discarded after you’ve used her.”

  “You don’t think I know that?” I snapped.

  “Then do not refer to her so insignificantly,” he scolded. “Your bond is about more than just sex. I’m telling you to make her acknowledge the bond she has with you. I am not telling you to seduce her.”

  “And if she isn’t a virgin?” I asked because I often wondered if that made a difference when bonds were cemented.

  “Why don’t we focus on your approach tomorrow instead of hypotheticals,” he replied. “There’s no sense in borrowing trouble.”

  I leaned back in my chair and shook my head. “Well, Father only needs one heir,” I grumbled. “If I have to stay here with her, I suppose-”

  Easton’s laugh cut me off. “There’s no way I’m going home without you, Griffin,” he said. “No fucking way.”

  Fucking great.

  Chapter 10

  Avalon~

  I stood in front of my locker with the door wide open. The last warning bell already rang, and while Neve had already taken off to Biology, I was still at my locker. I wouldn’t say I was in a trance, but that uneasy feeling was back, and I was still at a loss on what to make of it. It also bothered me that Neve wasn’t feeling the same thing I was. She felt the unease, but not as strongly as I was.