“Yes, we are.We talked about this already, so stop being a dick and choose because if you don’t, we’ll leave you here, and you’ll have to drive yourself.”
Merrick glared at him.“I can drive.”
“I never said you couldn’t.”
Merrick huffed.Rex was hoping he’d choose to drive with Mallory and Arlen.He didn’t know what was going on between him and Harmon, but maybe the drive would help him figure it out.Even if it didn’t, it would be better to be alone with Harmon than feel Merrick glaring at him from the backseat the entire time.
The drive wasn’t long, but considering where they were going, everyone was nervous.Well, except for Merrick.He still looked like he was planning someone’s murder.Unfortunately for him, that was his usual face.
“I’ll come with you,” Merrick said begrudgingly.
Arlen looked relieved.“Good.Now get in the car.”
Merrick obeyed without adding anything, but he did glare at Rex one last time.Rex wasn’t afraid of him.Hell, if Merrick dared touch him, Rex would just have to go to Alpin and complain to him, and Alpin would take care of his boyfriend.Considering how annoyed he already was at Merrick, it wouldn’t take much to turn the situation explosive.
“Let me know when you’ve arrived,” Kieran said.He looked amused.“And keep me updated.I want to know what’s going on in that house.”
“We’ll give you all the information we can get,” Rex promised.
“And be careful,” Tyrian said.
Rex wasn’t sure why his entire family had decided to come and say goodbye.He wasn’t going to war or moving to the other side of the planet.He’d be just a short drive away, yet for some reason, they were behaving as if he were marching to his death.
He might be.He didn’t know what they’d find when they reached the clan, and some of the dragons might decide they didn’t want to deal with vampires.Rex didn’t care, but it would take just one angry dragon to kill him.
Maybe his family had a point.
He made sure to hug all of them, including Alpin, who was visibly annoyed.Rex knew that it was directed more at Merrick than at him, so he wasn’t offended.He made sure to squeeze Alpin extra hard, smiling when his brother squeaked.
“Are you trying to kill me before you leave?”
“I’m just reminding you of how much I love you.”
“You don’t have to kill me to do that.”Alpin huffed.“I love you, too.Keep an eye on Merrick for me, will you?”
“I’ll report to you every evening.”
“You do that.I need him on his toes.”
Merrick definitely was.He kept eyeing Alpin as if afraid his boyfriend would explode.
As much as Rex loved his family, he was relieved when he could finally climb into the car.He was also incredibly relieved that Merrick wouldn’t be driving with him because it looked like he was still bickering with Alpin.
“How high are the chances that your brother will pop up at the clan house?”Harmon asked, staring out the window of the car.
“It depends.If Alpin manages to sneak out without anyone seeing him, I give him one day, but our family knows how he is.They’ll keep an eye on him for Merrick, and they’ll make sure he’s not going anywhere.”
Harmon nodded.“I get it.He’s worried about his boyfriend.”
“There’s that, sure, but he’s also angry that he’s missing all the fun, as he calls it.Sometimes, he has a hard time taking things seriously.”
“I don’t think there’s anything more serious than a leaderless dragon clan.”
“It’s not just that.Alpin hates missing anything.”He always wanted to be at the center of the action, but Rex suspected that it wasn’t because he actually wanted to be there.He just didn’t want to miss anything.
Rex and most of his siblings didn’t struggle with spending a lot of time away from each other, but Alpin always had.It was a good thing that he’d found Merrick and that he had a pack now.It was even better that their family was putting down roots and that all of them would be living with the pack.The only one who might not was Rex, but he’d deal with that when he couldn’t avoid it anymore.
They were finally able to drive off with Alpin still glaring at them.Rex could have sworn he could feel his brother’s gaze until they left pack territory entirely.He relaxed once they did, happy to focus on the road while Harmon was on the phone.It had started ringing just a few minutes after they’d left, and while Harmon hadn’t seemed happy, he’d answered without hesitation.
