The meeting didn't begin with each party introducing themselves or acknowledging any elephants in the room. It was an overall tense space and as I tried to keep it to myself, Ryder's hand found my leg and rubbed a thumb across my knee in a soothing way. He removed his touch from me when the male warlock placed the heavy box in front of Ryder, the small fabric bag adjacent to the dagger that pointed between us along with one folder, and the final folder was placed in front of me. I wanted to know what each were, but Ryder had laughed a thought to me to contain my curiosity just a little while longer. I noticed that Trevor was presented with the same folder that sat between me and Ryder—only, he immediately reached for it after pulling out a document from his jacket.
I looked over to Ryder and he was staring at the box in front of him. He placed his hand on the top and looked over at the Donahue Coven.
"By the Children of Lilith in the Donahue coven, your father's ashes have been blessed and are awaiting the full moon in a few hours," the woman spoke as the man sat down at her side.
"Thank you," Ryder said in astonishment and I think it was the first time I ever heard him truly be grateful for something other than me. Then, the silver eyes met mine.
"Also, Albert Everton's will has been looked over and I think you'll find great honor in your father's passing," she added, looking at me. I didn't know how to take that, but Ryder's inside hand found mine for a second before letting go. My gaze met the man's who seemed to study my interaction with Ryder. Abruptly, Ryder grabbed and opened the bag between us and I was able to see the two identical Obsidian keys. "Keep those safe."
"Speaking of family—can I begin the treaty arrangements or are we going to uncover yet another delay in whatever werewolf legacies there are?" Trevor inquired and Stormy rolled her eyes even though her Mom nodded politely.
"I want parental visitations more frequently this year," Trevor proposed.
"Leave whenever you want," Ryder allowed. "I don't care when you're gone. I prefer it, even." Ryder sealed the insult with a smile.
"I meant them visiting me," Trevor elaborated and then Ryder rolled his eyes. His gratitude for the ashes was displaced by his resentment for Trevor. "I'm about to leave for college next year and I want a home to come back to. I can't have that without them here."
I felt for him and it reminded me of when I moved in with Cassandra and couldn't completely consider it a home without my dad or Andrew...or the purple painted walls Ryder helped me with. But even with Andrew back and Cassandra's love and everyone's acceptance of me in town, it wasn't enough; Florida would still be a home to me.
"I'm lost. You said you wanted them to have visitation rights and now you're talking about them living here?" Stormy asked. Her mother hissed something at her in a foreign language as if chastising her for the outburst.
"This treaty is twenty years old," Trevor began and then connected a gaze with me. "Sure, my father's clan had difficulties with the pack two decades ago, but given the resolution, obviously the Versailles clan has dissolved aside from my father. The treaty was designed as a peace agreement between the Tyriette pack and the Versailles clan because of raised tensions and two sizable armies. I think it's safe to say that that's not a problem anymore."
"Let me stop you there," Ryder interjected. "The treaty was signed by the Everton alpha and the Versailles clan half a century ago and then was broken when the Versailles clan got out of control and had to be taken care of. It was re-signed twenty or so years ago by the Obsidian pack leaders, once Albert Everton and Marc Ramon were in charge and only Theodore Versailles remained...The Tyriette pack was solely under Ramon control, not under the leadership of the signed treaty, so—"
"I think we're past the fact checking, Ryder," Trevor sneered.
"Is that why you're still getting information wrong?" Ryder snapped back.
"What does it matter? We know of the treaty and all its revisions," he said. "It was altered twenty years ago to account for the regulation of a building Versailles clan which only dissipated to me, not a real clan of vampires."
"What's your point?"
"If the treaty called for the regulation of a clan of vampires and there's only one full vampire left, then Tyriette is grounds for residence. The capacity compensation makes sense," Trevor clarified. I watched Ryder as he did and said nothing. He just glared. "And originally there was reluctance when my father married a human in case they had children, so that's why living and outgoing visitation arrangements are as they are, but like I said, I'm leaving for college in a year; I want a home and I want a place where my mother can grow old without someone forbidding her son from seeing her."
"Are you implying that Theodore still hasn't Turned your mother?" the witch asked. Trevor relaxed from his elevated state and nodded. "In my opinion, it'll raise questions when your mother begins aging much faster than your father."
"The same thing will happen no matter how nomadic they live now," Trevor said. "They love each other too much to ever make people believe their relationship as brother and sister or eventually grandmother and grandson when they get to the buoyancy points of ages."
"I vote 'no' unless Theodore Versailles Turns his wife," said the witch.
"In that case—" Ryder began to deny Trevor, but I had interrupted him in thought.
"Let them visit him," I suggested only to Ryder through telepathy, but I should've said it out loud. "Trevor's going to be gone for college and by the time his dad Turns his mom, they'll want to celebrate their youth traveling, not lingering around Tyriette any more than they have to. It's not like they'll have a child to take care of anymore."
Ryder looked at me for a long moment before deciding to sigh and reluctantly announce: "I vote that they can visit whenever they want."
"What?" Stormy asked before being silenced by her mom.
"Seriously?" Trevor asked with a frown because he expected Ryder to reject it completely.
"Seriously," Ryder nodded. "They can visit you here in Tyriette as often as they want without causing a disturbance."
"Ryder," the witch addressed. "Are you sure?"
"Of course he's sure," the warlock finally spoke. He continued looking at us as if in continuous study. "His mate offered compassion and he delegated with compromise."
"That's another thing," Trevor added. He looked at me and Ryder. "If you're for my amendments to the treaty, then I think I need a full disclosure agreement."
"To what? Your parents signing in and out when they get here? I don't care that much, Versailles," Ryder scoffed.
"I meant with the two of you," he said, glancing between us. "I admit I've been adamant about the delicacy of human relations especially in regards to your...um..."
"Girlfriends," Ryder named.
"Hookups," Stormy coughed, causing Ryder to glare at her.
"You get my point," Trevor dismissed. "Now that this mating thing is legit, I want to know what it entails and how I'm supposed to sit here and let someone advise you and make partial decisions when I doubt she's even qualified—"
"Let me assure you one thing," Ryder interrupted. "Ashlynn, as my mate, is entitled to whatever I deem her necessary, which includes anything I'm involved with especially considering the circumstances."
"What circumstances?"
"The circumstances of our fathers' deaths, Preston's impeachment, Aaron's return, and Stella's Bite," Ryder answered quickly. "Even without all of that, she's competent, okay?"
"And what makes her qualified?"
"She's a werewolf, she's brilliant, she's considerate, and she's diplomatic," Ryder complimented. Part of me felt a fraction more in love with him because he didn't just use "because she's my mate" as a plausible excuse. "More so she's the only person I've ever known to be continuously patient and level-headed enough when I need her to be yet also not deal with my bullshit, so I think that makes her over qualified, to be completely honest."
The Donahue coven cleared their throats and Ryder muttered a meaningless "my bad" for his language before rolling his eyes. But then he looked to Trevor once more. "And in the given circumstances, Preston, Stella, and Aaron are under my jurisdiction that doesn't need to be disclosed to anyone that's out of the lycanthropic Order."
"Which brings us to our proposition to the tribe's agreement," the witch spoke.
"We're here for the Night and Moon Treaty, not the Tyriette Pact," Ryder reminded.
"Well we have equal say in the Tribunal, so we're amending the Pact," Stormy said with a personal ounce of attitude.
"Well what do you want to amend?" Trevor asked.
"Just some regulations that we think are precautionary," the witch answered.
"Precautions about what? The size of any possible Versailles clan has already been regulated for decades now," Trevor said, raising his voice because he was confused and already offended.
"It's not for your fictitious clan," Stormy said to him before shifting her grey eyes to me or maybe Ryder. "It's for the Tyriette pack."