Dragon Rider

Chapter 7

"Laria, are you ready to head home?" I ask my sister from the doorway of her rest quarters.

"Yup," she chirps, grabbing her duffel bag off her made bed with a bright smile.

"Let's go then," I say, pushing myself off the door frame with my duffel bag strap hanging off my right shoulder.

"Are we using the transporter system, or riding Tiamet?" Laria asks as we leave her quarters.

"Tiamet, unless you would rather use the transporter system?" I reply as we exit her building.

"Tiamet, please," she answers with a bounce in her steps.

"Tiamet it is then," I say, and we make our way to the area where the Dragons are housed.

Placing his bridle and halter on him after greeting him, and place this items on him before helping Laria onto his back, and then climbing on myself behind Laria.

"Hold on tightly," I tell her after telling her we need to place our bag straps across our bodies.

Laria grips the material of my jumpsuit above my hips tightly in her fists as Tiamet flaps his wings, launching us into the air.

"We are going home, Tiamet," I tell him, and he bobs his head in acknowledgement.

When we connect with our Dragon, they know where our home is located, along with other important locations. Ten minutes later, we arrive home, and Tiamet lands in the enclosed area where dad and papa's Dragons are located.

After Laria is off Tiamet's back, I remove the hater and reign from him, and give him a soft rub down in appreciation.

"Thank you, Tiamet," I murmur as I climbed down myself with the halter and rein in hand.

"Laria! Larken!" papa hollers as we exit the Dragon's area, and walk toward the house.

Waving at him and dad while Laria drops her duffel bag onto the ground, and runs over toward our parents. She launches herself at dad first in a tight hug. Picking up her bag as I make my way over to them at a slower pace.

Placing our bags, and Tiamet's tools on the ground to hug papa tightly. Burying my face into his neck, breathing in his comforting scent.

"Hi papa," I murmur into his skin, tightening my hold around his shoulders slightly with a sniffle. "I have missed you."

"Hello, my baby boy," papa whispers into my hair with a soft kiss. "We missed you, too."
Rolling my eyes at his "we" comment because I am sure dad did not miss me. I know they both missed Laria.

Stepping back from papa, so Laria and him can hug, and I look awkwardly toward dad who mumbles; "Hello, son, nice to see you, and I am glad you are home."

"I missed you, too, dad," I reply with a small nod of my head toward him.

"Let's go inside to have dinner," papa says, trying to break the tension between dad and me.

"How is school?" dad asks once we are sitting at the table with dinner on our plates.

"Good!" Laria grins. "I am loving my Instructionals, and I have high marks in all of them."

"That is great, Laria!" dad praises with a bright smile toward her. "Well done, and keep up the good work."

"Thanks, and I will. I promise," she preens under his praise that papa echoes, and she deserves their praise for a job well done.

Dad looks toward me with a neutral expression, and a raised right eyebrow waiting for my response; "School is fine like always."

"Did the school figure out the problem with your program?" papa asks, and he seems genuinely curious while dad rolls his eys. "Afra, stop that this instance."

"Yes, they actually did," I answer with my own neutral expression. "The computer system became faulty, and that is why my program glitched, and it was not my program."

"So, it was not your fault?" papa asks for clarification, and I hum in response, and papa gives dad a pointed look.

Dad looks at me, mumbling; "I am sorry for blaming you for being incompetent on your programming skills."
"What was that, dear?" papa requests, even though we all heard him, but papa wants to actually be loud and clear.

Dad repeats himself again, loud and clear this time, and I nod in response, and I know that he does not mean his words, but that papa is making him apologize to me. The rest of the holiday here is going to be interesting to say the least.

"What is your problem with me, dad?" I sigh, placing my silverware on the side of my plate with another sigh.

"Afra," papa warns with a glare at his husband when he opens his mouth to answer me.

"Demitri, he asked a question, so why not give him an honest answer?" dad replies with a frown.

"Fine," papa mumbles, and tears are welling up in his eyes. "I need to tell him, not you."

Papa turns his attention to me, tears slipping from his eyes; "Dad is not your biological dad, Larken, only Laria's. I was pregnant with you from an ex-boyfriend who left us when I told him about you."

"So because I am not your biological child, you hate me? Why be with papa if you were not gonna treat me like your own damn child?" I demand, absolutely pissed at Afra, but not papa as I am sure he had good reasons for not telling me this earlier.

"I thought I could love you like you were my biological child," Afra replies with a nonchalant shrug. "I do love you like you are my child, but not as much as I love Laria because she is my biological child."

"Fuck you," I calmly state, standing from my seat, and walking toward the front door after grabbing my bag and Tiamet's tools.

I tell papa that I love him, and that I do not hate him for this; "I am gonna spend the rest of the holiday at school."