by Angel Black
The old man glanced at him with a frown. “Need a hand?”
“What?”
“With your tie?”
“Uh… alright,” Falon answered, not used to needing help in any way, shape or form, definitely not used to help from a human. The older man was nice, though, showing him how to tie a tie and helping Falon practice until he got the hang of it. Then he showed him how to fold the pocket square, and slide it into his breast pocket.
Falon thought that human fashion was rather convoluted, but he had to admit, when he glanced at himself in the mirror, it really did suit him. It looked good, and Falon had a feeling he would blend in and stand out in all the right ways. Perfect.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur as Falon tried to take everything about his surroundings in. The shopkeeper asked him what else he needed and Falon, despite feeling nervous, answered carefully, “Well, I plan on staying here for a while.”
The shopkeeper nodded knowingly and grabbed an old book, looking through it. After that, he called a cab and told Falon that he would be taken to a bank, where everything would be sorted out.
“Thank you.” Falon smiled.
Falon stepped outside of the grand shop, and saw the sign for it: The QG. Falon knew one thing, and that was that dragons loved themselves to the point of vanity. If dragons were ever allowed to visit the human realm on a regular basis, they would be flocking to the opulent little store called The QG in downtown Baltimore. I can see why Aedan doesn’t want us here… it’s like a Pandora’s box of toys for dragons.
The cab had arrived quickly and the ride to the bank itself was even quicker. He had been whisked away into the back of the bank, where an old jeweler was brought out.
Falon was surprised at the speed and pace of everything and had felt confused. Still, he stood with the confidence of a Duke, sitting with dignity. “I have jewels,” he spoke clearly and easily.
The old jeweler, who Falon discovered was also the owner of the bank, had nodded.
“May I see them, please?”
Falon had emptied the bag onto the table between them and the old jeweler had nodded, excitement flickering in his eyes.
“Yes… yes, these are real dragon stones,” he murmured to himself, and shifted to look at Falon.
“Your account is open now, sir. I will take you to the vault.”
Falon walked through the halls, awestruck at the planning of the dragons that had gone before him. When he reached the vault, he felt his heart skip a beat. A huge safe was filled with many, many stones. The jeweler added the new stones that Falon had brought, to the safe, and handed Falon a bank card. “Your account is now open. Of course, as specified, you have access to unlimited money in any currency you choose.” He smiled. “Welcome, Sir.”
* * *
The moment was beautiful, but Falon could not shake the feeling yet. The feeling he had, ever since he had left the shop. I’m being followed.
Chapter 7: The Crucible
The tests that Alexandra took a few days ago were still buzzing around her head. Alexandra was sitting at her desk, but her mind was elsewhere. The dreams were not easing at all, and she was due to get the results back, in terms of her fertility. The thought was making her jittery and uncomfortable.
That dream. She had seen her lover’s face, sitting in the parking lot near the Emergency Care clinic. For a second, his face was all she could see. Forget about it. But that was the problem. She could no longer remember the face.
Work. Focus.
She didn’t know what to expect, or what to say. It made her feel a little sick, and it was harder than ever to really sink her teeth into her work and do a good job, let alone enjoy it like she usually did.
Alexandra glanced at the phone on her desk. Her mobile had stayed silent all day, and she couldn’t help but anticipate the call. No news was good news, but the thought was still nagging at Alexandra terribly.
When the phone finally rang, Alexandra almost jumped out of her seat. She grabbed it and answered on the second ring, “Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Alexandra? It’s Doctor Silverstein.” A voice chimed from the other end.
Do doctors usually call with the results? I thought their receptionists took care of that?
“Yes, speaking… ”
“Alexandra. How are you feeling? Did you get some rest?”
Alexandra let out a long sigh. Just tell me.
“Yes, Doctor,” she replied, forcing her voice to be cordial.
“Good.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone and Alexandra’s heart started to sink lower and lower. “Yes, the results are back.” The voice responded slowly and Alexandra felt another jolt of dread that she couldn’t quite explain.
“I’m… sorry to tell you this, Alexandra… but it seems that you have an abnormal uterus…” The doctor spoke carefully, slowly. “That means, that as you suspected… you’re unable to conceive…”
Alexandra felt sick to her stomach, the finality of the doctor’s words hitting her hard and thundering through her chest.
“Alexandra, are you still there?” The voice on the other end sounded worried.
“Yes, yes…” Alexandra forced a smile. “I heard. Thank you very much, Doctor.”
“That’s alright. I’ll book a follow up and mail you confirmation of the date.”
“Thank you.” Alexandra felt like she was working on autopilot. She put the phone down and stared at her computer screen, not really seeing anything, not knowing how she felt about the news that she had just been hit with.
Alexandra had never really planned on having children, had never really planned on that at all. She couldn’t see herself as a mother, and yet… somehow, she had always assumed that it was her choice, and she could change her mind. Now, though, she had found out that the choice was no longer hers to make and that she couldn’t have children even if she wanted to.
The news was devastatingly final and it twisted something up inside of Alexandra, made her hurt in ways that she hadn’t believed was possible. The news rung in her ears and her head and she found herself unable to move.
She just needed to sit with this for a moment and try and determine how she felt about this all, how she felt about the emotions coursing through her body and her mind. It was so much to try and take in, so much to try and process all at once.
Alexandra took a few deep breaths, trying to work out how she felt about all of this. The exhaustion tickled at the back of her mind, making everything so much harder to try and process. The thoughts were swirling in her head and the dreams floated up, flickering behind her eyes and making her question herself, question where all of this was going.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear Rex walk up to her desk.
She had dropped the doctor’s certificate off a day or so ago, but he had not been in the office. He cleared his throat and Alexandra jolted, looking up. He was looking at her strangely and Alexandra wondered if her turmoil was written that clearly on her face.
She swallowed deeply and forced a small smile.
“Are you alright, Alexandra? You’re looking terribly pale.”
Alexandra nodded and forced another smile. “Oh, yes, I am alright, Sir. Just considering the Jasons’ case and having a bit of a look through the case notes, Sir, nothing to worry about.”
Rex hummed softly, a disbelieving sound. “Did you get any sleep last night?” He sighed and looked at her firmly. “Did the doctor actually give you anything to help? Did you ask?”
Alexandra felt her frayed nerves starting to snap. She’d gone to the doctor, done what he’d asked and all she was getting was his flack and this terrible news. “Yes, I went to the doctor! She gave me antibiotics that I could have picked up at a pharmacy.” Her tone was snappish and curt and she knew that she was glaring at her boss. In that moment, though, Alexandra didn’t care.
She was too exhausted, too heartbroken and confused about all of this, to care much.
Rex’s eyes widened. Alexandra was usually very polite so this was unusual to say the least. Then his eyes narrowed and he looked at her firmly.
“Take the rest of the week off.” His voice brooked no argument and he peered at her deeply. “I don’t know what is wrong with you, but you need to figure it out, Alexandra, and soon.”
Alexandra swallowed, feeling the regret start to seep in. “But Mr. Anderson, I went to the doctor…”
“And according to you, that got you nowhere.” He glared at her. “Look, Alexandra… I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately and quite frankly, I am tired of covering for you.” He sighed. “Your work’s been terrible, Alexandra. I’ve had to take on twice the amount of work, so that I can check yours for errors!”
Alexandra wilted, sighing. She knew that he was right, but Alexandra didn’t know what she could possibly do about it.
“Alexandra, you need to get yourself together. I don’t care how you do it, but I want you to take the week off and come back to work, Monday morning, with a better attitude than this.”
“Yes, Sir.” Alexandra didn’t know what else she could possibly say and she lowered her eyes, feeling the embarrassment wash over her in waves.
“When you get back, I expect you to be at the top of your game. I want the girl that I hired, not this zombie you’ve turned into.” He sighed. “Pack up your things and I will see you on Monday, Alexandra. And be mindful—I’m not covering for you again.”
And with that, he turned, leaving Alexandra exhausted and wondering what was going to happen next.
You who rape me of my dreams, where are you when the guns are drawn?
Chapter 8: Here In This Place With You
Alexandra felt the sinking pressure in her chest as she started to pack up her desk. Fuck all this. Can someone explain to me what I did to merit this karma? Out of all the people to find out they can’t have children and then are suspended for a week, why would I be one of them? What did I do? She took some deep breaths as she looked around at her desk, making sure she didn’t leave anything here. She couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing than leaving the building after being suspended, then having to come back into it because she forgot her keys or her iPhone.
Am I going crazy or are people looking at me? Bob, don’t you have someone to hit on? Linda, keep those lips open for Rex, but not too open. We wouldn’t want you telling your husband about it.
Alexandra sighed, feeling the tension swirl around her stomach, leaving her feeling sick. She could not stop replaying Rex’s words, his implication that she wasn’t as good at her job as she used to be and that she needed to fix it. Although Alexandra knew that her work performance had not been at its best lately, it was still a blow to hear those words and Alexandra found it hard to accept that she had gotten that bad at her job. Alexandra sighed, softly.
Underneath the embarrassment of being told to take a week off, she was glad to have been given a break. Rex was right even though he didn’t know how right he was, that she needed the time to herself. Time to breathe, time to process. Time to grieve. Maybe I should call Lynn up during the week. Becky and Rashonda are going to be busy, because, well, they’re working this week. For a moment, she thought about people who would tell their parents this sort of thing. Not everyone still has living parents, though.
She knew she was going to cry soon, and she needed to get out of there.
These dreams were not going to help her with the news either, though. When she had first started getting these dreams, Alexandra had been almost excited to get them. They had felt exotic and exciting and they had made Alexandra feel safe and at home in a way that she did not feel when she was awake.
Ever since her parents had passed a few years ago, she never really felt comfortable, neither when she was working, nor in her apartment, but somehow, these dreams had unlocked that in her. It was thrilling and it made her happy, but she was starting to resent the impact that it seemed to have on her work and her performance.
Alexandra was all for dreams, but she couldn’t have them interfere like this. Alexandra wondered to herself, who she could possibly see about this. She didn’t want to be seen going to a psychologist, but she needed to do something, if they were affecting her work in this way…
Alexandra’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Lynn’s voice, chiming in excited tones, “Hey, Alexandra!”
Alexandra turned her head and smiled weakly when she saw Lynn. Lynn didn’t seem to realize that she was packing up to leave and she found herself grateful for the lack of attention to detail that seemed to happen whenever Lynn left the courtroom.
“What’s up?” Alexandra looked at her curiously, wondering why her friend seemed so terribly excited.
“Haven’t you heard?” Lynn was beaming and she didn’t give Alexandra much of a chance to say anything before she continued on, “There’s a new client here. Look!” Lynn pointed him out, a man standing at one of the main desks, talking to Rex.
Alexandra felt herself go red, warmth flooding through her body. She didn’t know this man, but he was absolutely gorgeous. He had hair that was so blonde it could almost be white, styled in an edgy haircut that was shaved on the sides of his head, but long and combed backwards on top of his head. He wore a stunning, cut suit, which hugged his body in all the right places, showing off style and an obviously toned body beneath it, his chest threatening to tear apart the fabric that imprisoned it.
He looked great, but that wasn’t what most caught Alexandra’s attention. The new client was looking straight at her, as if she was the only one in the room. His gaze sent fire moving through her, a startling attraction and recognition that Alexandra didn’t understand, or recognize. She felt her mind literally shut down, like she was in shock after plunging into an ice cold bath. Except, she certainly would not describe herself as feeling cold at the moment.
And those eyes. They were the bluest eyes that Alexandra had ever seen. They were an inhuman color and Alexandra felt her heart and her breath catch at the sight.
Lynn continued to speak and the spell was broken. Alexandra turned back to her, feeling tingles move through her body.
“He’s some foreign billionaire…” Lynn paused and laughed, continuing in hushed tones.
“No, trillionaire might be a better word for it.” Lynn smirked. “The top brass are freaking out about it. Obviously.”
Lynn gestured to the men who were gathered around the new client. Alexandra recognized them, all of them, but she didn’t know why. Then it hit her—these were the heads of the firm, men who Alexandra didn’t ever get to see in person—but she had seen their pictures in the lobby plenty of times. Alexandra felt her cheeks go pink. He was still watching her, in spite of the mob of her bosses that were swarming him.
Lynn was right. This man must be a really big deal, so there was no reason for Alexandra to feel familiar around him, feel any sort of connection with him. Unless she had seen him at one of the Rotary Club events that she used to go to. But she was sure she would have remembered him. I’m just… thirsty, as Rashonda would say. He’s probably not looking directly at me. She certainly wouldn’t have minded if he was, though. She averted her gaze and went back to packing her desk up. It wasn’t until she heard Lynn’s gasp that she realized something was happening.
She heard someone clear their throat. When she looked up, the new client was standing right there in front of here. Alexandra’s eyes widened and she dropped the stack of papers that she had been holding, right back onto her desk.
She straightened up and found herself pushing her hair out of her eyes, tucking it shyly behind her ears. She didn’t know why he had approached her desk. The man was smiling, but she could detect a hint of something beneath the surface.
He didn’t seem self-conscious of the people around him, even though they were looking at him, openly. He had money and he seemed to be an innately confident man, and yet something about the way he walked made it seem like he was more u
sed to basketball courts and football fields or lacrosse fields, than corporate settings. Alexandra felt a shiver move through her and she smiled, despite herself.
All the heads of the firm were silent and Alexandra could feel all of their eyes on her, boring into her skin, questioning. She felt self-conscious, but she was far more distracted by the gorgeous man in front of her.
He smiled. “My name is Connor.”
It was a different introduction, short and to the point, but Alexandra assumed that customs were different wherever he was from. He hadn’t even asked for her name.
“Hello.” Alexandra smiled again, trying to lessen the fluttering in her stomach. “I’m Alexandra.”
“Alexandra…” He turned her name over on his tongue before nodding. “Alexandra, will you go to dinner with me?”
The question was sudden, so sudden that Alexandra didn’t know if he was serious. But the solid calmness in his eyes told her that he meant what he said and, somehow, it made Alexandra feel a little bit giddy inside.
He was so forward, but Alexandra found herself liking it. Besides, he was insanely wealthy and well known by the company, and she definitely couldn’t refuse him in front of everyone… not that she wanted to refuse him.
Alexandra glanced at Rex and was surprised to see a dark look on his face, jealously twisting his features. Alexandra felt a jolt in her stomach. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, though, wasn’t doing anything against company policy. Well, if it pisses Rex off, who am I to disagree?
She turned back to Connor and smiled. “Sure. My week’s free, so anytime works for me.” She fished a card out of her bag, and passed it to him. On the card, her number and name was listed. She was struck by how professional this was, especially since he was asking her on a date, but Connor seemed to appreciate it. He pocketed her card and smiled back.
