Ethereal King

by Ariana Hawkes

  Dad glanced up, his eyes twinkling at the prospect of company. He lifted his face for her kiss. “Good morning, girly-girl. Who’ve you got there?”

  “This is Xephyr. A good friend of mine.”

  Dad stood and offered his hand to Xephyr, studying him suspiciously. “Good to see you, son. Josie’s never mentioned you before. Where did you two meet?”

  “Dad, I told you about him,” she fibbed. “I met him on the trip to Fire Island.”

  Her dad shrugged. “Guess I’m a little forgetful sometimes.”

  “Dad, Xephyr needs a job, and I thought maybe you could use some help with your backlog.”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah, in fact, I can. Brent told me Friday he was moving to Beeches Bay for a better paying job. I’m going to miss that boy. He was a hard worker.” She knew right away he was comparing Brent to Lester. Her ex did the minimum necessary to keep his job. Dad only kept Lester around because his heart was boulder-sized and he felt sorry for him.

  “You might have to train him a little, but I think Xephyr will work hard, right?”

  Xephyr nodded right on cue. “Yes. I will do what I can to help.”

  She dug her nails into the heels of her hands. She had second and third thoughts about leaving her dragon with her dad. It wouldn’t take much for him to discover he’d probably never held a job in his life, certainly not a menial one where he had to work with his hands.

  Dad hugged her close. “Now, girly-girl, I can see you’re worrying. But your friend will be fine. I was planning to organize the inventory today. He can help with that. Not much trouble he can get up to there.”

  “I controlled a part of my family business back home.” Xephyr winked at her, playing his part.

  “See? He’s already more qualified than I am to do it.” Dad’s laugh was filled with glee. He clapped Xephyr on the back. “We’re going to be fine.”

  Pressing a hand to the knot of nerves in her stomach, she said, “Okay. Stay out of trouble, Xephyr. I’ll be back around five to pick you up.” She took his hand and led him to the exit. She whispered, “Do you really know how to do inventory? I can give you a crash course.”

  “Really, I do. One of the things I was responsible for in Ethereum was maintaining my family’s treasure. Gold and gems can’t be much different than auto parts.”

  Josie rolled her eyes. “Oh, you are in for a surprise. Listen, I have to go or I’ll be late. Are you sure you’ll be okay? My dad’s a treasure, but Lester is more like fool’s gold.”

  He leaned down and slanted his lips across hers, the kiss soft, tender, and encouraging. Gripping her shoulders, he changed the angle of his head and deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue in once, twice, before retreating. She clung to him as he eased away.

  He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered against her cheek. “I’m a big, bad dragon. Fools I can handle.”

  Just as she smiled, the street door behind her banged open. Startled, she spun, colliding with Xephyr’s broad chest. He steadied her with warm hands on her waist as Lester jolted to a stop before them.

  “Well, well, well. Look who deigned to grace us with her presence. You here to beg me to come back to you?” Lester’s nasal voice grated on her eardrums. His hair was messy and hanging in greasy waves around his face. The shirt he wore had oil stains on it and reeked of cigarette smoke. He smelled like he’d slept in a bar. “I knew this day would come—” He pointed a rude finger at Xephyr. “Who’s this?”

  “Lester, this is Xephyr, Dad’s new employee.” She chewed on her words before she added, “Xephyr, this is Lester, my ex-boyfriend.”

  A low sound rumbled in his chest. Josie nudged him gently. “Remember what we talked about.”

  “Pictures, and how you can magically remove things from them?” He arched a brow.

  “Exactly. And the other bit we discussed this morning.”

  Lester slapped his palms together. “Well, looks like old Albert didn’t wait long to replace Brent. Where’d he find this guy? And what the hell kind of name is Xephyr?”

  “It is a family name. It means the west wind. In every generation of my family, a man is named Xephyr.” He rolled his R slightly.

  “Dad needs help, and Xephyr can pick up the slack around here.” Although he’d probably do more than just help. She was pretty certain Xephyr would unleash his competitive side and work circles around Lester.

  “Good.” Lester leered at her. “Maybe I can get off early, and you and me can grab dinner. You know you want to. I was the best thing going in your life.”

  Xephyr growled and dug his hands into her hips, as though claiming her in front of her idiot ex. She rested her hands on his and patted his knuckles. At least the growl diminished to a low rumble.

  She shook her head. “Lester, does your butt ever get jealous of the crap that comes out of your mouth? We aren’t getting back together. Ever.”

  She spun to face Xephyr. Stretching up on her toes, she cupped his cheeks and pressed her lips to his. Even the brief touch set off the butterflies in her tummy. She melted a little when Xephyr wrapped his large, warm hand around her nape and pulled her closer.

  Lester turned toward the office, his mouth in a grimace. He humphed, then shouted. “Albert! Do you see what your daughter is doing?” As he stomped away like a thwarted bully, Lester grumbled, “Who is this joker?”

  Xephyr’s lips curved into a smile. He broke the kiss. “You are incredible. Brave and fierce.”

  “And late for work.” She eased away from him, clutching the strap of her purse. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Go on.” He waved the backs of his hands at her.

  “No shifting and no breathing fire. Inventory only. Got it, buster?”

  He saluted. “Prince Buster, at your service. Now, go. But hurry back to me. I will miss you.”

  And the thought of getting back to him was going to make even her miserable job feel happy. She walked to Baudreau’s with an unusual lightness in her feet. The last few days felt like a dream—an incredible dream that she never wanted to end.

  Josie’s dad declared himself stunned by the speed and quality of Xephyr’s work at the end of the first day.

  “He says you’re a keeper,” Josie told him on the way home that evening.

  “Keeper of what?”

  “Of the body shop. Of dad’s sanity. Take your pick.”

  He nodded. “It is a good thing to be a keeper?”

  “It sure is.” She squeezed his hand, eager to get him home so he could take her to bed again and make her feel as amazing as he had yesterday.

  Xephyr evidently had the same idea since they’d barely gotten inside the house before he began to shed their clothes. She’d never had sex outside of the bedroom before, or even thought about it, but she had to admit that being taken by Xephyr on her kitchen table was pretty wild.

  Afterwards, he lifted her off the table, gathering her tenderly in his arms, and brought her to the bedroom. Then he laid her on her pillows and kissed and caressed her all over, telling her all the things he loved about her body.

  She gazed at him in wonder. Usually after sex, her exes rolled over and started snoring.

  Xephyr lifted his head from her breasts, his irises bright gold as he looked into her eyes. “What is it, my sweet? I feel your eyes burning into me like jets of flame.”

  “Oh, nothing. I’m not used to guys being so…attentive,” she replied, her cheeks warming.

  His eyebrows drew together. “I was merely offering your body the worship it deserves.”

  She wriggled in delight. “It does?”

  He nodded his head gravely. “Of course. And after that I will worship your mind.”

  A grin spread across her face and she stroked the short hair at the nape of his neck. “You’re kind of awesome, you know that?”

  The smile he gave her in return made her heart thump. “Not as awesome as you, my mate.”

  13

  With Xephyr in he
r life, Josie began to enjoy her previously humdrum existence. Each morning, they had breakfast together and shared a pot of coffee. As she’d expected, he grew to like the taste, and his need for it in the morning rivaled hers. Then she worked with him for twenty minutes or so, helping him to improve his reading and teaching him to write.

  They’d taken a trip to the local Handy-Mart, and Xephyr now owned a couple pairs of jeans, boots, and T-shirts with funny sayings on them. He chuckled every time he pulled a new one from the dresser drawer she’d cleared for him.

  When they left the house, they walked most of the way together until they reached the main street. Then he kissed her goodbye and turned left toward her dad’s garage while she continued down the street.

  After work, he came to Baudreau’s to escort her home. To her relief, Cletus and Bruce never said anything to her about dragons in the courtyard.

  “They can’t remember the incident, as I told you before,” Xephyr assured her. Although, she wasn’t sure whether it was that, or the fact that Cletus had been half dead when Xephyr was finished with him and Bruce, well, the dude had hidden in a dumpster. She knew he wouldn’t draw attention to anything that would make him look cowardly.

  She and Xephyr spent most evenings making incredible, intense love. Josie had never imagined that sex could be so exciting and tender and different every time. Xephyr was a very skilled lover, and he seemed to know instinctively how to make her body sing with ecstasy. She’d heard that people were supposed to have certain erogenous zones, but with him, her body responded to him, whether he was licking her ear, the back of her neck, or the skin behind her knee. He had huge reserves of stamina, and he never quit until they were both satisfied. It did her self-esteem a lot of favors that he was always ready for her, that as soon as he laid eyes on her every morning and evening, desire flared in those gorgeous saffron eyes, and he could hardly wait to strip off her clothes. Gradually, she became less shy about her body and got used to walking around the bedroom naked, secure in the knowledge that he loved what he saw. And for her, she never got tired of gazing at his bulging muscles and velvety skin as he walked around naked, not only in the bedroom, but all over the house. She still felt like she was dreaming sometimes, but it was a very nice dream.

  And every time they finished having sex, he wanted to snuggle with her. She’d wondered if the novelty would wear off, but he seemed to have an insatiable need to hold her. He drew her against his magnificent body and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent while he asked her a relentless stream of questions about her childhood and her family and what she’d wanted to be when she grew up and where she most wanted to go on vacation. He made her feel interesting, which was something new for her. He also cooked for her. He didn’t have a lot of experience, but his appreciation of heat made him an excellent chef, and she eagerly dug out recipes where he could finish dishes with a squirt of fire from his own nostrils. They had steak flambé, crème brûlée, and chargrilled everything.

  Sometimes they rounded off the evening by watching TV. Reality shows were his favorite, which suited her too, although she could never understand his obsession with The Real Housewives. And when it was time to sleep, he held her in his arms all night long, keeping her warm and protected, and she’d never slept so deeply in her life.

  Living with Xephyr was bliss. Even Bella seemed more comfortable around him, almost as if the feline realized she had nothing to fear from the sexy man-dragon living in her house.

  One evening after dinner, Josie found Xephyr sitting outside on the steps at the back of the house. He’d been unusually quiet all day. She sat next to him and offered him some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He’d acquired a taste for the cereal and tended to eat it not just for breakfast but also as a snack during the day.

  He looked at it and sighed. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry.”

  “Dad said you’ve done wonders at the shop. You even convinced him to implement an automated inventory and ordering system. You did in one week what I couldn’t get him to do in two years.” It was a monumental feat as far as she was concerned.

  “He mentioned you’d pestered him enough, and with my help, he was willing to embrace technology. I really like helping in the shop. Turns out, I’m good with my hands,” he replied.

  She chuckled. “You are very good with your hands.”

  He laughed, but there was no joy in his laughter.

  She looked at him, his crestfallen expression piercing her heart. She tucked her hand in his. “Xephyr, is everything okay? Is something making you unhappy?”

  “Josie…” He turned his head to her and gazed into her eyes. “The last few days have been the best days of my life. I’ve loved being with you and getting to know you. I’ve loved sharing our lives together.” He paused for a moment. “But I must go home.”

  “To Ethereum?”

  “No. To Fire Island. This is our new home now. I have been thinking a lot about the words of the Oracle, and I’ve realized that being here, back to Earth, must be a part of our fate. This is where we need to be. And I must help my clan. They are good people, Josie. But we must accept our fate and start building a life here. Otherwise, we are all doomed. And it’s my responsibility to take care of them, to help them thrive in this world.”

  Josie put her hand on his cheek. She was so proud of him. Of this man, who had gone such a long way in such a short time, to grow and to become the leader he had never planned to be, in a place he never wanted to be. He had left his whole world behind, everything he knew and was used to, and here he was, embracing his responsibilities and putting his clan before his own needs. She opened her mouth to tell him all that, but he interrupted her.

  “I had a terrible dream last night.” His eyes were dark with anguish.

  “Tell me,” she whispered, laying her hand over his and squeezing.

  “I’d been forced into a job in a furniture warehouse, moving bulky pieces onto trucks. My co-workers were not very nice and constantly jeered at me, calling me names.” His nails whitened under her hand. She stroked a thumb over the tense fingers. Xephyr hauled in a deep breath and continued. “I dropped a heavy table and crushed my foot. While I was hobbling around, trying to hold my injured dragon inside, the crew chief and his sidekick pulled over a large chair and forced me into it. They shoved a toilet plunger into my hand, like a scepter, and jammed a paper crown on my head. Pointing and laughing at me, they said I looked more like a broken king than a royal dragon. He bent his head down, swallowing. “It was so vivid. Even the Oracle was present, laughing with them. Telling them she’d predicted my fall to Earth and my struggle to lead my people. Maybe…” He paused, glancing away before he rushed on, “Maybe I am just a broken king.”

  “Oh, Xephyr...”

  “I fear failing my clan.”

  Sweet, strong affection rippled through her. She grasped his chin and angled it toward her. “You won’t fail them, Xephyr. You’re so strong, determined and resilient, and there’s no one else who’s better suited than you to help the clan build a life here. I think your dream means you will achieve your destiny.”

  “Perhaps.” He didn’t sound at all convinced. “But I need to go back to my people and face my responsibilities.”

  She admired his dedication to his clan. And she understood that he’d sacrificed so much for her, living on the mainland away from his friends, and working at a less than glamorous job, because she had asked him to stay with her. All while he’d been so worried about his clan.

  She stared up at the crescent moon in the darkening sky, the thoughts that had been bubbling in her mind for days simmering to the surface. She laid her hand on his arm. “Would you like me to come with you? I have some days’ vacation owing to me.”

  “I’d love that, Josie.” He took her in his arms and squeezed her tight. “I would be more than grateful to have you there.”

  When she heard the happiness and relief in his voice, she knew she’d made the right decision. And excitement bubbled up in her
own heart at the thought of seeing him with his clan again, as the dragon he was.

  “Are you and Lester friends?” he asked her as they were getting ready for bed.

  “What? Not in the least. He wasn’t a very nice boyfriend. He isn’t even really a nice person. Why are you asking?”

  “Because I believe your father is going to fire him tomorrow.”

  About damn time. “I’ve been trying to convince him to do that for months. What happened?”

  “Your father was happy with my work, and he entrusted me with his bookkeeping. It seems Lester isn’t just a lazy worker, he is cunning. He has been taking parts from stock and selling them at a heavy discount to a rival shop. The money isn’t going into your father’s accounts.”

  That dirty son of a bitch! Scalding anger boiled in her chest. “What the hell? That man is lower than a snake’s belly. How dare he steal from my dad? We’ve been nothing but helpful to him. Even after his heinous treatment of me, Dad let him keep his job. I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

  “Albert said as much. We also believe Lester has been deliberately slowing work down, blaming the lack of inventory.”

  “That idiot.”

  “If idiot means the same as fool, I agree. He started calling me ‘your highness’ yesterday.”

  “You didn’t mention you were a prince of the royal blood, did you?”

  Xephyr laughed. “Of course not.” He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her torso. Her heart skipped as he drew her close.

  Josie rested her head on his chest. “I’m really glad you helped my dad. Thank you so much. I know he’ll miss your work. Your clan is lucky to have you, Xephyr.”

  He toyed with the ends of her hair, playfully tugging at it. “No need to thank me. I enjoyed it.” He dipped his head toward hers, hungrily seeking her kiss. “Let’s go to bed, my sweet.”