by Willa Hart
“Mom, I’ll call you back.” She tapped the screen and slipped it into her purse as she stood grinning at me. “You got laid!”
“Okay, that’s my cue,” Aunt Shirley said, setting her mug down on the table next to me. “I think I’ll go pull some weeds and leave you ladies to it.”
Zoe had barely noticed Shirley’s presence in the first place, but she had the grace to wait until the back door closed before launching her own special version of the Spanish Inquisition. She dropped into the chair across from me, perched her chin on her hands and fluttered her eyelashes at me.
“Spill.”
“What?” I asked innocently, spreading egg bits around my plate as heat rose from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
“Don’t even. Tell me everything. Which one was it?”
“How do you even know it was one of them?”
“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes as she leaned back in the chair. “First, duh! Second, you just told me.”
Damn. Caught. I loved Zoe like she was my blood sister, but she sure could be a wily minx sometimes. Okay, most of the time.
“Kellum,” I admitted with a sigh.
Zoe wiggled in her seat as she clapped with delight. “Of course it was Kellum! Oh my god, how perfect is that? More importantly, how was he? I bet he was good. He was, wasn’t he? He looks like the generous type. When? Where? Oh shit, you didn’t do it on the table, did you?”
She glanced at the table with revulsion that quickly turned to interest. I could barely stop laughing long enough to answer her many questions.
“Of course not,” I finally managed, trying to catch my breath between words. “I admit, it was pretty sudden, but I haven’t fallen into the depths of depravity enough to have sex on Shirley’s kitchen table.”
Zoe teased me with a wink. “Sure thing, honey. But you know what this means, don’t you? From this moment forward, for all eternity, you’re no longer allowed to make fun of me for hooking up with that guy I thought was Idris Elba but turned out not to be.”
“But that’s one of my favorite Zoe stories!”
“Because, Favor,” she said in a mischievous sing-song voice, “you just fucked your cousin!”
“No, I didn’t!” I screeched, horrified at the very idea.
Zoe grinned and waggled a finger in my face. “Yes, you did!”
“Don’t be gross, they’re not my blood cousins, Zoe,” I argued, the initial surge of dismay evaporating in the knowledge I did nothing wrong or incestuous. Of course, Zoe didn’t know the Novak family’s full lineage, or that any of them were long-lived dragons, but she didn’t need to for me to make my point. “Only by marriage.”
Her eyes flew open. “Wait. They?”
I hadn’t even realized what I was saying, but she caught my slip.
“Are you telling me you were with more than one of them? At once?!”
“Of course not!” Not that the thought hadn’t occurred to me…
“But you want to, don’t you?” she asked with a smug smile.
How did she do that? Before I could figure it out, she held up a hand for a high-five. I gave her a dark look as I willed the color to fade from my face.
“Admit it,” she insisted.
“Give me a break,” I said, taking my plate to the sink to avoid looking at her. “You’ve seen them. They’re hot.”
“You don’t have to tell me, sister,” she said. “They’ve all starred in my dreams at least once.”
I spun around and glared daggers at her, not even remotely amused by her suggestion. She held up her hands in surrender.
“Sorry! That was before I knew you were planning on a P.I. gangbang.”
“Shut up.”
“What did I say?” she said innocently, before waving away my concern. “Anyway, please continue with the graphic details of your tryst, if you will.”
“No, thanks.”
“Come on, Fave. You have to tell me something.”
“Hard pass.” I put my dish in the drying rack next to the sink and returned to my chair.
“Okay, fine. At least tell me which one of them is your favorite.”
It was a valid question, and one I couldn’t answer. “None of them? All of them? Honestly, Zoe, they’re all so amazing and different.”
“How?”
“Kellum’s super responsible and commanding, a real take-charge kind of guy, but with this sweet, gentle side…”
She leaned forward with a lascivious expression. “Oh really?”
“And Danic,” I quickly continued, “he’s big and strong, like a walking, talking mountain. Yet he listens to Adele and John Mayer.”
“Mmm, John Mayer,” Zoe cooed, momentarily distracted by the man topping her celebrity sex wish list.
“No one has ever made me laugh as hard as Ryen. And then there are the twins, who are smart and kinda dorky and who have the worst taste in vehicles ever.”
“Favor…” She looked at me as if I had a clue what was going on in her twisted brain.
“Yeah?”
She waggled her eyebrows at me. “Twins.”
“Oh, Zoe,” I sighed, shaking my head in disappointment that she went there. “Seriously, I’m worried what this will do to our dynamic. We’ve been working so well together up until now. I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. You’re going to do all of them! And when you do, I’m going to pitch a reality show starring all of you and we’re absolutely going to call it Love Favor! Oh my god, I’m brilliant!”
I tried my best not to laugh, but that brought up the bubbles of laughter even faster. Pretty soon, we were hunched over, holding our sides from laughing too hard.
“I was being serious, Zoe,” I gasped through my tears.
“So was I!”
That only got us laughing again, but this time as I giggled, I wondered if maybe Zoe was on to something.
Chapter Four
My mouth went dry as I gawked up at the gleaming glass tower that held the offices of Drakonis Security Systems. To rent space in such a sleek, modern building in downtown Los Angeles meant Lazlo Aurelia was doing very well for himself.
I closed the Caddy’s squeaky door and glanced around the parking lot. The ancient hand-me-down Cadillac Max had given to me stood out like a big, ugly, butter-colored rust-bucket when surrounded by late-model German cars. Any time, actually.
I suddenly felt underdressed. Not that there was much I could do about that as a broke college student. The best I’d been able to forage from my closet were some black slacks, a second-hand white Anne Taylor blouse, and a pair of low black heels. My hair was pulled into a neat bun and I smeared a little lip gloss on before I got out of the car, but as I craned my neck to take in the majesty of the tower before me, I got the feeling nothing I did would impress the man who’d summoned me. I was only a human, after all.
Kellum hurried out the spinning glass door and met me halfway across the parking lot. My heart swelled at the sight of him. Only a day had passed, yet it felt like a week. I wanted to fling my body against his and kiss him until both of our heads popped off, but now wasn’t the time.
After Zoe had returned from class the day before, I’d gone with her to her apartment and hung out, just to make sure she was safe and all of the after-effects of the roofie that guy had slipped her were out of her system. We’d eaten gallons of ice cream, watched hours of rom-coms, and eventually passed out on the couch.
I’d been awakened before dawn by a text from Kellum informing me his boss wanted to see me first thing in the morning. It took a few minutes for me to understand the gravity of the situation. At first, I wanted to blow him off. I still harbored a grudge against Lazlo for poaching Max’s nephews to work for him instead, and I didn’t really appreciate the tone he’d taken with Kellum at the elder meeting. But he was the boys’ boss, and clearly very important in the weir, so I vowed to play nice.
Kellum kissed my cheek lightly,
though I sensed he wanted to do more. I certainly did. Instead, he took my hand and led me into the glass and steel lobby of the building and tried to soothe my frayed nerves.
“I promise you,” he said as the rest of my boys approached, “we wouldn’t work for Lazlo if he wasn’t a good guy.”
“He’s not lying,” Ryen chimed in. “Besides, you handled Bertram Trinkas like a champ. Lazlo will be a walk in the park.”
“Why doesn’t that give me any comfort?” I said, my voice shaky.
Ash gave me a reassuring wink and Hale smiled. Danic remained impassive, but I knew he would never allow me to walk into a situation he thought would be dangerous. He stepped forward and took my shoulders in his hands, giving me an intense look — his favorite kind.
“Don’t let him give you any shit, Favor. Remember that dealing with dragons is like dealing with upper management. Show deference to his position, but don’t be a doormat. We can smell that from a mile away.”
“I don’t think Favor has a drop of doormat blood in her,” Ryen said, making me sound a lot more badass than I currently felt.
All six of us rode the elevator in silence. Kellum never let go of my hand and, once inside, Hale grabbed the other. Their strength flowed into me like electricity until all my anxiety washed out of my body. The ride to the top floor gave me time to consider how relaxed the others were as well. No animosity, no hurt fee-fees, only normalcy and closeness. It was almost as if nothing had fundamentally changed because Kellum and I had made love. Which was weird, because it sure felt like it had to me.
The doors opened on a simple, elegant outer office with a receptionist smiling at us from behind a gorgeous dark wood counter. It became clear how five young guys — relatively speaking, where dragons were concerned — might be seduced away from the dreary, dull decor of Maximus Investigations. A minimalist couch and set of chairs took up the entire left side of the room. A triangular wooden design hung above us from the ceiling, and the more I looked around the place, the more I noticed subtle geometric artwork in the interior design. The whole room had a kind of beautiful harmony to its layout, as if Lazlo had paid thousands for someone to create it. Which he no doubt had.
The boys walked me right past the smiling receptionist and into another office-within-an-office. A tall, thin, dark-skinned man looked up from behind a much less ostentatious desk, his round spectacles glinting under the warm overhead lights. He was older, maybe in his 50s, with flecks of silver in his short black hair. He gave us a flat smile, as he probably did to everyone who walked into his space.
“Good morning, Niles,” Kellum said, giving the man a nod of familiarity.
Niles blinked in mild surprise as he looked at each of us. “Pardon me, I wasn’t expecting the whole coterie. You must be Favor Fiske, here to see Mr. Aurelia. My name is Par’tia Niles. Thank you for coming.”
I took his outstretched hand and smiled to diffuse the tension — mine anyway. “Uh, hi. You can call me Party Favor.”
One perfectly groomed black eyebrow inched upward, but otherwise Niles didn’t bother acknowledging my hilarious joke.
“Mr. Aurelia is waiting for you in the inner office,” he said, and he started to lead me toward another set of doors farther back into the room. “If you would be so kind as to follow me.”
Almost as if by instinct, the guys started to follow us, but halfway to a tall set of double doors, Niles paused.
“I do beg your pardon, but this will be a meeting between Ms. Fiske and Mr. Aurelia. Alone.”
Kellum’s brow knit immediately. Danic puffed out his chest. Ryen arched an eyebrow. The twins crossed their arms in unison. Niles’s eyes darted between each of them, almost as if sizing them up. I gave him a smug smile.
“We would ask Lazlo to make an exception,” Kellum said coolly.
Niles stepped between me and my guys, his expression stoic and unmoving. “My apologies, Mr. Novak, but Mr. Aurelia was quite clear.”
“Come on, ol’ Nilesy, ol’ pal,” Ryen cooed. “Don’t do us like that.”
While I truly appreciated the boys’ desire to protect me, I was pretty sure I could handle Lazlo Aurelia. Sure, he seemed to be the new de facto leader of the weir — until Max returned — and sure, it was possible he was a really good guy. But he’d have to prove that to me if he wanted to pry any information from me. And I wasn’t afraid of letting him know that from square one.
Turning on my heel, I left the bickering boys behind and walked toward the mirrored doors. Probably two-way glass, just like the big mirror in Max’s office. I watched in the reflection as the guys pushed past a flummoxed Niles to follow me. Ryen pointed finger guns at Niles and winked, but poor ol’ Nilesy appeared to be less than amused.
The moment I cracked open the door, a booming voice bellowed from inside.
“You all would do well to listen to Par’tia Niles. Ms. Fiske will be perfectly safe with me.”
The voice was firm and authoritative, and the owner was clearly used to being listened to. Danic, Ryen, Ash, and Hale all froze, while Kellum kept his eyes on me as he forged ahead. Niles grabbed his arm, and to Kellum’s credit, he stopped to look down at the dragon keeper.
“You don’t understand,” he started. “Favor isn’t used to—”
“She’s demonstrated on multiple occasions that she’s perfectly capable of handling herself,” Lazlo snapped, turning around in the big leather chair to face me. He looked exactly as he had in my vision, all the way down to the way he carried himself. “Your determination is part of the reason you’re working here, Kellum, and I do appreciate it, but I’m telling you as your employer and elder of the weir to stand down.”
I didn’t wait for Kellum to shift and breathe a fireball at his boss. I simply gave him a wink, which seemed to ease his concern an iota, and stepped inside. I closed the door softly behind me and turned to face Lazlo.
“You have a persuasive will,” he said with an impressed smile. “I haven’t met many people who can keep Kellum in check when he’s determined.
“Don’t be so sure I have him in check. The only reason he listens to me is because I treat him with respect.”
The subtle insult wasn’t lost on Lazlo, who gave me the faintest of smirks.
“Your attitude makes your relationship with Maximus interesting to me,” he said, leaning back in his chair to appraise me. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“If you’re looking to poach me from Max as well, I think I’ll remain standing.” I strode over to one of the high-backed chairs across from his desk and pointedly leaned against it, one arm draped over the back and eyes blazing.
Lazlo barked out a laugh, as if that was the most hilarious thing he’d heard all week. “Hardly. I’m more interested in why you’ve been living with him for the past five years after having no contact with him before that. Where are you from?”
I smirked back at him. “Funny, I thought you were some kind of bad-ass private investigator. Guess not.”
Amusement faded from his face, leaving his steel gray eyes flashing with warning. “Oh, I know everything there is to know about you, Ms. Fiske. Or rather, everything Max wants people to know, which is precious little. I believe he may have…meddled with your records. I’m hoping you can fill in some of the missing details.”
I sighed heavily and sat down. “Fine. I’m from Oregon.”
“Who did you live with there, after your parents died?”
My heart skipped a beat or three at the mention of my parents, but I recovered quickly. “A bunch of people.”
He took out a tablet and started swiping the screen, peering up at me periodically. I suddenly felt like I was being interrogated for some crime, and I didn’t like the feeling one bit.
“How many?”
I shrugged. “Too many to count. I was in the foster care system.”
His eyes narrowed. “How long?”
“Twelve years.”
“Do you know how your
parents died?””
My jaw clenched and my nostrils flared. That question brought back way too many painful memories for me to deal with in a meeting like this.
“I do. Why are you asking?”
Lazlo took a deep breath and cocked his head, as if wondering whether I was worthy of delivering that information to. Finally, he nodded.
“Last week’s events directly involved my employees. Naturally, I’m curious about how things went down, that’s all. Who trained you?”
The question came suddenly, and it took me off guard.
“Who did what?”
“Trained you, girl,” he snapped, this time more aggressively. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You are a keeper, or at least think you are. Who trained you? Maximus?”
“I-I guess?”
“What do you mean?”
It didn’t matter how cocky I’d felt walking into this meeting, his gaze unnerved me.
“Max has taught me a lot, I suppose, but it’s mostly been general dragon stuff. If you want to know if he’s trained me as a dragon keeper…well, not really. Unless you count learning the lineage of each dragon family as training.”
I swear I saw smoke snort from his nose. If it did, it dissipated very quickly. Or I might have imagined it. Either, he didn’t look happy.
“Are you trying to tell me that an untrained keeper was able to detect approaching enemy dragons?”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“Then you must take me for a Grade-A idiot, Ms. Fiske.” He jumped up, nearly toppling his chair, and slammed his palms flat on his desk. “Let’s try again, shall we? Who trained you? Was it one of them?”
He jerked his head toward the door, indicating one or all of the boys. I frowned at him.
“The guys? No, I only met them a week ago.”
Lazlo took a beat to stare at me, then he moved around the desk, perched his butt against it and crossed his arms. “That’s what they say too, but you all seem as if you’re the best of friends. Like you’ve known each other for years.”
Despite the intensity of the interrogation, I couldn’t help feeling warmed by his observation. “I know, right? It’s crazy.”
