by Viola Grace
She was sure that she had a grin on her face when she picked up her communicator and called Creata’s home.
The maid at the Tal residence was a blockade. “Madam is not available.”
“Well, if she is but is dodging calls, let her know that she has three minutes to call me if she wants a pastry from Miiko’s.”
“Miss Lem?” The maid was suddenly broadcasting relief.
“Yes, Tolla.”
“Please, come by and bring the missus whatever you can to help her mood. She is very dark right now.”
“I am on my way. Make sure she has a shower.”
“She won’t listen to me, Miss Lem.”
“Give it a try. Expect me within the hour.”
Tolla let out a relieved sigh. “I will have tea ready. Thank you, Miss Lem.”
Trin hung up and grabbed her coat. She had a bakery to raid before she made her appearance at the Tal household. This sounded serious.
She walked up to the Tal mansion with a stack of bakery boxes dangling from her fingers. Miiko’s was always a good place to strike if you were a regular. When Telber learned that it was for Creata, he had made up several of her favourites in a few minutes. He wished the new mother nothing but the best.
Trin walked up to the double doors and smiled as they were opened for her at precisely the right time.
The feeling of the house was different than it had been at the weekend. There was a depression that was hanging over the space that Trin wanted to get to the bottom of.
Vasic was out of town, and as she handed the boxes to Tolla, Trin jerked her head toward the stairs that led to the bedrooms.
“I am heading up there. Don’t do anything until I call for tea. When I do, we will have it outside on the patio.”
Tolla and the other maid nodded.
With her shoulders straight, Trin headed up the stairs into the literal lion’s den.
Trin didn’t knock, she opened the door to the master bedroom and walked in, waving her fingers at the new baby before approaching the bed where Creata was hiding.
She reached out and yanked the covers away, unsurprised when a lioness was curled where the woman should be.
“Knock it off, Creata. Your family needs you, your household needs you, and your bedding needs changing. Get up.”
Creata lunged at her, teeth exposed and claws out.
Trin moved between her and the baby, using her dragon to give her the strength she needed to hold her friend at bay while the lioness attacked.
Her clothing surprisingly stood up to the clawing, and when she had Creata pinned to the floor, her friend emerged from the fur and claws.
“Oh god, Trin, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s fine, Creata. Now, get up and have a shower. You deserve to smell clean. I am taking the baby down to the garden. Come on down when you are done. I went to Miiko’s. I got some treats for you.”
She helped her naked friend to her feet and eased her into the en suite until Creata was standing in front of the shower. Trin ran the water and then triggered the spray. Creata stepped into the spray, and she started to sob.
Trin rubbed her friend’s back while she used the water to hide her tears. It took several minutes for the wave of sobs to stop, but when Creata finished, she looked at Trin with a watery smile. “I think I am going to wash my hair now. I am good. I will see you downstairs in ten.”
Trin nodded. “I will see you in the garden. It is a glorious day, and the baby looks like she can use some fresh air.”
Trin checked in the mirror, and Creata was indeed shampooing her hair.
She scooped up the baby, who was sweet-smelling and happy. At least the baby was getting attention from her mom. It was one bit of relief in the situation.
Trin headed downstairs with the little one in her arms, and she nodded to Tolla. “Her bed needs a cleaning, and the mattress needs airing.”
“Is madam well?”
“She is not well, and she and I will discuss that, but for now, she needs clean bedclothes, and the mattress needs to be taken care of. We are going to have tea in the garden.”
The baby squirmed against her shoulder.
“Would you like some water and bandages?”
Trin looked at the blood on her hands. “After the bedroom is taken care of.”
“Yes, Miss Trin.” Tolla smiled and bowed before heading upstairs.
Amesthet chuckled and waved her fists as Trin carried her into the bright light of the early afternoon.
“So, little miss, has your mom been under the weather?”
The small gurgle that emerged was noncommittal.
Trin played with the baby for six minutes, and then, she smiled as Creata came out of the house, damp but smiling.
The smile was on Creata’s lips, but her eyes were dark. Trin sighed. This was going to be a long visit.
Chapter Three
It took three hours, two feedings for the little princess, and nine of the pastries before Creata was willing to admit that she had a problem.
“I don’t know what to do, Trin. Without Vasic here, I am completely lost.” Creata was holding the baby and playing with one of her chubby little hands.
“Will you take some advice?”
Creata sniffed. “You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t have a child.”
“Not yet, but I do know that I take help when it is offered to me.” Trin looked at her friend calmly.
Creata blinked and blushed. “I am so sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”
“I know that you don’t. That is why I have a name and a number for you. She will even come to the house.”
Creata blinked. “She?”
“I have an acquaintance who is a counsellor, and she can help you work through this time. She can also set you up with a companion to help you through until your body stops grieving for the pregnancy. It shouldn’t grieve, it was a success, but it is flooding you with chemicals that make you over analyze everything until you can barely move. You aren’t too far along though. You are still taking care of her, and that means you are fighting through.”
Creata gave her a long look and then asked, “Can you make the call?”
“I will, but you will speak to her. Her name is Jiirel Makintosh, and she will be able to help you work through this, even getting you to your doctor when you need it. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Trin brought out her com and punched in the number.
“You have it memorized?” Creata swallowed.
“I do. You know me and numbers. Okay. Hello, Jiirel, I have someone who wishes to talk to you.”
She handed over her com and took the baby from Creata, wiping the drool from her face and stroking her chubby cheek.
Trin looked up when her com was slid across the table.
“Thank you, Trin. She will be here in an hour.”
Trin looked at the determined hope in her friend’s eyes. “Excellent. In that case, I had better be on my way. I have an appointment with Brenner and Niida. We need to discuss the new shop, and that has to be done in person.”
Creata’s eyes welled with tears. “Right. You have your life.”
“You have a life as well. You have volunteering, charities, the baby, your hobbies, and friends who love you. You are on a new path now, but it doesn’t mean that it is a bad one. You just have to get used to it. Change is hard. Welcoming it is torture.” Trin stood up and pressed a kiss to her friend’s forehead.
Creata chuckled. “I keep forgetting.”
“Wanna know a secret?” Trin grinned. “Me too.”
“How are you adapting to it?”
Trin sighed and straightened her skirts, checking for the weapons she had cached under her corset and on her thighs. “I think I am doing well. They are keeping me busy and not restricting me as much as they were. It is something I have to get used to, but keeping in touch with the things that make me
feel normal is vital. You and the baby, Brenner and Niida, the shops and everything in them helps me to lock onto reality and hold on tight when I spin out of control.”
“How are the slashes on your arm?”
Trin pulled back her sleeves and showed the pale pink marks on her arms. “I heal really quick now. In a few hours, there won’t be any marks at all.”
Creata grabbed her arm. “Do you know how unusual that is?”
Looking at her expression, Trin caught on. “I am guessing that it is really rare.”
“We can’t heal like that unless we shift, and no one alerted me to a dragon in the garden.”
Creata’s face was serious, and Trin was relieved. This was her studious friend, and it was the first time she had seen her all day.
Trin gave her a sly look. “Can you look into it?”
Creata blinked and then nodded. “I can. Now go. Don’t want you to miss your meeting. Amesthet needs toys for the holidays, and I need more pastries.”
“I live to serve my adorable overlords.” Trin laughed. “I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Trin. I mean it.” Creata gave her a sober look. “Thanks.”
With one final nod of acknowledgment, she left her friend and the baby and headed off to her meeting. The day had to get better.
The sun was setting, and the air was cool. Trin thought about Creata’s current state during her entire forty-five-minute walk. She caught more than her fair share of stares walking alone as dark came on, but she was armed, irritated, and in clothing that would shift with her. They could try something if they wanted to pull back a stump.
The streets were quiet, in the lull of the dinner hour. The architecture was the same as it had been two centuries earlier. Three-story structures with glass-paned storefronts, apartments above each, lined the street in a variety of stone. Limestone, sandstone, and even some well-worn soapstone. Granite was reserved for the more upscale neighbourhoods.
Looking around at Forest Avenue, she saw just what her research had shown her. This neighbourhood needed a coffee and a tea shop. The street catered to working couples of every shifter clan and a lot of mixed groupings. They needed a place to get coffee, tea, and pastries. If the shops could grow over the next year, they would be on board for the next phase of the Harbinger line. Harbinger Snacks.
The snack shop would bring in a line of themed food from around the world and offer them for sale from five in the morning until one in the afternoon. With enough demand, they would have their snacks going until seven in the evening. That would require double the staff and heavy overtime. The spine of sales had to be firm before they risked anything like that.
She analyzed the side-by-side doorways at the address, and she nodded. They weren’t ideal, but she could work with them.
Trin stepped into the building, and as she turned to lock up behind her, she saw the same vehicle that had gone around the block three times while she was walking along. That wasn’t suspicious at all.
“Trin! Is that you?”
Trin grinned and headed toward Brenner’s voice. “It is. What is your general impression of this place?”
Brenner was standing with his arms around his wife. Niida looked tired.
She smiled at the couple and looked around at the rich wood and polished stone. “I think that this is an ideal location. I have seen nine operating businesses on this block alone, and none are competitors.”
Brenner grinned. “Good. The paperwork is on the table. We are just going to stand here and enjoy being still.”
Trin nodded and did her checks. The building was divided, but a door through the connecting wall was possible as long as they got the correct permits. The ability to get the permits was a condition of the sale.
Inside the restrooms, she found the plumbing working as advertised, a few tiles needed to be replaced, but she was planning a renovation. The contractor and designer worked well together, which was fortunate, as they were a couple.
Trin checked the space in the area that would become the kitchen. It had enough room and more than enough grounded electrical hookups. It was good to go.
She returned to the front of the shop and smiled at Brenner. “I am willing to sign the purchase offer if you are.”
He nodded. “You know that the other building has had a fire.”
“Yeah, I have put that into our numbers. I will just check the caveats in the contract, and you two can get a good night’s sleep.”
Niida chuckled. “That would be a blessing. My morning sickness has kicked in, and the only time I am not ill is when I am at work.”
Trin made a commiserating sound and rubbed her shoulder. “It will be over soon. By this time next year, your baby will be crawling around on the floor and will be going over to Creata’s for play dates.”
Brenner chuckled and rested his chin on Niida’s head. “That is what I told her, but I don’t have your delivery.”
Trin flipped an empty bucket over and went through all the details of the contract, flagging and making changes as she went along. If the seller didn’t agree to the changes in the contract, Trin and Brenner had other sites on their radar.
She signed her name with a flourish. It was the only time she used the whole thing. Adolla Valtrin Lem was quite the awkward signature.
Trin handed the mass to Brenner and nodded. “Go over it. I can take over holding Niida if need be.”
Niida chuckled and stepped away from her husband. “I am fine. His scent just soothes me.”
“Understandable.”
Brenner took the pages and looked at all the red marks she had made. “This is going to take a while.”
Trin nodded. “Yeah. This was not a great contract. Our initial offer was lost in their counteroffers. The changes I want to make won’t cost much but will save us time.”
Niida smiled. “Would you like to see the apartments?”
“Sure. Or, maybe I could scan the other side. We want a complete gut job for our scent-dampening installation. I would like to estimate removal costs.”
Brenner waved at her. “Go ahead, ladies. I thought my days of doing homework were over.”
His wife gave him a kiss, and then, both women walked out the back door and entered the second building.
The smell of a bonfire was everywhere. Niida wrinkled her nose and inhaled deeply. “I can handle this.”
“Good.” Trin stepped deeper into the building and kept an eye on the strength of the floor. She didn’t want to face Brenner if Niida dropped into the basement.
“So, Trin, do you enjoy living with the dragons?”
Trin grinned and thumped a post, watching the ash rain down. “I enjoy it on a certain level. Learning to be a dragon has been weird.”
“Well, good or bad weird?”
“Mostly good. The women are angry, and the men are predatory. It keeps me on my toes.”
She looked around and saw that this interior was larger than the other side. It wasn’t an illusion, it was a genuinely huge room.
“I think Brenner is going to have to talk to the designer and the contractor. This place will definitely be larger than the other side when finished.”
“Really? That’s great. By the way, do you have a male you are interested in?”
Trin glanced back at the innocent look illuminated by the glow of the phones in their hands. “My dragon has picked one. I must confess that it is rather nice that I don’t have to involve myself in the process. It has been a lot easier to see her choice and look for his better qualities. He has a lot of them.”
“Is it Brommin?”
“It is. So, Brenner has told you that much.”
“Two of his sisters come by the shop during the day, and they gossip about you incessantly. They are both impressed and intimidated. It is a suitable reaction in my experience.”
Trin laughed and continued to work at checking the building for damage.
Twenty minu
tes kicking and pulling at the timbers and she was sure. This place would be great. They had parking, a back garden that could be coaxed to life, and plenty of space to host the shops.
“Let’s head back to see how Brenner is doing.”
They went through the front door, and Niida had just walked into the first side they had visited when a vehicle cruised past on the road. The sound of the pulse gun was unmistakable. The blast caught Trin in the ribs and threw her back into the stone front of the building.
The vehicle roared off, but Trin knew who it was as she lay on the ground, getting her breath back and checking for damage to her corset.
Brenner rushed out, and Niida was dialling frantically.
Trin grunted as Brenner moved her to get her inside. “Who are you calling?”
“Brommin. He said that if anything ever happened to you, to call.”
Trin smelled blood from the crack to the back of her head against the stone, and she pressed her hand to her scalp. “Aw, fuck.”
She sat with her friends and felt the soreness in her abdomen fade with every passing second. I am working to heal you quickly, but it would be easier if I had my mate.
Trin sighed and spoke to her dragon. There is a special event for that. You will have him soon.
The delight in her dragon when the heavy beat of wings sounded in the street was unmistakable. The prized and desired dragon in question had arrived.
Chapter Four
Brommin’s dragon feet had barely touched the ground when he was shifted and walking toward the shop.
He was dressed in black from head to toe, and it looked amazing on him.
“Trin, what is wrong? What did they hit you with?”
She wrinkled her nose as he examined her scorched clothing. “Pulse gun.”
He froze. “You should be dead.”
“I know. My dragon wasn’t convinced. She thought I could take the hit. I wasn’t counting on striking the façade of the building.” She touched her head. The blood was gone, and there was only a slightly sensitive spot where it had been.
