The next day, I really didn’t know how I’d gotten to this point in my life. I really didn’t. I was sitting under a massive tree, the earth purring underneath me as I fed it some magic and it did the same, reenergizing me. The behessif sat next to me, his head—yes, his, I checked—rested on my calves. He was a big guy, nearly covering all of my legs.
My eyes were closed as I tried to center myself. Ever since I’d seen those elementalists and they claimed me as one of theirs, everything felt off. After so long not knowing who I was, I had to create my own being, come up with my own history, traditions, and to learn without guidance.
Now they were trying to claim me and make me one of them. I just couldn’t. No way. I couldn’t lose who I’d fought so hard to become. I liked me, and I definitely didn’t like them. They had looked down on all of us, even Shanton. They were dismissive and didn’t care to hear what we had to say, especially if we didn’t agree with them.
They were control freaks.
I was a control freak.
Control freaks at odds with each other did not mix well. If Shanton knew what was best for him, tomorrow, he would come up with an excuse and let me go home.
The behessif lifted his head and growled, and I focused on what held his gaze. Rhett was walking over, wearing a dark t-shirt and dark jeans. Every one of his movements screamed prowler, stalker, danger. I swallowed the drool, enjoying the way his clothes hugged his lean frame.
“He’s fine,” I said, reaching over and patting the feline’s lithe body. The behessif was a massive creature, easily twice the size of a normal lion, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. And darn, his fur felt so good. He hadn’t left since yesterday and even slept outside our tent, growling at anyone who tried to approach. I didn’t mind because I was able to get the sleep I desperately needed. After the uninterrupted sleep through the evening and night, and a pick me up potion early this morning, I was up and running again. I wasn’t at full, but I had enough juice to get through the day.
The behessif calmed down, putting his huge head back on my lower legs.
“Laila,” Rhett said when he got close enough.
“Morning,” I said.
“How long have you been out here?”
“We can’t see a lot of stars in Springer, and I never knew they could be so bright.”
“It’s lunchtime.”
“I know. I’m not hungry,” I said.
“You should eat something.”
“I’ll eat dinner.”
He broke out into a smile, his eyes brightening. “Perfect.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“Davies wasn’t kidding when he said to be ready to take on the world. He wants to have some fun tonight and we all agreed.”
He came over and settled down on my left, on the other side of my new feline companion.
“You know, we often forget you’re only nineteen.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?” I asked.
He smiled. “If you want. Can I tell you a secret? I think you’ll want to know this before dinner.”
“Oh goddess. Are you about to change everything in my world that I know to be true? Are you really a female?”
“What?” He blinked a couple of times before bursting out with laughter. “No. Nothing weird, I hope. Just… unexpected, maybe. I want to prepare you.”
“Prepare me for what?”
“Tonight. Will you listen already?” he asked.
“I’m nineteen. I’ve been told we’re best at not listening.”
He nodded. “True. I think that’s very much true. Now shut up.”
I pressed my lips together and made the zipping motion over my mouth.
Rhett chuckled again and shook his head. “When you were first hired, Lombardi was concerned about having someone so young working in our company. Most people don’t start working for him until their twenties, especially for the humans. But you came with glowing reviews and everyone wanted you. You became a massive asset for the company, probably more than you realize. Some of our business came because our clients knew you were with us.”
I blinked in surprise. I didn’t know that.
“You helped increase our reputation. Everyone knows who you are. That also means people who don’t like you would come out of the woodwork, especially in our company. Lombardi wanted us to keep an eye on you and watch those around you.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“We didn’t want you to.”
“So… I’m a job.”
“Not at all. Not even close,” he was quick to say before I could go down that line. “You were an… enigma. Here was this nineteen-year-old joining our company and she came full of so much confidence, making her borderline cocky. You didn’t take bullshit. People tried to step on you and you shrugged them off and kept moving forward, not even caring about those who plotted against you.”
My eyes widened as I realized something. “Abram Suttel.” He was a meathead I’d met when I helped improve BMS’s security. He was good at his job but had a rotten personality. Davies had it out for the guy and was waiting for Abram to fuck up so he could take him down.
Rhett nodded. “He’s one of them. From what we were able to put together, you were in the middle of a project and had brushed him off. He became a thorn ever since.”
“Brushed him off?” I frowned, trying to remember when I first interacted with Abram. I thought I met him the first time when I was revamping Biomystic’s security.
Rhett snorted. “Yes. Somehow you did. Davies has been putting himself between the two of you since. We’re all more than willing to keep you safe.”
I sighed. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying you grew on us.”
“I’m not a fungus.”
He laughed and shook his head, ignoring me as he continued. “We watched over you because you were seen as a child.” I winced and he held up his hand before I could give him the lashing I wanted. “You played on our instincts and we began looking out for you. You would lock yourself up in your lab for days and then Davies couldn’t take it anymore, worried about you, and he began bugging you. The longer we were around you, the better we got to know you. We all care about you. You hold a special place in our hearts. Once Davies pushed to be in your life, we didn’t hold back anymore.”
I furrowed my brows, not understanding him still. He could see the confusion on my face and sighed.
“Keep an open mind, yeah? We want to spend time with you. That’s all. Outside of work, we want to get to know you better.”
“Who is we?” I asked.
“Davies, Venni, Elliot, Alijah, and me.”
For the longest time, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know. Sure, there was some flirting going around and these last few weeks, they had been more attentive, but I never thought they liked my company. I’d been told I was a hard person to swallow. The behessif shifted until his head rested on my thigh, and I absently ran my hand through his thick fur.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay?”
I nodded. “Elliot mentioned opening up more, making connections. I think this is a good first step.”
“Are you sure that’s what he meant?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I know that I like you guys. You make life fun. I was always focused on magic, on getting my work done, but you guys kept interrupting it, bugging me.” I smiled. “So, okay. I’m willing to get to know you guys more.”
“Just so we’re clear, I’m talking about dating.”
My eyes widened and my mouth popped open as my jaw dropped to the floor.
“D-d-dating?”
He sighed. “Yes, dating. We all like you.”
“All of you?” I asked.
“Yes, Laila, all of us.” He glanced away. “You probably don’t know it, but you seem to always do the right thing. You got me out of my head down there in those caves, you saved me from a nightmare. You knew exactly what I needed and you did it.”
“But…” How did that even work? All of us? Dating?
“Think about it. Nothing is set in stone, we aren’t asking for your hand in marriage.”
I let out a little breath and nodded. I could so do that, and even enjoy myself while doing it. I liked the guys, and they were nice to look at.
“Good.” Rhett stood, brushing off the dirt from his butt, and I unabashedly watched him do it. He smirked before walking away.
I stayed out in the woods, recovering from my time in the caves, soaking up nature and letting my magic finish replenishing. The connection to the earth sped up the process, and I felt myself growing refreshed. When I stood, the behessif whined.
“You’re just a big furball, aren’t you,” I said patting his head. He purred, pressing into my body and nearly knocking me over. The big guy really had a lot of strength in him, and he was easily twice my size.
I headed into the campsite, everyone getting out of my way. I’d like to think they were intimidated by me, but I knew the reality. The behessif had a nice growly face that did the trick. I didn’t mind because I didn’t have to deal with people I didn’t want to talk to.
“You look better,” Shanton said, coming out of a tent. He had cleaned up well after our adventure, his face clean shaven, his body well rested. He wore a gray t-shirt that stretched over his expansive chest and matched it with black cargo pants and black boots. He looked like he was ready to storm a building.
“So do you,” I said.
“Walk with me,” he said and nodded towards the exit. The behessif nudged his way between us. I smirked at the beast’s protective instinct. Shanton didn’t look impressed, but he didn’t try to come closer, keeping a respectable distance between us.
He didn’t say anything until we were walking through the woods. I stayed with Shanton, not daring to wander away. The last thing I needed was step on a vine and have the thing attack me.
“I need to know you’re going to behave tomorrow,” Shanton finally said.
“I always behave.”
His eyes narrowed. He was not in a playful mood. “This meeting needs to go well. I don’t want you fucking it up, losing to your emotions.”
I winced at the dig. “I’ll behave.”
“Good. I need you to get through this without throwing a fit.”
“I don’t throw fits,” I said.
“You do.” He leaned closer to me, ignoring the feline between us. The energy around us thickened, swirling around us like a hurricane, stinging my skin. “You did. This meeting is important, and I can’t afford you acting like a brat. Get over yourself for this one meeting and then do whatever the hell you want afterward. I don’t care if you never see them again after this. That isn’t my problem.”
I gritted my teeth, my hands turning into fists at my side. I never wanted to swing at someone as much as I did right now. I wasn’t a violent person. Not really. But Shanton was pushing all the wrong buttons. And I knew he was right.
I was on a job. I couldn’t lose my cool. This meeting had to go smoothly.
I sighed, releasing all the anger in me as I looked at this objectively. This was a job. I was doing a job. I needed to be professional.
“I’ll behave,” I said. “I won’t get in the way, and I won’t snap.”
His eyes flickered over my features, searching for the truth. When he found it, he nodded. “Good.”
“Why?” I asked.
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Why are you determined to meet with them and get a favor? What do you need from them?”
Shanton’s expression shut down, leaving only his eyes blazing. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
He turned away and stalked back to the campsite, leaving me behind to stare after him. Even the birds could sense his darkening mood and took flight to get away from the energy that snapped out of him.
Whatever reason he had for meeting with the elementalists had to be extremely personal. If they weren’t so determined for me to be there, I knew he would have wanted to meet them alone to hide whatever secret he had.
I glanced around at all the luscious greenery before following the path back to camp. I needed a short nap before it was time to get ready for dinner. I didn’t know what Davies had planned, but I knew I would like it. Besides, he’d figure out how to break all this tension running through my body.