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I yanked on a pair of yoga pants and the rattiest t-shirt I owned and hurried to follow Oisin down the hall. The fae was immaculately dressed in slim-fit trousers and a light blue cashmere sweater that I knew would be the softest thing I'd ever felt, if I was brave enough to pull him into my arms.
I watched his ramrod straight back as he walked down the hallway. It looked strange to me, him not having hair down to his waist. He looked even more uptight this way, with less of his usual deceptive softness. He was wearing a glamour that hid not only his ears, but the patchy chop-job they'd done on his head when they shaved him. It also hid the new white patch that had grown among the fiery red, above his left temple.
His hair was getting a bit longer every day, and I realized that must be why most fae wore their hair ridiculously long—otherwise they'd have to cut it every day or two. Oisin's current glamour made it look like his hair was a few inches long, curling around his ears. In reality, it had grown that much in places. But it was all weird random lengths.
I lengthened my strides, quickly overtaking the shorter man. "Hey, are you okay?"
Sharp green eyes met mine, but he kept walking. "Why does everyone insist on asking that? Clearly I'm not bleeding out or missing a limb."
I heaved a sigh. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. We're all worried about you, asshole."
His lips twitched, but he didn't smile. "I've told you all, I'm fine. Or I will be. My magic is slowly rebuilding itself—the bastard left me enough to do that at least."
He stopped, and I turned to find him glaring in that haughty way only fae can. The look softened a bit as he glanced at the potted pine tree growing in the hall, rather than meet my eyes. "I...sometimes I get some memories back with the magic—bits and pieces, all jumbled up."
Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet mine, a frown marring the perfect, smooth skin of his forehead with creases. "You all seem to imply that I was...intimate with the fox. And I do feel a great sense of affection for him. But...I don't remember fucking him. What I remember, what has come to me the last couple of days, is that I clearly did not want him here. And I think...." He heaved a sigh and straightened his sweater sleeve, which was perfectly fine to begin with.
He lifted his hand and make a strange, aborted gesture and I thought he might be losing what was left of his tiny fae mind. "I remember that I vowed to myself I would not become involved with that boy," he said softly. "Beautiful though he is, he is just a child. And a vulnerable one, at that. If I recall correctly, he has no control over that overwhelming power of his."
I stared at him. Fuck my life. "Oisin. We've had this argument before. Repeatedly. You changed your mind. You told me it was more than him being young, it was because you wanted to protect him from your father. That's why you held him at arm's length." I reached out and flicked him gently on the forehead. "News flash genius. That child is the only reason we all made it out of the fae lands. He made your dickwad dad explode for fuck's sake."
Oisin's eyes widened. "I...." Then he lifted his chin a notch and went all offended noble. "No one has taken the time to properly explain to me exactly what happened. I know my father took me and tried to drain me. I certainly remember pain and despair. But then I woke up here, surrounded by people I love, but who are complete strangers to me."
I clenched my teeth. Fuck me. I thought he remembered the situation, just not the details about the pride. I was a moron. Of course he didn't know the exact details about his rescue. Even if his memory was completely intact, he'd been unconscious nearly the entire damned time.
"Oisin, fuck I'm sorry. I thought...well I'm a moron. As you liked to remind me before. All brawn, no brains."
He lowered his chin a notch and reached up to ruffle my hair. "Well, one can hardly blame you for your hair color and species."
I slapped his hand away, then froze when he seemed to think I was serious. "Oisin—"
He rubbed his wrist, where I'd smacked him. "I apologize," he said stiffly. "I did that without thinking. I don't know what possessed me."
I wanted to bang my head against the wall. "I'm not mad that you touched me, jackass. It's...well, we...."
Hisashi walked up behind us, dressed and not looking like he'd just been thoroughly fucked. Pussy. I intended to offend Derek fucking White every way I could. Hopefully my hair was as much of a mess as I thought it was.
"You guys back at it?" Hisashi muttered as he met us. He was going for exasperated, but he wasn't hiding the fact that seeing me argue with Oisin was making him happy. Because that was our normal state. Too bad Oisin seemed to have forgotten that little fact.
Oisin dropped the hand he'd been rubbing and shrugged as if unfazed. "I simply overstepped my bounds. One doesn't pet a shifter. Any idiot knows that."
I rolled my eyes and lunged, wrapping an arm around his slender neck and putting him in a choke hold while I messed up his hair under that glamour, making it stick up in uneven spikes. Oisin struggled and I let him get free, smirking as he glared daggers at me and straightened his hair and clothes.
Hisashi laughed. "Oh, Gods. It's going to start all over again, isn't it?" he teased. When Oisin just gave him a blank look, the fox slapped him on the back. "You and Gesa. If you weren't constantly sniping at each other, you were letting everyone within a few blocks know you were fucking her brains out. You two arguing is just foreplay."
Oisin thought about that, as if he was scanning his memory banks. His pert nose wrinkled up in a way that made me want to kiss him. He was too fucking adorable. "Is your entire pride mentally impaired?" he said, making me want to slap him.
I heaved a sigh and started walking again. "Yes. Yes, they are. And you're one of them, fae."
Hisashi snorted at that. "This coming from the ringleader."
I didn't respond, taking the steps down to the main level two at a time.
When I reached my office, I found my human-and-sometimes-hedge-witch chatting with a demon.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I demanded, crossing my arms and glaring at Derek fucking White.
The demon lounged in the wing-backed chair reserved for clients and visitors, sipping a steaming mug of something. My nose twitched. That was Con's special coffee blend. White smiled at me with perfect, even white teeth, his eyes black pools and his thousand-dollar suit perfectly pressed as always. At least he was keeping his creepy as fuck magic to himself at the moment.
"Miss Lionheart," he said in his smooth, deep voice. "So good of you to join me." He raised a black brow at me as he took in my appearance. "I trust I didn't disturb you."
I snorted and went to sit in my desk chair. "Oh, you're disturbing all right."
Con smiled at me and shoved a coffee cup my way. Then he pointed at the muffin sitting on a plate in front of the demon. "Well? What do you think?"
I glared at the human. Where the fuck was my muffin?
The demon picked up Con's creation and nibbled at the edge. His eyes turned red around the edges and he smirked up at Con. "Marvelous. Your skill is improving, Concord."
I watched as Con's brown skin turned a dusky color under the praise. "Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered. "Traitor."
Con glanced at me and laughed. "There's plenty of food for you in the kitchen, Gesa. Don't worry. This was...special. You really don't want any."
White licked his lips and cast an almost adoring look at my human. "Thank you, Concord. You made more?"
He nodded. "Half a dozen. That's all the herbs I had. Let me know if it works, though, and if you need more. Now that Oisin is...awake, maybe he'll help with the ingredients."
The demon nodded.
I really wanted to know what the fuck kind of deal was going on there, but fuck if I was going to ask in front of White. No way did I want him thinking I cared what the hell he was up to. I'd grill Con for details later.
"Can I help you with something, or did you just come to admire my boyfriend's cooking abilities?" I asked as I took a sip of my wonderful coffee. I closed my eyes for a moment, just to thank the Gods for Con and his special abilities. He hated that he wasn't like the rest of us magical, strong supes. But he was an idiot. I'd take his ability to create edible bits of heaven over the ability to shoot lightning out his eyes any day.
"I just came for a visit," White said, breaking up my little moment of bliss. "You said we're best friends now, after all. Isn't that what friends do? Stop by and chit-chat? Drink coffee together? Should we talk about boys—or girls, maybe?"
I stared at the asshole. I'd said we were besties in a mocking way, as warning that I was going to be using him and his terrible name every time someone pissed me off. Not so he could use it as an excuse to stop by and have coffee and muffins anytime he wanted.
"You're an asshole," I reminded him.
He drank his coffee, though I noticed he didn't eat any more of his muffin. Con took that away with him and left me with the damned demon. And the weird atmosphere that happened every time Oisin and Hisashi were in the same room together. My two pride members were currently both pretending indifference as they hung out on opposite sides of the room.
What the fuck had I done to deserve going through that stupidity all over again?
"Oh, don't be crass now, Gesa," White said, leaning on his use of my first name and bringing my attention right back to him. Cause we were besties now, and all. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
"What the fuck do you want, White?"
He sighed. "The pleasure of your company?"
I glared.
There was laughter out in the bookstore, and I raised my eyebrows when Kai came into the office with White's assistant, Orion Black—because apparently demons are shit at making up names. The kraken and the incubus were still chuckling at something as they entered, and I narrowed my eyes at them. That was a combination I didn't trust. Gods.
Black put on his serious face as he approached his employer. When White nodded at him, the incubus set the briefcase he was carrying on my desk and pulled out a stack of papers so thick it could be a novel, all bound up with red ribbon. "Hello, Miss Lionheart," he said with a soft smile. "I do hope you and your pride are well."
I smirked when he flicked his one visible blue eye at Hisashi and away. The pretty, subservient, scarred man standing before me was really different from the last time I'd seen him—when he'd been in full incubus form, power hungry and trying to get my fox to fuck his brains out.
"Oh, we're good." I said with a grin.
He cleared his throat and tapped the papers on the desk to straighten them before handing them over. "Good. This is a copy of the contract you discussed with my employer. The original is written in mage rune, but this is a direct translation for the...non-magically inclined. Please review this as soon as you can and let me know if there are questions. I can look back at the original and clarify anything that arises." He shook his head. "The language is meant to be purposefully confusing. Navigating through the deal is part of the—process. It proves an individual has the intelligence and savvy to handle the weapon they are contracting."
I took the papers and set them aside, my hand shaking slightly. "Cool. I might be able to read all that before I'm old and gray."
"Thank you, Mr. Black," White said with a wave of his hand. "You may go visit while I speak to Miss Lionheart privately. I believe the hedge witch has something for you in the kitchen."
Black bowed slightly to his employer. "Thank you, sir."
Then he turned to smile shyly at me. "Good to see you, Gesa."
I tried hard not to smile back. "Just make sure you only eat the food, demon."
He bowed his head, hiding behind his caramel-colored curls. "Of course, Miss Lionheart."
The incubus left and White glanced at Oisin, Kai, and Hisashi with a raised brow.
I leaned back in my chair and let him stew. I could discuss anything he wanted to talk about in front of my pride. He didn't get to come in here and start ordering people around. He could just fuck off.
Finally, he heaved a sigh and started fishing inside his jacket. "I suppose you can all stay. This information is very sensitive, but since you'll all be working on this assignment, I suppose you can be privy to the details."
"So generous," Kai breathed, her eyes comically widened, and hands clasped to her breasts in feigned awe.
I laughed. "Yes, please order my pride around like you expect them to give a fuck what you want," I said to the delusional demon who thought he owned the world.
He ignored me. As usual.
Pulling out a photo from his pocket, he slid it across the table to me. "This girl. She is moving to Ontonagon within the next few days. She will be living with an aunt, I believe. Recently orphaned. I need you and your pride to keep an eye on her. Let me know what she's up to. Protect her from any hint of danger."
I stared down at the picture of a plain-looking, tomboy type. The chick was probably about sixteen or seventeen years old. White was going to teach me how to navigate mage contracts, and buy me my own personal, expensive as fuck mage...in exchange for stalking some teenage girl? "What the actual hell?"
White shrugged one broad shoulder. "You know the deal, Miss Lionheart. Take it or leave it."
"But what...you're not going to hurt her, are you? Why the fuck do you want me to stalk a kid?"
He sighed and gave me a bored look, but his eyes were going all red again. This was something big. "It's not important," he said calmly. That was a lie. "I just need you to keep tabs on her and ensure she isn't in danger. I won't hurt her." Truth. I thought. It was hard to get a good read on the demon.
What the shit? "What, is she like, your long-lost daughter or something?"
He arched a brow at me. "None of your business."
I sighed. "Fine. But I'm not going to let her get hurt. So, if you go all pervy psycho, the deal's off."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes."
Oisin paced over to the desk to peer down at the photo, then at the stack of papers Black had left for me. "What is this deal you've made, gryphon? What is the contract he spoke of? You haven't made a contract with a demon. Surely even someone as blond as you couldn't be so stupid."
I shook my head. "You'd be surprised."
Hisashi put a hand on Oisin's shoulder. "I'm sure we'd all like to know what's going on." He gave me a look. Right. Keep Oisin in the loop so his fragile fae feelings weren't hurt. And...okay, so I might have agreed to White's bargain without telling the rest of the pride.
"Uh," I said, sounding all intelligent and like a commanding alpha and shit, "I may have agreed to take a job for this asshole in exchange for...something."
"Something?" Kai asked, sliding closer to flip through the stack of papers on the desk. "This is.... Oh, Gesa, honey. I thought so, but I didn't realize you'd made up your mind...."
I snatched the papers from her. "Shut it."
Hisashi gifted me with a purely vulpine smirk. "That's a contract, huh? Like...an employment contract?"
I glared at him. "Shut the fuck up."
Oisin looked at us all in confusion. Then he looked to White, since clearly the demon in the room was the only one able to provide coherent information. "What was your bargain with Gesa?"
The demon smiled. "I need a job done. She needs a mage. So, I'm going to teach her about the complexity of dealing with the mage guild and help her buy her very own battle mage."
His red eyes met mine and he fucking grinned. "So you can all be safe, of course."
I growled.
Oisin stepped away from the desk, looking a little pale. "I see. Thank you. That seems...like a reasonable exchange."
"Are you happy now?" I said to White. I think the word mage had just thrown Oisin into some sort of PTSD. And I didn't want the rest of the pride to know my real reasons for buying a mage yet, damn it. I needed to talk to them first. Now I was pretty sure Kai and Hisashi knew exactly what was going on.
White finished his coffee and stood. "I did try to speak with you in private, Miss Lionheart," he reminded me. The asshole.
"Get out."
He smiled at me. "Such a nice visit. We should do this again soon. Read that contract and I'll help you negotiate your purchase. But in the meantime, I'd like to know the moment you set eyes on the girl."
I sighed. "Sure thing, boss man." My life was so fucked.