Shannon arrived back at her uncle’s place feeling more drained than ever. It was snowing, which matched her mood. She walked into the den that they always seemed to inhabit. They were not there, instead she found them in his office. It was a mansion with hundreds of square footages and this was the place they always seemed to be. Damien was sitting at his desk while Ebron was leaning over some paperwork. They both looked up with disapproving looks upon the interruption. The looks did not change with the note she hadn’t changed out of her uniform. Both still disapproved of her job.
She ignored that and sank down into the leather chair in front of his desk and stared them down. Her eyes were cool as she took the two powerful creatures in. They appeared as nothing more than business men, but she knew so much more. The experience earlier had given her many revelations.
“Yes?” Damien asked after a moment.
Ebron rose and walked over to the wet bar. He poured three glasses of amber liquid out of a crystal decanter. She said nothing as he handed her a glass. The cool whiskey burned as it went down. It was never her favorite. She wondered what the occasion for such a strong spirit. Then again she was already feeling strange today.
“I received this as a gift today,” she said as she placed the non-descript black box on the desk between them. She watched them both closely.
Damien reached casually across the desk and took the box. He opened it up and raised a brow. Ebron’s face lost all warmth and any visage of human emotion to it. She was becoming accustomed to that iciness when he was displeased. Even from her seat she felt the power that poured out of the contents from the open box. Damien closed it and looked at her. It was the first time she had seen his icy demeanor. If it was anyone else, they might have been scary. But she found herself completely calm as she faced them.
“Where did you get this?” Damien asked. There was a firestorm in his voice. As if the raw power within his being could rip out and destroy the entire room in any second.
“A demon came through a portal at work today,” she stated.
Ebron looked out the window thoughtfully. It was the first time she had ever seen him not react. Damien however seemed to have a rising temper. “A demon from another realm was in your hotel?”
“What did you do?” Ebron asked in a dangerously hushed voice.
“I had the family ring in my pocket. So I took him back to his room and reprimanded him for not being subtle and made him go back through the portal,” she stated in a firm voice. Their reactions were scaring her a little, but she refused to let it show. “He gave me that as reparations he called it.”
“And what did the diplomats do?” Damien asked.
“There were only me and George,” she said. “I took care of the situation while George was reeling from the effects the demon cast. He now understands what I am and that I will deal with such people in the future.”
Ebron’s eyes seemed to have lost all parts of humanity and were fiery orbs that focused on her. “A demon came through the portals at your hotel, and you personally dealt with him without the diplomats knowing?”
She raised her chin. The pride she felt at getting it done smoothly was wavering under their scrutiny. “Yes.”
“And what happens should the diplomats find out?” Damien growled at her. His voice was starting to sound less human.
“Given that George is our new resident diplomat and he’s okay with it, I think it’ll be fine,” she shot back.
“That demon could have killed you,” Ebron growled.
“That demon could not have killed me,” she shot back. “The hotel would have killed him first.”
“The hotel? You really think a building would kill to protect you?”
“It already has.”
She didn’t realize they were screaming in each other’s faces until his hands slammed on the desk. He leaned back a little. She continued, “A man tracked Mandi into the upstairs storage and tried to attack her. The hotel threw him out the fourth story window with a bookcase on him. It then broke a man’s arm for trying to confront Agaust. If that demon had attacked anyone the hotel would have destroyed him.”
“And you’re still working there why?” Ebron shot back with a sneer.
“Because I have control there,” she snapped back.
“Enough,” Damien said in a soft voice.
Ebron and Shannon looked down at him. He was still sitting at his desk, and looked at the necklace thoughtfully. His eyes and voice had returned to the mask he wore, his expert imitation of a mortal. Shannon returned to her seat and looked at her uncle thoughtfully.
“No demon has access to portals,” He said slowly. “It has always been better that way. But you, my niece, seem to defy all odds on every level and constantly surprise us. We do not like surprises for the dangers inherit in them.”
“I get that,” she said softly. The rage she had faced her father with left its evidence on her blushed cheeks. She picked up the glass and drank the last of the whiskey. “My concern is what I should do in such a situation. I know so little about demons, the hierarchy, etiquette, or how to use the situation appropriately.”
“You are your father’s daughter,” Damien said with a slight note of approval. “Use the situation appropriately.” He took a deep breath and closed the box before him. “You did right by the situation at hand when you were in it. But I am going to hire tutors to teach you, and teach you fast.”
“We do need to consider what we want to achieve with such future ‘incidents’,” Ebron growled. His eyes were slow to return to their mortal visage as he watched her closely.
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure what to do, so I did what I thought was best.”
“What did you learn?” Damien asked as he leaned back in his chair. “From this encounter?”
“Demons are naturally arrogant,” she answered cockily.
“That’s a given,” her uncle shot back.
“He expected everyone to just drop and obey, then was very fast to do so when he realized who I was. It was twisted how fast he turned into what he had distain for, as if they were mere roles he knew how to play. The whole point seemed to be to manipulate those around him.” She paused as she replayed the episode in her mind. “He was suddenly very eager to try and get in my good favor again. It was rather sickening. Something he said that did stick with me is about opportunities. I denied him stating that he had not used any subtly so he squandered the chance, but it’s all about opportunities isn’t it. Life, work, and every interaction we have. It’s about opportunities and how to recognize them and use them.”
“You are starting to understand your true nature,” Ebron said. “What else?”
“I looked into the world he came from. It was like it was made of fire. In a way it was beautiful like anything can change and adjust with a simple extend of will. Everything can change and be altered so easily…”
“It is a beautiful place,” Damien agreed with his own distant thoughts.
“It is where you came from isn’t it?” she asked softly.
“It is,” Ebron said slowly. “Do not let that beauty fool you. It is a highly dangerous and competitive place.”
“You said once that you were free from your duties and presented with opportunities here when you were cut off,” she said slowly. “They have duties and that is what makes them dangerous?”
“It is,” he agreed.
She stood up suddenly. “I am going to go take a bath. I promised Tracy we’d look at apartments tomorrow.”
“You looked the options that I approved?” Ebron asked coldly.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And unless you’re footing the bill, we can’t afford them with our combined income.”
“Money is not an issue,” he said. “If it is approved as safe.”
She considered that. “I’ll keep that in mind.”