by Viola Grace
* * * *
Kel landed in his yard, and Nen was up, aroused, and furious. Kel laughed. “She was right. It does have a backlash. Interesting.”
Nen paused. “She did this to me?”
“Yes. She uses it to take a break, knowing that it will rebound several times over.” Kel chuckled. “You had her pinned, so she needed you to sleep for a few.”
Nen was appalled but then amused. “You took her home?”
“Yes. I took her to her apartment. We will collect her on the way to work tomorrow and make an appointment with human resources to report our relationship. Everything is going to be recorded so that no one can report us for duress.”
Nen nodded. “Right.” He jerked his thumb at Olmin and Argo. “Why are the neighbors over?”
Kel inclined his head. “Do you want to tell him?”
Olmin shrugged. “There was a lot of energy being produced over here. Did you find a source?”
Nen nodded. “Our source has returned to us.”
Olmin’s eyes were wide. “That was your source?”
Kel laughed. “Yes, that was our source. She can process raw magic into power that can cut through a star. She’s a multiplier.”
Olmin blinked. “You let her go home unprotected?”
Kel grimaced, and he knew he was showing some fang. “If they dare to touch her, they will be consulting their loved ones via a medium.”
Argo asked, “Will she be at the ball on Saturday?”
“Of course. We went to the tailor tonight. I am looking forward to seeing what she will make of those gowns.”
Olmin blinked. “You got her reactive fabric? Are you sure? She might be embarrassed.”
Nen laughed. “Her embarrassment is over quickly, and then, she begins to look into the logic of the situation. She will be fine.”
Kel watched as Nen calmed down, precisely twenty minutes after Krys had cast the charm. It was the same one-to-three ratio that she provided for his energy. She was consistent. It all boiled down to analysis and cost expenditure. If she could get what she wanted, she would pay for it later. Knowing that, she did it anyway. He chuckled. That is why she had made it to become his offering.
Olmin smiled. “Well then, I look forward to seeing her at the ball.”
Nen laughed. “You say that now, but meeting her one-on-one is an entirely different experience.”
Kel nodded. “If you are not braced for it, she is terrifying.”
Nen nodded, and they looked at each other and laughed. The magical community was about to be pierced by their mate.
Chapter Nine
After a blunt meeting with HR, Krys had returned to work with a smirk on her lips. Miss Simmons had blushed a little but made a record that after a wild weekend a month earlier, Mr. Danforth and Krys had discussed their situation and decided on a relationship. They were cohabiting officially in case anyone at the office noticed them arriving or leaving together. In her office, surrounded by files, she snickered the morning away.
When she got an email at eleven thirty, she paused before responding. She smiled and agreed, setting the meeting place as his office. After that, she went to her phone and ordered food to be delivered to his office at noon.
She closed up her files, locked her computer, and headed upstairs for lunch.
She smiled at the receptionist and said, “There is a food courier on the way.”
“Yes, miss. Mr. Danforth is waiting for you in his office.”
Krys nodded. “Thank you.”
A bemused courier arrived, and Krys smiled. “Delivery for Krys?”
The young woman with dark brown hair and a helmet nodded, and she handed over the bags. “I made sure that the fried stuff was vented. Enjoy.”
The courier walked away, and Krys headed for the office, knocking on the door without announcing herself. The bells did that for her. “Get in here.”
She laughed and let herself in, closing the door behind her. She flicked the latch, just in case.
Kelnen was seated at his desk, and she put the food down on the table near the couch. She smiled and opened the bags. “I am going to get started because my bastard boss only lets me have an hour for lunch.”
After she sent the tip to the courier, she opened the boxes and grabbed a set of chopsticks.
She sat down and kicked off her shoes, pulling her feet up and sitting on them while leaning on the arm of the couch.
She pinched up some wasabi and distributed it on her sushi.
Kelnen got up and came toward her. She stuffed her cheeks full of dynamite roll, and she smiled at him. “Go ahead, it is getting either warm or cold, depending on what you grab.”
He looked at her meal. “Sushi?”
“I like sushi. Well, I like it from this place.” She mumbled it around her mouthful of rice.
He laughed. “Can I try some of that?”
She guarded her food by hunching around it. “No. This is mine. There is another one over there.”
He blinked. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. This is my favourite, and I don’t share. I am twisted that way.”
She inhaled the wasabi burn and smiled happily. She opened a tiny packet of soy sauce and drizzled it over the rest of the rolls in her little packet.
She bounced a little when he sat next to her. She glanced over and took in his blue shirt, black tie, and rolled-up sleeves. He looked like the hottest accountant she had ever seen. He cautiously reached for the one that looked like her rolls. She tapped his hand with her chopsticks and tapped the correct box. “There you go. Watch out for the wasabi, it is rather deadly.”
He frowned. “This wasn’t on my list of foods I have eaten.”
She grinned and picked up another roll. “I know. I didn’t order anything that you wouldn’t normally eat. Even the tataki is charred slightly. And, there are dumplings.”
He blinked. “Really?”
She laughed and walked him through the order, arranged the dipping sauces, and set him up.
She leaned against him and watched him hold the chopsticks in his fingers. “Ten years, and you didn’t learn chopsticks?”
He scowled. “Every place I went to had forks.”
She leaned over and put some wasabi and soy on one of the rolls. “Open up.” She picked up the piece and put it directly in his mouth. “Now chew.”
He chewed and tasted the piece. “There is a fried shrimp in the middle of this.”
“There is.” She reached out and picked up a fried scallop. “This is a fried scallop in panko. Open up.”
He followed orders, and she spent the next twenty minutes feeding him and herself in shifts.
She packed up the remains of the order and handed him a bottle of sweet tea. “So, how was sushi?”
He grinned. “Better than I thought it would be. Interesting choices, though.”
“Yeah, I am stuck on fully cooked stuff for a while, but since I know that they have options, I use them.” She sipped at her tea and then capped the bottle.
“You are very good with those sticks.” He leaned toward her.
“I taught myself when I was a teenager. I practiced picking up small objects and then got bored and stuck with cheezies. That way, I had a reward system built in.”
She checked her watch and sighed. “Only twenty-five minutes left on my break.”
Kelnen reached for her and pulled her astride his lap. “Thank you for lunch, Krys.”
She felt unaccountably shy. “Um, thank you for going to HR this morning with a reasonable explanation.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “It was the truth, more or less. We met a month ago in your time and decided to cohabit this week.”
“That is sort of true, but it feels like so much longer.” She chuckled and kissed him quickly.
The quick kiss was a mistake. She couldn’t do it just once, and soon, she had her arms draped around his neck as she pressed her
self against him and made out with her drake-mage boss.
When her phone chirped, she broke the intense kiss and leaned back, putting her bra and shirt to rights. Kelnen had quick hands.
She looked at his surprised expression and grinned. “I gave myself a five-minute warning so I wouldn’t leave here looking like I have broken in this couch.”
She finished tidying her clothes and got to her feet, stepping back and seeing the banked flames in his eyes. Those eyes narrowed. “Two more days, and you will be in the tailored clothing. These trousers don’t do you justice.”
She laughed. “You are just pissed because you can’t get your hand up them easily.”
He grinned, and there was a bit of fang exposed. “There is that.”
She checked to make sure that she had closed the front of her trousers. He had literally gotten into her pants, but it was only his fingers that had been tormenting her. If the access was easier, she wouldn’t have gotten away that simply.
She turned to leave, and he grabbed her arm. “You are fine, teasing me like that?”
Krys smiled. “It wasn’t a tease. We are at work. If you insist on seeing me at lunch, I will have my lunch, and then, the time that is left over can be used for play. That’s all. I am also not going to return to my desk disheveled or unkempt. I have to work for the next three and a half hours. I already ditched a coffee break in the afternoon for you. Don’t make me regret it.”
He sighed and loomed over her. “Carpark at four.”
“Four thirty. I had to extend my time due to an hour for lunch.”
He growled. “Fine. Four thirty, or I will come to your desk and get you. That will really kick start the rumours.”
She paused. “Is that a threat?”
He let her go. “No, it is frustration talking. I want nothing more than to be alone with you.”
“Just a few more hours.” She smiled. “And we get to keep a huge account, so everybody wins.”
Kelnen was surprised. “You are almost done?”
“Yeah. They only have a few small leaks and an inventory turnover issue.” She smiled. “And a VP paying for his mistress with company funds. You know, the usual.”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Go, I don’t want to make you late.”
She grinned. “See you after work.”
She flipped the latch, and he laughed as she exited his office with only the neatly stacked food packages behind. He could deal with the detritus, she had brought lunch.
She headed back to the elevator and got back to her desk in four minutes. One minute late to log back in. Not too bad, considering she didn’t want to leave him at all.
The ride back home was quiet until she asked, “What happened to my car?”
He smiled. “It is at the house. As far as the security cameras are concerned, you drove it home yesterday evening.”
“But it really disappeared and reappeared in a flash, right?”
“Something like that.”
She nodded. “Of course, it is.”
“Nen found a book you may like on the recent history of mages and their protocols.”
Krys smiled. “Thank you, Nen. I look forward to it.”
“He left it out on the table in the library, in case he forgets to mention it.”
She knew why he would forget to mention it, and she didn’t mention that, either. After walking away from him at lunch, she wasn’t sure what was about to happen.
They parked at the manor, and today, she got to walk in through the main entrance. Kelnen took her bag and set it on the table near the door, and that was the last thing she remembered for a few hours. She remembered heat, touches, hands roaming all over her, and then pleasure before things slowed down, and she was lying in between them, sweat coating her from head to toe.
She whispered, “See, now we can’t do that at work. Not unless you have a shower in your office that I don’t know about. Smelling you two on me for the rest of the afternoon would be distracting as hell.”
She was squeezed between two chuckling men who were in a remarkably good mood now that they had what they wanted. Her.
Chapter Ten
By the time she finished getting ready, the guys were waiting for her and fidgeting. She brushed her hands down the strapless gown and looked at herself in the mirror again. Her makeup was minimal, but the gown was spectacular. The navy-blue fabric was lovely, the bodice was tight enough to keep itself up easily, and she loved the tiers of the skirt. Even the shoes were fun with ribbons that crisscrossed up her calves. It was like a high-heeled ballet slipper.
She looked herself over and confirmed that she wouldn’t embarrass herself, and she headed for the stairs. She gathered her skirts up in one hand and slowly descended the staircase. When she rounded the corner, she felt for all the world like she had two dates for prom.
The guys were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and they both grinned as she stepped toward him.
“This feels very weird, but you guys look great.”
Getting a tux to fit Kel was definitely a custom job, and Nen wasn’t too far behind. She kissed them each on the lips lightly, and then, she wiped off the trace of her lipstick. “Sorry. I don’t wear much makeup.”
Kel nodded. “I will meet you two there. The car has arrived.”
Krys asked, “The car?”
Nen smiled. “We never drive to these events. It is easier to simply fly home, but we didn’t want to mess up your hair or makeup, so we summoned a car.”
“Summoned?”
Nen held up his phone. “The guild has a fleet of cars for such events. The drivers are all apprentices.”
He tucked the phone into his suit and offered her his arm. “My lady.”
Kel sighed. “I will see you there.”
He kissed the top of her head and headed out the back door, taking a few steps before going skyward.
His wings belled out and scooped air in a surprisingly efficient manner.
Krys smiled, and Nen walked her to the car, helping her settle in and closing the door when her skirt was safe. He moved to the other side and took the seat next to her, holding her hand as they were driven through the city and toward a huge hotel.
When they arrived, the door was held open for her, and Nen came around again to help her out. They walked slowly into the hotel, and he steered her toward the private elevator. Once inside, he simply gave her hand a squeeze.
“Relax, Krys. Don’t hold back tonight. Just let the energy that you keep throttled down out a little. Breathe. You don’t have to hide here. This is the one place that you can simply let yourself be seen.”
She chuckled. “You can tell I am holding back?”
“Of course. Your dress is magically reactive. It is pretty now, but it could be stunning.”
Krys nodded. “No pressure.”
The elevator chimed, and they stepped out toward the ballroom. Kel met them in the doorway, and she took his arm as they were announced.
“Masters Kel and Nen, with their source, Krys.”
The entire ballroom full of people turned toward them and stared at her and her companions.
Kel chuckled. “Ah, once again, we have made an entrance.”
She grinned and took a deep breath, letting it out, and the touch of the fabric against her skin got warmer. Nen smiled, and Kel grinned. Together, they entered the ballroom, and the crowd made way for them with surprised and stunned expressions on their faces.
She whispered to Kel, “Why is my dress warming up?”
He chuckled. “It is the fire that we share. The magic is embedded in the fabric, and your magic shapes it.”
“I don’t have magic, I just process yours.”
“That is magic in and of itself.” Nen chuckled. “We have been reading some of the books on the basics. Where do you think ability comes from? If you weren’t necessary, the offering could have been made by anyone from anywher
e. You were the missing piece, and part of that piece is your talent.”
She muttered to Nen, “You were fingering me while I was reading, so pardon me for not paying attention.”
He snorted, and Kel chuckled. She smiled, and they guided her to the strange throne with celestial symbols carved into the disk that made up the back. A photographer was positioned, and the guys led her to the throne. Kel winked. “Have a seat.”
She turned and sat. A few faces had held smirks, but they all fell away as she spread her skirt out. Kel and Nen stood on either side, and the photograph was taken by a quivering photographer.
Nen helped her to her feet, and Kel got the claim ticket.
“Is this photography normal?” She had to ask as they walked through the crowd toward some tables that were surprisingly empty.
“It is done once a year to position people. This is an event calculated to literally put people in their place.” Kel smiled. “We will have the image as a memory, and we can keep it in an album or have a portrait based on it. Whatever you like.”
She blinked. “I will have to make sure that I am not pulling a weird face and we all have our eyes open.”
Kel smiled. “It takes an image of our inner power, so we will see the image entered into the archive.”
“Oh. Okay.” She paused and sat down in the chair Nen held out for her. She looked around, and other folk were milling together and chatting. They were an island in the magical stream, and a few of the ladies were wearing brightly glowing clothing. Krys looked at her starry night with the moving constellations and smiled. It was good enough for her.
A chime rang, and dinner was served. It was rather like being at a wedding, but the food was directly delivered in a warm pool of light that faded and left the food behind. Kel and Nen tucked in, so she shrugged and followed suit. She cleared her glass of water, and Nen handed her his. The meal in front of her was chicken and vegetable-based. It was good when she ate it, but when the dessert arrived, she wasn’t feeling like herself. She felt hot, sweaty, and nauseous.