by Maria Dean
It was an easy way to tell him what she was too afraid to say out loud. Giovanni respected her in a way she'd never experienced before. He knew she was capable and wanted to learn from her, just as much as he seemed willing to teach her. The man wasn't slow, either, and she never worried about having to explain things to him.
"But what about the other ones?" Nova continued her questioning. "Like Lorenzo. He was sweet."
That was the problem. He was sweet. Lorenzo was a lot of things Astrid enjoyed. But as long as he isolated himself, Astrid couldn't rely on him being there.
"As long as you know what you're doing, this ain't my business," Nova said. "If you're done, I wanna continue sleeping in." She shooed Astrid off the couch so she could return to her elongated rest.
Astrid reviewed the text. If she continued to worry about it, she'd never get it sent. And that wouldn't do any good for anyone, especially if they wanted to continue fighting the alchemists. In a rush, Astrid ignored Nova's question about the sign-off and sent the text.
Her phone buzzed in a moment, but the text wasn't from Giovanni. It was from Matilde, and it was angry.
Get the fuck outside, right now.
There was no way that was a good text. Astrid grabbed her keys and slipped on her shoes, leaning on the doorframe as she did so. "I'll be back," she assured a now sleeping Nova. "Don't get too crazy."
The older woman mumbled something in her sleep and turned over. Content her aunt wasn't going anywhere, Astrid exited her apartment and locked the door. Her trek to the elevator involved a lot of hyping herself up for her inevitable showdown with Matilde. Whatever she wanted to talk to Astrid about, it would not be good.
Matilde didn't text, for one thing. It was more on brand for Matilde to show up uninvited. If she was waiting for Astrid outside, it meant that she was planning. Careful planning from someone as volatile and spontaneous as Matilde scared the shit out of Astrid.
When she left the apartment building, she found the youngest Russo leaning against a bench in the courtyard. Her blocky, black sunglasses prevented Astrid from being able to read her expression.
"You called?" She said, trying not to seem intimidated.
Matilde held up a photograph. "You're not slick," she said coolly. "I don't know if you ever thought you were, though. You just continue being the dumbest person I've ever met." She stretched her hand out and offered Astrid the photo. "But really, I can't fathom how you could stoop so low as to hang out with someone as well-known as Zion Wells."
A burning nausea filled Astrid's stomach. Bile crawled up her throat. Before she could even look at the photo, Astrid was tripping over her feet and throwing up into the fountain behind Matilde.
"Guilty, just as I thought." There was no cruelty in Matilde's voice. Perhaps that was what scared Astrid the most about her. She seemed almost eager to call her out on her engagement with the dragon slayers. This must've been what Matilde was looking for. The thing that could finally convince her family that Astrid was going to get them all killed.
"If I tell you it's not what you think, would you even consider believing me?" It was a weak plea, and Astrid knew it too. Matilde wouldn't give a shit even if it meant Astrid was saving her life. Her priorities were proving Astrid was a traitor, and the photo told her all she cared to know.
"You know that Nya's sister lives in that area, right?" Matilde shoved the picture in Astrid's face. It was undoubtably her with X and Zion at the table. Nova was obscured by a passerby, but there was no mistaking it. "She recognized you faster than she could recognize Zion. It's a shame. You almost had me convinced you cared about us. Too bad you're as bad at being a spy as you are at lying." Matilde grinned, her wide, toothy grin far from Giovanni's delicious smirk or Lorenzo's sly grin. "Although I'd love to hear your reason for why I shouldn't kill you."
Astrid looked up, the sun obscuring her vision. "Matilde, you need to listen to me. We were talking about the alchemists. The monster hunter who was with me is the historian who's got me dirt on the cabal in the cities. They're helping me help you."
The photo fell to the ground in front of her. "That's rich," Matilde scoffed. "You're running out of options here, and that's what you went with? There's no way that someone like Zion Wells would willingly help dragons."
"He doesn't know," Astrid confessed. "Neither of them do. They still think I work with my mom."
With a smirk, Matilde asked, "And do you? Or do you want to lie to me about that one too?" She leaned forward. "Remember, Astrid, the only thing keeping me from roasting you alive right here is that I'm smug when I'm correct."
Astrid looked at Matilde, searching her sunglasses for her eyes. "It's better my mom than my dad," she finally said. Astrid began to stand, matching Matilde's height. There were times when Astrid forgot she could be tough. Matilde was intimidating, sure, but Astrid's integrity was in question. And when it came to her integrity, Astrid Gray Pfeiffer wasn't a coward. "Have you ever considered the fact that without me and the information I've gained, your siblings would be in danger?" She stepped forward. "I've worked every side imaginable to keep you safe. I cozied up with slayers and hunters so I could track down the alchemists that hurt your brother."
Matilde didn't flinch. "So what?"
"So what? Christian wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me. Neither would Lorenzo." Astrid felt her voice catch on a sob but beat it down. "I'm a fucking Alice who was just born to the wrong parents. I'm the only person who can get in and out of other realms whenever I want. And, get this, I'm able to portal on my own now. Without the help of a shimmer." She stepped closer to Matilde. "I'm not weak, and I'm not someone who goes back on my word. Everything I have done so far has been for your family." Her hand went to her throat. "And I'm the only one who can use the key to set the rest of the dragons free."
For a moment, Matilde's expression changed. Her smirk wavered at the edges, turning into a panicked frown. It snapped back to normal, but it was already too late. "So that's what that does," she recovered. "Who knew?"
"I'm not a spy," Astrid said. "I'm not a traitor." Picking up the photo, she shoved it into Matilde's chest. "You said it yourself. I'm a bad liar."
The Dragon shifter laughed. "Right," she said. "You're shit at lying."
She wasn't as quick as she thought. Astrid raised an eyebrow and said, "So then you should be able to tell if I'm lying to you or not, right?"
Matilde didn't answer.
"I'm done here," Astrid decided. "I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you I'm on your side. Zion and X are helping me crack into the alchemic network. If working with them means I can protect your family. People who seem to care about me, then I'll continue doing what I can. Believe it or not, Matilde, but I give a shit about your brothers. I give a shit about Irene. And you, even if you can't fathom how that one is possible." Turning her back on Matilde might've been a dangerous choice, but Astrid didn't care. She had the last word and would not let Matilde get in her head. She stood her ground. And if Matilde would not listen to what she said, it was her loss.
When Astrid returned to her apartment, Nova was up and moving. "What happened to sleeping in?" She asked her aunt.
"No rest for the weary," Nova said with a weak smile. "I realized I promised Zion I'd make him a sleeping draught. His son deals with insomnia, the poor thing."
Astrid quirked her head to the side. "He has a kid?"
"Micah. Sweet boy, about nine or ten years old. Wants to be a pastor like his daddy." Nova cracked another grin. "No, he has no idea what his father does for a living. I get the impression Zion won't tell him for a while. He's a good man, despite what he does."
That seemed to be a reoccurring theme lately. Everyone was good, Astrid reasoned. They just wanted to protect their loved ones. Some of them just happened to have occupations that conflicted with each other.
She thought of Lorenzo, who wanted to make people happy with his art. Christian, who worked every day with youth to keep them off the streets. Giov
anni, who used his funds to support people in need.
Giovanni, who she'd vented at when he didn't deserve it.
Astrid reached for her phone, but Nova stopped her before she could do so. "What did that woman want to talk to you about?" She looked at Astrid over her makeup mirror. "Don't act shocked, baby, I watched y'all through the window. High strung, fancy, and wearing sunglasses I'd only pull out during a bad hangover?" Astrid nodded. "Her energy was all over the place. I could feel wicked confidence oozing out of her at the beginning, mixed with concern and a little pain. Then you stood and showed it to her, and her energy went off the charts. I don't know what you said to her, Astrid, but you scared her good."
"She was scared?" There was no way Matilde Russo was scared of her. It was too out of character. "That's impossible."
But her aunt shook her head. "Girl was panicking real bad. I don't know what about, but she seemed like she was questioning herself. What happened out there?"
Astrid looked at the window, scrutinizing the panes and the wooden frame. Part of her was just amazed Nova could get all of that just by looking out the window. "She accused me of wanting to betray her family in favor of the monster hunters," Astrid explained.
"And do you?" Nova meant no harm, it was a valid question given Astrid's heritage and new choice of friends.
Regardless, Astrid turned her attention back to her aunt. "Considering her brothers are still kind of in love with me, that's a solid no."
Nova smiled. "Well. Let's get to work proving her wrong then."
And there was nothing Astrid Pfeiffer loved more than proving rich people wrong.
CHAPTER 2
Giovanni hadn't texted her back.
Astrid was trying to reassure herself it was because he was busy. Becoming the new CEO for Russo and Yuma meant he had a lot on his plate. He was busy, and he was fine. It just meant he couldn't talk.
She really hoped she was right.
Astrid received a message from a Russo, though, and it wasn't one she'd expected in the slightest.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Astrid continued to stare at the teacup in front of her. "Astrid? Are you still with me? I did not call you here for you to freeze. Forgive me for my impatience, but you must remember this could mean life or death."
Astrid dropped a cube of sugar into the cup. "You mean my life or death," she chuckled mirthlessly. "What is it with your family and threatening to kill me?"
She had received a voice mail, delivered to Astrid's phone at exactly 12 pm. She recognized the short, clipped voice from a brief discussion they'd had a week before. It lacked any warmth, though Astrid decided that of the sisters, this was the colder one.
Her message drew Astrid back to the Russo estate, a place she thought she'd never return to. Coming back meant she had to walk down the entry hall. The painted eyes of Magdalena Russo watching her every move. Gerald was still there, looking more weathered and broken than he had the last time. She didn't ask. The look on his face told her she probably didn't want to.
"Please understand that we don't want to kill you," Beatrice Russo said, tapping her spoon on the side of the cup. "When my mother passes, I will be the new matriarch of the family. I just need to make sure everything is sorted and taken care of. When one of my cousins wants to bring someone new into the family, I must ensure they will not get any of us killed. From reports I have received you pose a risk to us all."
Astrid sighed. "Beatrice, days ago you were campaigning for me."
"Days ago I wasn't presented with proof you consort with hunters and slayers," Beatrice countered. "I want to believe you, Astrid. I like you. I just want to make sure all my ducks are in a row before I make any rash decisions." Daintily, Beatrice selected a chocolate biscotti from a porcelain plate in between them. "So explain to me, why should we continue to associate with you?"
Associate. Not be friends with or talk to. It sounded cold, calculated. A word chosen for a specific reason to incite a specific meaning. The same way Giovanni would choose everything with care.
Stop thinking about him, she scolded herself. Being interrogated by a calculated dragon wasn't the right time to think about her attractive cousin.
"Xander Dougherty is a good guy," Astrid started. "We came across him after following a lead on how the dragon slayers found your family. This is like another case for me. I needed to work every angle possible to get the full story."
Beatrice smiled, though Astrid wasn't sure smile was the right word for it. Maybe a half-grin, or a brief smirk. "You sound like a private investigator, not a will executor."
Astrid shrugged. "Sometimes that's where our work takes us. If a client wants to sue someone, I must ensure we have the proper evidence against them. Every card must be on the table. I need to know all my options before I decide. That's the difference between winning a case and losing. Avenging a family and letting them down."
"So, we're a case to you?" Beatrice asked.
"You're my friends," Astrid corrected, "and I'm doing what I can to make sure you're safe. The people tracking you down can't hurt you if they're tied up with the law."
The eldest Russo cousin appraised Astrid, biting into the tip of her biscotti. "You were working the angles, and you met this young monster hunter."
"Exactly. I don't know if I'd call X a hunter, though. He's a librarian. Everything you would need to know about the magical world can be found in his collection. I was just using his records to track down the people hunting your cousins," Astrid explained. "When Giovanni and I filed our case against VidaCo, X helped me gather the right information against the Twin Cities cabal."
Beatrice's teacup hung in the air. "Does the young man know he's helping dragons?"
"No." Astrid knew she had to be firm with Beatrice. Be strong. If she showed any weakness, Beatrice would sniff it out. "Zion Wells doesn't know either."
Her gaze wavered. "I've only heard his name in alleyway whispers."
"I'm pretty sure he's fucking my aunt," Astrid said casually. Beatrice snorted into her tea, choking on the hot liquid. "You okay?"
The dragon patted her lips with a napkin. "I was not prepared for that," she admitted. "An attachment to a woman is not in my understanding of the slayer. What I know of Zion Wells he's one of the most vicious killers in his church. A brutal, dangerous man who doesn't care for anyone but himself."
"And his son," Astrid said. "He's ten. Wants to be a pastor." It didn't matter if her attempt to humanize Zion couldn't change Beatrice's mind. It reminded Astrid there was another side to every story. "Zion and X are operating a joint deal between the slayers and hunters to take down the alchemists. Both sides have lost members because of the actions of the cabal. If they will give me firepower without knowing who they're helping, it's worth it." Astrid chomped down on a piece of biscotti. "In my defense, I've never given them reason to think I'm working with you."
"Is there truth to the rumor your parents are involved in hunting too?" Beatrice was not cutting any corners here. Astrid appreciated her directness.
"Yes and no. My mother is, allegedly, a monster hunter. But I haven't seen her since I was at least thirteen, and she hasn't made much of an attempt to reach out since then. The first time I really heard from her was through a monster hunter who got killed..."
By my father.
Beatrice caught the sudden pause. "Yes?"
"Alexi Spinelli. He seemed like a good kid. But was killed by my father." Astrid looked Beatrice dead in the eye. "My dad is not a good person. He's an alchemist, though I only discovered this recently. He's the entire reason I was separated from my family when I was in middle school. Dad, Aaron, threatened to expose my Alice powers to the cabal if my mom didn't give him custody of me. She and Nova wiped my memory and sent me north to go to boarding school."
"You grew up without your parents?" It seemed to be the first time Beatrice heard of this.
"Nova raised me for a while." She was the closest thing to family Astrid had. "But yeah
. For middle school and high school, I went to this weird boarding school for kids on the run. Not that I knew it then, though retrospectively it explains a lot."
The Dragon shifter hesitated. "I was not aware. I'm sorry."
"It is what it is." Astrid finished her tea. "Look, I know how my alliance with X and Zion looks. But you need to trust me, Beatrice, I'd never do anything to hurt your family."
Intentionally. You still lost it on Giovanni.
Fortunately, Beatrice didn't point that one out.
"Thank you for being honest with me, Astrid," Beatrice said as she set her cup down on the table. "May I escort you out?"
"That's it?" Astrid expected someone to put her through a complicated trial to ensure she was dedicated to the cause. Maybe she was reading too many crappy young adult novels with X.
The air outside was crisp and clear, greeting Astrid with a fresh gust of wind. The chill felt good against her skin. She didn't realize how much she'd been sweating inside the Russo estate. The dragons liked their homes cozy and warm, a little too warm for Astrid's taste.
Beatrice examined the street. "Which one is yours?" She asked, gesturing to the cars in front of her house.
"Oh, none of them," Astrid said. "I took public transit to get here. It's better for the environment and my wallet."
Upon this revelation, the baffled Beatrice insisted she call a car for Astrid. Without her permission, Beatrice retrieved her phone and ordered a ride. They stood on the sidewalk, in full view of the neighborhood, a strange pair. Astrid dressed in a flannel and jeans, while Beatrice stepped out in heels and a pantsuit. If Astrid wasn't coming down with a pounding migraine, she would've made a comment about how humorous it was.
The headache hit her like a truck. "Something's not right," she muttered as she winced. "I feel something..."
Wheels hissed as a van made a sharp U-turn down Summit Avenue. Two men jumped out in front of Astrid and Beatrice, each holding handguns. "Let's not make a fuss now, shall we?" One said. "Get in the van and we won't draw too much blood."