A Matter of Pride

by Kaye Draper

  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.

  Chapter 4

  So, as usual, everything in my life was fucked up all at once. I didn't know quite what to do with Oisin. Hisashi was worried about his fox powers, and frankly so was I. I didn't know what to do about that either. And, oh yeah, there was a mage out there who should be my mate, but someone else fucking owned him. I had barely showered and put on clean clothes before someone was tapping at my bedroom door. Couldn't a woman get a minute to freak the fuck out in private around here?

  At my growled invitation, Kai pushed the door open. She looked at me and her face crinkled with silent laughter. "You have the worst resting murder face I've ever seen," she informed me, crossing her arms under her breasts and leaning against the doorjamb to watch me drag a brush through my shoulder-length mess of blond waves.

  "Thanks," I said dryly.

  Kai kept grinning like the cat who caught the canary. Or…the kraken who caught the submarine? Whatever was making her so happy, it probably meant pain and suffering.

  "You've got another visitor," she said calmly, but a smirk still twitched at the corner of her full lips. I contemplated giving her something better to do with that mouth of hers but didn't act on the thought. I was too antsy.

  "What?" I said stupidly. "Who?"

  Kai brushed her long black waves over her shoulder and adjusted her dress, making sure it enhanced all her curves just right. "I wonder if he goes for the more feminine type too, or if he's only into that whole muscle thing you've got going on? Will you share with the rest of us? Or is this one only for you, since you were keeping it a secret?"

  I narrowed my eyes at her. "Did you hit your head?"

  There was a thump and a masculine grumble from somewhere downstairs and she smirked again. "Would you wait at the door while some stubborn gryphon took forever to get dressed? Because you know, you two are exactly alike…."

  I shoved her out of my way as I made for the stairs. She was right though, Halstad was every bit as impatient and grumpy as I was. He was already halfway up the staircase and he stopped to glare at me in his long leather duster and his all-black ensemble. At least he wasn't wearing the stupid steampunk goggles today. One purple eye and one gold eye locked on me and narrowed. "Fucking 'wait here,'" he muttered, in a mockery of Kai's sultry accent. "Y'all realize it's colder than a witch's titties out there, right?"

  I crossed my arms and glared down at him from my higher vantage point, taking in the faded military-issue duffel bag he carried slung over his sturdy shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

  He rolled his eyes and continued up the stairs until he stood a step above mine, putting the shorter man nearly at eye level with me. "Seriously?" he bitched. "Just stopping by for a visit, gryphon. Did your momma drop you on your head as a kid?"

  He was trying to act like a gruff asshole, but I saw right through it. His eyes flicked away from my face and he dragged them back, firming up the line of his lips, which had softened for just that brief second there. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't go anywhere unless the boss man says so?"

  I heaved a sigh. "White sent you. Again. Why?" Probably just to torture me. Or to make sure I kept my word and started on his job, since I'd gotten what I wanted. Halstad cringed, pain crossing his features at my words.

  The mage closed his eyes for a minute and let out a slow breath. When he opened them, the emotion was gone, replaced by indifference. Kai was right. Me and the mage were very similar. Neither one of us went in for that emotional bullshit. "I don't ask questions," he said flatly. "I follow orders. Like I was made to do."

  He started up the stairs again. "White wants me to help you lot keep an eye on that kid he's stalking. Said my contract with him is almost up and he's sick of looking at my ugly face every day. Told me to come here and coordinate with you lot on guard duty until I got a new owner."

  I took a deep breath and followed the magehole up the staircase. Once we reached the hallway, I grabbed his arm. "Halstad," I said, spinning him back to face me. "I'm trying. I…," I ran my other hand through my hair. This was so stupid. Sure, we'd kissed. I'd felt the pull of that potential mate bond with him. But he'd never said he wanted to be with me. "I'm trying to get your contract," I muttered.

  He was silent, but his thickly muscled arm went rigid under my hand. I looked at him to find a murderous glare on his bearded face. "You what?"

  I let go of him and waved a hand, feeling like a fool. "Your contract. White said he'd help me negotiate it with the guild. So you can stay."

  His mismatched eyes burned into mine. "And I'm supposed to be happy about that? You'll buy me and put me here with the rest of your fucking lunatic harem, like a good little slave. Is that it?"

  I gaped at him. What the hell? When you put it like that, it sounded awful. "But you…I…what the hell, Halstad? Would you rather go back to the mage guild and get…redistributed, or whatever the fuck you all call it?"

  He stepped closer to me, getting into my space, pushing me back against the wall. Halstad might be shorter than me, but he had me in the mass department. His thick chest pressed against mine, shoving me into the wall. "Well?" He ground out in his gravelly, rock grinder voice. "You wanted your very own mage to add to your fuckslaves, girlie. Here I am. Use me. Everyone else does. Why should this be any different?"

  He dropped his duffel bag and locked one hand behind my head, pulling m
e down to him as he kissed me.

  Fuck, he might be mad as hell, but he still tasted like mine. Rough stubble from his beard scraped my skin as his lips met mine, his magic pulsing out over my body like it was trying to grab me and pull me inside him.

  I should push him away and tell him to stop being such a fucking drama queen. But Gods, I'd missed the gruff asshole. I gripped his hip, pulling him closer against me, feeling his belt of vials, and charms, and who-the-fuck-knows-what dig into my hip.

  More magic pulsed around us and I jerked my head back in surprise, slamming my skull against the wall behind me. "Fucking, fuck!" I growled rubbing my head and, looking for the source of outside magic.

  Then my body registered that feeling. The touch of sunshine and growing things…and primal danger. Shit.

  Oisin stood at the head of the staircase, one fae blade in his hand, and a murderous look in his emerald eyes.

  I shoved Halstad away and kicked his duffel toward him, then inserted myself between the two men. "Oisin," I said in what I hoped was a calming tone. "Maybe put the sword away?"

  He bared his teeth at me. "There is a mage in my home," he said in that light, soft voice that meant someone was about to bleed.

  I held up my hands. "Just let me explain. He's a good mage. Helpful. We like him."

  Oisin sneered at me. "Oh, I saw you liking the mangy bastard just fine, gryphon."

  Fuck my life.

  "Oisin," I pleaded. "Please just calm the fuck down. You don't remember Halstad, that's all. Once you do…."

  "I'd rather slit my own throat than be in the presence of one of his kind," the fae seethed. "Leeches. Vultures. Fucking look at his eyes, Gesa!"

  Halstad took it all with the sort of forbearance of someone who was used to being stereotyped and discriminated against all his life.

  "Whatever." He turned and hauled his bag over his shoulder.

  He didn't pause as he made his way to the end of the hall and up another flight of stairs, headed for his old borrowed room, just like he lived here.

  I looked at the poor, pissed off fae. "Put the knife away, Oisin. You're not going to use it."