by Riley Storm
“Yes ma’am. His family owns damn near the entire mountain, far as I know. He said they would pay for all this, that it was but a family squabble, and to send him the bill.” The officer looked helpless.
“He destroyed my grandfather’s house!” she yelped. “That’s a criminal offense.”
“Ma’am, he is going to foot the entire bill of having it rebuilt. Accidents happen sometimes, you know. We have no proof. Did you see him do it?”
“Well no,” she admitted. “He just leapt into the hole after something went through my house.”
“Ma’am, there’s nothing on the far side of your house,” the second officer said. “And the hole isn’t big enough for the SUV.”
She looked back and forth at the two cops. “So, you won’t do anything? Nothing?”
Both Sheriff Dunbar and his associate shrugged helplessly.
Emma turned back, looking at the damage. She couldn’t just fix her grandfather’s house. He’d built it by hand, now it was broken! No, what happened here wasn’t right. It wasn’t right at all.
Asher was going to pay, she decided, as a plan came to mind.
Yes, Asher Aterna, you’re going to pay for what you did.
And Emma knew exactly how to make that happen.
Chapter Three
Emma
“You’re suing us?!”
The question exploded out of his mouth before she was even done opening the door. Mixed fury and disbelief continued to war on Asher’s face as his gaze flicked between her and the sheaf of papers that he held in one hand.
Emma frowned. “What?” she asked. “No, that can’t be right. Here let me see those.”
Asher seemed to breathe smoother as he handed them over. “Thank you.”
“Hmm,” she said, reading them studiously, looking at the various pages until she found the one she wanted. “Ah, here we are. Yes, see, I’m only suing you. Not anyone else.” She smiled up at him, making it blatantly obvious it was a false look. “Hope that clears up any confusion. Have a great day.”
She stepped back to close the door.
Although she expected him to stop her, the speed with which his hand shot out, and the ease that he stopped the door dead in its tracks surprised her.
“Wait,” he said, gathering himself.
“If you break something else, I’m going to sue for extra damages,” she said quietly, fixing her eyes pointedly on his hand.
“Why are you suing me in the first place?” he asked.
Emma shook her head. Rich people never understood it. To them, everything was money, money, money. How was she to explain to someone who saw her house as nothing but dollar signs, that it was so much more than that? How irreplaceable some of the things in it were.
The lawsuit was the best way she could think of to make him understand that his flippant and casual disregard for what he’d done to her was unacceptable. Offering to pay her off simply wasn’t good enough. He needed to be sorry.
Unfortunately, the best way she’d come up with to make him understand that still revolved around money. But it had certainly got his attention. She had it, all of it, now.
“This is no more than you deserve for what you did to me,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“What I did? To you?” Asher rubbed his face with his free hand. “I saved your life, did you forget that little tidbit? Hmm? I don’t see that mentioned anywhere in the lawsuit. How convenient you left that out.”
Emma glared at him. “You saved me from damage you caused. Which means you put my life in danger in the first place.”
Asher sputtered. She leaned back a little as he tried to form more words. It was kind of fun to see him like this, helpless and completely caught off guard by one of the regular people.
Not that Emma had a grudge against rich people in general, but she had to make him understand how she felt in terms that registered with his brain. Hitting his bank account would do—had done–that, it seemed.
“My grandfather built this house from scratch,” she said quietly, trying to keep her emotions in check. “With his two hands. And you destroyed it. For no reason at all.”
“There was a reason,” Asher said stubbornly.
“Really? Because you’re the only one who says there was somebody else. Which is awfully convenient given how quickly you disappeared.”
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. It wasn’t directed at her, she realized, but whatever it was, her words had hit a nerve.
“The house is old anyway,” Asher rumbled. “Why don’t you just tear it down and start over again? I told you I’d pay, and to just send me the bill. But this, this is a thousand times more than that would cost!”
“Tear it down?” she gasped. “But my grandfather…”
“Yes, yes, he built it,” Asher said impatiently, looking past her into the house. “Where is he, let me speak with him. Perhaps he can understand reason. It’s not like I’m unwilling to help out.”
“He’s dead,” Emma said quietly. “He passed away almost fifteen years ago and left it to me.”
“I’m sorry,” Asher said after a moment, exhaling deeply, until his shirt no longer seemed ready to rip at the seams as his muscles bunched in anger.
He really was in fantastic shape, she noted, eying his trim physique under the form-fitting shirt. On any other day she would find him attractive. But right now, all she could see when she looked at him was the man who had ruined her grandfather’s legacy. The legacy she’d done her best to preserve ever since he’d died.
It was the least she could do after everything he’d done for her. Even after—Emma cut that thought off, not wanting to awaken old guilt and depression.
“You’re rich,” she said. “You can afford it.”
Asher’s eyes bulged. “Have you seen how much is on this piece of paper? It would destroy my family and me. It’s insane! No house is worth that!”
“This house is!” she shouted defiantly. Truthfully, she didn’t expect to be granted anywhere near the sum listed on the lawsuit. The size of the figure had mostly been there to gather Asher’s complete attention.
“You need to be reasonable here,” Asher pleaded. “It’s not like I fled the scene without offering to fix the damage. You’re unharmed. It’s just physical stuff. It can be fixed, Emma.”
It was the first time he’d used her name. She’d never given it to him, but it was obviously on the serving papers. But to hear him say it now sent shivers down her spine.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she said firmly, trying to close the door, done with the conversation now.
“Perhaps there’s another way we can settle this!” Asher exclaimed.
She paused, the door halfway open. Did she want to listen to whatever cockeyed scheme he was cooking up? Or did she want to proceed with her original lawsuit and teach him a lesson?
The sooner this is settled, the sooner you can try to have Granddad’s house fixed.
“What are you suggesting?” she asked reluctantly, still not sure she wanted to go down this path. Showing Asher that she meant business seemed the best way to go about things.
“Just that maybe we can settle this. The two of us,” he said quietly. “Keep my name, my family, out of the courts and out of the public eye.”
“Are you afraid of the system?” she asked, curious as to his motives. Why was he so insistent on this?
For that matter, why did his family hide up on the mountain? Five Peaks was small enough that if they owned any businesses in town, people would know about it. What did they do for a living to have so much wealth?
“Not afraid,” he said. “Just not a fan. But like I said, I’m willing to pay you. Just…less than this,” he said quietly. “I’m not that rich.”
For the first time, Emma doubted the truth of his words. He might not be, but his family definitely had that much money. They owned one of the five mountains that gave the town its name.
“You want to settle?” she as
ked. “Fine, half.”
Asher rolled his eyes. “Fifty million dollars is simply not going to happen Emma. At all. No court in the world is going to grant you that, even if your house—sorry, your grandfather’s house, was completely levelled,” he corrected at a glare from her.
“What are you offering then?” she asked quietly.
“Two things. First, I’ll pay you in gold, silver, or jewels if you want it. Untaxable income. You can say you found it in the mountains or something. Doesn’t matter.”
“Right,” she said slowly, feeling a sense of unease come over her. “How much?”
“Five hundred thousand worth.”
She could tell by the way he named the sum that he expected it to be more than enough to fix the damage. If it were as simple as it being a generic house, then he would be right. That would build her several new houses. Nice new houses.
But it wasn’t just a house.
“Five,” she countered, eyes going flat. Hard.
Asher snorted. “Five thousand? Sure.”
“Million.”
He didn’t flinch, showing he’d known what she meant all along. “Not happening, Emma, and you know it. Seven-fifty. Final offer.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not taking it. That’s insulting to my grandfather.”
Asher eyed the inside of the house doubtfully. “Right. Your grandfather. Even though it’s your house.”
“It’s his house,” she said stubbornly. “I’m just staying here.”
He sighed. “One million. Okay?”
“Double it and you have a deal.”
Two million dollars would completely and totally change her life, but it wasn’t about that. Not for Emma. This was about punishing Asher for being such an uncaring dick.
He thought about it for a long time. Longer than she’d expected, which meant he was seriously considering taking it.
“Deal,” he said at last, shaking his head. “Unbelievable. Do you have any interest in a career as a salesperson? I know a few people who would love to have you on their team.”
“No thank you,” she said quietly. “I enjoy my job.”
Asher snorted. “Administrative work at the limestone quarry? That can’t be that enjoyable.”
She shivered. “How do you know where I work?”
“You’re suing me, Emma. I did my research,” he said quietly.
“Right. Well, do we have a deal?” she asked, sticking out her hand.
Asher shook it. She tried to ignore the tingly warmth the contact brought her hand, the feeling slowly extending up her arm as they shook hands. It was just her imagination, she told herself. Nothing more.
“I’ll be in touch with instructions on when and where,” Asher said. “But expect a phone call in the next day or so.”
Emma just nodded, waiting as he retreated back down her front walkway and got into the big white pickup. She didn’t wave as he pulled out.
“Gold and jewels as payment?” she whispered to herself long after the truck was gone, still standing in her doorway.
What had she just agreed to? Who had she just agreed to it with? Were Asher and his family some sort of crime syndicate? Who actually offered to pay people like that these days?
Maybe it was all a ploy. Maybe he was going to offer her fakes.
Emma closed the door and headed back inside. Well there was one thing Asher didn’t know about her, or her grandfather, she thought with a smile, avoiding the wrecked area and taking the stairs into the basement.
She made a beeline straight for a familiar trunk.
Emma’s father had been an original to Five Peaks, one of the earliest to settle in the valley. Back when it had been a prospective sight for gold mining.
And Grandpapa Starling had taught her everything she needed to know about gold. Including how to spot fakery.
Nobody was going to pull a fast one on her. Certainly not Asher Aterna of all people!
Chapter Four
Asher
He exited the house, home to his family. Well, the part of his family that lived in in Five Peaks. Clan Aterna was the oldest of the dragon clans, and he had extended family in several other parts of the world.
Taking a moment to breathe in the mountain air, Asher wished he could take his other form and soar through the late afternoon skies on the way to his destination. It would feel wonderful to absorb the last bits of the summer sun. He could imagine the rays of light bouncing off his scales even now. It would be glorious.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for him, not today at least. He had to go meet up with a human. A most stubborn, irritating human, who was costing him a good bit of money. Far more than he’d ever expected to have to pay to keep her quiet.
In fact, Asher still wasn’t certain why he’d ever agreed to settle for such an exorbitantly high sum. If any of the others found out how much…
Keeping the lawsuit itself private had been impossible. Asher hadn’t been at the clan house when the papers had been served, and so word had gotten around, in no small part thanks to—
“Asher.”
Lovely. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Asher said, turning to face his eldest brother. “What can I do for you Logan?”
Logan was the current head of the Five Peaks branch of Clan Aterna, and a royal pain in the butt. Though he’d been like that since before he’d assumed the leadership position. All brothers were annoying. Older or younger.
“Must you act like you hate me?” Logan complained. “We’re family, Asher.”
“It’s so much more fun this way. And it always gets under your skin. What do you want, little brother?”
Logan growled. He was an inch shorter than Asher, and despite being in his early fifties, nearly fourteen years older, Asher still teased him about being smaller.
“You’re such a little shit. Can’t you find a mate already so that she can smack you around when you start acting like a dick?”
Asher went stone-faced. He hated it when his brothers pulled that card on him. All of them had found their mates before they were thirty. Now he was almost in his forties, and was still without one.
Still alone.
“Goodbye, Logan,” he rumbled. “Have a nice day. Asshole.”
“I want an update on that lawsuit, Asher.”
So that was what this was all about. The lawsuit. Emma. Money. The real culprit. Like all dragons, the older Logan got, the more obsessed he became with money, with treasure, and ensuring that his personal treasure, and the clan’s, grew larger.
The idea of paying out money, to a human no less, was all but foreign to him. In fact, Asher thought that Logan was close to suggesting he “take care of” the problem. In a permanent manner.
“I’m taking care of it, brother,” he said, emphasizing their familial relationship, and that there was no need for Logan to get all snooty with him as head of the clan.
“Are you? Is it resolved?” Logan wanted to know, not backing down.
His brother was an ass, but one didn’t become the head of a dragon clan by being a pushover either. Asher knew that he wasn’t going to be leaving without explaining the situation better.
“Remember that we want to be staying out of the public light,” Logan said. “The less humans think about us, or know about us, the better. So keep that in mind while you’re “taking care” of it.”
“I’m not stupid,” Asher pointed out. “I can figure out all that on my own. What do you really want, Logan? What’s your real point in being out here?”
“Just that,” Logan said. “To remind you that you need to be careful. You already screwed up in letting whatever that thing was get away. It’s been a month now and we still haven’t seen or heard from it again.”
Asher rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t even on duty, brother. I have exactly zero responsibility for whatever came through the Gate. Yell at the guards who were there.”
“I plan to,” Logan told him. “At the next meeting of the clans.
But that’s not for two weeks, so until then, since they weren’t from Clan Aterna, you’re all I’ve got.”
“Real great leadership of you,” Asher drawled. “Putting blame on someone who isn’t actually at fault. That will really make people love you as clan head.”
Logan hissed angrily, but he didn’t say anything more. His appointment as head of Clan Aterna was still quite new, less than a year old, and this was the first incident he was having to handle. Unfortunately, there was little Logan could do, and that just made him angrier.
Not that Asher blamed him. He was upset with himself for letting the creature from the Otherworld escape. The entire purpose of a dragon’s being was to protect the world from the things that lived on the other side. But it wasn’t his fault that the guards had gotten lazy. Nothing had come through this Gate in seventy years, not since it was first revealed. The other two Gates had been inactive for millennia.
How could anyone have expected something like this to happen? Creatures from the Otherworld knew better than to mess with dragons. They lost. Every time.
Just like this one would whenever it resurfaced.
“Take care of this issue, Asher,” Logan growled, finding his footing again.
“I told you that I was. Maybe if you actually had some faith in me, you’d believe me when I said that, and not feel the need to reiterate the same thing to me in four different ways.”
Neither dragon spoke for a bit, both tense with their own internal issues, emotions near to boiling over. Logan was dealing with the stress of leadership, while Asher was doing his best to act like settling the lawsuit with Emma was no big deal.
But they would all lose their minds if they knew how much I’d agreed to pay to settle it.
He couldn’t let that get out. Which was why he was paying out of his own personal treasure, not the clan’s. This way, nobody would know, and he could settle it in peace.
Plus, this way, Emma would have more than enough money to rebuild. For some strange reason, that had a lot of pull with Asher. More than he’d expected. The guilt he felt for the damage to her grandfather’s house was far stronger than it had any right to be.
If it got out, people would think he was getting soft, and then Asher would never find a mate. No female dragon wanted a mate who willingly gave up so much of their own treasure.