by Sky Winters
"That's the Corvo I know," said Thorne. "So, like I said, I got us all on individual bodyguard duty. Client I got you working with is some little rich wolf, daughter of some shipping magnate on the Upper West Side. You know the Holiday family?"
Corvo's eyes went wide.
"The Holidays are one of our clients?" he asked. "They're not just rich; they're…"
"Whatever word is beyond ‘rich'," said Thorne. "And yeah, they want our services."
Throne typed in a few keys on the laptop in front of him, bringing onto the screen a picture of a young girl.
Corvo nearly fell out of his seat when he laid eyes on the picture – the girl was easily one of the most stunning he'd ever seen in his life. She had fair skin, high cheekbones, hair the color of sunshine, and eyes as bright as sapphires. The picture appeared to have been taken professionally, and Corvo could tell by the slightly haughty expression that played on her full, pillowy lips that she was most definitely a rich girl. An extremely beautiful one, but a rich girl nonetheless.
"This is Grace Holiday," said Thorne. "She's the twenty-one-year-old daughter of the Holiday family."
"Looks like the type used to getting anything she wants handed to her on a silver platter," said Corvo, trying to put her beauty out of his mind as best he could.
"From a family like that? No doubt about it. And from what I hear, she's none too happy about having some roughneck merc shadow her for the next few months."
"That's the mission?" Corvo asked. "Just stay on her tail until…they decide she's not in danger any longer?"
"More or less," said Thorne. "They're in the process of pairing her off with one scion or another from one of the other wealthy wolf families. And I hear that they're not wasting any time about it – they want her good and married off in the next couple of months. I guess they figure that once she's married, guard duty becomes the other family's concern."
"But, for now, it's on us."
"You got it. They're eager to get all of this in motion. You heard about the kidnapping with the girl from the Jackson wolf family, right?"
"Sure did," said Corvo. "What'd they end up paying to get her back?"
Thorne shook his head.
"More than you even want to think about. Now the rest of the upper-crust wolves are all shook up. From what I hear, the Holidays haven't even let their little darling leave their penthouse apartment since that all went down."
"When's the op start?"
"Tonight," said Thorne. "That is, if you feel ready for it."
Corvo didn't like how the rest of the crew had been starting to regard him like some wounded warrior, some extra weight they had to carry around on account of the trauma that just wouldn't let him go. But now Corvo felt eager to get back into to fray and prove that he was back to normal, ready to be a contributing member of the team. He figured that an op that he was solely responsible for would be just the way to demonstrate it.
"I'm more than ready, boss," said Corvo, standing up.
"Just what I wanted to hear," said Thorne. "The Holidays told me that they're ready for their merc as soon as I gave ‘em the details. So, pack up your shit and get ready to move out. Dismissed."
Corvo headed out of the briefing room with a sense of purpose. As he packed, however, a nagging feeling of doubt crept up into his gut. Here he was, a year after failing to protect his woman, now responsible for protecting one more.
But he was ready. He had to be.
CHAPTER 2
"Ugh, you're ruining my life!"
Grace Holiday stomped her designer-shoe clad foot on the elegant tile floor of the living room of the palatial penthouse apartment where she lived with her parents.
"I'm going to start keeping track of just how often you say that," said Cassius Holiday, Grace's father and the patriarch of the Holiday wolf pack.
His voice was stern, and he stood like a statue in front of his daughter as she threw another one of her trademark fits.
"It's easy to keep track," said Grace. "Just think about every time you try to ruin my life, and that's how many times I say it. It's easy, really."
"Gracie," said Sophia, Grace's mother, an elegant, well-dressed woman with impeccable poise, "you have to know that we're only doing this for your protection. You don't want to end up like Amber Jackson, do you? Pulled off the street and held captive? That sound like something that you're interested in?"
"Or staying cooped up in the apartment until it's safe for you to go out?" added her father. "God knows how long that will be."
"We don't have to worry about me being kidnapped," said Grace. "Everyone in the city who knows who I am, what family I'm a part of, knows not to mess with us. They'd be fools to even try."
"That's the sort of attitude that results in extremely poor decisions," said Cassius. "And the fact that you're thinking that way makes me even more certain that I'm making the right call in hiring a bodyguard."
Grace shook her head, her golden locks tossing around her shoulders.
"This is just so…weird," she said. "I have to have this guy follow me around wherever I go? Even if I'm hanging out with my friends?"
"This bodyguard is going to be your shadow until this business among the clans cools down. Or, until we can find a suitable match for you."
"And that's a whole other thing," said Grace. "You spring in on me that you're going to marry me off, breaking the news like it's the most normal thing in the world. Don't I get a say in the matter?"
"You certainly don't," said Cassius.
"Letting girls choose their husbands is exactly how you end up with a daughter knocked up by some biker bear from East New York," said Sophia. "I won't risk it."
Cassius shook his head, clearly disgusted at the idea of an inter-species pairing like that.
"You're to be wed to the man that we choose for you, and that's the end of it. And I'm not going to take the matter lightly, if that's what you're worried about. I'll find you a good man from a respectable family, one who will treat you well and provide for you in the way you deserve."
"Sounds great," said Grace as she paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out onto the green sweep of Central Park. "Aside from the fact that it's an arranged marriage like something out of medieval Europe or something."
"Now, your mother and I were arranged to be married," said Cassius. "And look how we turned out."
"That's right," said Sophia, a prim smile forming on her wrinkle-fanned lips as she took Cassius' hand. "Nothing wrong with getting married and falling in love, rather than the other way around. It's so much safer that way."
"I don't want ‘safe'," Grace said. "I want something exciting; I want a man to sweep me off my feet."
Sophia shook her head.
"I know you think you're making a strong case here," she said. "But with every word, you're demonstrating yourself as the inexperienced child that you are."
Grace pursed her lips tight and clenched her fists.
"This is so unfair," she said.
"Of course," said Cassius. "It's all so unfair and difficult and unjust, I know."
Grace wanted to explode.
"When is this bodyguard getting here, anyway?" asked Sophia. "I just want this all taken care of so we don't have to worry about…all of this that's going on."
"He's on his way over now," said Cassius. "I just got word from the Silver Talons that they're sending over one of their best agents. I was assured that Grace would be in good hands."
Sophia shook her head.
"I just don't know about this," she said. "Inviting a dragon into our home, to watch our daughter? It just seems…unseemly."
"These are professionals," said Cassius. "We have nothing to worry about. And if this chaos among the clan gets worse, a dragon is the exact thing I'd want looking out for Grace."
"Wait a minute," said Grace. "You hired a dragon?"
"Of course," said Cassius. "I want the best, and that's what I'm getting."
Grace didn't know what to say. She'd only met a few dragons in her life, and never one that had been in its fully-shifted form. Dragons tended to be one of the more discrete shifter species, and typically left the wolves and bears and the rest alone. They were a subject of some fascination to Grace, and she wasn't quite sure what to expect.
"But what if…people start to talk?" asked Sophia.
Cassius furrowed his brow.
"Surely you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting," he said. "And if you are, then it's nothing to worry about. All of the families of note are hiring bodyguards these days – there's no scandal to speak of. And on top of everything, our daughter knows better than to…fraternize with other species."
Sophia shuddered.
"Imagine such a thing. It's such a shock to me that other shifters would even consider it."
"So very gauche," said Cassius. "Imagine ruining the bloodline in such a way."
Just then, a gentle chime sounded through the apartment.
"That must be him," said Cassius, heading toward the apartment that led directly from the lobby to their penthouse apartment.
"I have to admit – I'm a little curious," said Sophia.
"I did my research," said Cassius. "They're a standard military-style team. Don't expect him to come up here with wings sprouted or any such nonsense."
Grace didn't say anything, but she was also curious, if only because she wanted to find out just who was going to be following her around for the next several months at least.
"I'll get some coffee ready," said Sophia, standing up and hurrying toward the kitchen.
"Just have the help make it," said Cassius, calling after her as he got up.
He followed his wife to the kitchen, and soon, Grace was alone. Classical music played softly over the apartment's sound system. Grace's eyes remained locked on the elevator door.
A chime sounded once again, and the elevator doors opened silently. The elevator attendant stepped out, followed by another man.
Grace's jaw nearly dropped when she laid eyes on him.
The man was built, to put it lightly. Well over six-feet-tall, the mercenary was like a brick wall, with broad, round shoulders and arms that seemed on the verge of bursting through the simple black t-shirt that he wore. His face was handsome in a rugged way, with piercing green bedroom eyes, a strong nose and jaw, and lips that almost seemed made for kissing. A dusting of dark stubble coated the lower half of his face, and his hair was styled in a close-shaved buzz cut. Aside from the skin-tight black t-shirt that hinted very clearly at the muscular body underneath, he wore a pair of dark blue jeans that were cuffed over ink-black combat boots.
Grace's eyes went wide as he stepped into the living room, the thud of his boots sounding through the room. The attendant nodded and stepped back into the elevator, the doors closing in front of him. A moment later, Grace and the man were alone.
"You Grace Holiday?" he asked, his voice gruff, deep, and very, very masculine.
"That's…that's me."
"Name's Corvo Hawke. I'm with the Silver Talon Mercenaries group. Your parents hired me."
"That's…that's what I hear."
Grace didn't know what to say. She was nervous and thrilled all at the same time as she stared at the man who stood a couple dozen feet away. Finally, his grass-green eyes flicked over her shoulder.
"Now, that's a hell of a view," he said, stepping toward Grace.
"Oh," she said, trying to compose herself. "You live here for as long as I have and you kind of just forget about it."
Corvo let out a brief, dry chuckle as he took his place a few feet from Grace and looked out the window.
"Can't imagine getting used to a sight like this."
Grace observed Corvo out of the corner of her eye, trying not to look like she was staring. She saw that his hands were tough and rugged, his muscles were thick and free of a single drop of fat, and his whole body seemed tensed and primed, as though he were ready for anything that might happen at any moment.
Still, the whole situation –that of her parents having essentially hired a babysitter to look out for her- ground on her nerves. He may have been hot as hell in a rugged sort of way, but Grace wasn't happy one bit about this guy following her around. Not to mention that he had a strange smell, like motor oil and musk. Before Grace could think about how strangely attractive his scent was, she spoke.
"Yeah, really great view," she said, rolling her eyes. "Glad you like it."
Corvo raised his eyebrows and turned slightly toward Grace.
"Problem?" he asked. "You're taking a tone for someone I just met."
"Just that this is all so stupid," she said. "I don't need some…dude looking out for me. I can take care of myself."
Corvo snorted.
"What's that noise all about?" Grace asked, putting her hands on her waist and cocking her hip to the side.
"Just, ah, looking around this place," said Corvo, his eyes sweeping around the living room, "not to mention the vibe I get from you. Just makes me think that you're exactly not the kind of girl who can take care of herself."
"Just what's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, princess –I know we just met and all- but girls like you who live lives like this tend to have everything sorted out by mommy and daddy."
"Oh, and you think that because you're some mercenary or whatever that you've got it all figured out?"
"I've been around," said Corvo, not appearing bothered in the slightest by Grace's words.
Grace let out a little grunt of frustration. Corvo had this look on his face, the tiniest of half-smirks that made it clear that he didn't take her seriously at all. Grace didn't like this – she was used to getting the reactions she wanted out of people, especially men.
"Stupid dragons," she muttered under her breath.
Before another word could be said, however, Cassius and Sophia returned to the living room.
"There's the man I've been waiting to meet," said Cassius, bounding up to Corvo and sticking out his hand for a shake.
"Mr. Holiday," said Corvo, his expression calm and professional as he shook Grace's father's hand.
"Hell of a grip there," said Cassius. "I like it."
Sophia introduced herself, and Grace watched, still stewing from her interaction with Corvo.
"You certainly look like the type who can take care of a woman," said Sophia, clearly impressed.
Grace felt her stomach turn a bit. Her mother had always been a little bit of a flirt, and it was never something Grace liked to see in action.
"I see you've already met our daughter," said Cassius, looking over the pair.
"Yeah," said Corvo. "She's a real sweetheart."
Cassius chuckled dryly.
"She can be a bit of a handful, but I assure you, she's got a heart of gold."
"Matches everything else she owns, I bet," said Corvo.
Cassius and Sophia laughed brightly.
"A sense of humor, too," said Sophia.
"Well," said Cassius, "we're sorry for not being better hosts and greeting you as you entered, but I received a very important phone call while I was in the kitchen with your mother, Gracie."
"Oh?"
Grace never liked to hear things like this. It seemed to her that any time her parents wanted to share an important piece of news with her these days that it had to with losing what little independence she had.
"Yes," said Cassius. "I received a call from William York. Turns out that Marlon is back from college already. Graduated a semester earlier. How about that?"
Grace felt her stomach sink. Marlon was the pampered scion of one of the Yorks, one of the other richest wolf families in the city. As far as Grace was concerned, he was a snooty, rich brat, and one that she wanted nothing to do with. That didn't stop her parents, however, from thinking he was the perfect match for her.
"Great," said Grace, trying to not sound as defeated as she felt.
; "So, we're thinking that tonight's social will be the perfect occasion for the two of you to get reacquainted," said Cassius.
"That's right," said Sophia. "We've big plans for the both of you, and we can't wait for you to reconnect since the years he went off to school."
Corvo held up his hands.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but I can't help but feel like I'm being kept out of the loop of some need-to-know information. A ‘social'?"
"Ah, yes," said Cassius, tapping his forehead. "There's a reason why we needed you by tonight. The spring social is one of the most important events in wolf society – an occasion when the eligible young men and women are presented to our little social scene. Despite all that's been going on, it's not something that Gracie can afford to miss."
"So," said Sophia, "we needed you by tonight so that you could be her escort."
"People are going to think that he's my date or something," said Grace, though deep down, a part of her was a little excited by the idea, as much as he'd gotten on her nerves so far.
"Sounds like I'm gonna be out of my element," said Corvo.
"You'll be fine," said Cassius. "We'll get a tux for you before tonight. And, ah, maybe a shave while we're at it. It'll be the perfect opportunity to see just how reliable a bodyguard you'll be for our Gracie."
"You expecting trouble tonight?" asked Corvo. "'Cause I'm gonna need all the information you got about this venue, who's going to be there, entrances and exits – all that."
"We'll, ah, be more than happy to get all of that to you by tonight," said Cassius. "But for now, I think Gracie is likely looking forward to getting out of the apartment and picking something out for tonight."
As much as Grace was annoyed by everything happening, her father was right – Corvo being here meant she could finally leave the apartment and walk the New York streets that she knew and loved.
"Yes," said Grace. "The sooner the better."
"Then I'll let you two get to it," said Cassius. "In the meantime, I'll collect the information that you've requested."
"Sounds good," said Corvo.
Without thinking, Grace grabbed Corvo by the hand and pulled him toward the elevator doors.
"I've already got your credit card, dad!" she said. "See you in a few hours!"