Haunted by Pride

by Kaye Draper

  "Miss Lionheart--" the woman began.

  I cut her off. "That's Alpha Lionheart, you asshat. The gryphon council might make most decisions, but when it comes to declarations of war, the heir of the elders has the final say. And guess what? You're looking at her, dumbass."

  Hisashi drew a folded paper out of the deep pocket of his robe. "We know how much the mage guild likes to deal in paperwork and contracts," he said evenly. "Which is why we took the liberty of drafting this agreement."

  He slid the paper to the woman, then sat back, his eyes sharp, a vulpine smile on his face.

  The woman paled, then flushed with anger as she read.

  She looked up at us as she passed letter to the high mage at her side. "This is ridiculous. All this fuss over one damned mage."

  I smiled. "As you can see," I said, pointing at the document, "the leaders and elders of the gryphons, kitsune, fae, and water are not joking. You can keep your mage. But you will never be able to sell another mage in the US again. And probably not in most of the rest of the world either. We'll ban them. And if you think we can't enforce that little boycott, well…you're a fucking idiot."

  She seethed.

  "This is really not worth an interspecies incident," one of the other humans in the room whispered to the woman.

  She crumpled the paper in her hand, squeezing it as if she was choking the life out of the rest of us. "We can't let it be known that a mage has found a way to break his bind. This has to be a secret."

  Halstad shifted in his seat, kicking his feet up on the table, bits of mud falling off onto the spelled wood as he crossed his hands over his belly. "About that. We won't broadcast the little loophole about the sacred status of shifter mates. But that's going to cost you more than just my bind removal."

  She scowled at him. "What?"

  Halstad smiled, another slow, nasty smile. "You send me the ones who figure it out on their own. And any other rejects you'd usually find a way to dispose of."

  The High Mage slammed his fists on the table. "You go too far!"

  I stood, my wings bursting out of my back and talons elongating. "It's not up for discussion! Sign the agreement now, or we fight our way out. If you win that battle—which you won't—you'll still have lost the fucking war, asshole. What are you going to do? Murder the most important members of the clans? You think you can cover that up?"

  Hisashi let his power swell and the wind whipped around us, bringing with it the whispering of angry spirits. Oisin smiled and pulled his fae blades out of thin air, his own magic swelling. And Halstad took off his gloves, the fae blood in his veins flaring to an eerie neon blue as his eyes began to glow.

  "You don't have enough mages to put even one of us down," Halstad said with a grin. "But I sure as shit would love it if you tried. We'll level this place. Hell, me breaking my contract will probably take most of you out with me. Wanna try it and see?"

  Hisashi began to float, his nine tails waving, his body crackling with energy. I took off my leather jacket, getting ready to shift.

  The woman held up her hand. "Wait! Stop."

  We all smiled at her. She groaned and gestured for someone to give her a pen.

  Halstad came around the table, brushing aside the ballpoint she was holding. He drew a long, pointed piece of metal with a strange tip from his belt. "In blood," he demanded.

  I watched in shock as the woman snatched the pen out of his hand and stabbed the point into her palm, starting to sign the paper with the "ink" that ran from her wound. "We will still expect the payment for the mage contract, Miss Lionheart."

  I rolled my eyes. Of course they did. I made a get on with it gesture and she finished signing.

  Halstad snagged the paper and pen as soon as she was done, handing the signed agreement to Hisashi for safekeeping in the otherworld. Then he turned to the High Mage. "Well, dickhead, you've got an unbinding to perform. And don't even think about fucking it up."

  I growled. The mage hustled out of the room to prepare. I think he peed in his pants a little.

  Gods, we were badass.

  Chapter 16

  I leaned back in my office chair and stretched my arms overhead, easing the tension in my neck and shoulders. Oswald had just sent me a message about a case. We hadn't been back in town for more than a few days and already the police department was eager to shove the weird shit our way to spare their human officers from realizing they were surrounded by supes. I frowned at the screen. Vampire bats, I was pretty sure. But that would mean there was a vampire nearby. And that was…concerning.

  A soft sound at the door made me look up. Con. With a tray filled with coffee mugs and cookies. He also carried a Tupperware container of what looked suspiciously like Orion's damned anti-Viagra muffins. He smiled sadly at me as I huffed.

  "Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered, knowing what was coming.

  Con set the tray on my desk and his smile turned wry. "Hisashi said we were going to have visitors. He said to tell you to play nice with your friend."

  I growled.

  Con ruffled my hair and bent to give me a sweet, lingering kiss. Then he straightened and pressed a mug of coffee, whipped cream, and caramel into my hand. I thought Oisin was the master manipulator of the group, but I was wrong. Con had me wrapped around his little finger with one kiss and a coffee mug. Ugh. I was such a sucker.

  I eyed my mug as I wondered if it was okay to have a little caffeine. I engaged in an internal dialogue with the monster in my guts and begged for an hour without puking so I could enjoy the heavenly cookies on Con's tray.

  The bell on the shop door jangled and I heard light footsteps coming down the hall with the tapping of expensive dress shoes. Fucker just waltzed right in. He didn't even knock anymore.

  Con winked at me and hurried off, probably trying not to get caught in the crossfire.

  I sighed and sipped my coffee as Derek fucking White strolled into my office. He shrugged out of his wool trench coat and hung it on a hook by the office door, pausing to swipe the slush off it. He shook his head. "I will be so happy when spring finally comes to this yeti's frozen asscrack of a town," he grumbled.

  I snagged a cookie and took a bite, pausing to close my eyes as warm chocolate chips burst on my tongue. "Well," I said when I was done chewing, "you didn't have to brave the elements on my account. Please, go back home where it's warm and people don't want to murder you."

  He turned to me, not acknowledging that I had even said anything. "Hello, Gesa. So good to see you, my friend."

  I groaned and shook my head. "What do you want, White?"

  He pulled up one of the wingback chairs I kept for visitors and helped himself to the other mug of coffee and a cookie, fastidiously snagging a tissue off my desk to keep the crumbs off his thousand-dollar suit. "Do I have to want something to come visit with my best friend?"

  I sighed. "Fine. Sit there and drink coffee and eat cookies. I've got work to do." I turned back to the computer and started reading a news headline about the drained animal carcasses in the area, pointedly ignoring my unwanted guest.

  White sipped his coffee in silence for a while, the uptight asshole working his way through a pile of cookies like he was a kid with a sugar problem.

  I tapped my fingers restlessly on the desk. Vampire bat. Had to be. Or, maybe some weirdo trying to freak people out and cause a ruckus? One of the farmers was getting a lot of attention for insisting he saw a giant bat creature eating his cows. So…maybe just a publicity stunt. After the tabloids got that story, the guy's farm was probably a new tourist location.

  "How is your mage?" White said, breaking into my train of thought. "I trust Mr. Black's assistance was helpful?"

  I glanced at him. "Peachy." I got out a Post-it note and a pen and started making notes for Con. I didn't know too much about vampire bats, but he could dig up some stuff for us to sift through to get more information.

  "I'm so glad to hear it," White continued. "And I see the money I transferred for the mage contract
went through."

  "Yep." I opened my email and typed out a quick note to Oswald, letting him know that I was looking into it and what my current theories were.

  "And of course, you and your team are back to watching over the girl," White continued.

  I rolled my eyes and shot him a glare. "Yes. For fuck's sake, White, if you wanted to make sure we were holding up our end of the bargain, you could have just called. Or sent Orion to spy on us. What do you actually want?"

  His expression shuttered. I watched him closely, but fuck if I knew what the hell he was thinking. He was better at hiding emotion than Oisin and Halstad combined.

  "I understand you have a bunch of misplaced siren crosses headed our way. My employee has asked for extended time to get back here, since he has to take a boat most of the way. And of course, he has asked that I arrange papers for half a dozen people out of thin air. And…just where do you plan to put these new pets of yours, my dear friend?"

  I sat back in my chair and ground my teeth together. Of course this was what he wanted. Me to owe him another favor.

  "What makes you think those idiots are my responsibility?" I asked as I snagged the one remaining cookie off the tray.

  One corner of White's mouth lifted in a smile. "You try my patience, Miss Lionheart. We both know you feel responsible for them. Otherwise, you would have just killed them and been done with it like any normal person. Take the deal I'm offering you."

  I sighed. We were just going to ignore what he thought was "normal." "And just what do I owe you now?"

  He grinned, showing even white teeth, just a hint of red flaring around his irises. "Since you are watching over my…the girl already, I have a small task for you."

  I looked down into my empty coffee cup. How did I drink it all already? Life just wasn't fair. "What do you want, White? Spit it out already, damn it. I've got shit to do today."

  His sipped his coffee, then set it down on the desk. "I would like you and your bedmates to befriend the girl."

  I stared at him. "You want me to make friends with a teenage girl in exchange for you getting the sirens papers and finding them somewhere to live and work in town?"

  He nodded. "Yes, that sounds fair to me," he said, his voice that smooth, confident tone I'd expect from someone closing some big business deal.

  "I figured it out," I said softly. "I finally fucking figured out what you're up to."

  He arched a black brow at me. "Oh really? And what is that, my dear friend?"

  I ignored the friend comment. "You're just insane. That's all. There is no greater scheme going on here. You're just fucking batshit crazy. Off your rocker. A few screws loose. Bats in the belfry."

  He laughed, startling me out of my ranting. I didn't think I'd ever heard such an honest sound come out of the demon's mouth. "You see," he said as his guffaw died down and he got control of himself again. "This is why I like you so much, Gesa. So witty."

  I made a gagging noise. "Go away."

  He stood and went to retrieve his coat, shrugging it on and scooping up the container of muffins Con had left behind. "So, we have a deal then, Miss Lionheart?"

  I closed my eyes, knowing this was probably going to backfire somehow. "Sure, whatever."

  I opened my eyes to find him smiling at me. "Wise choice. It's been a lovely visit. See you again soon, bestie."

  I watched the asshole walk out of my office with the muffins, whistling softly to himself. So smug. I groaned. "Fuck my life."

  If he was that happy about this, then it was probably going to screw me over royally. But I had more important shit to worry about right now.

  Chapter 17

  The video call to my sister and the gryphon council was one of the least fun things I'd done in a long time. And that's saying something. I had been in a lot of shitty situations in the last year.

  It was good to at least see variation staring back at me from the council. Where once it had been dominated by stodgy old gryphon males, now there were some women, a couple of humans from the community, and of course, my flamboyant sister.

  They still looked to me for major decisions though, which was something I was slowly working to change. While it might be nice to throw my weight around from time to time—like with the mage guild—I would really rather not have to be involved in the political bullshit. Still, it was nice to see things changing in the backward, medieval gryphon culture. Maybe there was hope for the assholes yet.

  Next was a call with Oisin and his sister, thanking the fae for their support with the mage guild thing. Evalyn seemed to find the whole thing funny. But she still tried to trap me into a fae bargain that would have cost me my alpha mate for an extended period of time. Luckily, Oisin was there to put her in her place. He reminded her that these were more modern times, and that changing times called for changes in the way he ruled. Like, you know, from a fucking distance.

  The last call was to the elders of Hisashi's clan, who had a really hard time figuring out how video calling worked. Luckily, Hero was there to help them set it up. Hisashi's brother was so patient. I would have murdered them all by now. He smiled and waved at us before leaving the room so we could talk to the elders.

  They, of course, tried to get Hisashi back home early for a power transfer as thanks for their support. He told them to fuck off and that if they didn't support him in whatever way he demanded, he just wouldn't ever come back, leaving them powerless. That went over well. But what could they do?

  I ended the call and gave my pride, who were all sitting in on the calls, a wry look. "Has anyone noticed how all of our clans are made up of complete assholes?"

  Oisin nodded. "Well, I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you calling us all assholes, Oisin? Really?"

  He shrugged and his eyes lit on Halstad. "Some more than others, perhaps."

  Halstad muttered something under his breath and his magic swelled. Oisin yelped and turned murderous green eyes on him. "You will pay for that, mongrel."

  I rolled my eyes. Those two. But at least they weren't stabbing each other at the moment. I was learning to just ignore their constant death threats toward each other. As long as no one was bleeding, they'd be fine.

  Kai stood and paced over to me, pulling a piece of paper out of her dress pocket. "Speaking of clans," she said, leaning a hip on my desk as she handed me a well-worn, creased letter, written in ridiculous, flowing script. "I got this in the mail yesterday. I've been trying to decide what to do."

  I scanned the letter, eyes darting to the signature to confirm that creepy feeling I was getting. It was from the siren queen. Apparently, they'd had word of another kraken in the area. The queen said she thought word of Kai's appearance might have reached the other kraken and it was looking for her.

  I met Kai's dark blue eyes. "You're going, aren't you?"

  She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a second, then took a deep breath and nodded at me, resolute. "I have to. I looked for them for so long, I know what it's like. I have to know if there's another of my kind out there, thinking they're all alone."

  I sighed. "Fine. But I don't like it, Kai. You'll be so far away. And those siren bitches are sketchy."

  She gave me a toothy smile. "I'm a kraken, Gesa. I can travel the sea like breathing. And no silly sirens can harm me. They're like chum to my beast form." She pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Stop worrying, gryphon. I'll be back before you know it. Maybe with a friend. It gets lonely swimming all alone, you know."

  I looked around at the others and saw my own thoughts reflected back at me. It hurt to think of how stifled Kai must be here, away from the ocean and the other sea folk.

  "You do what you need to do," I told her calmly, ignoring the panic that was beating in my chest. "We'll be here for you when you come home."

  If she still even considered this home, once she found more of her own kind.

  She ruffled my hair, carding her slender fingers through it.
"Thank you, Gesa." Soft lips met mine and she leaned back, lying across the desk, shoving my keyboard aside. "Want to give me a proper send-off?"

  I laughed. "This letter isn't real. You're just making this whole thing up to get an orgy."

  She smiled up at me, lifting her fingers to trail across my jaw, down my neck and to my breasts in a light, teasing touch. "Oh, it's real. Since when do you need an excuse to enjoy your pride?"

  I growled, leaning down to kiss her, my hands running over the swells and curves she offered up like a buffet, sprawled across my desk.

  It wasn't long before I had help, the rest of my pride stripping us, murmuring encouragement as they watched me and Kai together, like the horny males they were.

  I heard the office door click shut and lifted my head from where I was kissing a path up Kai's soft thigh to see that one of my pride was conspicuously absent. Con was running his hands up and down my back to the swell of my hips as Kai's hands knotted in my hair. Oisin was kissing Kai breathless, and Hisashi knelt by my side, trailing kisses and bites up the side of my neck.

  But the mage was gone.

  Chapter 18

  Kai's send-off hadn't been limited to the office. She made plans to leave tomorrow afternoon to go back to the siren's island, where she'd hopefully find another of her kind.

  Of course, we had all insisted on going with her, but she refused. We had White's weird job to do, and unwanted siren kids to look after whenever they arrived. Besides, us landlubbers would only hold her back if we tagged along. Kai could cover jaw-dropping distances in her kraken form. If she had to go searching the water for her long-lost relative, we'd be either stuck on a boat or stuck with the sirens. Neither option made me feel anything but nauseous.

  Of course, that was kind of a constant thing with me these days.

  I sat up in bed, careful not to wake the others. I think the rest of the pride hated the idea of Kai leaving us just as much as I did. We'd clung together all day, taking turns being close to our kraken. She was a quiet, irreverent presence that kept us grounded with her unshakable confidence and ease in the world. But she would be back, I reminded myself. It wasn't a forever goodbye. Just…maybe a month…Gods, hopefully not longer.