My little dragon baby was tiny in my belly but I had a sense that he was my ever present companion. I’d escaped from Darien’s more for him than for myself. I could never have brought a child into that place. The bathroom had a big, fancy blow dryer and I took my time with it even as tired as I was. There was also a thick, terry cloth bathrobe like the kind you get in a hotel room waiting on a hook for me and I found a fresh toothbrush and brushed my teeth.
When I felt as clean and refreshed as I’d felt in what seemed like years, I finally put on the clean clothes in my backpack. It was a bit of a let-down. They were nothing luxurious, that was for sure. I put on only the clean panties and a t-shirt and curled up in bed. I was pretty sure David was going to be sleeping most of the day too.
My head had hardly hit the big, fluffy pillow encased in sateen before I dropped off.
Chapter Five: David
“Good morning, David,” Ella said. I stirred and woke up, frowning.
Something was wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it.
You didn’t have any nightmares.
Yes, that was it. That was nice but I tried not to put much stock in it. I got nightmares and flashbacks regularly but sometimes there was a blessed lull or I would just forget them. The first couple of times I’d made the tragic mistake of thinking that meant they were gone for good, only to find myself jerking awake a night later, soaked with sweat and unable to breathe. But for now, anyhow, I was glad to wake up without being terrified.
“Good morning, David. It’s time to get up, sir.”
“I’m up,” I said to Ella. “I’m up. I’m up. Ella, what time is it?”
“The time is nine o’clock in the morning.”
“Oh.” That took me aback. I slept the whole day and night. I guess that’s what the painkillers and activity had done. The memory of everything at the hospital came back bit by bit. My leg and shoulder throbbed and I grabbed for the bottle of pills on my nightstand. I bit one in half and took it with some water. I wanted to be careful with those. The doctor had said it was nothing overly strong but I hated even the very idea of becoming dependent on a pain killer, though I supposed my shifter’s constitution might help in that department.
Dana.
It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten. But I wondered now how she was getting on. Had Miles laundered her things? Was she comfortable in the house? I hoped she’d gotten a good night’s rest. That woman was a mystery to me. I wondered how she’d ended up where she’d ended up but I also didn’t want to pry. I genuinely wanted to help her. If I hadn’t happened to have inherited a fortune, I could easily have ended up in a similar place myself.
I grabbed my crutches and groaned as I pulled myself out of bed. The cast on my leg wasn’t overly large, not like those big old, cartoonish type of casts in the old days. It was nice and tight around my shin and the wrapping was black. It was sort of sleek looking really. But I was still rather awkward walking with crutches, getting used to the feel of them. The injury to my shoulder certainly didn’t help matters. Even with the pain killer, using the crutches with my shot shoulder was uncomfortable at best.
At least the cast was waterproof. I didn’t have to worry about wrapping it in plastic. I took a shower, leaning heavily on the wall and dressed in my usual black pants and sweater, since it had been chilly lately. I gave myself a close shave, relieved to see that thick stubble disappear. My beard grew so fast. Keeping up with it could be a trial. I blow-dried my hair and brushed it out a little. It was longer than it had been since I’d come home, touching my shoulders in gentle black waves. I rather liked my hair, it was one of my few vanities.
It was just possible I had an urge to look good for Dana. Not that I would have expected anything to happen at all. Only she was a guest and I was already so socially handicapped around people. A half a pain killer wasn’t going to make me any easier either. I grabbed my iPad and shuffled out of my room to the elevator at the end of the hall and paused glancing down the long corridor. Dana was probably staying in the room adjoining mine only I hadn’t heard a peep yet.
I wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing Dana. I wondered how much she had slept. Had she been bored? Had she eaten? Would she be eating breakfast with me downstairs? The thought of trying to come up with polite conversation for a guest was likely to give me hives. I was used to Miles being around and that was it. On occasion I could hang out with my friends and even that didn’t happen often. Anyone else was business and business only. I didn’t know how to do anymore than that.
“Don’t be such a coward,” I muttered to myself. I had fought my way out of bondage. I had killed for my freedom and I patrolled the city at night protecting the innocent.
Surely, I could handle a little breakfast conversation.
I stepped into the elevator and sighed as it took me to the ground floor. Well, there was always the weather to fall back on. I never quite understood why people so enjoyed talking about the weather. It seemed like such an arbitrary thing to me. I supposed it was nothing more than a common experience and the degree of difficulty was low. I could ask her how she slept, I thought as I stepped out of the elevator and dragged myself to the kitchen. Weather and sleeping would take about five seconds. Then what?
There was nobody in the kitchen. Miles and I tended to eat breakfast at the kitchen table that looked out on the little rose garden. It was sort of a breakfast nook. I suppose in a regular house, it would be a proper breakfast nook. But it was empty now though the kitchen still smelled like breakfast and my mouth watered. I heard the sound of quiet conversation and then soft laughter and followed it outside and up the stone steps to the patio next to the low wall that looked out on the street below. Miles and Dana were dining al fresco at the white iron table. It was a nice spot that I hadn’t bothered to use in too long. Miles had made crab benedict and Dana was eating and drinking and looking content. I stopped short on the top step and immediately froze up.
Dana looked not just content but good. It had been easy to tell that she was an attractive young woman under the grease and grime but now she was cleaned up, her hair shiny and falling in a seemingly endless wave of jet black. Her complexion was bright, eyes alight. She was wearing a little bit of lip gloss, I thought. She was also wearing new clothes. I’d covertly texted Miles that he should buy her a few things. I was glad he’d already followed my orders. Dana was wearing jeans and a thick sweater. She looked much warmer now than she had the other night, though the morning wasn’t too chilly. I supposed that’s why they were dining outside.
It was still unusual though and I was used to my routine.
I found myself completely devoid of a thing to say. I cleared my throat and smiled tightly, avoiding eye contact with anyone before sitting down at the place Miles had set for me, my breakfast already laid out.
“Good morning, sir,” Miles said, grinning. “Miss Brand seemed curious about the patio so I thought we might eat outside since it’s not too cold.”
“Is that alright?” Dana said, looking at me just a little worriedly.
“Sure.” I shrugged and trained my eyes on my plate. I should say something else. I couldn’t think of a single thing. I just wasn’t used to people. Instead I frowned and took a big bite of crab benedict. At least that was reliably delicious. I only felt more frozen as Dana stared at me, looking a little bereft.
What if she thought I was angry or didn’t want her here? I didn’t want her to think so?
Yet my tongue remained tied.
“You’ll have to forgive Mr. Kagen,” Miles said. “He’s awfully quiet before his coffee.”
That was about the biggest lie I’d ever heard Miles tell. I wasn’t just quiet before my coffee. I was definitely quiet with everyone. He shouldn’t be giving her any expectation of me ever being anything other than quiet much less functionally sociable. But I took a long drink of coffee and my eyes fluttered in relief.
“Oh, that’s okay,” Dana said. “Um… Anyway, I hope I can get to work toda
y. Doing anything you need me to do. No job is too small.” She smiled brightly. Her grin was dazzling. I had seen her looking pretty forlorn yet there had been a spunkiness about her. But now she looked quite happy and it put me at ease just a little bit, though not nearly enough for me to engage in a real conversation.
“I’ll think of something,” I said quietly. “Don’t worry.”
Miles cleared his throat and said, “I imagine she can look after your...person. What with your handicap, sir. But on top of that, if you’ll remember, we wanted to reorganize the library and perhaps archive the family letters, digitize them.” He smiled kindly at Dana. “There’s quite a lot of history in Mr. Kagen’s family letters, you see. Shifter history, that is. They go back to the nineteenth century.”
“That’s amazing!” Dana said, her eyes lighting up with interest. “Oh, I’d like to do that. Even if it’s just rote scanning. I’d be…” She sighed and seemed embarrassed at her own excitement and the thought that she should feel that way made me sad yet I couldn’t sum up the words to put her at ease. “I’d be very interested.”
“How does that sound, sir?” Miles looked at me, smiling as kindly as he had at Dana.
He knew me far too well. He knew all my flaws and my weaknesses and fears. He was helping an enormous amount. The truth was, I wouldn’t have made it this far if not for Miles being around after getting away from The Collector. I would’ve imploded in on myself.
“That’s fine,” I murmured.
I wished suddenly for a battle to fight. I started scarfing up my breakfast as quickly as possible. I needed to work out. Even with my bum leg, I figured I could work on my arms a bit. I wouldn’t be able to do much for cardi and nothing on my legs, not without a physical therapist to make sure I didn’t injure myself further. But my arms at least could distract me for a while and then I could plunge into work. I supposed I’d have to show Dana what to work on, but that had to be easier than this. I was a mess. I could feel myself on the verge of panic even as Dana stared at me.
It had seemed so much easier in the hospital, but then I’d been drugged and the surreality of the entire situation had actually helped a bit. But now this nice seeming and attractive young woman could see me, what a disaster. Rich and on the border of agoraphobic, hardly leaving the house except to see my friends when I could finally roust myself or fight crime like some sort of comic book character. I was stunted, emotionally and in so many ways really. That was, perhaps, forgivable. But it was also a source of great shame for me, after only two years of attempting to process what I had been through.
Suddenly my plate was clean. I had no more to eat. I had hardly tasted the crab benedict which had been stupid of me. Miles made a fantastic crab benedict and I’d eaten like I was scarfing down grub in a prison mess hall. But I couldn’t help but want to get out of there as quickly as possible. Dana was staring at me, probably wondering what the hell was wrong with the man who seemed to have everything and could not even function in a breakfast with a stranger.
“Would you like more fruit, sir?” Miles said. “Coffee?”
I knocked back the rest of my orange juice and followed with the rest of my coffee and all but leapt up from the table, nearly falling down again so that both Dana and Miles looked alarmed as I gripped the table and righted myself before grabbing my crutches. “No. No, thank you. That’s alright, Miles. I’m ah...think I’ll work out. Arms. In the...gym.” I blinked at Dana and just as quickly looked away. “We have a gym here. You can use it whenever.”
I made my escape, gripping the iron rail and staggering down the few steps to the cobblestone courtyard and back into the house. I could feel Dana and Miles’ eyes on me. Miles, of course, couldn’t be surprised. But God knew what Dana thought of me.
I didn’t much want to think about it.
Chapter Six: Dana
“Is he...alright?” I looked after David though he’d already gone into the house.
David’s backyard was gorgeous. He had a full greenhouse and a kind of jungle of greenery and flowers in the big courtyard that sat behind the mansion, elevated over the street and surrounded by a low wall. He had the patio and apparently there was a pool behind the green house on another deck with a pretty view of the neighborhood. It felt like a hidden kind of garden in the middle of the city, squeezed there among the other narrowly built but opulent buildings. It was gorgeous yet cozy. It made me want to lie down in the hammock that hung between two sycamores and among some ferns and planted gardenias and doze and listen to the city below. I imagined it was gorgeous when it rained.
I wondered if David truly enjoyed it. Though given how he had acted at breakfast and how unsurprised Miles seemed by it, I wondered if he enjoyed much at all.
“He…” Miles cleared his throat and said. “He hadn’t had his coffee.” But he looked much to sad for that not to be a lie.
“It’s more than that,” I said, prodding him gently. I didn’t want to push but I felt concern now and David Kagen had saved my life more than he could possibly have known. He’d gotten himself badly hurt for me. I already owed him everything but on top of that he had brought me into his home. It would be easier to go along and not push. But I felt an urge too. I felt like perhaps David Kagen needed my help in some way. “Isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Miles said slowly. “But it’s not my place to say.”
“I really don’t mean to pry,” I said. “Or not exactly. It’s just that he took me in and I feel like… He seems like a person who’s in some pain.”
Miles nodded and looked at me carefully. “And so do you.”
I took a breath at that. I was, I supposed. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore than David probably wanted to talk about whatever had happened to him. I rubbed my belly absently. I had secrets. Too many of them, I sometimes felt. I wondered how many David had.
“I’m not attempting to push you away from getting close to David if that should happen,” Miles said, sitting back in his chair. “In fact, I think it would do him a great deal of good. I’m very glad you’re here for that reason. He only tells me so much. I think he doesn’t like to burden me. I know...a certain amount but… He doesn’t take comfort easily, you see.” Miles sighed, wiping his mouth primly with a napkin. “Don’t push him too hard,” he said, patting my hand. “He startles easy.”
Miles smiled then I nodded. That seemed to be the end of the discussion but I felt as if we’d come to some kind of understanding. He was confirming that David needed help and he wanted me to be the one to give it to him. That was fine with me. I wanted to be of use. If ever I possibly could be.
“And then you place the document face down just so…” Miles laid a letter down on the scanner and gently set down the lid and pressed the scan button. It was all pretty intuitive but I appreciated his patience in showing me the ropes anyhow. I had some work to do and I was only grateful for it. The reorganization of the library actually seemed sort of extraneous to me. But the digitizing of the letters and other documents was much more interesting and seemed more like a necessity. I didn’t know hardly anything about shifter history much less anything specific to New York. But I was interested in the topic and best of all, I could at least be of use to David.
“What’s he doing now?” I said, trying my own hand at the scanner.
“He took lunch in his office,” Miles said. “But he said he would have dinner in the dining room with us. Perhaps you’ll get a chance to talk then. I think I’ll make myself scarce.”
“You know, I came from a place that had a butler,” I said, pressing the scan button and watching the document reveal itself on the screen. “And they did not eat with their employers. Sometimes they didn’t eat at all.”
“Well, eating with your employer is considered rather unusual,” Miles said. “David and I are just used to each other. Not eating at all is generally frowned upon though.” He chuckled warmly but raised an eyebrow at me as I carefully folded the letter back into its envelope. “Doesn’t sound
like a very nice place.”
He wasn’t going to push anymore than I was going to push him about David. I knew that. Which made me feel safe enough to say, “It wasn’t. It wasn’t at all.”
I’d spent the morning after breakfast exploring the grounds on Miles’ suggestion so that I wouldn’t get lost and might feel more comfortable. When I’d returned to my room, I’d been almost chagrined to find yet more new clothes laid out on my bed. He’d bought some for me while David and I had slept most of the previous day away. I’d also noted that they were far more expensive than I’d originally imagined and when I’d asked Miles how I might ever repay them with the kind of work I’d be doing, he only waved me away. I got the sense that Miles might agree to something and then dismiss it later. He was a lot sneakier than he looked, that one. But unfailingly kind from everything I’d gathered.
I spent the afternoon into the evening working on the scanning project which took me longer than it probably should have because I kept sneaking looks at the letters and documents before I scanned them. There were several boxes full of documents to be scanned. It was a goldmine of a busywork project. It was hard not to think of it as an excuse for David to hire me but on the other hand, I truly believed the stuff needed to be archived. The history needed to be preserved. I tried not to sit too long just reading when I should be working but I caught glimpses of letters from David’s ancestors to other ancestors as they discussed the gossip among shifters in a Gilded Age of New York. It was like something from The Age of Innocence but with dragons.
Miles finally had to come find me to tell me to stop working and I thanked him and carefully packed everything away just how I had found it with some Post-Its designating what had already been scanned and what had not. I stood and stretched in the library finding myself smiling at some book spines. Miles had only had me work about five hours which was not a full work day but it would give me plenty of time to read if I liked. If nothing else, I enjoyed the peace of the place. I wanted to go out to that garden in the back and listen to the hum of the city and curl up with a book. Except that when I pictured it, David was sitting there too and I didn’t imagine that was likely. I raised my arms above my head to stretch, moaning a little in satisfaction when I heard a throat clear.
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