by Reus, Katie
They both jumped to their feet, then winced and slightly swayed, and he had a feeling alcohol had played a huge part in last night’s activities. That was when he saw there was frosting smushed into the brothers’ hair as well.
“You’re not going to bail me out too?” Axel asked, still looking like the smug asshole he was.
Mikael snorted softly. “Ask one of your crew to get you out.”
Axel stretched out on the bench, putting his hands behind his head as he did. “I think I’ll just take a nap.”
“Why am I not surprised? Come on.” He motioned for the boys, who weren’t boys at all but somehow seemed like actual children some days.
As they stepped out into the hall together, the brothers’ eyes widened to see King standing there, leaning against one of the walls.
The wolf pushed up, the motion languid, almost feline despite his lupine status. “The human you got into a fight with last night,” the Alpha murmured. “He was speaking disparagingly about your mother?”
“Yes,” Riel answered, his shoulders straightening. “My mom died of cancer and he was trying to upset Anthony. He said… I can’t even repeat the words. But they were hateful and ugly. No one talks shit about my family like that.”
King’s wolf flashed in his eyes for the briefest of moments before he nodded. “You’re free to go. Don’t get into any more fights. You have them?” he said to Mikael.
Meaning, would Mikael take full responsibility for them now? Of course he would. “Do you need me to escort the lion home too?” He couldn’t believe he was even asking, but…Avery liked that jackass.
The wolf was back in King’s eyes. “Aurora is coming to get that troublemaker.”
Ah. Okay, then. Mikael nodded once at the wolf and headed out. He knew King was busy figuring out how to set up a currency system, an education system, and if they ended up having a prison of sorts, a system for that as well. Though in the shifter world, things were run differently than in the human one, so he had a feeling that things would look far, far different than what humans were used to once King had full control of New Orleans. Not that any of that was Mikael’s concern right now.
As the three of them stepped out into the waning sunlight, he gripped the back of both Riel and Anthony’s necks and squeezed with just enough pressure to make his point. “You’re too old to be getting into fights.” Or maybe they weren’t. Hell. His own brothers were almost as old as him. Old and jaded, they’d retreated from the world and gone into Hibernation millennia ago once they’d grown tired of humans and shifters and treachery in general. They’d lost most of their family, and sleeping had been the respite they’d needed. But his dragon had decided it was time to wake up. He hadn’t understood why.
Until he’d met her.
Both males winced slightly but Riel was the one who spoke up. He was often the spokesperson of the two. “Maybe you don’t tell Avery about this?”
“I will not say anything to her right now, but I also won’t lie to her.” The boys were supposed to have been helping out on a construction site on the other side of town this week, assisting another crew. It was clear that King had held them for a while, probably since last night if Mikael had to guess, likely giving them time to cool off and think about their actions. “We are all rebuilding the world right now. Do you think fighting unnecessarily is helpful?”
He could scent the shame rolling off both of them. Good.
“No,” Anthony muttered. “But I’m still not sorry for punching that douche canoe.”
“Me neither,” said Riel.
Mikael let out a low laugh. “Well if anyone has the audacity to talk about another being’s deceased mother, they deserve to get more than their nose broken. I will show you how to take down another human quickly and efficiently without permanently maiming them.” Hopefully.
They both gave him a surprised look.
Feeling protective of them, he wrapped an arm around both their shoulders and squeezed once before he let them go.
“Don’t worry about that loser,” Riel muttered as they continued down the sidewalk. “He’s your ex for a reason, Anthony. He showed his true colors and he’s a piece of shit. He’s not your ride or die.”
The two boys started murmuring to each other but their words made Mikael frown. “What is ride or die?” He did not understand a lot of human idioms. And this one was definitely new to him. Not that he’d been awake for very long anyway, but he’d discovered that many idioms were senseless. Much like the actions of many humans.
“You know,” Riel said. “Your one and only.”
That still did not make sense. “Explain more.”
“Basically it means,” Anthony started, “that your significant other is someone who you’ll always support. You’ll always be loyal to them… Ah, you have their back no matter what. I think originally it was some biker phrase, something to do with riding or dying, but now it’s that one person who you’ll ride into battle with or, you know, die trying.”
He frowned as he digested their words. Avery was definitely his “ride or die.” Though he never wanted her going into any sort of battle. She was too soft and wonderful.
She was his everything, even if she only saw him as a friend.
Chapter 2
Bent over the architectural plans laid out on her desk, Avery scribbled another note. She was in the middle of building a small condominium complex, in the punch-out phase of another one, and in a couple months, she would be heading up another project per King’s orders.
This was on a different scale than when she’d been flipping houses and handling small apartment complexes, but she had the knowledge and experience and had been living in New Orleans her entire life so she knew a lot of people—which was a big plus right now. Humans were scared (yes, she was human, although she wasn’t scared), and working with people they trusted gave humans a sense of normalcy.
As she looked at the plumbing specs, she made a mental note to call her friend and fellow contractor Zia with a question.
She nearly jumped when someone knocked on the front door. Mikael had slipped out earlier—very sneakily, but not sneaky enough—and she had no idea where he’d gone. Her brothers still hadn’t come home and she wasn’t sure where Mikael’s two brothers were. They’d disappeared right after Mikael had. Quiet dragons.
But she wasn’t their mother so she wasn’t going to worry about it. Still, she was a little surprised that Mikael had left without saying anything to her. He was usually her shadow. A dark, broody, quiet, sometimes grumpy one. And…she had other feelings about him leaving without telling her. Feelings she wasn’t going to acknowledge.
Because that was how she rolled—burying her feelings in the healthiest way possible.
Striding to the front door, she tugged it open and froze. Her father stood on the stoop.
Nausea swelled up inside her as she stared at him. She hadn’t seen him in nearly six years. Wearing jeans and a pullover sweater that looked rumpled, he was more disheveled than she’d ever seen. His dark hair that had been peppered with gray in a very fashionable way years ago was now turning almost white in areas. He also had a few days’ worth of facial hair and looked…old. Haggard. This was not the same man who used to get weekly manicures and massages, who’d played tennis four days a week, and swam laps in his pool the other three.
“Shep.” She grinded her teeth together at just seeing his face. She refused to call him Father or Dad. It was simply Shep now. Or asshole. He’d lost all rights as her father after what he’d done to their mother. They didn’t even share a last name anymore—she and her brothers had rejected every single part of him. Now she was Avery Cortez.
“Avery, how are you?” He tried to force a smile, but it came off strained, fake.
“What do you want?” she asked, because he was very clearly here for something. He didn’t care about her or Riel and Anthony. He cared about himself and that was it. Experience had taught her that.
He glanced past
her. “Are the boys here?”
“No, and they’re not boys. They’re men.” Okay, that was kind of a stretch. At twenty-three and twenty-four, yes, technically they were men, but Anthony and Riel were so immature. A little impulsive at times, quick to fall in and out of love—but that was to be expected. She wasn’t that much older than them, but some days she felt light years older.
In response, he walked past her and into her house.
She blinked, her nausea turning to a fiery ball of rage in the middle of her core as she shut the door behind her. “Come on in,” she muttered as she turned to face him. Might as well get this over with. She knew he wouldn’t leave and she really didn’t want to have this conversation outside where her neighbors might overhear—because she had a feeling she would start yelling.
“You look like you’re doing well.” He looked around the house, a gleam in his eyes.
Eyes that were unfortunately the same pale green as her own. Ugh. She hated that she looked more like him than her beautiful mother. Hated that she’d gotten anything at all from him.
She knew what he was seeing: the huge two-story Creole home, the wide foyer, the big chandelier hanging above them, which she’d restored herself. Real wood floors, local art on the walls and in the sitting room—which had furniture her mom had left her in her will. All classic, solid pieces that meant something to her. During the day, the whole house was filled with natural light, but now, with the sun going down and Shep in her personal space, the foyer seemed tiny and…foreign. It jarred her, having him here in her home, talking to her. He didn’t belong and he was marring this wonderful place with his mere presence.
“The family home was destroyed…when everything happened,” he said.
“Everything” meaning The Fall, when a bunch of power-hungry dragons had outed themselves and other supernaturals to the world and nearly destroyed it in fire. Well not nearly—they’d actually destroyed more than half of it. New Orleans had gotten caught in the fray as well, but thanks to a whole lot of badass supernaturals, the city and surrounding areas had been mostly saved. But not all the structures, and the city was definitely still rebuilding. Hell, it hadn’t even recovered from the last hurricane, let alone a bunch of evil dragons.
The world was a new place, with no currency system right now. It was…interesting, to say the least. She was embracing this new chapter, however. What she wasn’t embracing was her bastard of a father. Hate was a very strong word but she hated him with the passion of a thousand fiery suns, as cliché as that sounded.
She wasn’t going to let her rage take over, however, so she forced herself to take a deep breath. “I’m working, Shep. What do you want?”
“Look… I’ve lost everything,” he started.
Boo freaking hoo, Avery thought as she stared at this man, this monster in human skin. She didn’t respond, kept her expression stony, completely unmoved.
He cleared his throat and looked around again. “This is a really nice house.”
Yes, it was. She continued staring. She could wait him out because she had nothing to say to him. She wasn’t that little girl who needed his approval any longer. She didn’t care what he thought. He’d killed all of her love for him in one awful moment.
“I’m living in a two-bedroom condo.” The way he said it, it was as if that was the worst thing in the world.
“And?” she asked against her better judgment, scorn dripping from the word.
“And, it’s awful. I’m surrounded by simply awful people.”
Translation: he probably had perfectly friendly neighbors but he was just a dick. Anyone her father thought was awful was probably lovely. “If you’re being harassed or abused in any way, then you need to report it to the Alpha of the territory.” She kept her words even and monotone.
“I know that!” he snapped. “What’s the matter with you?”
She stared at him, her mouth falling slightly open. Was he really this lacking in self-awareness? What was the matter with her? “You need to leave. I seriously don’t know why you’re here. And really, I don’t care. Because if you think I would let you live here, you’re out of your mind.”
He took a step toward her, putting his palms up in a placating gesture. “No, I just…I know you’re friends with that wolf.” The way he said wolf was almost…derogatory.
She lifted an eyebrow. “Do you mean King?”
“Yes, yes. I know you’re doing a lot of work for the city. You can ask him for a favor, get me better accommodations. I’m living like…” He cleared his throat. “I need something better.” There was a desperation in his voice.
She couldn’t help herself, a burst of laughter exploded from her. “Are you serious right now? You think I would waste a favor on you? You’re more delusional than I ever could have imagined. I’m not going to ask King for anything. And for the record, I could,” she added, because she was feeling petty. She didn’t like this side of herself, this angry ball of rage, but years of suppressed anger were rolling to the surface with no warning. “I’m afraid what you’re figuring out right now is what it’s like to be part of the working class, actually having to contribute to society. I’m sure that’s a huge revelation to you, but deal with it.”
He stared at her, and for a moment raw fire flickered in his pale eyes. But just as quickly he smothered it and it was replaced by an emotion she couldn’t quite define. Calculation, likely. “She left me,” he whispered in a way that was supposed to sound sad and pathetic.
Okay it did sound like both those things. Because he was pathetic. “Who?” She knew exactly who—his wife. But she wanted him to say it.
“Lindsey.”
“She left you? Bet that feels like crap, huh?” Avery didn’t like this anger that was pouring out like a geyser. This was…not her. But at the same time, she couldn’t stop herself. Couldn’t stop the venom if she’d wanted to. It felt good to let it free.
“You don’t have to gloat over it,” he snapped.
“I’m not gloating. I would have to feel something for you to do that. And now it’s time for you to go.” She stepped toward the front door, exhausted just from this interaction. And she needed a shower, needed to erase the last few minutes from her mind.
He stumbled toward her, his eyes wide and manic as he suddenly grabbed her wrist. He might look fragile, but his grip was strong, making her cry out in surprise and a little pain. “You have to get me better living accommodations! I’m working in a food center!” he snapped, his voice trembling and out of control.
Before she could respond, the door swung open and Mikael and her two brothers strode in.
Avery met Mikael’s eyes. She thought she’d seen him angry before, but she realized that she hadn’t. She’d only seen him annoyed. Now…his dragon stared back at her, then he turned to her father, who was still holding her wrist.
She wasn’t afraid for herself, but her father should be very, very afraid. Mikael’s dragon peered out, his eyes a smoky gray of swirling color. He was…not happy. He’d gone still in a way that was eerie, watching her father as if he was a bug.
“Take your hand off her now.” The words were spoken so quietly, Mikael’s voice a deadly sharp blade.
Her father dropped her wrist immediately and held his hands up. “I am just talking to my daughter.”
“You’re not our father.” Anthony stepped forward, the anger in his normally affable expression out of character as he glared at Shep. “You’re just a sperm donor and a pathetic excuse for a human. Get the hell out of here!” He and Riel stormed into the foyer, planting their bodies in front of Avery protectively.
It was incredibly sweet even though it was unnecessary.
Mikael, however, wasn’t nearly as patient. His gaze pinned to hers, he grabbed her father by the back of the neck. “I’ll take the trash out for you.” Then he dragged her father out the front door in seconds, slamming it shut behind him.
“Avery, are you okay?” Anthony asked as Riel asked another ques
tion she couldn’t make out because of the blood rushing in her ears.
It was too much. Everything was just…too much.
Swallowing hard, she nodded. Today she did not have it in her to be okay, to pretend like she had it all together, to be the strong one. Nope. “I just need a minute,” she rasped out before turning and hurrying down the hallway. Instead of stopping in the kitchen, she opened the back door and kept going. She wasn’t sure what she was doing or where she was going, she just knew she needed space, to get away right now before she broke down in tears.
That monster didn’t deserve her tears, but she was afraid all her repressed emotions were going to bubble up in one awful cry-fest where she ended up looking like a puffer fish. If that happened, she definitely didn’t want Mikael to see it.
She shoved the back gate open and stepped out onto the little brick herringbone path that led to a nearby sidewalk. The sun had set now and she could hear some of her neighbors laughing and talking outside. She wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself and picked up her pace.
She nearly jolted when she realized Mikael had slipped up next to her, as quiet as a wraith.
“Where are we going?” he asked in that quiet way of his. He wore simple jeans and a gray T-shirt that stretched across broad shoulders, pulling at his muscular biceps. Everything about the dark-haired male with the strong jaw and sharp cheekbones was honed to perfection, as if he was a weapon himself. Which, she supposed, he was.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she was glad he was with her, this quiet dragon with smoky gray eyes who made her feel way too many things. Things she wanted no part of. She’d seen what a lifetime of giving yourself to someone, dedicating yourself to their needs, got you.
A shattered heart.
And she’d only known him a few months—ever since King had asked her to take him and his brothers in. They were dragons living in a city where supernaturals had been outed to humans, and King had thought they needed someone to keep an eye on them. The very thought of her human self “keeping an eye” on Mikael, Cas, and Ivyn was ridiculous. Or it had been, because they listened to her, looked out for her, were…all sort of wonderfully weird.