Magical Intentions

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  A burning pressure grew behind my eyes as I stared at him, taking in his words. The echoes of what he’d said slowly penetrated my whirling thoughts. I just couldn’t put them together right. He’d said something profound, but my mind mixed it all up, trying to understand.

  Company... you... stand.

  What?

  He kept talking, coming closer, sensing that I needed more of his words. He stopped inches in front of me, his energy wrapping around me, his scent making me feel safe.

  “You’re smart, Dr. Porter. You’ve thought about scenarios my best men wouldn’t have. You’ve gone above and beyond my expectations. No matter what happens, it isn’t on you, it’s on this company. You’ve provided us the tools we need to keep Shanton safe; we just need to use them properly to ensure he lives.”

  I nodded at his words. I thought I got what he was saying. “Thank you,” I said in a soft whisper.

  His lips curled into a smile. “Any time. You’ve impressed me, Dr. Porter. You know this means your job has shifted, right? I expect we’ll need more of your expertise in the future.”

  My eyes widened at that. “Nuh-uh, no way,” I denied. “I’m a labbie. My home is in my lab, away from people. I don’t do people.”

  He chuckled. “Looks like you did people just fine.”

  Someone in the room snorted, and Lombardi narrowed his eyes at whoever stood behind me. Someone else cleared their throat and then a man slightly larger than me rushed out of the room, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.

  I worked really hard to keep my mouth from turning into a smile. I was just about to break out into a laugh when someone came running into the room.

  “Mr. Shanton has arrived,” the man said, eyes wide with a mixture of excitement and fear. I knew exactly how he felt. The end of this weekend couldn’t come fast enough.

  “Come on, Dr. Porter,” Mr. Lombardi said.

  “Wait! I have to go too? Can’t I just stay here and watch from afar?”

  “No. All hands are on deck for this one. We need this deal to go to the next level. Besides, you’re the most familiar with everything set up and the first meeting is to go over security for him. This is like his test to us, for him to see what we are capable of.”

  I sighed and my shoulders slumped. This would be my first official dragon meeting, and frankly, I wasn’t as excited as the others around me.

  “Rhett, Alijah, you’re with us since the two of you will be the head of his security.” They nodded and surrounded me as we headed out to meet Shanton. They were acting like I was a client needing protection. I didn’t know how to feel about that. Not many bothered to put themselves between me and danger.

  The walk was quiet and when we approached the gates, I blinked at the impressive show before us. We were still a good distance away, but I could spot the man I knew was Mr. Shanton.

  The way he stood, the way he held himself, the energy surrounding him. This man sent my instincts into overdrive. They wavered between wanting to maul him—in a delicious way—and wanting to run away. His energy overwhelmed everyone else’s and he was the only one I could sense among them. His very presence hid the others around him.

  I focused my senses, narrowing it down to his energy. My eyes widened as the cyclone around him became noticeable. I took in a sharp breath. I’d never felt anything like him before. So much concentrated energy surrounded him that I had to wonder how people could be near him for very long, or maybe they could only be in his presence for so long before needing some air.

  The closer we got to him, the more I understood how those around him felt. He was nearly oppressive, but not on purpose. He was just that powerful.

  Lombardi rested his hand on my lower back, making me jump. I glanced at him and he nodded. My shoulders relaxed. He was with me on this. We would handle whatever came our way. I reached out to feel Alijah and Rhett’s presence, their energy strong enough to hold up against Shanton.

  I understood why he’d chosen those two to come. They were strong in their own rights and wouldn’t falter because of the dragon.

  “Dwight, a pleasure to finally meet face to face,” the dragon spoke. His voice did weird things to me. He had a deep, smoky lilt, his words smooth, flowing from one word to another, almost musical. His accent proved he wasn’t from around here. I knew he lived a few cities further south of us and the way he held himself, the way he spoke, the accent tingeing his words proved that. It made him even more otherworldly.

  “Cyril,” Lombardi nodded, never faltering in the dragon’s presence. “I hope your travels were well.”

  Shanton grinned, showing off all his teeth, the sharp lines of his face becoming harsh. “It was exciting. A little prelude to this weekend.”

  While they chatted, I took the moment to take in his features, no longer as distracted and overwhelmed by his energy presence. His black hair fell around his face, stopping at the nape of his neck with soft curls. A couple of curls fell over his wide forehead but the rest were pushed back away from his face, tamed by years of conditioning. Dark brows created shadows over eyes that pulled me in the minute I saw them. They were a nice blend of a warm brown with flecks of red, fire burning so deep, I expected to see smoke around him. His eyes were expressive, surprising for a man in his position. Men of his ranking usually developed a blank face, a mask to hide underneath, and they didn’t show their emotions often.

  But Shanton didn’t care, and I could clearly see what he felt in his eyes. They burned with his amusement and interest. My eyes traveled from his eyes down his long nose to his full lips, the top one bow-shaped and absolutely bite-able. High cheekbones sculpted his face and a nice scruff of hair covered his rectangular jaw line.

  Shanton stood tall, donning dark jeans with a black sweater over a strong body. His skin was tanned with a soft reddish glow, giving me a hint of what his dragon form could look like. He wasn’t as wide as Lombardi, but that didn’t mean he was any less powerful. His body was lean and when he walked closer to us, his smooth movements told me he trained to be a weapon. He didn’t get like that from the gym, but from being on the front lines, in the middle of violence.

  If I remembered correctly, he was a couple thousand years old. He’d have had to fight through wars, had to watch those around him perish, especially his kind. Dragons were immortal if they weren’t killed. Age and diseases didn’t touch them. I didn’t want to know what he had to go through in his past. I could barely handle what I’d gone through in my lifetime, and I was only nineteen.

  “And this must be Dr. Laila Porter,” he said, turning his attention to me. I stiffened as his gaze raked over me. He wasn’t being disgusting about it, just assessing. One of his dark eyebrows rose when his eyes met mine. He tilted his head to the side slightly and just stared into me. I couldn’t pull away from him, something about his stare ensnared me and demanded I stay put. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to run away screaming.

  “Yes, she’s been a huge help in preparing for your arrival,” Lombardi said and shifted so he was slightly in front of me. I blinked and glanced at him. His expression was passive but the stiffness throughout him told me enough. He didn’t like that Shanton seemed interested in me.

  “Well, then I can’t wait to learn all about how you’re going to protect me,” Shanton replied, his words a soft purr as he focused on me again.

  Rhett and Alijah shifted closer as we headed back inside but they didn’t get in Shanton’s way when he came up beside me. I doubted many would.

  “How long have you worked here, Dr. Porter?” he asked. I looked up at him. I wasn’t a short person, but the man still towered over me. He had to be well on his way to seven feet tall.

  “About five months now,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. His energy coated my body, as if claiming me as its own. I could smell the fresh air, the wind in my face, the sharpness of the clouds with Shanton so close to me.

  “And Dwight trusted you to help set up security for this weekend?” he asked. He lif
ted up the little token used to get through the wards. With Lombardi and my presence, he and his team easily passed the requirements to enter.

  I nodded. “Part of my job,” I shrugged.

  He made a small humming noise before Lombardi stepped up next to him and pulled him into a conversation I didn’t bother to follow since I didn’t know the specifics of the deal they were meeting to finalize.

  I did find entertainment in the fact that while Lombardi distracted Shanton, Rhett and Alijah maneuvered me so that we were behind them with the two of them on either side of me. They were lucky our hallways were big enough. Though it made me wonder if they thought they needed to protect me from the dragon, then why not just let me go back down into my lab.

  We didn’t have to pile into the elevator, opting to use one of our conference rooms on the first floor. The receptionist lost her cool, jaw dropping, eyes big, when she spotted our small group. The rest of the guards lagged behind as they talked shop and synchronized Shanton’s protection detail. They headed to the guest floor to make sure everything was to Shanton’s standards, with a select few waiting outside the conference room. The exception was Shanton’s assistant, who seemed to be his shadow.

  I didn’t even notice his existence until I was behind Lombardi and Shanton. The man was good at adapting and being unseen.

  When we got to the conference room, everyone settled down and we got right into it, outlining all the precautions we’d put into place, how our team would react, how we expected his team to react, as in staying with Shanton and out of our way, and how to handle different situations.

  I went over the rooms he needed to avoid because they were where the baddies would be held if captured, and where to go if we were under severe attack, like a massive army showed up and decided to try to blow us up. We had escape routes in place, even tunnels I’d never known existed until this week when Lombardi himself took me down there. I’d placed some surprises down there for anyone who happened to know about them.

  A couple hours went by while we talked and by the time we finished, I was ready to hide inside my lab for the rest of the weekend. I needed space from all the testosterone being thrown around.

  Once or twice, Shanton said something to me that put the other men on alert, but whatever he was hinting at, I didn’t get. By the end, we agreed on a couple of things. Shanton would have the day to settle in, then a tour by Lombardi, and then we would all meet again for dinner before bedding down for the night in hopes of no one attacking. My gut already told me the weekend was going to be the longest ever.

  While Lombardi took Shanton on a tour, I went to the security room to see how everyone was doing. Dinner would be in two hours so that would give me time to make appropriate adjustments now that Shanton and his guards were in the building.

  “This’ll be fun,” Henzie purred. He had set up a workstation in the corner of the room, multiple monitors in front of him, flipping through camera views along with dots on the screen. He had given each patrol guard trackers so we could see where they were. When a baddie came, we would be able to respond more effectively without our guards stepping on each other. “Tell me about the dragon, Laila. Is he as amazing as everyone seems to think him to be?”

  I smiled. “He’s definitely impressive,” I admitted.

  Henzie made a humming noise as he clicked on a few keys. I moved around his workstation so I could see the screen. He was video stalking Lombardi, Rhett, Shanton, and his assistant. They went from floor to floor, working their way up, discussing what each floor did, how the company was split up.

  “What are his men doing?” I asked.

  “Still sweeping the suites and putting up their own security.”

  I smirked. “And I bet you can get into their system.”

  Henzie chuckled, the tinkling of the sound delighting me. His laugh was just as infectious as everything else about him. “Laila,” he drawled. “I’m already in their system.”

  I chuckled. “Of course you are.” I leaned forward to get a better view of his men setting everything up in their rooms, making sure everything was clean, no bugs there that shouldn’t be. We were upfront about the cameras and where they were and told them we required them to leave them. We won that battle.

  “Do you think one of them will betray him?” Henzie asked. “I have a bet going with the boys, and I want to make sure my odds are the best.”

  I thought about it and then shook my head. “No. Just being in his presence, you can feel the command for loyalty. He isn’t a jerk, at least not from what I’d seen. Seems like he takes care of his employees and so they’ll want to take care of him. Besides, if one of them betrays him, he’s signing his own death warrant.”

  A hundred or so years ago, death was an everyday thing in everyone’s lives, but with years of politics, that had dwindled. Death was still used as a quick punishment, but there was more talking involved before such a final decision was made. It was the part of society that I shied away from, unable to justify someone’s death. Yes, people deserved to be punished, but I couldn’t get on the killing boat.

  “Damn right,” Henzie growled and for just a moment I got a taste of the little bit of darkness that dwelled inside of him. All beings had some darkness hidden inside them, including me, but the good ones worked every day to contain it.

  I once faced a psychopath who had gone on a rampage, killing beings without remorse. He saw me for who I was, a powerful magic user. He had asked if I had the juice to kill. I admitted I did. He asked what stopped me from killing people. He obviously couldn’t stop himself. He saw it as his right. He had the power so why not use it. I didn’t really have an answer for him because if I wanted, I could do it, I could go on a rampage and probably wipe out half the city before they took me down. Preserving my life wasn’t an adequate answer. Morals was too human of an answer.

  That was my darkness, my possibility. I could become that man if I didn’t keep myself in check. I didn’t want to be like him either. Life should be precious.

  I’d never killed anyone. Came close a few times because of my accidents, but never took a life. If it came down to it, I thought I could do it, but it didn’t mean I wanted to.

  I had to wonder, what was Henzie’s darkness?

  “What did you bet?” I asked.

  He smirked. “It isn’t his men who are going to betray him, it’s going to be one of ours.” He leaned closer, his voice lower. “They aren’t happy with me right now.”

  I laughed at that. I would be furious too if someone thought I would betray them. But Henzie was right. It wouldn’t be Shanton’s men, it would be ours. That thought didn’t sit well with me, but I was realistic.

  We just needed to be ready for it.

  Chapter 23

  When I’d come into work this morning, I had brought a dress for dinner, knowing Lombardi wanted me there. I still didn’t understand why, but he was the boss man, and we technically weren’t supposed to question him. When it was almost time to go, I ran downstairs, threw on the dress, fixed my light brown hair to fall softly around the black dress and added on a light layer of eyeshadow to make my dark green eyes pop more.

  I slipped on heels that pushed me to nearly six feet tall, but I knew the other men would still tower over me. Something about being a supernatural made the male population so much taller, as if it were a requirement of most species, as if tallness was part of the criteria to being an alpha, dominant male.

  Alijah stood outside my door, looking handsome in his black suit, the darkness really making the orange in his eyes shine bright. He screamed ‘stalking predator,’ especially when he began moving with a smooth stride toward the elevators. We met the rest of the group outside. Six guards would escort us to the restaurant, where security was already set up.

  I didn’t understand all the intricacies for how security was going to work. All I knew was that they were ready for us and would be able to keep Shanton from meeting his demise for a couple of hours. I thought it was silly t
o risk his life for a meal, but Shanton wanted a taste of our city’s life and no one dared to say no to the dragon.

  My eyes flickered from Lombardi to Shanton, and then to Alijah and Rhett.

  All four men looked breathtaking together. Just seeing them made an unfamiliar emotion blossom inside of me. I felt like I was looking at something meant to be, but didn’t know in what capacity, and it seemed like something was still missing from the picture.

  I shook my head and smiled at them.

  “You’re breathtaking,” Shanton said, stepping forward and grabbing my hand. He bowed slightly and lifted my hand to his lips, laying a gentle kiss against the back. Energy skimmed across my skin in a gentle caress, as if reassuring me everything was as it should be.

  “Shall we,” Lombardi said in a growl, breaking the moment. His eyes narrowed at Shanton, who only chuckled.

  “Yes, we wouldn’t want to be late for our reservation.”

  His sarcasm brought a smile to my face.

  We didn’t go far, not wanting to risk a long drive. The restaurant we went to was the type where they served you four course meals and there weren’t any prices on the menu. You had to assume the items on the list were well over a hundred dollars each.

  Shanton pulled out my chair and pushed it in for me when I sat down, then claimed the seat next to me at the round table. Rhett took the spot on the other side of me, with the assistant next to Shanton. Lombardi and Alijah sat across from us.

  “Please tell me someone knows French,” I said as I tried to understand the words on the menu.

  A couple of the men chuckled. Alijah leaned into me and whispered something into my ear that heated my cheeks. I didn’t understand what he said exactly, but I could pick up on the undertones. And by the daggers he was getting from some of the men at the table, what he said probably wasn’t appropriate for the public ears.

  “Good,” I said and moved the menu over. “What is this nonsense?” I asked.

  He stared down at the menu with a smile.