11. Chapter 11
Bec
I usually studied for the bar on Fridays, but Jim called me way too early and begged me to come in. If I hadn’t been so groggy, I would’ve refused.
Standing in the shower, trying to wake up, I debated about either leaving a note for the twins or waking up Marduk. He'd ended up on the couch and I could wake him up on my way out.
No, that would be mean. Just because I had to get up weirdly early on a Friday didn’t mean the guys needed to. I'd leave a note and tiptoe out the front door.
Especially because I was still worried about Danzig. Even with all the magical healing, he should probably rest for a few days.
Normally, I tried to dress business casual for work, but today he was getting jeans and a sweatshirt. I left my hair to air dry, tugged on my shoes, and tiptoed down stairs.
All my effort was pointless. Marduk was tugging on his motorcycle jacket, and Danzig was pouring coffee into one of my travel mugs.
“Good morning,” Marduk said.
“Coffee?” Danzig asked, holding up my travel mug.
I accepted and took a sip. “This is good, thanks.”
He beamed at me and poured the rest of the coffee into Em’s travel mug and took a sip himself. It was cute to see such a big, masculine man unabashedly using a KPop Demon Hunter themed purple mug.
“I’m sorry if I woke you guys up,” I said. I was crazy if I thought they'd be able to sleep through my shower and clumsy half-asleep morning routine.
“I woke up before that. I heard your phone call,” Danzig said. “You sounded so sleepy I'm surprised you agreed to go in.”
“The sleepy part was the reason I agreed,” I said, then took another sip of coffee.
Finished pulling on his jacket, Marduk joined us in the kitchen. “Any for me?”
Danzig tapped the top of the coffee maker. “This only makes a couple of cups at a time. I could brew some more.”
“No need.” I handed my mug to Marduk. “You can have mine. I’ll make a pot when I get to the office.”
Marduk took the mug as if it was a gift. I was going to say something teasing, but Hugo scratched at the door then looked back at us with obvious demand.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, grabbing his leash and taking him outside. It was a little cold, and I realized I should’ve put his little sweatshirt on. He was quick to do his business and then tugged me back into the condo.
Inside, I let him loose, filled his food dish, and checked the water. I’d only agreed to work for the morning, so he’d be fine until I got back. Then I’d make it up to him with a longer walk. We could even hang out at one of the tables in front of the gelato shop so people could worship him.
Marduk and Danzig were standing in the living room watching me. Unsure what to do, I pointed to the table next to the door.
“Since Wallis left several sets of keys, you can take a set and lock up behind you. That way you guys don’t have to leave with me.”
“We’re coming with you,” Danzig said. “I’m going to ride in your nice, warm car.”
“And I’m going to follow on the bike,” Marduk said.
I shook my head. “All I’m going to be doing is sitting at a desk and taking calls. You guys will be bored.”
“We could never be bored with you,” Danzig said.
As much as I liked to hear that, I shook my head. “Cute, but unlikely.”
“Let us determine what we find boring,” Marduk said.
“Besides, we have working phones and unlimited data plans,” Danzig said, holding up his cell and wiggling it.
“I guess we're partners now,” I said. “I'll trust you to hang out and not get me in trouble with Jim.”
“Never,” they said at the same time. Danzig tucked his phone away. That reminded me of my own issue.
“I need to get a new phone. Mine stopped working a few days ago, and I had to dig out my old one. Thankfully the SIM card worked when I put it back in this one. It's doing the job but likes to overheat.”
Marduk winced. “I'll pick you up a new phone on the way in. Who's your carrier? What kind of phone do you like?”
“You don't have to do that,” I said when Danzig opened a kitchen drawer and tossed Marduk the dead phone.
“Here's the one that doesn't work. I found it when I was looking for a spoon earlier.”
Marduk caught it with one hand. “Great. I'll get you the same one or better.”
I gave up. “Fine, but if they don't have one in stock, then don't bother.”
Danzig held up his perfectly working phone, displaying the time. “Don’t we need to leave now or you’re going to be late?”
I nodded, grabbed my keys and purse, and we all walked out together. It really wasn't that early, but I'd never been a morning person.
Marduk veered off to a parking spot with two motorcycles in it, while Danzig stayed close to me. I glanced up at his scarred forehead.
“How are you feeling?”
He reached up and ran his finger over the healed wound. “It’s a little tender but doesn’t hurt.”
I shook my head, marveling over it. “Something like that would've put me in the hospital for weeks.”
“We J?rmungandrs are tough, even in the magical world,” he said.
“I'm glad for that,” I said as I got in.
“Our mom says the same thing,” Danzig said, eyeing the passenger seat.
The vehicle was nice, but also an average sized four-door sedan. The size meant that Danzig had to squeeze himself inside. I winced a little as he wiggled around and adjusted the seat, trying to get comfortable.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
He stopped moving and looked up at me with confusion. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because you’re uncomfortable?”
He still looked confused. “How is that your fault?”
I opened my mouth, about to answer, then stopped. Why was I apologizing because he was so large that my perfectly average-sized car was too tight for him?
“I think it’s because of my ex,” I said, realizing I’d gotten in the habit of taking responsibility for everything. “I arranged everything about our lives, so when anything went wrong or wasn’t entirely right, it was my fault.”
Danzig made a derisive snort. “The guy sounds dumb. Could he even tie his own shoes?”
I chuckled, feeling so much better with Danzig’s easy humor and kindness. “Probably not.”
“Let’s get this thing going,” he said, patting the dashboard. “The sooner we leave here, the sooner we can hit a drive-through coffee shop and get something fancy that Marduk will hate.”
That made me full-out laugh. “Further proof that you’re siblings."
“Oh, you have no idea,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Danzig
Living as long as we did mean dealing with tedious situations became easy, almost routine. However, it turned out I liked spending time with Bec at the office. It was much nicer than the parking lot or coffee shop.
For the first hour, she checked the office email and filed a few things. While she did that I scrolled social media, uploaded a few photos and spilled my sweet, creamy coffee.
Bec had drunk most of hers before we'd even gotten to the office. My mate loved sweet coffee!
By the time she was done with those chores and sitting back to frown at her empty latte cup, Marduk arrived.
He wordlessly handed her a phone in a brand-new box
She took it with a beaming smile. “This is the exact one. I didn't think you'd find it, thanks!”
Abandoning any pretense of working, she set up her new phone. Marduk sat down, put in his earbud and closed his eyes.
I went back to scrolling. I lost track of time when a notification popped up. I opened up PixUs to find a picture of me scrolling my phone from Bec. I looked up to find her watching me with a smile.
“Very cute,” I said.
“I was making sure the camera worked,” she said with an adorable, lighthearted smile. Setting her phone down, she sat back in her chair. “I know I shouldn't be hungry, but I'm craving something from Bear Buns Bakery.”
“Marduk,” I said, nudging his foot with mine. He opened his eyes and pulled out his earbuds. “Bear Buns Bakery isn't too far and—”
“On it,” Marduk said before I could finish. Outside of Mila's amazing pastries, Bear Buns Bakery was his favorite. He grabbed his helmet, jumped up, and rushed out the door without another word.
I grinned at Bec. “He'll bring half the bakery back with him.”
“I wouldn't mind,” she said, then put her elbows on the desk in front of her and rested her chin in one hand. “What’s it like to be you?”
I was surprised by the question, but pleased. “That’s a broad question. Could you narrow it down?”
“I've been doing that a lot lately,” she said, then thought about it for a moment before asking the next question. “When were you born?”
“Mom laid our egg about 600 hundred years ago,” I answered.
Her eyes widened for a moment. “How long do J?rmungandr live?”
I was pleased that she’d pronounced it correctly. She must’ve taken the time to look it up.
“It depends,” I said. “Most of us live about five thousand years, but some can live up to fifty thousand.”
“That’s a big difference,” she murmured.
“Yeah, the difference is because J?rmungandrs can get complacent and forget that there are more powerful creatures out there. Like your neighbor.”
“I’m sorry, what neighbor?”
I told her about Ysabella. As I talked, her expression went from shocked to amused.
“It’s hard to believe,” Bec murmured after I was done. “Ysabella and Jason are so sweet. We haven’t spent much time together, but we planned to go out for dinner after they got back. I guess all five of us could go out now. Are you sure she's a medusa?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “It would take both my brother and I, along with many others, to defeat her. Thankfully, she’s not evil or anything.
I heard from Cora and Pike that she rescued them from a drug dealing wolf pack.
That’s where she got her, um, Jason. He was a wolf shifter that didn’t want to be part of the pack, but he was very submissive and couldn’t stand up to them.
He’s the only one she didn’t execute. She basically adopted him. She’s his pack leader, not his lover.”