Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
If Isaac wasn’t standing in front of the CEO of the entire company, he’d have something to say about the dragon’s rudeness. It’d be really impolite of him to not introduce himself to the CEO while he was standing in the man’s office. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. But if the past few days taught Isaac anything, it was that Maverick Van Buren would find anything to complain about if he could. Someone seriously needed to tell him to pull the stick out.
Marching back to the elevator, Isaac silently seethed. If the work wasn’t so amazing, he’d hand the job off to someone else. But aside from his grumpy boss, he loved everything about it. The research, the firsthand experience in a law office, the people. He didn’t want to let one grouchy dragon ruin such an amazing experience.
He got back to work straight away, making copies for an upcoming meeting Mr. Van Buren had later in the day. He headed back to the office, counting out the copies to make sure they were all there. He was so distracted that it took him a moment to notice the smoke filling the hallway. Isaac blinked a few times, looking around with a frown. Did someone burn something in the break room or did he have something to be worried about?
“Psst! Isaac!”
Jade’s harsh whisper drew his attention, and he took a detour, stopping at her desk with a frown. “What happened?”
“That happens when Mr. Van Buren is in a foul mood. I thought I should warn you. You might want to lie low for a while until he cools off. Or at least until the air clears. It can feel like you’re choking on it when it gets too thick, and being in his office is way worse.”
Well, that wasn’t good. Isaac thought he’d seen Mr. Van Buren in a foul mood before now, but aside from that first day, he didn’t create actual smoke before. Now that he was looking at it, it was like a trail from the elevators to Mr. Van Buren’s office. People coughed and waved their hands in front of their face when they passed, but didn’t comment, scurrying off to their offices like they were afraid to stand around too long and get caught by the dragon.
Isaac felt a level of irritation settle over him. It was one thing to be a grouch, but he didn’t have to make other people suffer right along with him. Drawing in a slow breath, Isaac gathered his magic and pushed outward, dispersing the smoke out of the common areas and toward Mr. Van Buren’s office. He heard a few delighted exclamations behind him, but he ignored it for the time being, using the air to keep the smoke from billowing back out again. He stalked down the hallway, ignoring the way his eyes burned as he stepped into Mr. Van Buren’s office.
Going straight for the door to the terrace, Isaac threw it open and snapped his fingers. A gust of air blew the smoke straight out, clearing the rest of the room. Turning to admire his handiwork, he gave a satisfied nod before closing the terrace doors behind him and returning to his desk. It took a few moments before he realized Mr. Van Buren was staring at him incredulously. Isaac glanced up at him with a frown.
“What?”
“You’re a mage?”
Wrinkling his nose, he gave Mr. Van Buren a confused look. “Yeah? So?”
Mr. Van Buren studied him, every once in a while glancing at the terrace door. If he was upset about Isaac taking care of the smoke issue, he was just going to have to deal with it. It wasn’t fair to let the entire office suffer just because Mr. Van Buren was crabby.
With a sigh, Isaac gathered the materials for the meeting, stacking them neatly in a pile. He’d hoped ignoring the dragon would get him to get back to work, but the weight of his stare was unmoving and Isaac’s patience wore out. He could only deal with the grouchy dragon for so long before saying something. Pushing to his feet, he moved to stand in front of Mr. Van Buren’s desk again, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.
“Do we have a problem?”
Mr. Van Buren’s expression immediately darkened. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, you’re staring. I don’t think I did anything wrong by getting rid of the smoke, which was affecting the entire office by the way, and I’m not required to share my race with anyone, especially not in a workplace. So if you’ve got a problem–”
“I never said I did,” Mr. Van Buren scowled. “I have no issue with other races. You shouldn’t make those kinds of accusations blindly. Someone could sue you for slander.”
That made Isaac’s spine stiffen. They were just having a conversation. There was no slander. The obstinate man was blowing things out of proportion just because he was a grouchy asshole. All the effort Isaac put in to kill him with kindness flew out the window and he scowled back.
“That sounds like a threat, Mr. Van Buren. I didn’t realize we couldn’t have an adult conversation without you threatening to sue me.”
Mr. Van Buren shoved to his feet, a low growl filling the room, warning him off. Isaac was poking the dragon, he knew that, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. The room filled with smoke, billowing from Mr. Van Buren’s nose, and the air seemed to vibrate with his irritation. It probably intimidated people into backing off, but Isaac wasn’t easily intimidated. Sure, he was smaller than the dragon, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle himself. And dragons weren’t immune to lightning. His hands clenched into fists automatically, the crackle of the electricity sparking off his skin. Mr. Van Buren noticed, and it only seemed to piss him off more.
“Are you challenging me, Silverbreeze?”
“Unlike some people, I’m not prone to outbursts,” Isaac threw back. “But I’m not going to let you intimidate me, either.”
The smoke was starting to leak into the hallway again, and it only irritated Isaac even more. He flicked his wrist and the door to the office slammed shut. It did its job keeping the smoke where it was supposed to be, but Isaac probably should’ve said something before he did it. Mr. Van Buren reacted to the sound like a threat and before Isaac could blink, he was slammed against a bookshelf with Mr. Van Buren’s hand fisting Isaac’s shirt. The pain made him whimper, and that sound snapped Mr. Van Buren out of the rage fog instantly. He jerked back, and he looked surprised, like he didn't realize what he was doing.
Isaac opened his mouth, the urge to grab his things and walk out immensely tempting, but he never got the chance. Mr. Van Buren’s gaze dropped to his hand, and he yanked it away like he’d been burned, his eyes as wide as dinner plates and filled with panic. He backpedaled hard and spun on his heel, going straight for the terrace. Isaac watched in shocked silence as Mr. Van Buren shifted, the air shimmering like a mirage as the man disappeared and a massive beast took his place. He didn’t even look back, launching himself straight off the edge of the terrace and away from the building.
Isaac’s heart was thundering in his ears. The back of his head throbbed where it’d struck the bookshelf. He knew he needed to report this. Physical violence was not something he ever needed to put up with. But the panic in Mr. Van Buren’s eyes made him pause. A blind man could tell that he hadn’t meant to do it. It was partially Isaac’s fault for closing the door with his magic while they were both staring each other down like that. He startled an already volatile dragon, and the animal in him reacted. If Isaac had been in Mr. Van Buren’s shoes, he wasn’t sure he would’ve reacted any differently. They were both on edge, and the sound surprised him.
The phone on Isaac’s desk started ringing, drawing him out of his head. Shaking off the shock, he snapped his fingers, forcing the rest of the smoke through the open terrace door again before letting it swing shut to block out the cooler air. He drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly before picking up the phone and putting on his professional persona.
“Mr. Van Buren’s office, Isaac speaking.”
“Isaac? Is everything alright?” Jade murmured, probably trying to keep her voice low enough that Mr. Van Buren wouldn’t hear her. She must not have known he wasn’t in the room anymore.
“I’m fine.”
“Well… that’s good. I, uh… I made a call to the higher ups, though. It really isn’t safe to argue with a dragon like that. I think someone from Supernatural Resources is on their way.”
Crap. Not good. Isaac wasn’t sure how he wanted to proceed with what had just happened with him and Mr. Van Buren, but he did know he didn’t want to share it with SR.
“That’s really not necessary. I–”
“Oh, good. He’s here. Maybe you should come out here. Put some space between you and the dragon.”
Grinding his teeth, Isaac cast around for some kind of guidance on what he was supposed to do. He shouldn’t be protecting the man who just shoved him into a bookshelf, but it bothered him a little, letting Mr. Van Buren take the blame for something that was both their faults.
“Mr. Van Buren left for a meeting across town. He’s not here right now.”
Jade let out a relieved sigh. “Good. I’m glad. That man is terrifying.”
Not really. Grouchy and a pain in the ass, sure, but Isaac wouldn’t consider him terrifying. If he hadn’t been so surprised by the dragon’s reaction, Isaac could’ve held his own. It just took him off guard, and he didn’t have a chance to react before Mr. Van Buren ran.
“Since he’s not there, I’ll send Mr. Brightbeak to see you. Just sit tight, alright?”
Isaac bit back a groan, placing the phone back in its cradle. This really wasn’t what he wanted to deal with right now. His head was throbbing, and he felt out of sorts. He didn’t normally lose his temper like that. He was the happy one in the office. There was just something about Mr. Van Buren that pushed his buttons.
Isaac stood at the gentle knock on the door, forcing himself to smile as he opened it. He immediately felt the blanket of the griffin’s magic wash over him. Crap, crap, crap. No one was immune to a griffin’s magic. It wasn’t harmful, but it did compel the truth. If Isaac wanted to avoid throwing Mr. Van Buren under the bus, he had to be careful with what he said.
“Hello. Isaac Silverbreeze? My name is Brennus Brightbeak. Head of Supernatural Resources.”
He offered a clawed hand to Isaac, who shook it politely. Stepping back, he gestured to the desk behind him.
“Mr. Van Buren isn’t here right now.”
You couldn’t lie to a griffin, but stronger mages could circumvent the truth if they were careful. Since they could feel the magic working, they learned how to work around it eons ago.
Mr. Brightbeak looked around the office with sharp eyes. It was a little hard to guess what he was thinking, beaks weren’t really that expressive, but his eyes said a lot. He was ready for battle, which really wasn’t the mindset Isaac wanted him in.
“I received a call about some shouting and loud noises. Did something happen?”
The truth was on the tip of his tongue, the griffin’s magic urging it forward, but Isaac bit it back, answering vaguely. “We had a disagreement. He left afterward. I’m fine.”
The griffin turned from his perusal of the room, narrowing his eyes at Isaac. “If you are being intimidated into covering for him or–”
“I’m not,” Isaac cut him off before Mr. Brightbeak could ask something that he wouldn’t be able to dance around. “Like I said. It was a disagreement. If I felt unsafe, I would have reported it myself.”
Which technically wasn’t a lie, because Isaac didn’t feel like his life was being threatened and he was fully capable of protecting himself. A grouchy dragon didn’t scare him.
It was obvious by the look on Mr. Brightbeak’s face that he didn’t believe him. But because it wasn’t possible to lie to a griffin, he couldn’t say anything to prove Isaac wrong without asking the right questions. And Isaac wasn’t going to give him that chance.
“Mr. Brightbeak, I have to prepare some documents for a meeting this afternoon. I’m sorry you were called up here unnecessarily.” He flashed the griffin one of his patented smiles that put difficult bosses at ease. “I’ll let Mr. Van Buren know you were here.”
Mr. Brightbeak made a clicking noise with his beak, showing his irritation that Isaac could dance around a subject without outright lying. But he couldn’t force him to do anything, so he gave in, turning back towards the hall where a small group of staff had gathered to snoop. One sharp look from Isaac sent them scattering. He’d need to deal with that later. He was an amiable person to work with as long as his boundaries were respected, and he didn’t appreciate the eavesdropping or having someone calling SR without speaking with him first. If Mr. Van Buren hadn’t left like he had, it could’ve been bad for the both of them. Not to mention dangerous. If Mr. Van Buren was a violent person, being forced to speak to SR might have tipped him over the edge.
Isaac thought maybe he’d gotten away with it when Mr. Brightbeak left, but before he could shut the door behind him, the griffin stopped him with a clawed hand on the edge of the door.
“If you’re lying to Supernatural Resources, you will face the consequences just as much as he would,” Mr. Brightbeak warned. “Think about that. And if you can think of anything else you’d like to discuss, you can find me in my office.”
Isaac gave a polite nod, shutting the door to the office to mute the griffin’s magic. His stomach twisted uncomfortably. If anyone found out he was lying to protect Mr. Van Buren, they could blacklist him from ever getting a job here. Or anywhere they’re allied with. He was putting his career on the line to protect his boss. And he couldn’t help but ask himself what the hell he was thinking.